To run through the pages of time's own journals of interstellar wars and brilliant civilizations, one would certainly spend a moment passing over the chronicles of a race of humans called the Eltarians and their struggle against an evil force as ancient as the time that recorded it. The Dairakun Knights, militant believers of the mysterious Dairaku religion, struck the planet at the height of its existence, doing so accordingly to their own holy scroll's prophecy. So it was written that the malicious Dairakun Knights would claim the crown jewel world of their own star system for their demon-queen deity, Jenova. However, the Eltarians were not without their own holy doctrine.
In a tradition as old as the race of humans itself, a group of warriors battling with the speed and cunning of their sacred animals would defend the planet. Once chosen, they would draw their strength from a mystical energy that seemed to penetrate the very core of the universe and was known simply as the Power. Becoming a superhuman fighting force known as Power Rangers, a selected group of five warriors waged countless battles with the Dairakun Knights. Centuries later, under the fearless command of Prince Zordon of Eltar, the Power Rangers were contested by the technological might of a new sect of Dairakun soldiers under the influence of a demonic warlord known as Maelstrom. Spoken of as the Immortal Vast, his forces managed to sweep across the outlying systems before claiming the toxic and uninhabitable world of Carinasia for his own. In a display of marvelous modern might, he colonized its dead lands where his evil would flourish. Unfortunately, the Power Rangers would soon lose one of their own to the influence of Maelstrom's black powers.
Sih Caien Zedd, who served the Power Rangers as the Green Zyraku Ranger and wielded the powers of the dragon, pledged his services to this Immortal Vast and lead their forces with the might of his own war machine, the DragonZord. Betrayed by his close friend, Prince Zordon constructed his own device of destruction named Serpentara. In his moment of achievement, the planet was shadowed by the terrifying announcement that Maelstrom had a weapon so great, it would rob an entire planet of life in a matter of minutes. With the completion of his Dairaku Cannon at hand, the Rangers rushed to meet Maelstrom''s wicked armies.
Left without the protection of their Rangers, the Eltarian people were vulnerable to the destructive force of Maelstrom's cannon. Splitting into its two firing mechanisms, the cannon stationed itself apart at the planet's north and south poles. A wave of energy flame swept the surface of the planet, exterminating the unfortunate persons that did not find their way to the shelter of space.
Battling across the stars, Zordon, bearing the visage of the Red Zyraku Ranger, met General Zedd on the planet of Chephicus, a blackened world, that spewed oceans of boiling toxic water from its unstable core. Zordon managed to best Zedd in a battle of swordsmanship that left the dark general burning alive in the waters of the Sanagen Sea. Using an exercise taught to him by his lord Maelstrom, Zedd managed his way out of certain death, but the damage had been done. Bereaved of his flesh, he would spend the next several months comatose in a hyperbaric chamber within the mystical Pyramids of Orion, unholy temples constructed on Carinasia. Bathed in sacred minerals and oils, he soon found his consciousness which was filled only with revenge.
Reborn Lord Zedd of the Immortal Vast, he managed stability by way of a energy-inducing exoskeleton suit. In his first battle against the Power Rangers since his supposed death, he managed to capture Zordon's flagship vehicle, Serpentara. Dumbfound at the return of his nemesis, Zordon quickly put the tradition back into play, drafting a new team of Power Rangers. His new team of Rangers would command a fleet of fighting machines, known as the ZyrakuZords. By his own design, they would have the ability to form together in a singular form, though more powerful than their own combined firepower as separate Zords. Christened the MegaZord, it proved a worthy adversary to the combined might of the DragonZord and Serpentara. In an attempt to re-activate the Dairaku Cannon, Zedd returned to the planet Eltar where he was quickly re-engaged in war.
As this battle waged on, Maelstrom sought to apprentice a new general for his armies. He chose Deviot Jindrax, who turned on the dark lord and followed his own greed for galactic supremacy. Striking Maelstrom down, he took the warlord's mysterious pendant, the Black Star, and vanished, leaving the Immortal Vast in the tyrannical control of Lord Nereus, another of Maelstrom's generals and High Priest of the Dairaku. Nereus retreated his new armies to Carinasia, abandoning Lord Zedd to continue his personal struggle against Zordon of Eltar. Unfortunately for the dark lord, the sheer might of the Power Rangers and their MegaZord proved too much for him as they overcame his personal battalions of Immortal Vast soldiers.
As punishment for the near complete loss of the Eltarian people, Lord Zedd was sentenced to Eavina's Wake by a galactic tribunal. The Vast legion lord was restrained and set within a burial crypt, within a ceremonial casket known as a Jirad. Following ancient Eltarian tradition, the Jirad was then filled with special waters that preserve the prisoner for the prophesied day when the sovereign elder gods of Eltar would return to judge those that were sentenced to such a fate. With little sign of any Immortal Vast retaliation, the Eltarians sought to colonize a nearby lush, blue-green planet, designated Neo-Eltar. Zordon's destiny would be to follow his design for a master plan and see that if the shroud of darkness should ever befall the universe again, that a new team of Power Rangers would be prepared to take up the fight of their ancestors.
It was the greatest war in American history. Three million fought- an astounding 600,000 died. This great yet terrible war was the only one fought on American soil by Americans. In the mid 1800s, the United States would be torn apart by this turn of events. Since the beginning of the colonies more than 200 years earlier, two regions of the country had developed in very different ways. They were not the same for many reasons, but the rising tensions began separating the fabric of our sovereignty. By 1860, after failed years of compromise on many issues, the outbreak of war was something that could not be prevented. The time of serenity and unity would be utterly shattered by the Civil War of the American people.
For Jason Scott, the events of the American Civil War, while certainly important and wondrous, the past always seemed just beyond his eyes . . . out of reach to his attention, beyond what he would care to contemplate. The past was just that . . . no one and nothing could change it. He knew what happened to his forefathers, the basics anyway. What good were fine details? His mind always seemed fixed on the horizon, to the future. The world around him seemed as just a flat desert of boredom and predictability. However, the sky just above him, while certainly as far stretching and open, held depth and wonder. But he knew that just beyond the blue haze of the atmosphere was the black haze of space, dotted with pinpoints of starlight and dead planets of no excitement and wonder. Besides, he thought to himself, I’ve got to focus on my Tae-Kwan-Do for the competition. I don’t have time to be in the moment. Until I’ve proven my skill to myself and the judges, my mind will always remain on that day. Jason yawned despairingly and rubbed his eyes before turning them to his friend, Adam.
Adam sat in the next row of seats in the confined class room, equally uninterested in the history of his nation. But while Jason always seemed to look to the future, for excitement, Adam’s calm, level head was always in the moment, whether he was interested or not. But his attention was usually inward, in his mind, in the creativeness of his imagination. At any moment, he could pull up a favorite song of his from his mental jukebox and tap out the beat with his yellow pencil against his textbook. But his mind wasn’t filled with stock music he heard, it was also filled with his own compositions. While music seemed to be the core of his existence, he also was anticipating getting home from school, where he would spend time with his friends Jason and Zack, usually getting into some sort of mischief with the latter, while Jason would usually ask Adam to help him with his Tae-Kwan-Do.
“This war was one of many that was the result of the persecution of a group of innocent people. The Civil War spilled the blood of our ancestors in an attempt to free the enslaved masses that were bound silent without their own voice. The Union armies managed to liberate the slaves of the peoples of the south. This war was reflected almost a hundred years later in the second World War as recently elected Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler, perpetrated one of the greatest tragedies in modern history, a Nazi mass murder of the Jewish people known as the Holocaust. However, the Jews were not only the victims of Nazism. It is estimated that as many as 15 million civilians were murdered by this racist regime, including millions of other ethnic groups,” Ms. Appleby explained. Without warning, the high-pitched chorus of chimes came from the circular metal bell fixed just above the entrance way. The ringing of the bell came as a surprise to the teacher, who had planned to review more material before breaking for the day. She glanced at her watch and checked the time to be three-thirty pm.
“Alright students, we will begin our discussion of the wars of the modern era on Monday. Have a safe weekend and be sure to have your chapter questions completed to be turned in when we return,” She announced before returning to her desk.
“Weekend, here we come,” Adam said, cramming his book into his backpack.
“No doubt, bro,” Jason added, grabbing his notebook and following Adam out the doorway and into the hall.
“Big time!” the voice came from a tall, black teenager who was wearing oversized silvery jeans and a Los Angeles Raiders football jersey. Zack Taylor grinned his mischievous, lopsided smile, anticipating the atmosphere and action of the night’s football game. For Zack, the game meant more than just beating the rival Stone Canyon Eagles . . . his number was a rhythm and his football field was the head of his drum. Alongside his fellow musicians in the drum line, Zack fought the battle to motivate the Angel Grove Tigers and to entertain their fans. It was a battle that Zack knew by heart . . . he had to scratch and claw just to make drum line, not only against his classmates, but against the undecidedness in his heart. He had always been there with Jason and Adam on the field, looking out for one another and enjoying the pure sport of football. But his music was a serious side of himself that he had to satisfy, even if it meant playing the game from the bleachers . . . but at the moment, all those feelings were tucked away, far beneath Zack’s playful and warm demeanor.
“We’ll be in the big time once we get off JV,” Jason reminded. Zack’s grin came crashing down as he rolled his eyes.
“Come on bro! Tonight’s the night,” Zack emphatically declared. “Word’s out that Coach Hardy has picked a few guys off of JV to play tonight,” Jason halfheartedly smiled as Zack grabbed Adam by the neck in a playful chokehold.
“Remember man, we got Stone Cold Adam Park over here . . . myself, the most electrifying man in all of half-time entertainment, and . . .” Zack paused, grinning at Jason. Jason posed, flexing his muscles, imitating professional wrestler Triple H, causing Adam and Zack to burst out into laughter.
“The Cerebral Assassin, The GAME!” Jason shouted, straining his neck out in parody of the pro wrestler. Zack’s laughing came to a sudden halt. Their eyes darted, glancing at the students that had gathered around them. Jason quickly noticed the Angel Grove Tiger’s star quarterback, Nick Hibriten, wearing his gold and blue lettermen jacket, step through the crowd.
“You better get your game faces on, rookies. Or those Stone Canyon Eagles are gonna eat you alive. And if you get in my way . . . you won’t have to worry about them,” the blonde haired six foot four, 225-pound all star threatened. Jason swallowed his pride and took a deep breath before turning away and retreating to his locker. The hallway resumed its normal after-school chaotic pace as Zack and Adam slowly approached Jason.
“Don’t worry bro. Ol ‘roid head has his head too far up Coach Hardy’s ass to see the light of day. Not to mention those UCLA scouts,” Zack noted. Jason nodded and locked his locker.
Down the hallway, the computer lab was busy with students applying to colleges, researching homework, and two particular students fixed around a monitor showing a NASA space shuttle launching. Trini Kwan and Billy Cranston sat at the desk, reading the headline.
“California astronaut, Jake Cranston, was selected as the pilot for NASA’s first manned mission to Mars, the shuttle Sovereignty. Cranston is a graduate of astrophysics at UCLA and is part of a team of young scientists at NASA, nicknamed the Young Guns. The crew of the shuttle Sovereignty will be in Cape Canaveral this weekend after a meeting with President John Mitchell in Washington that is slated for this afternoon. Liftoff is slated for next week, weather permitting,”
“That’s so prodigious, Billy,” Trini, the young Korean-American female noted. Billy pushed his glasses back up the ridge of his nose, grinning. Ever since she could remember, Trini had been near Billy’s side, almost like a big sister. While she certainly shared Billy’s enthusiasm for science and mathematics, she still liked to enjoy more simpler pleasures like listening to music or going shopping. Billy certainly never felt betrayed by this, but would often wish that Trini were more like him, researching nuclear fusion or calculating algorithms. While Billy preferred the classic rock of the late Seventies such as Boston and Foreigner, Trini would rather listen to top 40 radio, where she could hear a blend of the styles and genres she favored.
“Yeah, my parents are psyched. They’re leaving for Florida tomorrow morning,” he returned. As they spoke, a brunette girl came running in, dressed in a cheerleading uniform. Kimberly Hart felt out of place in the computer lab but was in such a mad rush that the surroundings never really took full effect on her. For Kimberly, running into the computer lab would be more likely to escape some sort of dreadful situation, not on full intent. However, her intent was far different from the patrons of the small room.
“Trini!” she yelled.
“Hey girl,” Trini replied. Billy rolled his eyes and turned back in his chair.
“What’s your problem, robo-geek?” she asked, curling her lip in exaggerated disgust. “Anyway, Trini, in the morning, my parents are flying to Palm Springs for their anniversary, so I’m throwing a party tomorrow night. Valerie Chandler’s brother, Robert, is a DJ and she got him booked for me. Its gonna be bitchin, girl,” Kimberly exclaimed at such a fast speed that one would wonder how she managed to keep her lips from setting on fire, as Billy usually noted.
“I don’t know Kim, I . . ” Trini began as Kimberly cut her off, running her hand down Billy’s shoulder.
“You can even bring astroboy,” she added. Billy looked up, his face blushing. Kimberly gave him a sultry look and he was quickly brought to his feet, which for a second, he questioned their hold on the carpeted floor.
“Sure! We’ll be there!” Billy replied quickly. Trini sighed at Billy’s lack of control over his hormones and nodded at Kimberly. “We’ll be there,” She echoed Billy’s blurt. She knew that Billy had zero control over his hormones and would forget his vast intelligence or mild-mannered composure as soon as someone as beautiful as Kimberly paid him attention. Kimberly bounced through the double doors to the east hall, making her way to cheerleading practice and ran into Zack, who was walking with Jason and Adam to the parking lot. She gave him a disgusted look and continued down to the gymnasium.
“Watch where you’re going, mallrat!” Zack hollered. Adam laughed as Zack dusted his shirt, as if contact with the cheerleader left him covered in dirt.
“You riding with me?” Jason asked Adam. Zack quickly ran off to his truck to meet the girls that were gathered around a car next to it.
“I thought you had drum line practice?!” Jason hollered.
“Nope, not tonight. Catch ya at the factory!” Zack yelled back as he strutted up to the girls. “Hello ladies. Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” Adam turned back to Jason.
“Lets go,” He smiled. They loaded up in Jason’s candy red Chevy pickup as Jason hit the play button on his CD Player. Techno-Heavy Metal music filled the truck’s cab as the two vehicles pulled from the parking lot.
The Metal Factory was set amongst gas stations to the left of a small shopping center on the outskirts of Angel Grove. Black-painted brick ran the length of its walls, decorated with intentional graffiti, advertising drink specials and various specials the club offered. Inside, neon and flashing lights shone off the teenage customers standing at arcade games, pinball machines, and pool tables as frosties. The said drink was an ice cold concoction that mixed soft drinks and sports drinks with fruit flavors and such was served up by waitresses in black mini skirts, fishnet shirts over colored tops, excessive makeup, and dyed hair.
“A cherry Dr. Pepper frosty,” Jason shouted over the music being projected by large speakers set behind the booth where he sat with Adam and Zack. The waitress scribbled on a white pad of paper and returned to the bar.
“You still entering the tournament?” Jason asked Adam. Adam spun his straw around in his hands.
“I don’t really know. Competitive marital arts really aren’t my thing,” Adam replied. Jason nodded and shot his eyes back at the counter to check on the progress of their drinks.
“I’m not doing it so much for the competition as I am to try and get my name out there. If enough people take notice, it’ll help when I finally get my dojo open,” Jason explained.
“I always get a rush when we compete at state. Two bands going at it . . . its cool,” Zack replied. With that, their waitress returned with the drinks.
“One cherry Dr. Pepper frosty,” she said, handing the drink to Jason, “a grape Sprite frosty,” she added, handing Adam his drink, “and a cherry limeade,” Zack reached for his drink and reached for a straw. He jammed the straw down into his drink and took a sip.
“We just gotta keep our heads in the game tonight. Coach really put some responsibility on our shoulders by letting us play Stone Canyon tonight. If we win this one, we’ll be district champs,” Jason reminded. Adam nodded.
The sprawling campus of the University of California at Los Angeles sat majestic in the late afternoon sunlight. A silvery SUV made its way down Wilshire Blvd. before hanging a left onto Westwood Blvd. Hayley Morgan sat in the plush chair, her long brown hair streaming down her face. She looked over her sunglasses, brushing a brunette lock from her view. She drove through Westwood Village, turning onto Charles Young Dr. to the Experimental Sciences Building. She parked the vehicle in the adjacent parking building and locked the door. Her briefcase held tightly, she made her way into the building before meeting her supervisor, Dr. Weston.
“Hayley . . . I would have thought you’d be on your way to Florida by now,” the man said behind thick glasses. Grey hairs peeked out from a head of black hair that was trimmed short and proper. Hayley smiled and assumed a new grip on her briefcase.
“I had considered it . . . but you know I don’t do too well with the press. Jake’s gonna be so busy with everything, getting ready for the launch . . . we both decided it’d be best if I stayed. Besides . . . we’re on the threshold of a breakthrough,”
“Just don’t run yourself into the ground, young lady. Lock up when you leave, and Hayley . . . Good luck this weekend,” Dr. Weston added before walking through the double doors to the parking garage.
Angel Hills Subdivision . . .
“So how’s Washington?” Billy inquired, holding the phone between his chin and shoulder. Trini sat at his computer in the rigid desk chair while Billy had opted for the plushness of his blue plaid bed comforter. Billy nodded his head as he continued his conversation with his brother. Click-click-tap-click-tap . . . the keys of the sprawling keyboard pierced the air as Trini gathered her research on fusion for the science project she was working on with Billy.
“She’s staying at the campus?” Billy inquired. Trini rolled the mouse over several images of fusion researchers and glanced at Billy who was heavily involved with his phone conversation. She clicked the mouse a few more times and sighed desperately.
“Billy, lemme know when you get off the phone . . . I can’t get these formulas to download,” Trini said to Billy as he gave her a thumbs-up, “I’m gonna check the game,” With that, she moved in the chair to Billy’s bookshelf and turned the radio on. After a quick dial to the local station, she increased the volume.
“And with that, the Tigers lead the Eagles fourteen to ten. The Eagles quarterback Kurt Fowler looks to even the odds with this next play. Here’s the kick off . . . and a perfect catch at the ten-yard line. Fowler up the middle, he’s at the twenty . . .”
The sickening sounds of helmets and padding crashing split the early night air, echoing into the stands. Adam felt a rush of adrenaline surge through his body, making his skin feel as if it were on fire. The air in his lungs had escaped him as he fought to breathe in. The bright lights faded out to a dim glow, the roar of the crowd nothing more than a monotone hum that barely could be heard over the ringing in his ears. He swallowed hard, tasting the metallic bitterness of blood. He blinked, trying to get a grasp on his body’s functions.
“Adam!” she cried. The yell came from Diana Park, who jumped up alongside her husband, Johnny.
“Touchdown! Fowler’s offensive line just cleared him a straight line to the end zone. It appears we have a man down on the field!” the announcer shouted over the loudspeakers. He saw the double digit printed on Adam’s jersey and ran through his roster list.
“Number twenty-two, Adam Park of Angel Grove, is down,” With that, the Angel Grove Tiger’s trainer rushed onto the field with Coach Hardy. The trainer bent down to Adam and saw him struggling to his feet.
“Hey kid, you alright?” he asked.
“Yeah . . . I just got the breath knocked out of me,” Adam said, spitting out the blood in his mouth. Coach Hardy patted him on the shoulder as they returned to the sidelines. Jason stood, holding his helmet at his side.
“You okay, bro?” he asked, kneeling beside Adam, who sat on the bench, guzzling down a sports drink.
“I’m better than okay, I’m great,” Adam smirked. When Jason saw Adam’s half grin, he smiled back and returned his focus to the game.
An hour and a half later, the lights of the football field illuminated the empty stands as the players walked around the parking lot. The Eagles loaded up onto the yellow school buses as a few of the players talked with the Angel Grove Tigers. Adam walked away from the bustling parking lot to the field house.
“Yo Adam, hold up!” Jason hollered, running up to him. Adam turned around and slapped hands with Jason.
“You comin’ to Yesterdays with us, right?” Jason asked.
“Yeah, I guess man. Our first night off JV and we get our asses handed to us,”
“Don’t sweat it, man. Its just getting started for us. Next year, we’ll be off JV for good. “ Jason replied.
Saturday morning . . .
The beams of early morning sunlight peeked out from behind clouds of dark grey and reflected off the silvery rims of Jason Scott’s red pickup truck. He sat atop a black bucket, strenuously polishing the twenty inches of shiny chrome. He made circular motions with the light blue polish and buffed them to a brilliance. After returning the polishing liquid, buffing pad and bucket to his parent’s garage, he stiffly walked around to the driver’s side door of his truck, still feeling the effects of last night’s football game. Once within, he pulled the door shut and cranked the truck. Distorted electric guitar notes played from his speakers as he shifted the gears into drive. Pressing the accelerator, he turned out of the driveway and headed toward the four-lane highway that would take him into town.
Minutes later, his destination came into view, a custom auto shop just on the outskirts of Angel Grove. The parking lot was lined with customized trucks, SUVs and import cars. Jason noticed the left side shop door was open and could hear a faint hip-hop beat from within. As soon as he was inside the shop, the smell of cigarette smoke and engine exhaust met him. A black extended cab pickup truck sat in the middle of the shop, generating the music. Jason spotted the shop’s owner, Carlos Vallerte.
“Que pasa, mi compadre!” the lanky Hispanic man grinned behind a small cloud of cigarette smoke.
“De’ nada essa, who’s truck is this?” Jason asked, walking past the truck.
“It belongs to a buddy of mine, Justin Garza,” Carlos replied. Before Jason could finish asking about the truck, they heard a voice from the entrance to the shop door.
“Excuse me. Do you sell shifter kits?” the man asked. He was an older man, wearing blue jeans and a green and gold racing jacket that read ‘Rush Racing Sports’ in white stylized letters on the front.
“Yes sir. Let’s step inside and let me get the specs you need,” Carlos said, leading the man and Jason into a small office near the front of the shop. Carlos sat down into a rolling chair and turned on his computer while studying the man.
“You new around here?” he asked.
“Yeah, I just moved here with my nephew about two weeks ago,” he replied, before giving Carlos the exact specifications of the shifter he needed. Carlos typed onto his computer and turned back to the man.
“Your nephew, he a racer too?” Carlos asked in less than perfect English.
“No, no, he’s more into martial arts. He’s all excited about a tournament being hosted down at the civic center,”
“Your nephew is competing at the tournament?” Jason asked.
“Yes, he was heavily involved back in Fresno, a black belt in Tae-Kwan-Do. You might have met him, you’re probably the same age,”
“I haven’t noticed anyone new around . . . what’s his name?”
“Tommy Oliver,” the man replied. With that, Carlos printed out a sheet of yellow paper and handed it to the man.
“I didn’t catch your name,” Carlos said.
“Oh, John Rush. Rush Racing Sports,” the man replied.
“Okay Mr. Rush, I can get it in Monday morning . . . I don’t keep parts of these such in stock, I mostly cater to the kids around here. If you want to, you could check one of the bigger stores in town” Carlos explained.
“That’s okay. I’d rather spend my money here. I used to be a small business owner as well, I know how business can be,” the man replied.
“Muchos gracias. I’ll get on the phone with the parts catalog now,” Carlos added.
The Destine Technologies tower sat at the north side of Angel Grove, gazing down upon the gothic angles of the First Episcopal Church. Hayley Morgan rode the elevator to the forty-seventh floor, where the grants committee had gathered to hear her presentation on nanotechnology. With a loud ‘ding’ the elevator doors slid open and an elderly man in a black suit greeted her.
“Ms. Morgan, I presume,”
“Dr. Richter, good afternoon. I’m here . . .” Hayley began.
“To meet with the board of directors, I know. I’ve been studying your work, young lady, and I must say that I am amazed at the work between yourself and Dr. Weston. How is Phillip?” the man asked of his old understudy.
“He constantly talks about you, sir. The funding from your company has helped us achieve what would have been impossible on our own. Even the university lacks the funds to support a cause as great as ours,”
“You are on the cutting edge of modern medical science, Ms. Morgan,” Dr. Richter said, glancing down at his watch. “I won’t keep you a moment more. I believe you are expected,” With that, the doctor led Hayley to the board room where the committee members had gathered.
“May I present to you today, Ms. Hayley Morgan of UCLA. I trust you will find her presentation insightful,” Dr. Righter stated.
Another place . . .
The clear blackness of deep space was suddenly pierced by the white underbelly of the large drilling frigate. Massive spikes of antenna clusters broke its otherwise sleek shape as it tore across the void of the space lanes. Thousands of blinking lights signaled its gargantuan form to other galactic vessels, although the abandoned Eltarian system was devoid of any such traffic. Its pilots, drillers from the planet KO-19, sat in dirty control chairs that suited their gangly forms. From the bridge, a computerized series of beeps signaled the arrival of their destination.
“I don’t know, Kaben. Heard too many rumors about this little dead planet of yours. Smugglers call it the Hand of Chaos. There’s something down there . . . I can feel it already,” the one they called Brytem noted. Brytem was the only human in the crew of mostly Utauin humanoids. At a glance, the Utauins would seem human, were it not for their long, slender limbs and light blue skin.
“That’s your imagination at work. Anyone would be jittery after drinking as many Moon Clusters as you have. Not to mention those Mengarun cigars,” Kaben, the crew’s head drillhand replied.
“It would take a whole cruiser of Moon Juice to get my senses off track. If I recall correctly, my nose has saved your wormy skins enough times for a Whill to lose track of,” Brytem retaliated.
“Breaching atmosphere. Landing procedures initiated. Cabanin Drilling Facility in range. No return to landing signal. Repeating transmission . . . no return to landing signal,” a soft robotic voice spoke within the bridge.
“Cancel the transmission. Something must be blocking their receivers. Gear up team, we’ll be landing in sixty michrons,” Kaben said into his comm unit. The bridge team reached behind their control chairs and pulled gear boxes onto their backs, sliding their arms into the shoulder straps.
Dust and rock was kicked up as the large vessel spewed repulsor energy down toward the planet’s surface as it bulls-eyed the landing markers. Within a matter of seconds, it sat perched on top of the permacrete platform, its engines dying with a low whirring sound. A hatch opened up under its hull, the crew members slowly walking down the black ramp.
“The generators are still running. Where is everyone?” the scientist of the crew, Cashgira, asked.
“The Ghost World of Eltar. Now, I can retire,” Brytem joked. He looked into the distance at a desert of black sand and sparse rocks. An eerie purplish glow in the sky signaled the arrival of daylight. Kaben knelt down and ran his hand over a two-meter long blast mark in the permacrete. He glanced up at the others.
“Carbon scoring. Otem, unpack the Electro-Lances,” Kaben ordered the young Utauin.
“Could it have been pirates?” Amothan, the crew’s pilot asked.
“Not likely. Most of them would never come near this planet. And who can blame them?” Brytem asked, although his question was really more of a statement. With that, Otem returned from the ship with the eight Electro-Lances.
“What’s the deal with this rock anyway?” Otem inquired.
“This ‘grave-world’ is the product of the Dairakun Wars. Bunch of hopped-up freaks on some sort of religious crusade wiped out the planet’s entire population with a parallel series energy cannon, some sort of prototype weapon of worldly destruction. The only Eltarians that were left were the ones offworld. Now, the ghosts of these damned souls roam the planet, seeking retribution against any living thing that sets foot on their world,” Brytem explained.
“Or so we’re told,” Kaben added. Brytem defiantly stepped into Kaben’s way and eyed the Utauin driller face to face.
“You ever seen a spect’ up close?” Brytem asked.
“Well, no, but I don’t . . .” Kaben started.
“Not again guys. I’m not getting paid enough to listen to this a second longer,” Otem said. With that, the team descended the stairs, noticing a flickering light shining off the floor.
“At least they left the light on for us,” Brytem noticed. The team entered the half-lit lobby. Brytem stopped in his tracks, the hair on his neck standing on end.
“Something’s not right,” He said, sniffing the air.
“I’ll check the central computer’s driller’s log,” Cashgira said. With that, he removed a flat panel from a systems dock in the wall and began issuing command codes. As he conducted his search, the others shone their shoulder-mounted light beams into the dark depths of corroded metal scaffolding.
“I found it. Initiating holoviewer,” Cashgira stated. A beam of light shot down from an unknown source above the team and formed the image of an older Utauin male, sporting a white braided beard. His voice was deep and heavy and he was seemingly short of breath.
“Driller’s log supplemental. Drilling has been stopped for the time being. We’ve unearthed some sort of ancient ceremonial crypt. Specialists are estimated to arrive at 21:00 michrons. Auxiliary crew set to rendevous with transport vessel Valkyrie a . . . th . . . e . . . nin . . . 06:00 sharp,” Just as quickly as the three-dimensional image had appeared, it faded away.
“Everything else is corrupted. The facility is blasted with solar flares on a regular basis and it’s detrimental that the radiation deflection systems are initiated at that time. Apparently, since no one was here, the data was lost to the radiation,” Cashgira explained.
“Can you bring up the landing platform surveillance video for the ETA of the specialist crew?” Brytem asked.
“Give me a minute,” the scientist replied. With that, he entered more commands into the keypad that brought up a hologram of a small transport ship landing on the platform. Without warning, six black starfighters swung into view, raining down laser bolts upon the ship. A blue orb, a photon torpedo to be more exact, struck the ship, disintegrating it.
“Lock in on one of those fighters,” Kaben ordered. With that, a round marker came up on the image and slid over to the fighter closest in frame.
“Increase values,” Kaben added. The ship soon became the lone image in the holoviewer.
“Any clue who it might be?” Kaben asked, turning to Brytem.
“I’ve flown most star lanes in most galaxies. But I’ve never seen anything like this before,”
“Is there anything else to this recording?” Kaben added.
“No sir, the video feed was destroyed by the energy output of the photon blast,”
“Alright. Arm your lances. Brytem, take Otem, Cilox, and Amothan and check the east perimeter. We’ll check the west side. Keep your comms up and check in if you find anything,” Kaben commanded.
“No, I figured we’d just keep it to ourselves,” Brytem added. The steel platforms creaked with each step as Kaben lead his crew into the depths of the facility. Steam shot up from vents and a constant drip-drip-drip of water could be heard in the distance. The air was warm and muggy, hanging to their exposed skin. At the end of the darkened corridor, the team reached a turbolift shaft.
“Cashgira, bring the main systems online,” Kaben ordered.
“Yes sir. Central systems will be online momentarily,”
“Computer, bring all lifts online,” Kaben instructed.
“Not possible. All servo systems are offline,” the soft computerized voice explained.
“Computer, why are servo systems offline?”
“Connection to servo lines has been severed. Impossible to bring systems online,”
“Is there an access staircase near?”
“Affirmative. Staircase exists in north hall,” the computer answered.
“Alright, everyone proceed to northern hallway. I’ll bring up the rear,” Kaben commanded, tapping his comm unit. “Kaben to Brytem,”
“Go ahead,” the response came.
“All the lifts are dead. Can you confirm the same?” Kaben asked.
“Affirmative. We investigated the servo stations. Someone cut the control lines,”
“Copy that. We’ll check back in shortly,” Kaben replied. Brytem lead his team past the eastern maintenance tunnels.
“So you’ve seen a ghost face to face?” Otem asked, his Electro-Lance crackling as he nervously fidgeted with the control handle.
“Face to face ain’t the bad part, kid. I had one jump in on me,” Brytem replied.
“Jump in?” Cilox, the younger Utauin, asked. Brytem turned around face the alien humanoids.
“Jump into my mind, into my body. But ghosts don’t fly starfighters and that’s what’s we’re looking for. We got bigger fish to fry than spects, believe me,” Suddenly, the comms crackled to life with static that was interrupted by a loud scream for help.
“Amothan, get a lock on their coordinates!” Brytem hollered as the team rushed toward the access stairs.
“They’re on the transmission platform!” Amothan shouted after checking his indicator.
“Set lances to maximum voltage,” the command came from Brytem. The team thumbed the dials to high power as they ran down the stairs.
Within the depths below, Kaben struck out with his lance at a robotic soldier, covered in sleek, black body armor from head to toe. Two comm antenna shot up from the sides of its helmet, the wide reflective visor covering the infared sensor array. Its flared breastplate boar an Omega symbol, with four stripes flowing from it. Within the capable hands of the automaton of death sat a silver plasma rifle with blue panels. Its cold robotic eyes shown no remorse as it dispensed of the Utauin driller. Two humans dressed in pressed black military uniforms appeared from the surrounding shadows.
“Commander Tiena, the MAWs (Mobile Armament of War) have secured the drillers’ vessel,” the younger Sargent noted. The Commander, with his silver hair and blue eyes, regarded Kaben’s dead body with no emotion.
“We are proceeding on schedule. This interruption is only a mild delay. Soon, Lord Zedd will take claim to his throne and we will spread the blood of the entire universe,” Tiena replied.
“Attention: four enemy marks approaching,” the MAW Soldier stated.
“Destroy them,” the Commander added before returning to the access tunnel. The two men climbed down the dark hatchway, a blue light illuminating the bottom of the shaft. Hundreds of MAWs were excavating the massive burial chamber, some piloting dull-yellow ‘rockers that were bipedal that featured assorted digging devices.
Jeremy and Jeanna Hart’s extravagant home sat at the end of a long driveway in a suburb of Angel Grove nicknamed ‘Snob Hill’. To some, the name would be an insult, but to the homeowners, it was a mark of separation from the common folk of Angel Grove county. The said driveway was lined with cars and trucks of varying makes and models. From a distance, the sound of loud dance music could be heard. Jason parked his truck alongside the driveway, behind Zack’s black F-150.
Inside the house, teenagers walked about with plastic cups filled with alcohol, while talking and looking at teenagers of the opposite sex with hungry eyes. As Jason walked in the door, he heard Zack’s voice from across the room, where he sat at a love seat with three girls around him. He smiled as Kimberly Hart walked up to him.
“Hey stud. The kegs are on the back patio and um . . .” Kimberly started, as she slowly walked around Jason, running her hand across his shoulder. “Should you need a place to crash, my room’s the third on the left, upstairs,”
“Kim, you wouldn’t even go to the Fall Ball with me. Why would I bother?” Jason asked.
“Oh please, like it wasn’t obvious that whoever went with Ricky Stevens would be guaranteed to be crowned Queen of the Ball. Ugh . . . whatever. Just don’t puke on the carpet, loser,” Kimberly added before strutting off.
“What was that all about?” Adam said, walking up to Jason.
“Oh, hey bro. Ah, nothing. I guess it’s hard for her to believe that some of us still have morals,” Jason replied. Adam scoffed then smiled.
“Yeah right . . . come on man, you wouldn’t want one round with that bedroom gymnast?”
“No way man, she’s totally heinous. Besides, she likes all that pop music garbage and I’m a metal head. Would never work out,”
“Okay bro,” Adam added as the two made their way to the back patio. Adam grabbed a plastic cup and proceeded to fill it with beer from the nearest keg. Jason grimaced as a high-pitched female voice began to sing over the speakers.
“Cindy Demby. God, how can anyone stand that noise?” Jason asked, filling his own cup with beer.
Outside, Billy Cranston stepped out of the black Grand Prix that belonged to his best friend since the third grade, Trini Kwan.
“Come on Billy, it’ll be fine,” Trini insisted. Billy shrugged at her.
“I don’t know Trini . . . social events aren’t really that appealing to me. I don’t drink and I don’t really care for music released after the Seventies,” Billy responded.
“Billy, you need to loosen up . . . and enjoy yourself. Try to have fun tonight. Think of it this way . . . your bother would have never been chosen to fly the first manned space shuttle to Mars if he hadn’t stepped out of his safety circle,”
“I guess you’re right. I’m just too scared about being rejected further by my peers. But I shouldn’t let them keep me bound to my simple little existence,”
“Don’t worry. Even a genius can have a wild side. Just look at Benjamin Franklin,” Trini said as they approached the front door to the Hart residence. As soon as Trini rang the bell, the door swung open.
“Hey girl!” Kimberly exclaimed, seeing Trini.
“Oh, the cyberfreak,” Kimberly said once she noticed Billy standing back in the shadows. Billy stepped forward with a half grin on his face. “I think there’s some chocolate milk in the fridge if you get thirsty. Or maybe some Kool-Aid . . .”
“A screwdriver,” Billy interjected.
“Screwdriver?” Trini and Kimberly asked simultaneously.
“Yeah . . . maybe three-thirds orange juice and a quarter alcohol,” He responded.
“Sorry Mr. Robert Downey the Third, but the only screwdrivers we have around here are flathead and Phillips head. You’ll have to do with light beer if you want a buzz,” Kimberly smarted.
“Um . . . that Kool-Aid . . . cherry or grape?” Billy asked. Kimberly shook her head in disgust and walked off, leaving Trini as she let a small chuckle escape her lips.
“Sorry Billy. You might want to leave the drinking to the 3.0 students,” She said. The two walked into the enormous house and were met by assorted stares and whispers. Billy surveyed the crowd before hearing a voice to his right.
“Yo Billy!” the distinct voice belonging to Jason Scott carried to the class honor president. Trini grinned and walked off to find Kimberly. Billy swallowed hard, nervous by himself in the sea of people.
“Billy, what’s up? I didn’t expect to see you here,” Jason asked, Adam and Zack following behind.
“That’s makes two of us,” Zack smirked, hiding his grin.
“Billy’s in my karate class. He just started at the beginning of the semester,” Jason explained. “So what are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?” Billy asked nervously.
“I don’t know, I didn’t expect to see Mr. Most Likely To Succeed here tonight,” Jason explained. Billy let a half-laugh out.
“Well, my parent’s are in Cape Canaveral this weekend to see my brother off. I’d get stir crazy if I just sat around, watching Quantum Leap reruns,”
“Your brother . . . he’s the astronaut, right?” Adam asked.
“Yeah, he’s going up Monday morning. The first human team to ever land on Martian soil,” Billy replied.
“How long before he goes to Ur . . .” Zack started before Jason cut him off with shake of his head. Zack’s mischievous smile faded quickly.
“It’s good to see you Billy,” Jason said, walking off toward the den area.
Nick Hibriten stood with his friends and fellow Angel Grove Tigers, David Brooks and Brian Donegan, each holding glasses of whiskey and cola. Billy made his way through the crowd, searching for Trini when a foot from the All-Star quarterback tripped him up. Billy stumbled into a group of five girls standing near the kitchen, spilling their drinks on themselves and Billy.
“Oops. Crash landing, space freak,” Nick laughed. Between uncontrolled laughter, the other two took their shots.
“One small trip for dorks, one giant fall for astro geeks,” Brian added.
“Yeah, Houston we have a problem,” David followed. Suddenly, Jason, Adam and Zack appeared behind the three.
“You were right about one thing . . . you do have a problem,” Jason said. Nick turned and stared threateningly into Jason’s brown eyes.
“Is that right?” he asked as Trini rushed into the kitchen.
“Billy, are you alright?” She asked, handing Billy his eyeglasses.
“So what’s it gonna be?” Nick asked. He noticed Trini assisting to Billy and chuckled.
“Why are you wasting your time, Jason? Mr. Most Likely To Remain A Virgin here seems to have enough protection with little miss queen of the damned,” He added, walking up to Trini.
“You can rot in hell, Hibriten,” Trini cut back. With that, Nick, grabbed Trini by her arm which prompted Adam to push Nick back. Nick stood in disbelief at the actions of Adam Park, who was quickly held by Jason and Zack.
“Be cool bro,” Zack said quietly. David and Brian gathered behind Nick when Kimberly suddenly appeared.
“Nick, you’re drunk. I want you to leave. Now,” she said. Nick laughed and reached for a cup of beer at the dining table.
“Now, Nick. Before I get my brother over here,” Kimberly added. Trini walked over to Jason, Adam and Zack and stood beside Kimberly.
“Touch me like that again and the police will be involved,” Trini firmly said.
“You heard her, guys. Party’s over,” Nick said to David and Brian as the music resumed. The three exited out the front door as Billy joined the five teenagers.
“Thanks for sticking up for me like that, Jason. You showed true integrity,” Billy said.
“Don’t sweat it. He’s been dancing with Mr. Jack Daniels a little too long,” Jason replied.
“I’m sorry Trini. I should have never let them guys in to begin with,” Kimberly apologized.
“Are you okay?”: Adam asked, softly caressing Trini’s arm with his finger.
“Yeah. Thanks Adam,” Trini replied.
Deep space . . .
‘There it is again. The face of my tormentor. Staring into my eyes, laughing at me. He’s been at it for a few hours . . . pushing my patience. Of course in these shackles, I’ll never move, never lash out in anger. All I have are my senses . . . and the face in the dark. Again he shows his face . . . split by deep lines of age. And those eyes . . . my god those eyes . . . lit up like red hot coals. The smell of burning flesh lingers in my nostrils. I feel no pain, surely this is not my own flesh I smell. I lick my dry and cracked lips and taste a sulfuric bitterness. Where am I? How did I end up here?
There he goes again. What type of sick satisfaction can he gain from seeing me suffer? Why doesn’t he ever just go home? These are my latest questions. My mind turns over and over again, trying to find the place before . . . before all of this. Now I hear the thunder again. I suppose it’s the monsoon season once more. Will I be able to find the shelters on the north bank? Out here in the sea . . . I feel the weight of the water, but not its soft wet texture. Why can’t I feel? The thunder is increasing in its display of sonic wonder. Now the dark sky is split wide open by the uneven flow of lightning.
The time I have spent here . . . I cannot begin to comprehend. It seems at times as if only a moment . . . however, during the other times, it feels like I’ve been a prisoner of this darkness for an eternity. I would sleep, but I am afraid that I would not wake up. I’ve been here before . . . I know the chains feel familiar. But I have never been here this long. Have I become forgotten? In the few dreams I do remember, I was a general of a grand army. That’s right. I am a general! How dare they hold me like this! Of course what is a general without his soldiers? I am nothing now . . . nothing but a voice in my mind . . . I would speak out with my tongue, but I am afraid of what I would hear.
That face . . . that hideous face full of anger and madness . . . why won’t he let me be? He seems to lack the ability to quench his thirst for my misery. Surely there is enough of it . . . I have felt it for years, it seems. Did I do something to warrant his presence? Did I request him in some dream of mine and merely lost memory of it? I do not know. Now the sparks of lightning are more intense. There is something . . . peculiar in the air . . . and I can make out faint voices in the depths of the shadows. Maybe they are coming . . . coming to set me free. I see the panic in the tormentor’s face . . . he can feel his end is coming.
The shackles seem now loose . . . do I dare? Why not? Yes! Yes! I am free! Now, to deal with this monstrosity of a man that has kept me agonizing company for too long. In the shadows, I see his movement . . . after a moment’s worth of tracing those moves to my memory, I lash out with all of my hatred . . . I feel a sharp piercing pain in my side . . . I have struck myself! What is this? What has happened? This is not skin . . . this is . . . something else. My god . . . this face, this body . . . it is my own. Ah . . . I see the moon is breaking over the clouds . . .’
“Attention sirs, crypt is ready for human entry,” the MAW bearing white stripes instructed. Commander Tiena and his Sargent scaled down the platform access panels
“Excellent. Six thousand years of searching has proven successful,” Tiena said. For Menas Tiena, his entire life has been devoted to finding the lost lord of the Dairaku. As a child, growing up in a political family in the Vinaad System, he had always heard of the great Dairakun Wars that claimed the entire population of the planet Eltar and countless lives throughout the galaxies where its fires raged. Upon completing his education at the premier academies on the planet of Buruthon, he found himself entranced in the reality of the history that became folk lore for most of the universe. To that end, he joined the Immortal Vast, allowing its armies to sweep his own system, betraying his family to see the glory of the black legions once again under the command of Lord Sih Caien Zedd.
“Sirs, there is an entranceway prepared for you,” one of the MAW soldiers explained. Tiena and his Sargent nodded and ducked down into the small metal passageway that led down into the bowels of the massive chamber.
“Emperor Nereus will see us greatly rewarded,” the younger rank said.
“Rewards shall not be our fate, Ragnus. Zedd’s rebirth into this universe transcends any prize we could ever imagine,” Tiena reminded his Sargent. The two Immortal Vast officers proceeded toward the central chamber where large columns of metal supported the weight of the rubble above.
“The Jirad . . .” Tiena whispered to himself. He ran his hands along its engraved top casing before coming to a blood-red crystal. He traced its edges with his forefinger before the crystal began to glow with crimson light.
“We’ll need a ‘pulsor sled . . . contact Admiral Tomeran and have him move the Nebulos to the shipping bay,” Sargent Ragnus instructed the ranking MAW.
"Compliance,” it returned before transmitting the appropriate commands to the Vast legion cruiser on the far side of the planet’s moon.
“Once the waters inside reach a certain temperature, the reanimation process will begin. It will be as if being born once more. The Crest Holder will then be weakened until his body fully recovers the hypersleep. Once we jump to KO-10, we are to rendevous Chanmiral Recinas. The Chanmiral will replenish our squadrons with new MAWs for Lord Zedd’s rebirth,” Tiena instructed. As the ‘pulsor sled came into view, Ragnus turned to his Commander.
“The Chanmiral . . . what of Project: PRIMATOR?” he asked, remembering the debriefing the operation received on Regada II.
“Project: PRIMATOR will be finalized once we reach KO-10 and I anticipate Lord Zedd will baptize a new Master Warrior,” Tiena answered. Several MAWs lifted the aged tomb onto the sled before following the two officers to the shipping bay.
The other side of the Verolean Galaxy . . .
The blackened world of Carinasia sat in the void of space that was known as the Collavarian system. The ‘Crest World’ of the Immortal Vast’s black legion, it shared the light of its star, Vigon, with none. The Imperial Palace, the Citadel of Vega, reached for the dark skies from the depths of the Renom Valley. The palace was encircled by beautiful terraces and open walkways.
Blakus Nereus, the fifth Emperor of the Immortal Vast and founder of the Imperial homeworld, walked along in the late afternoon, the smell of the ocean flowing through his nostrils. It would be this same time everyday that the storm clouds would roll in off the ocean waters and cleanse the palace and temples of the sulfuric ash that rained down from the dark grey clouds above. His dark green cape billowed in the sea breeze, capped off at the shoulders by metal armor that reached around to his chest. He looked out beyond the valley floor, at the Pyramids of Orion. Light green light split the otherwise onyx coloration of the dark energy conductors. The man clothed in a white Imperial uniform slowly approached him.
“What is it?” Nereus asked, never once hearing the man’s footsteps. He closed his eyes and reached out for the thoughts of the man in white, the words on his tongue robbed by the dark lord’s mastery of psychic abilities.
“Sih Caien has been unearthed . . . excellent. I will assemble the Sons of Maelstrom. Prepare the Chanticulm for our session,” Nereus instructed.
“So it shall be, milord,” the Chanmiral of Carinasia replied, returning to the palace. Nereus returned his gaze to the pyramids.
‘Our time has come. Soon, we will claim the world of Earth for Jenova and rule from our new lush Crest World. Zedd will surely desire revenge upon those who imprisoned him . . . and once he destroys Zordon of Eltar, no one will be capable of standing in our way.’
Last edited by BattleRanger; 07-20-2005 at 08:03 PM.
Robin and Carolyn Cranston sat at the shiny white dining table with their son, Jake. After a long day of taking in the sights and attractions that the space center had to offer, the family had retired to enjoy dinner, and what would be one of Jake’s last meals before heading toward Mars with the rest of the Sovereignty crew.
“Just who would have thought. Jake Cranston . . . the first man to step foot on Mars,” Robin said while peeling a shrimp. He dipped the succulent bite into a small bowl of cocktail sauce and popped it into his mouth, smiling.
“I know. It hasn’t really set in just yet. I mean, I’ve been to the international space station, but to get to see something up close that no one has ever looked upon . . . it really makes you feel . . . I guess I can’t find any word to describe it,” Jake spoke back.
“How about exciting?” Carolyn asked. “After all, you’ll be in the history books. A real American hero,”
“I’m not one to revel in fame, but I guess it comes with the territory,” Jake explained.
“I just wish Billy could be here,” Carolyn said.
“Baby brother’s probably better off in Angel Grove . . . get him around this many brainiacs, we’d be hard pressed to ever get him away,” Jake replied.
“Have you talked to Hayley?” Robin asked.
“I did for a little bit last night. She said Destine Technologies is giving the University a grant to help the nanotechnology research she’s doing,”
“That’s great. I’m sure Billy would be excited to know,” Carolyn said.
Angel Grove . . .
Kimberly Hart shuffled her feet along, pink fuzzy slippers covering them. She made her way into the den and noticed several bags of luggage in the front foyer.
“Morning sweetie,” the masculine voice came from behind. She turned around to see her dad standing in the kitchen.
“Daddy? What’s going on? I thought you were in Palm Springs,”
“Well, we were, but things didn’t go as well as I had hoped,” Jeremy Hart replied.
“Where’s mom?” she asked.
“Your mother took a commercial flight back in. She’s staying at your grandma’s,”
“I don’t get it . . . what, exactly, is going on?” she demanded. Her dad walked into the den and sat her down, resting beside her.
“I guess as much as its going to hurt, you have the right to know what’s going on. Your mother and I aren’t married anymore. I guess it won’t be official until we go to court, but she wants to move to Paris to pursue her fashion career. We just aren’t best friends anymore . . . our careers have made us different people. I just . . .” he began. Kimberly’s eyes filled up with tears and she ran off to her room.
“Kimberly!” he cried after her. He heard the familiar sound of the door locking and proceeded to finish unpacking.
The bridge of the Immortal Vast command vessel, Nebulos, was open to the spinning swirls of hyperspace. Commander Tieana stood at the helm, his arms folded behind his back and held together. At moments, he would close his eyes and imagine the victory that he would claim upon reaching the terran Earth and serving under Lord Zedd.
“Commander, we are preparing to fall back into realspace,” one of the officers stated. The Commander returned to his captain’s chair and secured himself. With a low whine, the sublight engines cut them out of the hyperspace realm, returning the stars to their familiar blinking pinpoints.
“Contact the Chanmiral. We wish to land at once,” Tiena ordered.
The surface of KO-10 was rocky and barren, save for small patches of woodlands. Once home to a race of mighty warriors, it now was the base of operations for Chanmiral Recinas, one of the top scientists within the Immortal Vast ranks. His facility spread out over a mile’s worth of desert land, its dull grey hues standing out against the deep red sands.
“Incoming transmission . . . do you wish to receive?” the robotic voice asked. Chanmiral Recinas turned around in his chair, towards the systems port set into the far wall.
“Yes,” he replied.
“Chanmiral . . . we are preparing to land. We have Lord Zedd on board, but I am afraid he is still in suspended animation. It might be sometime before he awakens,” the voice came.
“I will meet you on the landing platform,” Recinas replied.
Too large to dock with a facility of its size, the Nebulos crew arrived by means of a shuttle craft, flanked by two black MAW-Fighters. Recinas stood at the edge of the platform, the spewing energy from the ‘pulsors billowing his cape around his form. Steam shot from the edges of the boarding ramp as it opened up beneath the hull of the spacecraft.
“We are anxious to see your PRIMATOR units,” Tiena replied.
“Yes, yes of course. We have already completed a successful test run on Gamma-Vile and Emperor Nereus has commissioned four of my units to Regada II,” Recinas returned. The two officers turned back to the shuttle craft as they watched the ‘pulsor sled being lead down the ramp, cradling the Jirad.
“We have followed everything correctly but he has still not yet awakened,” Tiena explained.
“No worries. I’ll get my best men on it. Zedd will be reborn before nightfall,” Recinas pledged.
Jason Scott set up on his bed, the flashing light of the TV screen casting shadows into the room. He closed his eyes, feeling them burn from lack of sleep. He reached for his nightstand and grabbed the glass of water that sat beside his alarm clock that read 10:30. He sighed and swallowed down the water before reaching to turn off his lamp. He clicked the remote control, turning the TV off and pulled the blankets up under his arms. Jason rolled over and exhaled, taking in the comfort of his bed.
‘Where am I? The desert . . . I see my friends . . . Adam, Zack . . . Trini and Billy . . . Kimberly is here as well. The earth is in danger . . . the threat of an invasion. Now what? There are black forms all around us . . . closing in. They are dressed in some sort of armor. Ah . . . I feel it . . . a box, a strange device here that was given to us . . . by who? I can’t remember. I feel a strange sensation racing throughout my body . . . Tyrannosaurus!’
Angel Grove resumed its normal Monday morning pace as yellow school buses wove through the suburbs, picking up students and delivering them to their scholastic destinations. One particular bus sat stationary at Angel Grove High, parked behind the cafeteria.
“Can you imagine what must be going through your brother’s mind?” Trini asked, as she walked the parking lot with Billy.
“He’s always acting like nothing bothers him, but I know he must be scared to death,” Billy replied. The two walked past the library building and up the steps to the main yard. She saw Kimberly sitting alone at one of the numerous picnic tables scattered.
“Billy, I’ll catch up to you in Mrs. Crauns class,” she said. Billy nodded and headed for the breakfast line in the lunchroom.
“Hey Kim. Care if I sit down?” Trini asked, walking up to the picnic table.
“Trini . . . yeah, I kinda need someone to talk to,” Kimberly replied.
“Okay . . . so what’s going on?” Trini asked, sitting opposite of Kimberly.
“Well, my parents are getting a divorce,” Trini’s eyes widened and she felt her stomach drop. “Mom’s staying in San Francisco with my grandma . . . she called me last night, she had some lame-ass excuse. Dad flew in himself yesterday morning and he’s just been a mess. Plus I had this really weird dream last night,”
“Kim, divorces aren’t easy, but the truth is, a lot of times, it works out in the long run,”
“Where’d you hear that lie? Valerie Chandler’s parents divorced and it wrecked her entire life. She hates her step-dad and her mother just buries her head in the sand on everything,”
“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to help you think positive,”
“Well, Steve found out and got into with daddy. When he first told me, I locked myself in my room. When I came out, he had already went to bed,”
“I wish I knew how to help, Kim. We just need to get you distracted for a little while until things settle down a bit. Anytime you need me, though, I’m here,”
“Thanks Trini,” Kimberly replied, smiling, which Trini thought must have been awful hard to do.
Jason, Adam, and Zack stood near the side entrance of the gymnasium when they noticed a man walking up the front sidewalk, wearing black jeans and a green plaid pullover. He wore an earring in his left ear and had short, spiked black hair.
“Who’s that?” Jason asked.
“Oh, that’s the new guy. He’s in my PE class. Tommy . . . something,” Adam replied.
“Tommy Oliver?” Jason returned.
“Actually, I think it is Oliver. You know him?”
“No, I just heard of him,” Jason said, as the man walked up to the three.
“Sup,” Adam greeted.
“Nothing much. Do you guys know where the Mrs. Crauns’ field trip is meeting at this morning?” he asked.
“Yeah, we’re supposed to meet in the back parking lot at seven thirty-five,” Zack replied.
“You’re going to the fossil exhibit too?” Adam asked.
“Yeah, I got an e-mail from her saying that her Biology classes would be going this morning,” he replied. He turned his attention back to Jason who quickly extended his hand out, shaking the hand of the student.
“Jason Scott. I think I met your uncle this weekend,”
“Tommy Oliver. Yeah, Uncle John. He’s trying to fix the shifter in his race car,” Tommy did what he could to drive the shyness from his mind. This was his third new school in only two years and he knew that attachments would be senseless at this point. It would only be a matter of time before his uncle John Rush would be ready to head back on the road and pursue another record with his racing team. He had met all the guys who enjoyed getting to make an impression on the ‘new kid’ and he had the routine down as close as a stage actor. It was usually filled with awkwardness the people who confronted him were usually trying to gauge him instead of engaging in what he felt should have been normal high school guy conversation. His discomfort managed to peek through with a short sigh. Observing the moment, Zack glanced down at his watch and cleared his throat.
“Well fellas, ‘bout time to head to the bus. I got seven thirty now,” he replied.
“I got to get something out my locker real quick. Catch ya on the flip-side,” Tommy replied before running up the steps to the main hall.
The tenth planet of the Kalderon Omega system . . .
“With these PRIMATOR units, we’ll have the grandest army in the known universe,” Recinas gloated while proceeding down the hallway, Commander Tiena following by his side.
“So this is a continuation of Primal Storm?” Tiena inquired.
“Yes, when the last campaign claimed the jungle planet of Kurog, we were met by resistence, a clan of primal warriors that fought us to the death. But we were amazed at how quickly they moved and fought, based on their gargantuan forms. I used their biological design to create my own genetically engineered supersoldiers. They are smart enough to be loyal and serve without question, they can think creatively in battle, and as with most MAW solders, they can be rebuilt or easily replaced. We designed a prototype that featured metals of higher density and merged it with another prototype of mine, a fully sentient, positronic brain-core. This unit, which we have simply called Primator, is who we are anticipating Zedd will christen his Master Warrior. In doing so, we will have the highest approval to start manufacturing units to serve the Emperor and the council heads directly,”
“And what’s the connection to the MAWs?”
“We have went back to basic on the materials used to construct MAW armor and built stronger and better versions of their base armor. All PRIMATOR units will be suited with this new armor, which is capable of resisting energy blasts operating anywhere from one hundred to two-hundred fifty thousand ampherebands. There are very few weapons in known creation that will be a threat to these supersoldiers,”
“Most impressive, Chanmiral,” The two officers met the end of the walkway which was a double door that split open to reveal a massive lab.
“Let’s check on Zedd’s progress,” Recinas instructed, stepping down the stairway to the base level. They saw Zedd floating in a large chamber, filled with a light green liquid.
“The Mani liquid is waking his muscles up. Without it, it would be sometime after regaining consciousness before he could walk,” Recinas explained, walking up to the head scientist. “What’s the progress?”
“His brain-waves are stablizing . . . we thought if we increase the voltage in the Mani, he would go into cardiac arrest. Doing so would surely kill him. His body has not recovered from the sleep enough to take it,” the man replied. Recinas studied the system screens set into the large white panel.
“Increase them by ten percent. Watch the heart monitors,” Recinas instructed.
“Wait . . . I think he’s waking up, sir!” the man shouted. Tiena and the other observers quickly turned towards the Mani chamber and saw Zedd’s body flailing in the thick liquid.
“Get him out of there!” Recinas shouted.
“Mani chamber powering down. Evacuation of compound beginning,” came the voice from the panels. They watched as the liquid drained out of the chamber. Zedd’s body slowed its movements and started to curl up into a fetal position.
“Open the doors,” Recinas instructed. The glass chamber swung open, Zedd covered in the gelatinous chemical. His face was a maze of muscle structure, bone, and cartilage that peered out from the metal ring that reinforced what was left of his skull, his brain slightly pulsing.
“Where am I?” Zedd asked in a deep, raspy voice.
“Lord Zedd. I am Chanmiral Recinas. Welcome to Delta Station,” Recinas greeted. Zedd made his way up to his knees and ran his hands over his exposed head and face.
“My mask!” he shouted, his body beginning to glow a crimson hue.
“Someone get his armor!” Recinas shouted back at the scientists.
“It will be a moment, milord. We have . . .” Recinas began before being cut off by the dark lord.
“What age is it?”
“Um, it is the thirtieth age, milord, the calender of Meladon,” Tiena replied.
“Wha . . . the thirtieth age . . . “ Zedd echoed. Suddenly one of the scientists appeared, carrying a large black case.
“I am free . . . free of my prison that has held me for more than ten ages,” Zedd said.
“Milord, we have your armor . . . do you wish for private quarters?” Recinas asked.
“Make it so . . . Chanmiral. Once I return from private, I wish to speak to Blakus Nereus at once,” Zedd commanded.
“Yes milord. The Emperor is anticipating hearing from you,” Recinas replied.
“The Emperor . . . yes. In due time, we will meet again,” Zedd said more silently, standing up. Recinas draped a black cape over his shoulders, Zedd grabbing it away and pulling it tightly around him.
‘Emperor Nereus. Inconceivable. Of course, left in my absence, the Immortal Vast would have no choice but to see award Nereus lordship. No matter. Soon, my vengeance shall be acted out upon those who imprisoned me . . . and those who turned their backs and retreated to the corners of the universe. I am LORD ZEDD! I AM EMPEROR OF ALL THAT I SEE!!’
The NASA orbiter Sovereignty sat, secured to the massive SRB units that would soon ignite, propelling its washed-white form into the cosmos. Jake Cranston sat at the helm of the ship, finishing the pre-flight checks. He held his comm unit tight to his ear.
“Houston, this is Sovereignty. All systems are a go,” Jake stated. He felt his stomach start to tense up, hearing the various traffic over the comms. He swallowed hard and felt as if time stood still. Suddenly, he was violently shaken in his chair.
“10, 9, 8, 7 . . .” the countdown proceeded. Jake felt the massive engines begin to roar to life, almost simultaneously.
“6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . we have liftoff!” At the call of the One mark, the Solid Rocket Booster units ignited with enough force to utterly destroy the hold of gravity. During the first moments of the orbiter’s ascent, hundreds of thousands of gallons of water spilled across the launch pad, cooling it and suppressing the destructive soundwaves that were generated by the rockets.
“We’ll take it from here,” a male voice sounded over the comms.
“Copy that, Houston,” the female announcer replied. Jake felt the force of the rockets almost push him through the chair where sat strapped in. While Jake knew that his training had been thorough and precise, there was an air of unpredictability with this mission. He would be, to human knowledge, the first man to ever walk on Mars. The butterflies in his stomach spun, but he knew it wasn’t the anticipation of the flight. He had flown F-16s and enjoyed zero-g training. But this was much different. It wasn’t just himself at stake, there was a beautiful woman waiting for him, crammed up in some science lab, trying to cure cancer. He knew how his little brother Billy had adored him and looked up to him like some sort of hero, living the actual reality of a dream spawned out of Billy’s personal science fiction. He swallowed again, feeling the hard lump in his throat. He clenched his fist inside his space suit, closing his eyes and seeing the face of Hayley Morgan staring back at him.
Beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep! Billy glanced down at his watch and thumbed the alarm off. Trini stood close beside him, taking in the sights of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
“Jake oughta be well on his way, now,” Billy said, turning to Trini. She saw the concern in his eyes . . . and it was well warranted. Only one out of the last two orbiters ever made it out of the earth’s atmosphere.
“I’m sure it went fine. Those shuttles are a lot safer these days,” Trini reassured. The crowd of students continued to swarm around the lobby to the massive building.
“This is so cool. I can’t wait to get to see the dinosaur bones,” Jason said, sitting down beside Adam and Zack.
“No doubt, no doubt. I wonder if they have a triceratops,” Adam pondered aloud, with a smirk. Zack nodded towards the front of the lobby, where Mrs. Craun stood, her hands on her hips.
“Speaking of fossils,” He said, as the teacher began to clap her hands together.
“Students . . . students, your attention please,” She instructed. A slow hush fell over the teenagers as she cleared her throat. A tall black man walked up behind her, in a dark blue jacket and black slacks.
“This morning, we will be directed by Mr. Ethan James. I trust you will show him the same respect and attention as you would me,” Mrs. Craun said. Dr. James held a hand towards the front doors to the main hallway.
“We are honored to have Angel Grove High School this morning. If you will follow me through here, we shall begin our tour of the facility and our many exhibits,” The man instructed. The students were lead down a darkened hallway that opened up into an expansive room, flanked by glass displays.
“Our featured fossil exhibits are a Cambodian Jurassic display, featuring the world’s most complete Tyrannosaurus skeleton ever discovered and an Ice Age feature from the frozen lands of Siberia, where a Smilodon, or Saber-toothed Tiger as it is more widely known and full size Mastodon have been frozen in perfect condition. I would like to take this moment to thank the man responsible for these awesome exhibits, Anton Mercer, son of prominent paleontologist Richard Mercer,” Dr. James explained.
“What up?” Jason asked, Tommy Oliver striding up beside him.
“Can’t call it. Ah man, this is so fascinating,” Tommy whispered.
“To your right, you’ll see the vertebrae and skull of the majestic Brachiosaurus. Its name means “Arm Lizard,” These dinosaurs each possessed tremendously strong blood vessels and a heart that would pump its blood with a pressure four times as great as our own. This was necessary to pump the blood the awesome length of their necks to their brains,” Tommy’s eyes lit up at the site of the bones, recalling his favorite dinosaur.
“This particular skeletal structure, from Tanzania, Africa, was found in close proximity to a very puzzling fossil set that may in fact be the skeletal remains of the legendary creatures that would come to be known as dragons. The fossils of this upright animal are currently being examined in Germany by a group of paleontologists from around the world,”
“Incredible,” Billy whispered.
“Don’t get excited, robo-boy. I doubt these dragons had anything to do with dungeons,” Kimberly smarted quietly, walking past Billy. Billy’s eyes narrowed at the comment.
“One of the more graceful creatures of the late Jurassic, early Cretaceous era was the Pterodactyl, shown here with its massive wingspan which could reach up to thirty-three feet across in some instances. Hailing from the pterosaur family, these creatures, by definition weren’t even Dinosaurs, instead belonging to the Diapsid class,” Kimberly eyed the flying reptile as she slowly approached Tommy.
“You know, this one was my favorite growing up. Ever since I saw The Land Before Time, I loved them. I always wondered what it would be like to fly free like they did,” Kimberly said, trying to initiate conversation with the handsome newcomer.
“Probably terrifying. Soaring over lava fields, thunderclouds, having to avoid being eaten ... I’d just as soon stay on the ground, myself,” Tommy replied. He glanced towards Kimberly and met her eyes. His stomach began to spin in ever direction possible and he felt his face tingle as his cheeks flushed. Kim returned his half-smile by flirtatiously batting her eyes. However, Kimberly couldn’t continue her flirting game when she was overcome by his good looks. She slowly sank further into the dark saucers that were Tommy’s brown eyes and felt herself melt. She grabbed a nearby railing for support. Trini walked past Kimberly, forcing a cough that helped her friend to recover from the awkward moment.
“You’ll see here, the Dimetrodon, which is closer related to us mammals than dinosaurs and roamed the earth during the Permian period,” Dr. James continued, directing the students.
“Lead the way, fly-boy,” Kimberly insisted to Tommy with a flirtatious grin that reminded Tommy of his grim depiction of being a Pterodactyl. Tommy smiled back and caught up to the other teens, Kimberly in tow.
“Triceratops. Evolution gifted this mighty quadruped with the defensive powers of a neck-protecting ridge of bone and three protruding horns that would intimidate any predator. Triceratops was one of the more intelligent Dinosaurs of its day, despite lacking swiftness. She’s my personal favorite, a mighty four-legged knight of the Jurassic period,” Dr. Ethan James stated with a smile. Adam’s eyes lit up as he took in the white-washed form of the fossilized skeleton.
“Capping off this particular display is the king of all Dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus Rex,” Jason made his way through the crowd to catch a better view of the tyrant lizard king.
“I gotta see this,” Jason said, squeezing in-between several more students. Seconds later he stood at the base of the skeleton.
“The Tyrannosaurus. One of the last non-avian dinosaurs to walk our world before the great extinction, it stood approximately fifteen feet high and was about forty feet in length. Since these beasts were so huge, you might find be asking yourself how they were able to hunt prey with such effectiveness to be one of the most terrible creatures to walk the earth. Through biomechanic studies, scientists believe that the Rex could move fairly swift, maybe ten to twenty miles an hour, but not as fast as other Tyrannosaurs, such as Albertosaurus. Tyrannosaurus Rex would also shed its razor-edged, serrated teeth periodically, like most archosaurs. The teeth of the Rex are very interesting . . . rather than being the flat, knifelike blades as in most other carnivorous dinosaurs, they are more like giant spikes. The bite marks of these teeth are quite recognizable on some bones. Even some Tyrannosaur fossils have been discovered, bearing these marks.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this concludes this particular exhibit. If you follow me, we will take in the awesome sight of the Saber-toothed Tiger and Mastodon in our Ice Age exhibit,” Dr. James instructed.
Another time, another place . . .
“Milord, it was last seen of the world of Tirol. The Almsteen Band . . . the deep-space alloys allow it to conduct alien energy fields unaccessible to anything alive other than its bearer. These magnificent energies deliver the universe to one worthy enough to possess its powers,” General Zedd spoke. The image of his master, Maelstrom, flickered in the dim light of the ship’s control bay.
“It shall be yours, General, if you wish to seek it out. Once you capture Serpentara and possess the Almsteen Band, our federated armies will be the strongest ever to walk worlds. Have might in Jenova, my friend,” Maelstrom returned.
“Returned, my master,” Zedd replied. With that, the image faded. Zedd turned back to the few officers staring out at the blue green orb that hung in the stars.
“Ready our troops, commander. We shall claim Serpentara and a few Eltarian lives with it. Move the forces out on my command,” Zedd ordered.
‘Serpentara . . . the greatest weapon ever constructed. But it soon shall serve our armies and bring destruction to those who fabricated its awesome form. With the combined power of it and my DragonZord, I will be INVINCIBLE!’
Zedd sat in the darkness of his circular meditation chamber, deep within his own consciousness. Through his unnatural link to the Morphing Grid, he could revisit times long forgotten and events not yet transpired. Established by the great Morphing Master Zordon, the Morphing Grid is a computer system that exists within a dimensional plane only accessible by computer systems within a specific matrix. This system is an electronic section of the energy field that gives the Zyraku their powers and can store machines and weaponry that can be called upon in battle. However, Zedd’s illicit connection was the result of his strong Dairaku energies and a microscopic matrix system housed within the confines of his facemask.
His mind hung on the sight of the titanic machine that was Serpentara, the great Zord slayer. Many a world had been claimed for the Immortal Vast under its shadow . . . yet it had been lost after Zedd’s untimely fall to the hands of Zordon. But he knew it would only be a matter of time before he would once again lead armies with its might. A slight flicker of red energy played over Zedd’s face mask . . . the dark Lord was fully awake. His mask sat in place, hiding his damaged face.
The interior curve of the mask was a twisting maze of wires and circuitry, enabling Zedd to have superior optical advantages, including telescopic vision. The outer shell was a polished silver hue. Set at the top of his mask was his Grand Horn, a long ridge of metal that rose up a dozen capins (or inches) and ended in a slanted Z.
“I’ve found it,” The words were quietly spoken, yet holding tremendous authority. Zedd stood up from his the circular chamber that was his mediation chair. His crimson cape hung off his shoulders and swept across the metal floor. Upon nearing the entranceway, the doors split open, allowing Zedd through to the main corridor. One of the deck officers quickly rushed to meet him.
“Milord, it is an honor to be graced by your presence. Do you wish for me to . . .” the man began.
“I wish to contact the Emperor. In private, lieutenant,” Zedd ordered.
“As you wish, milord. I shall clear the conference quarters for you,” The lieutenant replied, rushing down the hallway to an opened door. Seconds later, a half dozen officers scurried out from within the quarters. Zedd walked past the lieutenant who was nervously sweating and secured the door mechanisms behind him.
“Computer, transmission code: draco henshin, mark delta grand. Authorization: Lord Sih Caien Zedd. Initiate,” Zedd instructed.
“One moment please,” the computerized voice returned. The room darkened and a light blue beam shot down from the ceiling.
“Connection authenticated and online,” the voice added. With that, the beam of light split into the form of Emperor Nereus.
“After a millennia, my good friend . . . I am once again taking in the sight of the greatest general ever to command an army. Lord Zedd, I trust Jenova’s might is with you,” The Emperor greeted. Zedd stood silent for a moment, calculating the words he would speak. It would prove disastrous to reveal his disdain for the Emperor at the moment.
“Blakus . . . I am afraid I must dispense with any pleasantries. While time seems stalled for me after my long sleep, I am afraid it is coming to an end for Zordon of Eltar,” Zedd replied, intentionally excluding Nereus’s title.
“I admire your will, Lord Zedd. I had anticipated the swiftness in which you would exact your revenge against Lord Zordon. With Zordon out of the way, we shall claim Earth as our new Crest World. Therefore, I am prepared to fully stock your campaign against the Morphing Master with whatever you so require. Our scouts report that the Sol system is relatively unguarded against any attack,”
“If Zordon is alive, I am indeed positive he would have trained a new team of Rangers or completed preparations to draft one in an emergency. The old man is not as foolish and blind as you would like to believe,” Zedd explained. Nereus grimaced with a bit of anger and frustration that came across as a forced smile.
“Then you shall strike swift and hard. The terrans would be utterly defenseless and you could easily claim their forces. With no living being to possess his precious Zyraku energies, Zordon would be completely vulnerable. Even if he manages to draft a new team into play, they would be no match against my battle-hardened armies that have crushed innumerous Ranger forces throughout the universe,”
“The power of the Eltarian gods is strong with Zordon. Nonetheless, we have might in Jenova. I will claim the world of Earth and leave no one human standing,”
“It is settled then. I have recently taken delivery of the newest and most powerful ship in our fleet, christened the DeathForce. I will send her to relieve the Nebulos and aboard her, you may make your way toward Earth,”
“I am impressed, Blakus. You have managed to hold Maelstrom’s legacy in a firm grasp. One day, you may overwhelm even our illustrious founder. Have might in Jenova, Emperor,” Zedd spoke with apparent sarcasm.
“Returned . . . Lord Zedd,” With that, Nereus’s image vanished, leaving Zedd standing in the empty quarters. A double beep came from the door.
“What is it?” Zedd asked.
“Milord, it is Commander Tiena,” a voice answered.
“Enter, Commander,” Zedd replied. The lights drew back up as Tiena walked in.
“Milord, a Primator unit is awaiting your presence in the Chanmiral’s quarters,”
“Excellent,” Zedd spoke, turning towards the door. Commander Tiena led the dark lord down a secondary corridor to the expansive circular quarters belonging to Chanmiral Recinas.
“Lord Zedd, we are graced by your presence. It is a . . ,” Recinas began.
“You may skip your bloated greetings, Chanmiral. What is it that you wish to show me?” Zedd interrupted.
“Milord, we have constructed the ultimate killing machine, designed to serve directly to the Emperor and the Lords of the Empire. A genetically engineered supersoldier that obeys commands without hesitation and are able to think creatively. Sargent Wanera, bring him in,” Recinas instructed. The short officer entered a side room as a low growl was heard.
“Lord Zedd, may I present . . . the Primator,” Recinas spoke. The low growl belonged to the hulking figure that was lead out of the side quarters by the Sargent. Standing nearly eight feet tall, it ducked down into the room, perched atop huge, thick legs that were set in a wide stance to support its weight. Its massive arms hung from even larger shoulders. It was dressed in a jet black kinetic body suit that clung to its skin. MAW-Grade armor sat in specific places, lining its shoulders and its chest. A long piece of armor protected its abdomen and curved back around to the lower back. Its thighs bore the same armor and stretched down to the knees. It face was nearly human, long braided hair hanging down from the left side. Blood red eyes shown with an unnatural light, the sole sign of its positronic brain-core.
“Ah . . . “ Zedd whispered, walking up to the Primator. It turned his head sideways, puzzled at the image of the dark lord.
“I am Lord Zedd, sworn enemy of the righteous and noble,” Zedd instructed.
“Lord . . . Zedd. What is your wish, milord?” Primator asked, kneeling down before him.
“Excellent . . . Chanmiral, you have done well. I wish to begin the christening. I require a text of the Ancient Tongues,” Zedd said. Recinas retrieved a copy of the Dairaku writings from his personal room. Zedd took the book from him and turned back to the other officers.
“Leave us,” he commanded. With that, the room empties, leaving Zedd alone with the Primator. He thumbed through the old pages of the book, to the Tongues of Orion, the Book Of War.
“It is written in the Scrolls of Vega, words of an timeless past. In the days of darkness, there shall be a master. Powerful and wise, sound in form and obscure in heart. In Jenova, there is trust, there is power. By the Tongues of Orion, I gift you with this power. Until the last battle is won, your enemies are beneath your feet. My own strength flows through you. This is our prayer, Primator: ‘From the moons of Cryon to the fires of Keonta . . . our might is not of our own, but that of Jenova. She leads us beyond our enemies and with her one day, we shall stand victorious. I bestow the enlightenment of evil upon you, as it was passed on to me. In Dairaku, we shall not stray . . . we shall not cease. Where there is a master lord, you shall be master warrior. Beside the star of Carin, I ask this of you, dark Jenova . . . give us reign over our enemies and rule over all land.’ Rise, my warrior,” Zedd commanded. The supersoldier rose to his feet and took a step towards his lord. Zedd closed his eyes and traced the outline of Primator’s face with his clawed hands.
“I, Lord Sih Caien Zedd, christen you my Master Warrior. You will serve me with loyalty and power. Have might in Jenova, my Master Warrior,” Zedd continued.
“I am honored, milord. How may I serve you?” Primator asked.
“For the time being, my friend, have patience. Your hatred for the Eltarian known as Zordon will grow in time and it will be a valuable ally. Your hatred will make you even stronger than you are now. Come, Primator. There is much to attend to,” Zedd instructed.
Angel Grove, California . . .
Kimberly Hart closed her gym locker and grabbed her backpack. She walked out of the gym and down the concrete pathway to the parking lot. Her black Pontiac sat at the end of the parking lot, next to the road. She noticed a green Camaro parked next to it . As she got closer, she noticed someone sitting in the green car.
“Can I help you?” she asked, walking up to the car. When the man turned around, she realized it was Tommy Oliver.
“Sup,” Tommy said.
“Hey . . . fly-boy,” Kimberly replied with a heavy sigh.
“So what ya doin’ this weekend?” Tommy asked. Kimberly smiled and brushed her hair out of her face.
“I’m not sure yet. I’m kinda going through a hard time right now. I’d love to go out, but I might have to help my mom move. My parents . . .” she began. The words seem to freeze on her tongue and she swallowed hard and breathed in. “My parents are getting a divorce and I don’t want to really commit to a date, because I have no idea what could be going on,”
“I’m sorry. Look, I’d tell you to call me if you need someone to talk to, but I’m going to be gone the rest of the week with my Uncle. We still have a few things to move and loose ends to tie up back home. I’ll be back Friday morning . . . can I call you when I get back? We don’t have to go out, maybe we can just try and get your mind off of things. Trust me, things like this can eat you alive if you let them. There’s no one way to deal with them head-on, so a lot of times, it just helps to keep yourself distracted,” Tommy replied.
“Okay . . . here, let me give you my number,” Kimberly said, dropping her backpack and grabbing her memo book from the front pocket. She pulled a pen from her pocket and jotted down her phone number.
“Thanks, Tommy,” she said, handing Tommy the piece of paper.
“Its nothing. I’ll holler at you when I get back in. Bye,” He said, turning the key in the ignition.
“Bye,” Kimberly replied. She watched as the dark green car drove off.
The Rising Sun Martial Arts Academy sat at the north end of town, next to the YMCA building and Health Unit. On the outside, the Academy was peaceful and quiet. However, on the inside, Jason Scott’s Ki-haps cut through the silence of the near empty training studio. Adam was dressed in a white do-bok, tied by a red belt, while Jason wore the black uniform tied by a black belt.
“It looks like you’ve got the kyukpa down,” Adam said, walking through the debris of the shattered bricks.
“I just got to keep concentrated. Thanks for showing up, Adam. I really need work in free sparring,” Jason replied.
“Hey, its no problem. I’m always looking to up my game. You want a break first?”
“No . . . no. I’m going to stay focused and just feel my movements. Give me a challenge, bro. Bring your A-game,”
“Alright. Junbi?” Adam asked, stepping onto the blue sparring mat.
“Junbi,” Jason replied, circling to the other end of the mat. The two teens bowed to each other and assumed their stances.
“Si Jak!” Jason yelled, giving the sign to begin. Adam lunged at Jason, who blocked his strike before catching his friend with a side kick. The two began to trade strikes and counterstrikes, each moving with graceful speed and swift precision. Jason began to overpower Adam, who managed to use his speed to regain control over the sparring match. Without warning, a ring tone carried into the air.
“Kalyeo,” Adam said, asking Jason for a break. He jogged over to his gym bag and pulled out his cellphone.
“Hello? Yeah . . . well, I guess. Alright. Bye,” Adam’s end of the conversation echoed into the empty studio.
“That was my dad. I gotta run. Look, you’re the kyobum nim. I just made red belt last month. But I’m telling you dude, you’re the most prepared that I’ve ever seen you. There’s no way you’re not walking out of the competition without a trophy,” Adam said.
“Thanks, bro. I guess I gotta shut down for the night anyway. Grandmaster Corben put a lot of responsibility in me keeping the academy open to practice. Gam Sa Hameda,” Jason thanked Adam, shaking his hand.
“Gam Sa Hameda,” Adam returned.
Hayley Morgan sat at her computer desk, running over the lines of code on the monitor, her white lab coat spilling out the back of the chair. She stretched her arms out and let a long sigh escape her lips. He glanced over at the picture of Jake Cranston, standing in his blue NASA uniform next to a cardboard display advertising the DVD release of the My Favorite Martian television show. The picture was a gag, back when Jake had planned on spending time with Hayley while the first humans landed on Mars . . . amazing how plans would change, she thought. Leaving her desk, she grabbed the cordless phone, dialing a number.
“Billy? Hey . . . its Hayley,” she spoke, into the phone. Billy sat at his own computer desk, instant messaging Trini.
“Hey Hayley. By the way, congrats on getting the extra funding. The Amit Grant is reward to very few people. The last recipient went on to create world’s first clone of a sheep,”
“Great, now I’m associated with sheep people,” Hayley joked. “No, the reason I called is that Jake’s been on my mind. I know its barely even been a day, but I miss him,”
“I know. We all miss him here,” Billy replied.
“Are you scared for him too?”
“I was at first. But once I found out the shuttle liftoff was a success, I know his years of training will be all the confidence he needs to complete the mission,”
“I told him not to go off and pull some Bruce Willis Armageddon stunt and save the world and leave me behind,”
“Come on Hayley, its Mars. What could possibly happen?” Billy replied.
The DeathForce legion cruiser sat in a stationary orbit around KO-10, the Nebulos jumping into hyperspace in the distance. The newest ship to grace the Immortal Vast starfleet, its gargantuan form shadowed even the senatorial ships of the Sons of Maelstrom. A white flickering of white near its cargo bay indicated the transport shuttle was ready to dock. Within it, Lord Zedd stood beside his newly christened Master Warrior.
“Boarding procedure initiated,” Commander Tiena replied from the control chair.
“Good. Have them set a hyperspace jump for the Hyperion Constellation,” Zedd ordered. Tiena turned around in his chair, bearing a dumbfound look on his face.
“Milord, it was my understanding that we would be leaving the Verolean Galaxy and heading toward the Sol system,” Tiena insisted.
“Do not undermine my judgment, commander. I am well aware of my own plans,” Zedd replied.
“As you wish, milord,” Tiena answered, transmitting the appropriate codes to the bridge. The underbelly of the massive ship shadowed the cockpit of the shuttle as it docked within the electromagnetically sealed hangar. Several squadrons of MAWs sat at the entrance way to the turbolifts. The hatchway folded out and down, steam hissing from its sides. The ship’s admiral stood, prepared to meet Lord Zedd.
“Commander,” he nodded towards Tiena as he exited the craft. Following Tiena were several officers. Suddenly, a large shadow spilled out of the cargo hold of the ship, a form too massive to use the exit ramp. Several MAWs ran to the form to investigate.
“Tell them to stand down, Admiral,” Zedd’s easily recognizable voice came from the exit ramp.
“Soldiers, stand down. Return to your formations,” the Admiral instructed. Zedd walked down the ramp, his burgundy cape sweeping along its edges.
“Lord Zedd, I am Admiral Hi-Connis. Welcome aboard the DeathForce. My men instruct me you are changing our course to the Hyperion Constellation. I trust your judgement, milord, but I must ask . . . what place does an imperial vessel have in such a remote location?” the Admiral asked. Zedd turned to him, his body beginning to glow a crimson hue. Before Zedd could answer, the hulking aberration that was Primator stepped out of the cargo hold, walking up behind his master.
“There is an asteroid near the gamma sector that is holding a weapon of some importance to me. I expect to be there in less than a di-chron (A measure of hours). I equally expect you to recognize that next time you question my judgment, Admiral, your place will be the remotest of locations possible,” Zedd replied.
“Yes, milord,” the Admiral returned, bowing to Zedd.
Lord Zedd stood on the bridge of the DeathForce, taking in the sight of the massive planet that was KO-10.
“Captain . . . proceed at full speed,” Zedd said, turning his head around.
“As you wish, milord,” the captain returned. Zedd felt the ship go suddenly peaceful as a high pitched whirring sound spilled out into the bridge. Zedd stepped back and found the safety of his control chair. With that, the space before them began to tear apart with light blue tendrils of energy.
“Mark!” the captain commanded. At the word, the ship lunged forward, seemingly beyond the distant stars in the viewport. The awesome force of the engines catapulted the vessel beyond our existence into that of hyperspace.
Carinasia . . .
“My lord, I have new reports of a gathering of power near the Sol sector,” the slow, alien voice began over the commlink. Emperor Nereus sat in his personal quarters, barely lit by two glowrods in the distant corners.
“I have felt it. Surely, someone has been alerted to our plans,” Nereus returned.
“I have traced an ion trail off the world of Endoi,”
“Impossible. We swept their forces years ago . . . surely, there would be no resistance there,”
“I am afraid so, my lord. A Kamen Rider was spotted there recently. A bit of a rebel, I believe he will be completely alone if he crosses your path,”
“I will not let this stand. Your loyalty will prove to be very . . . rewarding, Jurus. Keep me updated,” Nereus said.
“Yes, my lord,” With that, Nereus cut the transmission feed.
“A Kamen Rider . . . he will be no match for Lord Zedd and the Primator unit. This Ranger will be the first Zyraku to fall to the might of the Immortal Vast in over a decade,” Nereus silently spoke, turning back to the open balcony that peered out into the valley.
The massive chunk of planetary debris floated along the cold vacuum of space. It shone with an awesome brilliancy, the result of light reflecting off the crystalline fields that stretched across the asteroid.
“I can feel it now,” Zedd whispered from his control chair.
“Milord, we have locked onto the alloys in Serpentara . . . however, we are picking up massive life-form readings surrounding it,” the captain explained.
“Prepare a shuttle for my deployment. I will deal with them personally,” Zedd instructed. He closed his eyes and sought out the signatures of these beings within the Morphing Grid. He passed through them, recognizing the species.
“Celenstans . . . “ Zedd whispered.
The asteroid’s canyon walls broke the sunlight, casting long shadows into the valley floor. The Celenstan StarSkiffs sat three dozen meters from the massive metallic leg that sat unexposed. The Celenstans, nomadic scavengers that value anything mechanical, crawled over the dark green limb, chattering in alien tongues. Their attention was soon taken by the silvery shuttle that landed just beyond their own craft.
“These dirty little maggots will not lay waste to Serpentara,” Zedd said walking toward the aliens, Primator following closely. Skittish creatures, the Celenstans began to scatter as Zedd approached them.
“Oh no you don’t!” the dark lord cried, raising his fist to the air. Blue bolts of energy sparked off the Almsteen Band, racing through the air and striking the aliens. The ring on his hand was gold and had light blue crystals set into it and was crown-shaped. Once the aliens were off their feet, Zedd struck them again with the energy from the ring, leaving them dead.
“The only good Celenstan is a dead one,” Zedd added, walking up to the mechanical limb that peered out from beneath the rock.
“Winds of the Almsteen, grant me power!” the dark lord shouted, raising his hands to the sky. The tendrils of blue energy danced along the ground, shaking it beneath Lord Zedd’s own feet. At first, the sound was the pure rumbling and shifting of dirt and rock, then came the creaking of metal, all imposed over by the sharp crackles of the bolts of energy.
“Serpentara, ARISE!” Zedd commanded. With that, the bolts increased ten fold. The massive form of Serpentara began to show, clouds of dust rolling off of its body. The howling winds kicked the dust up into a storm that cloaked the form of the Zord slayer.
“Excellent,” Zedd spoke, the winds and dust dying down. He took in the awesome sight of his personal Zord, once again in his possession.
Angel Grove, California . . .
Jason Scott walked through the door to his home, dropping his backpack off at the nearest empty chair. He made his way up the stairs and down the right to his room. Closing the door behind him, he grabbed the remote control to his CD Player and thumbed the play button. As music filled the room, he fell backwards onto his bed, letting loose a sigh. He closed his eyes for a minute, feeling the temptation of sleep beckoning him.
‘I wonder what the whole deal is with the dinosaurs . . . Zack and Adam had the same dream I had, only they called out the name of different dinosaurs . . . Zack didn’t even say a dinosaur, I think he dreamed about the Mastodon. Must be bad meatloaf in the cafeteria again. There must be something wrong with me. I keep feeling anxious, like something’s gonna happen. And I don’t know what. I don’t even know if its something big, or something stupid. Pull yourself together, Jason. Just one week until the tournament. Now’s not the time to get committed to the psych ward.’‘ With that, Jason’s phone began to ring.
“Hello? Grandmaster Corben . . . yes sir. No, that’s okay. I’ll just finish up at the youth center. Yes sir. Thank you,” He spoke.
“Great. His brother Michael shows up and I’m left high and dry,” Jason added, sitting up on his bed, running his fingers through his hair. He turned the CD player off and walked over to his TV, turning it on.
“And in national news, the NASA shuttle Sovereignty has begun transmitting pictures from the Martian world, including new findings that Mars once had an atmosphere much like our own and water as well. We’ll keep you updated on this breaking story,”
The planet Bromak V . . .
The shadowy form of the DeathForce cruiser came into sight, the equally dark Serpentara held in tow by several tractor beam systems. Zedd sat at the bridge, in his control chair, watching the dark red orb that hung in the viewscreen increase in size. Nearby, energy storms could be seen sweeping across the void of space, the only warning of the dimensional hole that claimed many ships in times long forgotten. This stellar gap had been studied and modified by Immortal Vast scientists as a means of jumping from one side of the universe to the other.
“Contacting jump control. . . . Authorization code accepted,” A voice came from the control panel in the bridge.
‘Everything is proceeding according to my own design. In a few hours, I will attack the earth and exact my revenge upon Zordon of Eltar. Once Zordon is out of the way, Nereus may do as he wishes to the planet and I will move to seek out the rest of his comrades, beginning with the former Yellow ZyrakuRanger, Tirene Avron. She will join her brother and her Eltarian Lord in the Elysian plane.’ Zedd thought to himself, in complete anticipation.
“Milord, we are ready to jump, with your permission,” Captain Deveri instructed.
“You may proceed at will, commander,” Zedd returned, securing himself further in his chair. The jump through the space-time hole would be a violent one that would tear a lesser ship apart. However, the legion cruisers were fitted with particle shielding that would divert any destructive energy away.
“As you wish, milord. A vector has been targeted . . . the Sol system. The gate has been set and all systems are in the green . . . engage,” Deveri repeated the information fed to him by his system monitor. With the call, the ship leapt forward through the dimensional gap, time seeming to stand still.
The surface of Mars . . .
Jake’s comm unit crackled with radio interference from the cosmos, breaking up the traffic of his teammates. Sitting in the chair of the rover, he glanced around into the horizon of red sand and clay,
“Isn’t it amazing, Robin?” Jake asked his female counterpart. Robin nodded her massive helmet.
“Yeah . . . I just wanna know where Arnold Schwarzenegger is. I got his total recall, baby,” she joked. She continued to make passes over the soil with her scanner. Suddenly, the scanner began to beep rapidly.
“I think we may have something Jake!” she hollered.
“Hey Robin, I’m a pilot, not a geologist,”
“Come on Jake, where’s your sense of adventure?” she replied. Jake left the rover and knelt down beside Robin.
“Whatcha got?”
“Some sort of alloy . . . just below the surface . . .” she answered. She moved the dust and sand away from the spot, revealing a square, copperish marker.
“Whoa . . . what is it? The last will and testament of Yoda?” Jake joked, trying to find his grasp on reality. The sheer presence of this marker would change everything ever written about the red planet.
“Its got markings . . . four diamonds in the center . . . and the rest, I dunno . . .” Robin said.
“Its ancient Egyptian . . .” Jake responded. Robin looked up at Jake with a half grin.
“Come on, I thought you were just a pilot,”
“Even I get to watch the Discovery Channel . . . no, really, I took a class in Ancient Languages back in college,”
“So what’s it say?”
“The Undead . . . or Immortal . . . will one day return. The great serpent will claim the skies, leading the locusts from the sun. The third must be protected . . . the destroyer will make his . . . the rest is too eroded. Jesus, this is like something straight out of Star Wars or something,”
“Well, as unreal as it may be, we have a real job to do. We’ll have to report it,” Robin instructed.
Washington DC . . .
“Mr. President, I think you should have a look at this,” the voice belonging to Secretary Of Defense Alan Collins spoke. President William Mitchell sat up in his chair, raising an eyebrow.
“Alan, tell me it something positive,” President Mitchell insisted, feeling his stomach drop. He reached for the manilla folder and turned it open.
“Well, only if you watch the X-Files, Mr. President,” Alan replied.
“My God . . . what does it say?” Air Force General Isaacs asked, approaching the Secretary Of Defense.
“We have a team of specialists working on that sir, but one of the astronauts, the one that discovered it, has a background in ancient languages. Um . . . I believe its Jake Cranston. When he alerted us, he informed us it speaks of an immortal being returning at some point in time, talk of a giant snake that seems to destroy the sky and a plague of locusts. Then it says that something called “the third” must be protected from the destroyer,” Alan answered.
“The third? What the hell does that mean?” President Mitchell asked.
“We’re not quiet sure sir, but our initial belief would be Earth, the third planet from the sun,”
“Okay . . . well lets not jump to conclusions. Contact NASA, tell them to keep a lid on this. I want everyone associated with this finding and the mission itself to maintain complete silence and let anyone who wishes to spread panic with this news know that they will prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. As far as the Sovereignty goes, they will complete whatever research they are conducting at the moment, but as soon as they are finished and can pack up, I want them on the first thing smoking back to this rock and I want them held until I can speak with them personally. Lets not drop the ball on this, guys. We don’t need a frightened, un-informed public,” President Mitchell explained.
Jake Cranston stood beside Robin Bradley within the experimental lab set into the huge form of the Sovereignty shuttle, studying the copper marker.
“I don’t get it. They want us to come home because we actually found something. Its bullshit. We probably just scrapped the top of the iceberg. There’s probably cities and all kinds of archeological finds waiting out there,” Jake said angrily.
“President Mitchell wants us home, Jake. There’s no way around it. Now they’ll send in the specialists and we’ll be yesterdays news,” Robin replied. The crew commander, the tall black man that was Sherwin Campbell, climbed down from the engine hatch.
“Personally, I’m glad we’re going back. This is just too far out for my comfort,” he said.
“Why? I mean, we barely got started here . . . and now its like they don’t trust us to be here,” Jake spouted.
“Hey man, you got kids?” Sherwin replied with a question.
“No, but I got a beautiful college graduate waiting on me,”
“Really? My wife just gave birth to my two baby girls. You think I want to risk all that just for something that’ll end up a Discovery Channel special? Hell no. Them girls and my baby need me. More than the United States needs an Air Force colonel up here. All I . . .” Sherwin was interrupted by a loud rumble of static over the speakers.
“That ain’t normal,” Robin said, running to the bridge. She checked the instrumentation and gave a puzzled look back to her crew mates. With that, the orbiter began to rumble, shaking the equipment within.
“Is it an earthquake?” Jake asked. Robin glanced back at her panels.
“No . . . there’s some sort of . . . disturbance . . . I don’t know what it is,” She replied.
“Houston, are you reading this?” Jake asked into his comms.
“Negative Sovereignty, all screens are green. What’s happening?” Houston control replied.
Space and time split around the hull of the DeathForce cruiser, stretching through the dimensional tear into Martian space.
“Milord, we have reached the Sol system,” Captain Deveri instructed.
“Begin a scan of the area. The Earth must not be alerted to our presence,” Lord Zedd commanded. The captain nodded and began to work at his panel.
“Milord, we are picking up an un-identified craft on the surface of the Martian planet. Signatures indicate six life-forms aboard. “ Deveri replied.
“Bring the teleporting systems online. I will handle them with the might of Serpentara. Move the DeathForce to the dark side of the Earth’s moon and await my orders. Have battalion of MAWs ready on my command,” Zedd ordered.
“As you wish milord,” Deveri replied, engaging the teleporting systems.
“Lock it down!” Jake shouted in the cockpit of the NASA orbiter. Robin hurried to secure the equipment panels, the violent rumbling finally coming to an end.
“Sovereignty, this is Houston, what is your situation?!” the voice crackled into their headsets.
“What the hell was that?” Sherwin asked, leaning into the cabin. The remaining crew members spilled out of the galley.
“What moldy Martian god did we piss off?” Daniel Battliga, the crew’s technical supervisor asked.
“What’s that?” Susan Parker, the blonde Air Force Lieutenant asked, pointing to a blip on the radar screen.
“Is it a meteor?” Bryan Miller, the astrophysicist, inquired.
“No, the rate of decent doesn’t match something that just falls out of the sky. This thing is coming straight for us,” Sherwin replied.
“My God,” Susan mumbled, watching the snaking form appear in the reddish sky. Serpentara stretched out nearly six hundred feet long in the Martian sky, producing a low hum. Dust was kicked up as the massive machine landed, standing upright in the fading sunlight.
“What is it?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t look friendly!” Daniel shouted.
“What do we do?! We’re sitting ducks in this thing!” Susan added.
“Robin, fire up the boosters! We’ve got to get off this rock!” Jake shouted.
“What about the rovers?!” Daniel asked.
“Leave ‘em, we’ve got to get out of here!” Jake replied. Robin strapped herself down in the control chair, engaging the engines.
“Everyone, hold on!” she shouted.
“Guys, strap yourselves in!” Jake added, sitting down in the cockpit. The main vertical thrusters came online and the shuttle began to hover.
“Look!” Susan shouted, pointing out the cockpit. Serpentara stood in the glaring sunlight, red bolts of energy dancing around its head. The other crew members turned their attention to this spectacle.
“Your world is doomed,” Zedd said from the darkly lit cockpit of Serpentara. He tapped the control lever and the energy dance convalesced into an expanding, circular energy beam that slammed the Sovereignty back down to the lunar surface in a brilliant display of fiery explosions. The shuttle crew cried out and were suddenly silenced by the blaze that consumed them.
Houston, Texas . . .
“We lost contact at approximately Eight Forty-Five PM, Eastern-Standard time. All systems report complete failure,” one of the control operators relayed into the telephone.
“What was the last radio transmission?” Alan Collins asked, seated beside the President in the White House.
“The last transmission wasn’t radio traffic sir, but a photograph of a disturbing image. It appears to be a large . . . although it could . . .” the operator frantically began to grasp for the word to describe the image.
“What the hell is it?!”
“It’s a serpent, sir. Um . . . but not biological. It appears to be mechanical, some sort of weapon, possibly a vessel,”
“Upload it,” With that, the operator fed the appropriate commands into his computer, which was linked with Alan’s laptop. The image began to appear on the screen. A silent hush fell over the Oval Office as the image finished uploading.
“My God in heaven . . . alright, your orders are to maintain a complete press blackout. Do not reveal any information until instructed to do so by myself or the President directly,” Alan instructed, hanging the phone up.
“Alright, move us to DEFCON 4. Its safe to assume that this unidentified vessel is a potential threat to the world. Alan, get online with Space Command. I want an update on this matter in ten minutes,” President Mitchell ordered.
Angel Grove, California . . .
Jason Scott sat at his desk in his Fourth Period Biology class, holding his notebook and textbook tightly against his chest. The bell for his lunch period rang and he quickly made his way out of the room and into the long hallway of the east wing. He saw Zack and Adam making their way from their Social Sciences classroom ahead and rushed to meet them.
“How ‘bout it?” Jason asked, walking beside Adam.
“Its meatloaf day . . . did that answer your question?” Adam replied depressingly. They watched a group of seniors make their way to the parking lot, leaving to meet up at the local burger shop, Big-mouth’s Burgers.
“Just two more years of soybean burgers and sour milk, fellas. We’re gonna own this school,” Zack said. They stood at the doors to the cafeteria, waiting for the line to move, when the TV set in the far corner came to life with an image of the local news channel logo.
“We interrupt our regular broadcast for this breaking story . . .” the monotone voice announced. With that, the screen was filled with the image of a blonde woman, in her mid 40's, standing, holding a microphone.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I address you now with alarming news. British intelligence sources indicate a massive unidentified object entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Just moments ago, we contacted media outlets at NASA and the White House, who have refused to comment on the situation. We will keep you updated at this story progresses,” the woman informed. The students within the cafeteria were silenced at the news. Jason glanced over at Zack, who’s mouth was open with shock.
“Come on bro, you don’t believe that, do you? These people will do anything to get ratings. If something were going on, I think we’d know about it,” Jason insisted.
The Oval Office, Washington DC . . .
“Sir, we have incoming over Pacific airspace,” Lieutenant Daniel Staunton informed, running into the room.
“Is it the anomaly?” President Mitchell asked.
“Yes sir, it appears to be,” Lt. Staunton replied.
“General Isaacs, move your men to intercept,” President Mitchell ordered.
“Yes sir,” General Isaacs replied, rushing out of the room.
The Pacific Ocean . . .
The Navy air carrier Liberty sat in the Strait Of Mexico, launching F-16 fighter jets into the sun drenched sky.
“Acquisition of target,” Commander George Clancy instructed. With that, the clouds began to break apart, revealing the terrible sight of Serpentara snaking through the upper sky.
“A laughable attempt, you earth things,” Zedd spoke, reaching for a control panel set into the right frame.
“Lock and load,” Commander Clancy ordered. As soon as the command reached the other pilots, hidden bays split open down the massive form of Serpentara, spilling a dozen alien ships into the air. They were pitch black in color and were powered by four things that could only be assumed as engines. Specifically designed MAWs sat inside each of the deadly craft.
“My QuadraFighters will deal with them,” Zedd assured himself.
“Sir, we got boogies, hot and incoming!” one of the officers hollered from the radar monitor.
“Squad leaders, we have enemy targets at alpha-five-niner. Move to attack positions,” General Maron Bradley ordered.
“We copy that, Liberty. We have them in our scopes,” Commander Clancy replied. The QuadraFighters began to rain down bolts of bright red energy, picking off several of the F-16s.
“Sir, we lost two squad leaders!”
“I want all pilots off deck!” General Bradley ordered.
Washington DC . . .
“Mr. President, we lost two squadrons over the Pacific,” General Isaacs informed the Commander In Chief.
“Alright, what’s the anomaly’s heading?”
“At current velocity and course, it should reach Los Angeles in five minutes,”
The bell for fifth period rang within the classroom, where Jason, Zack, Adam, Billy, Trini, and Kimberly sat together. Their teacher, Mr. Evans, walked to his desk.
“I trust you’ve all heard the news of the unexplained phenomenon that has been sighted entering our atmosphere. Thankfully, the President doesn’t seem to believe it a threat, so we may continue today on our discussion of the literary works of Edgar Allan Poe,” Mr. Evans began, opening up his folder.
Death Valley, California . . .
The secret facility sat at the apex of a mound of dirt and rock. It was hidden to the visible eyes by jagged walls of granite and sand. Its tan coloration and unique design allowed it to blend into the vast sea of sand surrounding it. Its exterior was chiseled granite walls, curved and towering, cut with foreign symbols and designs. Whirls of dust tumbled across its concrete outer yard, collecting up against its main circular chamber. Within, alarms and sirens began to blare.
While the exterior was simple and natural, save for its nonpareil design, its walls contained computer systems and technology beyond that known by any human of the planet Earth. Four sheer columns stood within the central chamber, covering fluctuating beams of light energy that illuminated its hypermodern control panels. Opposite the main entrance sat a cluster of crystals atop a round base. Blue bolts of energy danced the length of the two nearest columns, reaching out for the crystals. A beam of transparent energy came down from a crystalline fixture set directly above the base. In the beam of energy, a pale-white face appeared, the visage of Lord Zordon of Eltar.
“ALPHA 5, we have an emergency!” he exclaimed. A side door near the main exit opened, revealing his robotic assistant.
“Online and awaiting instructions,” the robot instructed, floating atop two ‘pulsor batteries. It moved the middle of the curved control panels.
“There is a great disturbance in the Morphing Grid. Bring the monitors online,” Zordon instructed.
“Compliance,” ALPHA returned in a rather monotone voice. A holographic screen appeared above the far right control panel, directly in Zordon’s sight.
“Tracking energy signatures now . . . picking up QuadraFighter frequencies . . . stand by . . . unknown energy signature,” ALPHA relayed the information shown in the control panels.
“Bring up an image of this unknown signature,” Zordon requested. ALPHA continued to dial buttons as an image began to flash in the holographic screen. The massive form was too big to be contained by the hologram, but Zordon knew immediately what he was beholding.
“It is Serpentara . . . and that means only one thing . . . Sih Caien Zedd,” Zordon instructed. ‘How is this possible? He was laid into that Jirad to sleep until the day the elder gods would return to judge the unjust. I saw it with my own eyes . . . the same eyes that beheld the image of my own Zord, mighty Serpentara, stolen by Zedd thousands of years ago. Surely some fool must have unearthed the dark Lord . . . or even worse . . . Blakus Nereus has discovered this fertile and virgin star system. And here I sit . . . unprepared . . . I should have seen this coming. How could I have been so blind? There is a veil fallen over the Morphing Grid. There is no time to properly train a new team to face him . . . I must send them in good faith that the gods of Eltar will continue to watch over me and my Master Plan.’
“ALPHA, began a scan of the nearest populated area . . . teleport to us six humans physically and mentally capable of bearing the symbiotes,” Zordon instructed.
“Compliance,” the robot replied, beginning his scan.
‘So it begins anew . . . the Red Ranger, leader and tactician . . . the Yellow Ranger, the field scientist . . . Blue Ranger, second-in-command . . . the Pink Ranger, reconnaissance . . . Black Ranger, vehicle and arms specialist . . . and finally, the command specialist, science advisor and the human link between the team itself and the command center.’
“Six viable subjects located . . . teleportation channels prepared . . . awaiting orders,” ALPHA 5 instructed. With that, the chamber began to shudder and rumble.
“He has arrived,” Zordon stated.
Angel Grove High . . .
“Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, to parents who were itinerant actors. His father David Poe Jr. died probably in 1810 and his mother, Elizabeth Hopkins Poe in 1811. Edgar was taken into the home of a rich merchant, John Allan, and brought up partly in England, where he attended Manor School at Stoke Newington. Never legally adopted, Poe took Allan’s name for his middle name. Poe attended the . . .” Mr. Evans was suddenly drowned out by a loud rumbling sound, as the ground beneath his feet shook violently. With that, the loud bell rang again, this time in three short intervals.
“Students, get under your desks!” Mr. Evans instructed, ducking under his own desk. The rumbling continued as Billy glanced over at Trini.
“Something tells me this isn’t an earthquake . . . it doesn’t feel right!” he shouted over the loud rumbling.
The secret command center of Zordon of Eltar . . .
“Engage at once ALPHA 5, time is of upmost importance!” Zordon commanded.
Jason was staring out into the hallway through the open door when he felt a sharp tingling in his neck and shoulders. The pain began to crawl down his arms and he felt suddenly lightheaded. The room began to fade into a blur, the noise of the rumbling fading as well. He heard a high pitched ringing in his ears and quickly glanced over at Adam and Zack, who by their own painful dispositions, were experiencing the same thing. Oddly enough, when he looked up to his other classmates, they seemed to be unaware to this strange condition, their heads tucked low and eyes squeezed shut. However, even Kimberly, Trini and Billy seemed to be feeling the effects of this sudden and unknown pain. Without warning, he felt a quick rush around him and his body went numb. He shut his eyes, afraid to see what was around him. Although his limbs and body were dead feeling, he felt tremendous force all around him, as if he were moving at an incredible rate. Then, as quickly as the pain had manifested itself, it was gone. However, he knew by the cold, metal floor beneath his hands that he was no longer in his fifth period English Literature class. He opened his eyes to the metal ramp beneath him. It shone with the reflection of four points of light, set in a circle around him.
“Welcome humans,” a voice thundered within the room. Jason forced his eyes upward and could not believe the sight before him.
The face was a whiter pigment than most human skin. His light blue eyes were almost like glass, even beyond the transparency of the projected image. There were no ears where there should have been, only ear canals that curved into the skin. His nose was raised with three ridges that furthered his alien appearance. The face floated in the stream of energy, an apparent projection of an alien face belonging to an equally alien body.
“I am Zordon, what you would call an extraterrestrial, from the planet Eltar. My appearance, or lack thereof, is a direct result of my incapacitation. The image you see before you is a projection, created in my mind and cast into this ion tube for the purpose of communicating with this dimension. My physical body lies just above this tube, in a state of suspended animation, as a previous encounter with my mortal enemy left me trapped within a time warp. However, this unique state is what has preserved me all these thousands of years,” Zordon explained.
“Magnificent,” Billy stated, beginning to take in the sights.
“So exactly where are we?” Jason asked, stepping forward. He rubbed his arms, feeling the goosebumps against his fingers.
“This is my strategic outpost, my . . . command center,” Zordon replied.
“Um, can somebody come back to Earth and pick me up? Because I am totally confused,” Kimberly said, walking up behind Jason.
“Actually, it is quite simple, my dear. Your world is under attack . . . I have brought you here to protect it,”
“Oh, yeah right,” Zack remarked, shaking his head.
“ALPHA 5, initiate the view screen,” Zordon instructed. The robot appeared from his holding base and floated towards the teenagers. Billy walked up to the android and ran his hands over its metal head, peering into its eyes as if he expected to see its inner workings.
“I’ve never seen anything like it! A fully sentient, multifunctional automaton,” Billy noted.
“Your doubts will be answered in the images you see,” Zordon explained. The teens turned to the holographic projection that displayed the images of Serpentara releasing the QuadraFighter squadrons over the Pacific Ocean. It then played the recording of Lord Zedd battling a man dressed in red armor, wielding a silver sword.
“Who is that?” Adam asked.
“He is Lord Zedd of the Immortal Vast, an alien militant force who wish to conquer the universe. Zedd is powerful in the dark arts of his home world and wields a jeweled ring known as the Almsteen Band. The vehicle he is piloting is Serpentara, which once belonged to me. Serpentara’s purpose was to defend the free people of Eltar, however, under Lord Zedd’s control, it has brought nothing but death and chaos to the universe,” Zordon explained.
“What does all of this have to do with us?” Trini interrupted.
“You have been brought here to form an elite team to battle Lord Zedd. Each of you will be given extraordinary powers drawn from ancient animals that once populated this planet,” Zordon answered. Without warning, spirals of white light shot from their waists, forming a black belt that held a silver device in the front.
“Behold the keys to your powers,” Zordon stated. Adam pulled the metal box from its black case and examined it. It was octagonal in shape, the top and bottom sides longer than the rest. A gold coin sat in the middle of it, where the device was split in a jagged zigzag design. Red banners sat surrounded the coin, with alien words displayed on them.
“Whoa . . .” Zack whispered, holding his box, “What are these?”
“Those are your Power Morphers. When in danger, raise them to the sky, calling out the name of your animal and you will morph into a formidable fighting force known to one and all as the Power Rangers,”
“Morph?” Kimberly asked.
“Metamorphosis,” Billy replied. Trini leaned close to Kimberly.
“It means to change,” she explained, Kimberly nodding.
“As Power Rangers, you will gain access to a universe of power and command a fleet of colossal assault vehicles known as Zords,” Zordon continued, “Power Rangers, step forward and accept all that has been given to you,” Jason walked towards the ion tube, Adam and Trini following him.
“Jason, as the Red Ranger, strong and powerful, you will control the powers of the Tyrannosaurus DinoZord,” Zordon explained. A swirl of red energy festooned around Jason’s body. Jason grinned with excitement as Trini walked forward.
“How do you know who we are?” Trini inquired.
“All things are revealed to the Morphing Grid, my dear. As so, Trini, you will become the Yellow Ranger, fearless and unstoppable. The Saber-toothed Tiger Zord will be under your command,” Zordon explained. Yellow energy began to twirl around Trini.
“Adam, the Blue Ranger, mighty and wise, you shall control the Triceratops DinoZord,” Adam watched the blue arcs of light climb up around him.
“Zack, you will become the Black Ranger, clever and brave. You will pilot the Mastodon DinoZord,” Zack watched the energy surround him and glanced over at Kimberly.
“Kimberly, graceful and swift, as the Pink Ranger, the Pterodactyl DinoZord shall be yours,” Kimberly watched her energy beams fade out before looking to Billy.
“Billy, your position is of a different manner. While your physical skills are not in question, your intelligence and technical ability have gifted you with the keys needed to become the human link between myself and the Rangers. For the rest of you, just as you work together, so do your Zords. When you need help, you need only to turn to the power of your DinoZords, which will come together to form the mighty MegaZord,” Zordon explained. Zack shook his head and began to step forward, looking at the other teenagers.
“Power Morphers? MegaZords? Reality check. This whole thing is bogus. I ain’t interested in being on the next episode of Pranked,” Zack said, before turning to Zordon, “Look, its been real, but I’m out,” He turned to the back door and began to walk away, as Kimberly turned to Zordon as well.
“See ya,” she said before following Zack. The exit door split open as Zack stopped and hollered back at his friends..
“Ya’ll coming? Jason!” he shouted.
“What?” Jason asked, watching the view screen as it displayed the image of the MegaZord.
“Lets go man!” Zack said, walking through the door. Adam, Trini, and Billy followed Zack.
“Yeah . . . “ Jason said to himself, turning away from the viewscreen. He walked down the ramp and out through the open door. Zordon gave a visible sigh as Jason walked out.
“Very well then. Let the Power protect you,” He wished to the teenagers, as they pushed through the outer doors, into the covered walkway. Kimberly followed the others as they climbed through the rocks and dirt. Her foot slipped off a rock before she regained her balance. She dusted her hands off and looked back at the command center.
“The least he could have done was send us back into the city,” she stated.
Angel Grove . . .
Serpentara sat at the north end of the city limits, near the forest and parks area, spilling waves of destructive energy at the assemblage of tanks and solders that guarded the perimeter of the city. Within the cockpit of the mighty Zord, Zedd was suddenly alarmed by his senses. He glanced up and engaged his comm link.
“Captain Deveri, land your troops at these coordinates. Their orders are to terminate the human life-forms that await them,” Zedd ordered.
“As you wish, milord,” the reply came.
“Guys, we shouldn’t have left him. I mean, he chose us to save the world. I say we do it,” Jason commented as the teenagers continued to walk through the desert.
“Do you really think we can?” Trini asked.
“Hey guys, you don’t even know what you’re talking about. I mean, we talking to giant floating head,” Zack joked. Jason gave a half smile before feeling the wind suddenly shift. They turned around to watch red arcs of energy begin to fan out, the wind whistling around them.
“I got a bad feeling about this,” Jason commented, slowly backing away. The spirals of energy continued to spin before revealing the form of MAW soldiers, standing in black armor from head to toe. Kimberly began to slowly back away and turned around to stare one of the soldiers directly in the face. The machine reached out for her arm and slung her against an outcropping of rock nearby.
“Spread out!” Jason yelled, taking a defensive posture. He felt two massive arms enclose him and he leapt up and kicked backwards with his feet, rolling the MAW in the sand. He landed on his back and leapt up back to his feet. The MAWs continued to surround and attack them. Trini dodged a robotic fist and spun in the sand before delivering a stiff side kick that took one of the MAWs off its feet. Kimberly watched as two MAWs approached her. She cut a backwards flip and began to somersault to safety.
“Billy!” Trini shouted, watching Billy struggling in the grip of a MAW. Adam was the first to arrive to his aid and landed a stiff kick that sent the MAW stumbling. Zack dodged the various blows aimed at himself and managed to land a few as well. As he turned around to continue his attack, he felt his arm grabbed by a MAW and felt the force of the robot pull him backwards, propelling him into the large rock behind them. He glanced up and watched as Kimberly tumbled towards him. He reached up to stop her from slamming into him as Billy rolled into Kimberly, knocking her down on top of Zack. Adam watched helplessly as Trini joined the fallen teens before being kicked in the abdomen. He felt the force of the kick move him backwards, landing beside Trini. They looked back at Jason, who stood alone in the midst of the fourteen robotic monstrosities.
“Jason!” Trini cried, watching a MAW deliver a stiff backhand that left blood on Jason’s face. Jason felt his anger swell up inside before being kicked square in the chest. He rolled through the sand in pain and felt the hands of his friends lift him up out of the sand. The six teenagers stood up and began to back away, looking for cover.
“What do we do know?” Trini asked. Jason dusted himself off, feeling the strange device that sat attached to the black belt around his waist. He pulled it out and stared at the golden coin, seeing the image of the Tyrannosaurus Rex emblazoned on it. He glanced back at the others.
“Zordon said these Morphers will give us powers . . . lets do it!” he exclaimed. The others glanced down at their morpher and pulled it loose from its clip. Jason looked at his friends, his fellow teammates and saw the realization in their eyes. He stepped forward, swinging the morpher around and aiming it upward.
“Tyrannosaurus!” he shouted. For what seemed like hours, the box sat still and inactive as the MAW soldiers began to close in. Without warning, the box split open, sparks of energy dancing around the coin. He felt a rush of warmth over his body, feeling a slight current of energy. A wave of energy climbed back from the morpher, leaving a red bodysuit on his body. In a flash of light, armor was left in specific places over his body. A helmet then appeared on his head in a flash of light. He looked out through the darkened visor, seeing the holographic readout that displayed his vitals, his energy levels, and his morpher’s status. He flexed his fists within the gloves and felt a strange sensation coursing through his arms. He waved his arm out towards the MAWs, red flames of energy spinning off his hand, slamming through the soldiers.
The command center . . .
“Morphers are online, Zordon. The symbiotes have fused successfully,” ALPHA instructed within the Power Chamber.
“Excellent. Teleport Billy to us and unlock the Zord Abyss. Send the Rangers to Serpentara’s coordinates. They must stop Lord Zedd!” Zordon ordered.
Lord Zedd sat in the black kyrin-skin chair of Serpentara’s cockpit, feeling a coldness in the pit of his stomach. He scanned the Morphing Grid and saw the Rangers standing over his defeated MAWs. His skin began to glow a bright red hue as he slammed his fist down against the control panel.
“I cannot believe it! Never send a robot to do a Dairaku’s job! Damn that fool, Zordon! Damn his Rangers!” Zedd shouted.
Jason glanced back at the other Rangers, who were dressed in similar armored uniforms. Before they could exchange words, the sharp tingling of teleporting energy swept their bodies.
“Its happening again!” Adam shouted.
“We’re teleporting!” Billy replied. He vanished in a spiral of white teleporting energy, leaving the five Power Rangers behind. They followed behind Billy, each teleporting in energy arcs of their respective colors. Billy landed within the Power Chamber, where ALPHA was floating at the main control panel.
“Billy, you will guide the Rangers to use the weapons at their disposal. Their basic sidearm is the Blade Blaster, a laser pistol that can be converted into a dagger. There are several more squadrons of Zedd’s soldiers landing in Angel Grove. They must use these weapons to eliminate the soldiers,” Zordon explained. ALPHA handed Billy a headset commlink which he slid on, hearing the radio traffic of the Rangers talking to each other as they landed on the waterfront.
“Guys, this is Billy. You’ll find weapons on the sides of your uniforms. These are your Blade Blasters. Use them to make quick work of Zedd’s soldiers,” Billy informed the Rangers.
“Right!” Jason shouted, pulling the weapon from its holster. Within the display of his helmet, he saw a diagram of the weapon and how to use it. The Blade Blaster was in safe mode, where the blade was folded inward, yet the body remained in dagger form. He squeezed the trigger, watching the blade swing open. Jason Scott, now as the Red Power Ranger, ran headfirst into the awaiting MAWs, swinging and slicing with the Blade Blaster. Several of the soldiers fell to the ground in bursts of sparks and smoke. He turned around to watch his teammates continue the attack, leaving very few of the MAWs standing.
“Take ‘em out!” Jason shouted.
“Rangers, Lord Zedd is your priority. We have your Zords online and ready for battle,” Billy sounded, the static of the transmission robbing his voice of humanity.
“Right,” Jason said, seeing his Zord’s status appear in the top left corner of his viewscreen.
“Leave ‘em! We’re heading out!” Jason shouted back at the other Rangers. They nodded in recognition of the order.
“ALPHA, teleport them to the Zords,” Zordon instructed. The automaton ran his indasteel fingers over the keypad, accessing the Zord portals.
“Alright guys, prepare for teleportation,” Billy said. With that, the sharp sting of teleporting returned again, this time carrying the Rangers to their individual Zords.
“Milord, we have five distinctive Zetonic energy channels online, near the east quadrant,” the voice of Captain Deveri sounded in Zedd’s comm.
“The Zords . . ,” Zedd whispered to himself. He quickly sought out his path to the Morphing Grid and examined the energy signatures of his foes.
“Impressive . . . but hopeless,” He added, turning Serpentara toward the Power Rangers. Jason stood atop the Tyrannosaurus DinoZord, staring at the silver hatch that rose from the red metal around it. He stepped onto the hatch as it slid open, allowing him to drop down into its dark vacuity. He saw blinking lights in his peripherals and another hatchway just below him. He climbed down it and found himself in a silver cockpit that was just large enough for him to maneuver to the black chair that rested behind the slanted control panel. For its upright posture, Jason found the chair to be quite comfortable.
“So what now?” he heard Zack sound in his comm.
“On the control panel before you, there are two black controls shaped to the palms of your hands. Squeeze them simultaneously and you’ll see the indication of startup in your helmets. After that, log in with a recognition phrase,” Billy replied. Jason found the controls on his panel; the left one had a circular symbol that bore his helmet, while the right control featured a representation of his Dinosaur. He reached and squeezed them both and saw the “Z.O.R.D. SYSTEMS ONLINE” in his bottom left display. Jason saw the red control sticks just below the grip controls and knew in his subconscious that they were the manual controls for his Zord. He grabbed them and slowly moved his Zord forward.
“Alright guys, log on!” Jason gave the order. He saw a red light flash on, indicating he was logged into the Zord’s systems.
“Zack here, this is kickin’!”
Adam here, lets rock and roll!”
This is Trini, all systems go!”
“Let’s tame this snake!” Kimberly concluded. The Zords towered over the city’s metropolitan giants of steel and glass. The Tyrannosaurus DinoZord of the Red Ranger reached well over two hundred feet into the air. The Blue Ranger’s Triceratops DinoZord rested on two massive crawler treads, while the Mastodon and Saber-toothed Tiger Zords each sat on four hydraulic legs. They each were about one hundred and fifty feet tall. The graceful Pterodactyl DinoZord was the smallest, bearing a wingspan of fifty feet and a height of only twenty.
“Rangers, separately, your Zords will be no match for Serpentara. Jason, as the leader, you will make the call to form the MegaZord when you feel threatened to escalate the situation,” Billy added. Jason watched as the towering serpent Zord slowly marched toward them.
“Rangers, stand by for MegaZord transformation,” Jason ordered.
“Jason, initiate the sequence by placing your Morpher into the designated slot on your control panel. Your verbal command will be processed and the Zords’ onboard guidance systems will lead them through the process,” Billy returned.
“Copy that, Billy. Alright guys,” Jason started, removing his Morpher from his belt and pushing it into place on the panel. “Lets show him a little MegaZord power!” The rest of the teens followed and cried in unison, “MegaZord power!” Within his cockpit, Jason heard the electronic voice of the system indicator.
“MegaZord sequence has been initiated,” it stated. The Zords began to transform, steam shooting out from vents and sparks of light flashing around them. The Tyrannosaurus DinoZord received the Triceratops and Saber-toothed Tiger Zords, which formed to its front legs. The legs of the Tiger Zord slid into its form, replaced by large wheels that spun out. The Mastodon Zord split in half, its head forming up between the Triceratops and Tiger Zords. Its cannons slid up over the arms of the Tyrannosaurus, stretching out with long silver barrels. The Pterodactyl completed the transformation, landing behind the head of the Tyrannosaurus, flexing its own cannons forward. Jason felt the seat of his chair fold under as he slid down into an expansive cockpit, landing in another control chair, surrounded by four others. He glanced around and watched as the other Rangers landed in their designated areas from beams of teleporting energy.
Jason watched as Serpentara stopped at the edge of the industrial district. Tendrils of yellowish energy danced in the air around its head as it fired a bolt of starplasma at the Rangers.
“Incoming!” Trini shouted.
“Brace yourself for impact!” Jason replied. The blast slammed into the hull of the tank, shaking the cockpit violently. Sparks flew from the control panels as the Rangers checked the monitors.
“The ray shields have been compromised. They’ll need to recharge,” Trini reported.
“Rangers, this is the first stage of the MegaZord: As a tank, it can be used to travel terrain quickly and easily and has more firepower capabilities. Serpentara is nearing, use your cannons to buy you some time to switch to battle mode,” Billy explained.
“Right. Alright guys, hit it!” Jason ordered. The Rangers thumbed the buttons on their control sticks, replying to Zedd’s energy blast with a furious shower of pulse blasts. Zedd felt the hits rock his cockpit violently.
“Alright, let’s bring him down to size. MegaZord, battle mode,” he ordered. Massive angular hands folded out from the cannons as the Pterodactyl dismounted and hovered above the assemblage. The tank began to shift upwards, the Triceratops and Tiger Zords shifting at the neck, becoming the legs of the MegaZord. The tank stood upright as the cannons shifted out, becoming the arms. The Pterodactyl flew in, its head and feet tucking within its form. It attached onto the chest of the Tyrannosaurus, as two large panels folded forward from the neck of the DinoZord. Its lower jaw shifted down as a humanoid face rose out from within the mouth.
“MegaZord activated,” the electronic voice indicated.
“So . . . Zordon has a few surprises left in his act. Little does he realize what I have in store for his Rangers,” Zedd commented, regarding the sight of the MegaZord with the snap. The dark lord flicked a series of green switches.
“Warrior mode activated,” a voice of deeper tone sounded in the cockpit.
Inside the command center, Billy watched Serpentara’s energy levels rise on the monitors.
“Zordon, there’s some sort of energy rise in Serpentara,” Billy reported.
“Warn the Rangers. Zedd may have altered Serpentara’s structure since our last encounter,” Zordon instructed.
“Rangers, I’m picking up a rise in Serpentara’s energy levels. He may be preparing for another plasma blast,” Billy sounded in their comms. The serpents mouth opened and the Rangers braced themselves for an attack. Instead, the lower jaw unlocked and a face appeared. The body began to fold outward, the neck sliding down to the chest. The arms unfolded into angular humanoid arms and shifted forward. The legs straightened out and telescoped their length. The remaining form was humanoid and was overly muscular. The tail’s covering began to fold out and down to reveal a large sword. A handle shot out from the bottom and the large warrior Zord grabbed the sword from the sky as lightning danced the length of the blade. The Rangers sat frozen in awe at the sight.
“Their only hope will be the Godhorn. Billy, tell them to call upon its power,” Zordon instructed.
“Rangers, you’ll need your most advanced weapon to defeat Serpentara. Jason, call upon the Godhorn to combat Lord Zedd,” Billy explained. Jason nodded and looked up into the sky.
“I call upon the Godhorn!” he shouted. Lightning flashed across the sky, coalescing into a towering, shiny sword that fell to the ground. It landed just before the MegaZord as Jason moved the arms to grab it. The blade of the Godhorn was wide just above the guard, which was triangular in shape. The base of the handle had a red orb attached to it. Jason saw the gleam of Serpentara’s dark saber and brought the Godhorn up to parry its advance. The two swords collided in a shower of sparks, the force of the impact shaking the seats beneath the Rangers.
“Forward all available power to the arm servos,” Jason commanded. Zack increased the power output as the MegaZord spun its sword in its capable robotic hands. Serpentara slashed again as blade met blade. Jason spun the sword around to counter and watched as Serpentara’s blade slid through the Godhorn, causing the weapon to disintegrate in a shower of white energy.
“He destroyed the Godhorn!” Kimberly shouted. A high pitched beeping filled the cockpit of the MegaZord as Serpentara grabbed the MegaZord by the neck and lifted it into the air.
“ALPHA, I’m not reading the Godhorn in the Morphing Grid anymore,” Billy announced.
“That is because it was destroyed permanently. The Godhorn was a gift from early Endonite priests who settled in the land you now call Europe some ten thousand years ago. ALPHA, engage the matrix systems and try to form them a temporary weapon to defeat Lord Zedd.” Zordon commanded.
“Negative helm control!” Adam shouted within the now darkly lit cockpit of the MegaZord.
“Micropressure’s in the red!” Trini exclaimed.
“What do we do?” Kimberly asked.
“Zack, send a surge of magnetic energy into Serpentara’s arm. Reverse the polarity of its motors and it should release us,” Jason ordered.
“Jason, that’s brilliant!” Trini commented. Zack grinned within his helmet and issued the commands. Zedd cursed the Rangers as he unwillingly released his hold on the MegaZord.
“Zordon, I’ve configured what energy remained of the Godhorn into a weapon called the Mega Sabre. It should be able to be drawn from the Morphing Grid as we speak.” ALPHA instructed.
“Rangers, Zedd expended a massive amount of energy by switching to warrior mode. His defensive systems are gone and he is left vulnerable. ALPHA has a new weapon standing by for the MegaZord. Call upon the Mega Sabre and combine your powers to defeat Lord Zedd,” Billy explained.
“Right. Mega Sabre!” Jason shouted. The mighty sword appeared within the MegaZord’s hand as Jason brought it around to block Serpentara’s sword. The two swords again and Jason pulled the Mega Sabre down. He moved the legs around and threw a solid side kick at Serpentara that bought the Rangers the time and space needed for their attack.
“Alright Rangers, let’s finish him!” Jason shouted.
“Mega Sabre, power up!” they cried together. The MegaZord spun the sword around and raised it to the sky as bolts of energy climbed its blade. It held the blade high and slashed at Serpentara. The blade scraped down the length of the serpent Zord, as energy spilled off the sword and struck the wounded machine.
“Inconceivable . . . those damned Rangers are NO MATCH FOR ME!” Zedd cried in his cockpit. He quickly sent all the available power to the restoration systems. The machine quickly transformed back to serpent mode, smoke billowing from breaches along its form. It slowly rose into the sky, its engines stalling slightly.
“He’s getting away!” Zack shouted.
“Rangers, Lord Zedd is defeated. Although he will return, his destruction will be due in time. Initiate the Zord’s disassembly and they will return to the holding bay. Standby for teleporting,” Billy instructed. The Rangers entered the commands into their individual control panels and watched as teleporting energy carried them from the MegaZord cockpit to the command center.
“Welcome Rangers! You have done well,” Zordon greeted as they unclasped their helmets and removed them.
“Alright. We did it,” Jason smiled at Trini, giving her a high-five. Zordon watched as Zack sat down on the floor, leaning up against one of the consoles.
“Zachary, what is wrong?” Zordon asked. The other Rangers turned to their teammate and saw his sorrowful expression.
“I just don’t know if I’m up for this. I mean, we were pretty lucky today,” Zack stated.
“Luck had nothing to do with it. The five of you have come together to form as fine a group of superheros as there has ever been before. Billy, you have proven yourself as an excellent counterpart to the Power Rangers as well,” Zordon explained.
“Yeah bro. We did it together. We kicked Zedd’s ass because we were capable. It wasn’t chance,” Jason said, extending his hand out to Zack. Zack took his hand and Jason pulled him back up to his feet.
“We’re in the big time,” Jason smirked at Zack who smiled back.
“Power Rangers, gather before me,” Zordon instructed. The teens walked up the ramp and stood around Zordon’s ion tube.
“I have no doubt in my mind that each of you were destined by fate to master your powers. Never in all my years of training warriors like yourselves have I seen a group come together so quickly and defeat an adversary of Zedd’s proportion. In the days to come, the symbiotes contained in your powers will continue to bond to your body and your mind. They will speak to you when you are calm and at peace. They will guide you through the battles that lie ahead. Furthermore, as Power Rangers, you are bound to uphold three basic rules: you must never use your powers for personal gain, you must never escalate a battle unless forced to do so and you must keep your identities a secret. Always remember that your hearts and minds are more powerful than any weapon that can be assembled,” Zordon explained.
“Yeah, alright. I’m in,” Jason said.
“Its not even a question,” Adam replied..
“Affirmative,” Billy stated
“Me too,” Trini added.
“Count me in,” Zack declared.
“You got it!” Kimberly said. They put their fists out together and smiled at one another, fulling accepting their responsibilities and duties as the new defenders of Earth. They leapt into the air, throwing their hands upwards in a joyful gesture.
“Power Rangers!” the voices of the teens echoed into the expanses of the Power Chamber. Zordon of Eltar grinned at the display and knew that Lord Zedd would regret the day he set foot on the world of these brave humans.
Okay, I guess I should explain the restart ... I did this because I wanted to include the character pictures without having to just throw them right in the middle of the novel. I will do a separate post for the database to Fire and Ice, which will have character profiles. Plus, I had to go back and touch up specific scenes and dialogue that kept bothering me. I just wanted to start fresh. I hope you guys enjoy these first five chapters. Chapter Six is currently being written and will be posted, hopefully, soon. Thanks and feel free to comment on Fire and Ice. Your comments, questions, and thoughts are welcomed and I anticipate them.
only three things i need to say, first don't really like the pic for Tommy Oliver... but that's my oppen... so it dosen't matter much. secondly liking the story and when is the next character. And lastly like the pic of Kimberly Hart ALOT
UPDATE- Chapter Six is drawing to a close. Unfortunately, the Green Ranger won't show up until either Chapter Seven or Eight. Paitence will pay off with my story. I work a lot, so I get very few chances to work on the fic. But I hope everyone enjoys is.
Last edited by BattleRanger; 05-17-2005 at 06:51 PM.
Lord Sih Caien Zedd of the Immortal Vast, stood defeated. Defeated . . . that word was a realization that the dark lord could not bear to face. Zordon’s fleet of Zords outnumbered and over powered even the mighty Serpentara. Zedd new the risk was too great to allow Serpentara to be destroyed . . . he had no choice but to retreat. ‘Surely the ion drives would have held if not for the fact that most of the energy batteries had already neutralized during Serpentara’s long sleep. No matter. Perhaps some of the DeathForce’s emergency supply batteries could be formatted for Serpentara’s energy drives.'
The dark lord stood in the shadow of his towering Zord that sat in the open expanse of the Sea Of Tranquility, feeling the metallic texture of the Almsteen Band against his fingers. He made a fist and felt the ring course energy currents through his body. The arcing of energy sounded off with bursts and crackles. Blue bolts escaped the Bendarin crystals and shot into the distance, striking like vipers at a large ridge of grey rock almost ten stories high. The bolts found their specific targets and continued to carve the rock away. Suddenly, the energy storm stopped, the air still alive with clouds of dust and the electric feeling of the power currents. A large chunk of rock floated towards the dark lord, nearly ten feet long.
“It is almost too good to be true . . .” Zedd thought aloud, reaching deep into the Morphing Grid.
‘Transtium. The rarest of precious alloys. No doubt that some of the fragments would wind up someplace this desolate. It conducts energy better than any metal in existence . . . and its nearly indestructible,’ Zedd thought. The piece of rock began to spin rapidly, great chunks of dirt falling off it. The Almsteen Band reached out with its bolts, cutting away at the transtium alloy core. When the arcs of energy again subsided, a large staff was left floating in the air. It was a chrome color and ended in a large slanted ‘Z’ at the top and a short blade at the bottom. Zedd reached out for the staff and held it in his clawed hands.
“Admiral Recinas to Lord Zedd,” the traffic sounded in Zedd’s commlink.
“What is it, Admiral?”
“Milord, we wanted to check on you. We read massive energy levels all over your coordinates. Is everything alright?”
“Everything is excellent, Admiral. Just . . . working on our new home,” Zedd replied. With that, the energy storm spun back into existence, stripping away layers of rock and dirt.
Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia . . .
The brisk wind blew around Billy Cranston, fluttering his windbreaker in its wake. Billy stood in total silence, watching the carriage bearing the casket of his brother, Jake Cranston, Sovereignty mission specialist,. The bright red stripes of the American flag stood out against the dreary, grey sky and the winter grass beneath it. He swallowed hard, feeling the lump in his throat. The procession made its way deeper into the sea of washed-white headstones, following the carriage and marching soldiers. The rhythmic drumming echoed into the distance, broken by the high pitched clicking of camera shutters. Billy glanced around, taking in the sights of the historic memorial park when he noticed a familiar redheaded woman walking towards the edge of the pavement. Hayley Morgan, fiancee of Jake Cranston, managed a smile that reached out to Billy with comfort. The gesture was heartfelt but too weak to reach Billy’s heart. He put on a weak grin of his own that quickly faded as three T-38 Talon jets flew overhead in the missing man formation.
The procession held up at the edge of the road, as the pall bearers carefully moved the casket off of the carriage. They slowly and precisely lowered the casket in their hands before turning counterclockwise away from the carriage, towards the grave site. Billy and his parents followed the procession, flanked by honor guards. Dark green chairs lined the site, which included a standing memorial, displaying a picture of Jake. The pall bearers, dressed in black uniforms with white hats, moved in formation, positioning the casket over its metal base.
Billy and his family sat down, with Hayley sitting towards the end of the row, facing towards the honor guards. A drum roll began to sound as they lowered the casket down. Three rifle shots over the graves gave way to the customary Taps solo, the pall bearers raising the flag up over the casket. They began to fold the flag in precision that only came with routine and practice, as the band played America The Beautiful. Billy glanced over at his dad, who fought a losing battle against tears that swept down his face as he was handed the flag. Hayley lowered her head and closed her eyes.
‘I’ll never forget . . . that restaurant in Beverly Hills where you ordered the champagne for my birthday. God, it was beautiful. I’ve never ate Chicken Alfredo to a live band before. And then the champagne came . . . and my glass sparkled with the light of a hundred stars. I always wondered what would have happened if I had drank that glass and swallowed the ring . . . I’m sure you would have had to jump right into ‘Hero’ mode and save me . . . but in same way, you did. You saved me from life without you. But now . . . all I have are memories. I had a bad feeling the whole time, from the moment you took off on that rocket ship straight into the stars. I guess I’ll always wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t decided to take that job at UCLA and we had gotten married then. Would you still have gone? I guess its not fair to ask that. I have to let the past be the past. In some way, you being gone will fuel more people to strive for excellence and achieve their own dreams. Of course, I . . .’ Hayley thought to herself, before feeling a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up to see Billy standing over her.
“I know you’re not okay, but I was hoping to ask you anyways, as some kind of warm gesture,” Billy said in his own special way. Hayley smiled, a ray of sunshine breaking through the dreary sky in her heart.
“Well, even if I’m not, I know he is. He’s up there, somewhere, watching us right now, probably acting all macho, like he’s not affected by it. He never did let his emotions get the best of him,” Hayley noted.
“Yeah, I know. He’d probably be embarrassed at all this attention he’s getting,”
“You’re probably right. Listen, I’m taking a few weeks off, I’ll probably spend sometime in Angel Grove, catching up with a few old friends. While I’m in, I’ll probably stop by and raid your mom’s kitchen a few times,”
“That would be great. I’d love to introduce you to a few of my friends,” Billy replied.
“Right. Well, my plane leaves in two hours. I guess I’d better get back to the hotel and get packed up. I have a few things to take care of back on campus before I take my leave. Tell your mom and dad that I’ll call them when I get in town. Take care, Billy,” Hayley said before turning back away from the grave site.
“You too, Hayley,” Billy replied.
Angel Grove, California . . .
Jason Scott sat by himself at the far booth within the Metal Lounge, sipping his Dr. Pepper float, his head bobbing to the music. He glanced up and saw Adam Park walking towards him.
“What’s up?” Adam asked, sitting down.
“Can’t call it. What are you up to?”
“I’ve just been thinking about everything that happened. What a ride.”
“Tell me about it. Sometimes I gotta see something about us on the news just to remember that it wasn’t all just a dream.”
“God, the news. Its everywhere. I guess you heard about Billy’s brother.”
“Yeah, I found out once I got home. We’re part of the same team now, but I really don’t know what to say to him.”
“Same here. Trini knows him pretty well. She said he was in Washington for Jake’s funeral.”
“I know that its probably turned into a personal issue now, with Zedd and all. Really, it has for all of us. You heard from Zack?”
“No, after we got home that day, he kinda disappeared,”
“Well, when Zedd decides to retaliate, I hope we can reach him,” Jason said, returning back to his float.
Kimberly Hart sat curled up in her father’s oversized reclining chair, holding the cordless phone close to her ear. She sniffled and wiped tears from her face as she continued talking to her mother.
“Baby, I know its going to be hard on you . . . but trust me, things would have been worst if me and your father were there together, tearing each other apart. In the long run, this is best for everybody,” Her mom said.
“I’m not ready for any of this. Dad can’t do everything himself. And I mean, its not like he’s gonna go out and date and find someone to help him out. You know how he is.”
“I know. You have to be strong, Kimmy. You’re dad and I both still love you very much. We just couldn’t make it work. Our heart’s weren’t in it.”
“So you’re just giving up? You could have pretended to be okay, at least until I got out. This isn’t fair.”
“That’s pretty selfish, Kimmy. Your father and I had to do this. We both wanted peace and we knew we’d never have that with each other, no matter how hard we worked at it. Sometimes, people just grow apart. Now, I have a chance to have something special here . . .” Kimberly mom began before being cut off.
“You had something special. And you just walked out on it,” Kimberly said, hanging the phone up and tossing it to the couch. She wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to focus on the television. She grabbed the remote control and turned the TV on. She scrolled up the channels before noticing that most were news reports covering the President’s pending speech. She stopped on one of the channels, where an older man in a dark blue suit stood before the White House.
“President Mitchell has already said this morning that he plans to address fully the events of the alien machine that attacked a city just outside of Los Angeles and pass his condolences to the families of the crew of the Sovereignty orbiter as well. Ok, I’m getting word we’re going live to the Oval Office,” The man said before the screen was filled with the image of the Presidential seal.
“Good evening. I am joining you all tonight from the Oval Office, where I first learned of the terrible machine that sought to quench its blood thirst on our world. Acting with experience and good faith in our government and armed forces, I kept this threat shadowed to deter wide spread, un-informed panic, ensuring the safety of my fellow Americans and the free people of Earth.
When this threat was fully realized, I ordered military action against it. However, this proved to be unsuccessful. The machine landed North of Los Angeles, in a city called Angel Grove. It was there that this machine, this . . . titan of terror was driven off our sovereign soil by five brave souls. Armed with extraordinary weaponry and fighting machines of their own, they secured the freedom of life for our nation and the world. This Godsend of fearless heros, however, vanished as quickly as they appeared. It is my wish that we as a nation would extend our gratitude, appreciation, and support to these nameless heros.
This victory against mortal persecution, however, has come with the weight of a tragic loss. In the course of this machine’s journey to our world, the lives of six astronauts aboard the NASA orbiter Sovereignty were claimed by its evil. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these heros and to those of the brave men and women who’s lives were lost while defending against this threat.
As I leave you tonight, I wish to conclude with a message to the beings responsible for such destruction. We are a peaceful world of love and tolerance who would welcome any like-minded life to our world. But for those dealing out violence and oppression, know that this country has never bowed down in the face of persecution. We have fought and died for the right to live and to do so freely. This liberty is not easily broken and knows no fear. Under God we stand free. Under God we are a liberated nation. Under the shadow of chaos and death, we prevail, we defend our mortal liberties, and we shine the light of justice into the depths of the world’s darkness.
Peacefully, we have traveled the expanses of our own galaxy in the pursuit of natural exploration and adventure. We’ve defied and broken the boundaries of mortality by developing cures for deadly illnesses in zero gravity medical laboratories. I can only hope that this positive and civil program of space exploration does not become a military operation.
In the coming days, weeks, and months, we should stand as a nation without fear or reservations. We should lend our strength to each other as it is so needed. We will continue to study this threat and move against its evil with confidence and courage. And as history continues to unfold, we will face tomorrow’s challenges head-on with a decisive, iron will. May God be with you all. Thank you and good night,” President Mitchell spoke from his desk.
238, 857 miles above the White House . . .
Lord Zedd watched the transmission of the terran leader known as President Mitchell on his viewscreen. He scoffed at the President’s weak threat to his conquest of Earth and the destruction that would follow.
“That spineless politician knows nothing of honor and courage. He is mired by a senatorial committee, much like the one on Eltar. They grant this foolish primate the highest rank of their armies, yet he has only witnessed warfare from the same vantage point as I see him now,” Zedd stated. He moved about in the hollowed chamber of rock that was his throne room, within his lunar palace which he had cut from the ridge of the crater known as Copernicus. A large onyx throne sat in the middle of the chamber, carved from some unknown alien mineral. Large fans set into the walls of the chamber turned, casting rhythmic shadows into the throne room.
“Sergeant Ragnus,” Zedd ordered. His command carried to the level just below his chamber. The Sergeant came up the staircase, saluting Lord Zedd.
“Ragnus, ready Primator for his mission to Earth. Gather my best troops to accompany him,” Zedd ordered.
“Yes milord,” Ragnus replied. Zedd watched from his balcony as the squadron of shuttles from the DeathForce landed, carrying equipment for Zedd’s palace.
‘With daybreak over the western coast, I will introduce Zordon’s warriors to my own Master Warrior. Primator will overpower them in combat while Zordon will refuse to defy his honor and call his precious Zords into battle. Once Zordon is out of the way, the human forces will be swept in one night,’ Zedd schemed in the cold corridors of his twisted mind.
Sunlight spilled in through the canary yellow curtains, drenching Trini Kwan in its luminance. She cursed the bright light and turned over in bed. Before she could fall back to sleep, her mom came in and hollered for her to get up. Tired of fighting her daughter, she turned the main light on above the bed. Trini pulled a pillow over her head before finally submitting to the morning. She walked past the room belonging to her little brother Jonothan and headed towards the kitchen.
“Trini, its 7:20. You’re gonna be late,” her mom said, rushing to grab her purse and keys.
“I know mom, I’m gonna ride with Kimberly this morning. She’s always running late,”
“Alright. I gotta get your brother to the babysitters before I’m late. Bye Trini, love ya,” she said, running out the door.
“Love you too, mom,” Trini replied. She walked over to the pantry and retrieved a box of cereal. She sat it down and felt a sharp pain begin to course through her body. She closed her eyes from the intensity of the pain which reminded her of the experience of teleporting. When she opened her eyes, she was standing on the main platform within the Power Chamber. She looked over at Zack, who stood with an eyebrow raised.
“What?” she demanded.
“Nothing. Just admiring the view,” Zack replied. Trini glanced down to see her pajama top unbuttoned, revealing her black bra. She gasped and quickly pulled the shirt tight around her.
“Perv,” She returned before buttoning the top.
“Zordon, its pretty early. We have school today,” Jason stated plainly. Zordon nodded.
“Yes, I am aware of your academic activities. Unfortunately, Lord Zedd does not care. A few minutes ago, ALPHA 5 traced an atmospheric disturbance over Angel Grove. Zedd has landed several of his soldiers near the rock quarry. It is your duty to investigate this. Due to Billy’s loss, I have decided not to disturb him this morning, so ALPHA will be ready to assist you in any way,” Zordon explained.
“Come on Jason, we don’t have time to be off chasing aliens,” Zack replied.
“No, Zordon’s right. We chose to do this. We had our chance to walk away. If we’re gonna stop Zedd from taking more lives, we’ll have to make sacrifices of our own,” Jason explained.
“Look, we don’t know what Zedd’s soldiers are up to, but you can bet your ass its nothing but trouble. I say we take care of it,” Adam said, stepping up.
“Zedd’s going to have to pay for what he’s done already. If Billy were here, I know he’d be begging to exact a little revenge,” Trini added. Zack nodded and walked toward his teammates, Kimberly following.
“Let’s do it,” She said, nodding to Jason.
“Right. Its morphing time!” Jason hollered. The teens closed their eyes and felt into the air behind them, pulling their Power Morphers from the Morphing Grid. They shoved the morphers forward and spun them to their upright stances.
“Mastodon!”
“Pterodactyl!”
“Triceratops!”
“Saber-toothed Tiger!”
“Tyrannosaurus!” Bursts of light poured outward from behind their Power Coins, spiraling into festoons of energy that climbed the height of their bodies, leaving them fully suited in their uniforms and helmets.
“ALPHA, teleport them to the rock quarry. May the Power protect you, Rangers,” Zordon wished as the teens vanished in beams of teleporting energy.
The five Power Rangers landed in the rock quarry that was just a couple of miles outside the city. With the workers still on strike, the pits and machinery were devoid of any workers.
“All right guys, it looks pretty quiet. Keep your eyes peeled,” Jason instructed.
“Jason, I’ve got readings all over my scopes. I don’t know what these things are made of, but I can’t lock them down,” Adam replied, checking his radar inside his helmet.
“ALPHA, we can’t seem to find anything.” Jason spoke into his comm unit.
“Rangers, Zedd’s soldiers are capable of projecting energy cloaks. Jason, your helmet is equipped with a sophisticated tracking device. Activate your Power Scope and you should be able to make out the MAWs,” ALPHA replied.
“Right. Activating Power Scope,” Jason stated. A silver visor slid over his helmet, covering Jason’s viewscreen.
“Alright guys, I’ve got a lock on them. Arm your Blade Blasters to blaster mode,” Jason ordered. The Rangers pulled the weapons from their holsters and changed them into blaster weapons.
“Hold your fire, they’re moving. I’m gonna see if I can draw a few of them out. Stay back,” Jason added. He ran around a large pile of rocks, before coming up to a large pit. He saw several soldiers hiding in its open area. He fired off a few blasts from his weapon before feeling something drop kick him. He hit the ground with a hard thud. Before Jason could fully spring back to his feet, another kick left him in the dirt.
“Jason!” Kimberly shouted, as she watched Jason struggle against his invisible enemy.
“How can we fight something we can’t see?” Zack asked. Jason managed to regroup with the others, shaking his head.
“Its impossible. There’s too many of them. We need a way to mark them somehow,” Jason said.
“Jason, when you morphed for the first time, you threw a bolt of energy that spread out like fire. If there were someway we could hit the MAWs with the energy, it might leave some sort of burn or wound on their armor which we could see,” Trini suggested. Jason felt a tingle of energy in his palm and he opened up his fist to see a red flame of energy dancing from his hand.
“How’d you do that?” Adam asked.
“I don’t know. I pictured the flame coming up from my hand and I felt it kinda burn. And it just appeared,” Jason replied.
“That’s right. Zordon said our symbiotes would work to obey our commands. If we’re capable of making energy fire, we just have to believe,” Zack explained, a bit to his own surprise. Jason slapped him on the back.
“You’re right. Lets try it, all together,” Jason instructed. The Rangers balled their fists up and concentrated on feeling the energy gathering in their hands.
“I feel it burning,” Kimberly stated.
“Alright Rangers, let’s show ‘em some fire power!” Jason ordered. The Rangers shoved their hands forward, launching small orbs of energy that expanded into waves of fire. They watched as pieces of damaged MAW armor could be seen standing in the air.
“Primator, destroy the Rangers!” Zedd shouted from his throne. The Rangers watched as a squadron of MAWs appeared, disengaging their cloaks.
“Let’s take these freaks,” Adam said, assuming a fighting posture.
“Rangers, advance!” Jason shouted. The Rangers ran to meet the MAWs, slashing and blasting with their Blade Blasters. Jason watched as an even bigger looking MAW appeared from one of the empty pits.
“Fall back!” he commanded. The Rangers glanced up to see Primator running at them. They shoved back against the MAWs and gathered together.
“It doesn’t look like its carrying any weapons,” Trini noted. With that, Primator held his hands out before him. His right hand began to collapse, folding up into his wrist. A metal handle shot out, fanning out into a wide saw-blade. His left hand followed and was replaced by the barrel of a proton cannon.
“You were saying?” Zack added.
“Who the hell are you?” Adam shouted.
“I am Primator and in the name of Lord Sih Caien Zedd, I am here to destroy you,” the cyborg replied. He charged at the Rangers, slicing at them with his buzz saw.
“ALPHA, it is time for the Rangers to call upon their Power Weapons,” Zordon instructed.
“Compliance,” the droid returned, “Rangers, you are now armed with specific weapons at your disposal called the Power Weapons. Your symbiotes will guide you to call them to battle.”
“Right,” Jason said, He heard the name echo in his mind as a silver sword appeared in his hand . . . Power Sword. The weapon had a red guard that was carved with scrolls and designs.
“Power Sword!” he shouted. He glanced at the other Rangers, who all held new weapons.
“Power Daggers!” Trini exclaimed. She held the two yellow sais in her hands, which were shaped like the fangs of her animal spirit.
“Power Lance!” Adam yelled, twirling his blue staff that ended in silver tridents.
“Power Bow!” Kimberly called. Her bow was white, with pink panels and scrolls. She was confused at the absence of her bow’s string.
“Power Axe!” Zack shouted, holding his black axe that was composed of alien metals. Its blade gleamed in the sunlight.
“Alright Rangers, let’s take them down!” Jason shouted, charging Primator with his Power Sword. His blade met the saw of Primator’s weapon, resulting in a shower of sparks. Jason dodged a blast of energy from his cannon and managed to slice the blade across Primator’s face. Kimberly, dumbfound at her lack of arrows and bow string, concentrated on communicating with her symbiote. She felt a tingle in her hand and looked down to see a beam of pink energy sitting in her palm. She set the energy arrow into the chamber on the bow and felt a strange resistance against it. She pulled it back and felt the arrow tug away from her fingers. In a flash of energy, the pink bolt exploded forth, slamming into a MAW, sparking electric death from the wound.
“The time for your victory is coming to an end,” Primator said, vanishing alongside the remaining MAWs in fanning red energy.
“Rangers, Zordon requests that you return to the command center,” ALPHA instructed.
“What was that thing, Zordon?” Kimberly asked once they landed.
“It is my belief that Zedd has christened a new Master Warrior. The Dairaku Lords believe that every Master should command a Master Warrior. Lord Zedd is no exception. The Immortal Vast is full of perverse scientists who mutate life and twist nature. This Primator is not just a machine. He is a cybernetic life-form,” Zordon answered.
“Well, whatever he is, we managed to beat him,” Zack added.
“I am afraid that is not so. Zedd is merely toying with us. His MAW soldiers can be pressed out and fabricated at astounding rates. He was testing his warrior against you. Its safe to assume he has greater plans for Primator. There is a mysterious shroud falling over the Morphing Grid. It is an anomaly I cannot explain. I am sorry for the interruption Rangers. May the Power protect you,” Zordon stated.
“We’ll be ready the minute there’s any trouble,” Jason replied.
The Moon . . .
“Milord, I have a priority signal from Carinasia. It’s the Emperor,” Commander Tiena instructed.
“I’ll take it in here, Commander,” Lord Zedd replied. He stepped towards the back of his throne room, to a metal plate set into the floor. As his feet made contact, the holographic screen appeared in the air.
“Lord Zedd. I trust you haven’t destroyed too much of my planet,” Nereus greeted.
“Actually, I’m growing sick of the sight of the blue-green gem hanging in my view. I wish to see our Crest World instead.”
“Once you have claimed the Earth for Jenova, you may rule Carinasia for all eternity.”
“I trust there is a reason behind this conversation, Nereus.”
“The DragonZord,” Nereus knew that the mention of the machine’s name would be enough to satisfy Zedd. Zedd dismissed his hope, knowing the machine was long lost.
“What of it?”
“It has been awakened. It climbed out from the Alcyonian Ocean and into my backyard. It was quite a sight to wake up to its terrible visage outside of my chambers,” Zedd found a bit of humor in the fact that his Zord had scared the old Emperor and found himself in almost disbelief at its return.
“Zordon was a fool to banish it to the fathomless waters . . . he should have known it would return one day to seek out its master.”
“It should arrive in a matter of days. With it, I am sending several armies of Titan machines to assist your campaign.”
“I find myself in debt to you now. I shall wish to thank you personally.” Zedd replied, forcing a face of respect.
“You’ll have your chance. I will be following your DragonZord by a few weeks. I wish to personally oversee the destruction of Zordon’s legacy and the christening of Earth as our new Crest World,”
“As you wish,” Zedd returned, the facade of his respect crashing down into blind anger.
“Have might in Jenova, Lord Zedd,” Nereus closed, the image fading out. Zedd began to glow with red light as he smashed his fist down against the wall.
“I don’t need him watching over my shoulder as I exact my revenge. Damn that fool! His mere presence will be unnerving enough to cause my own failure. But with my DragonZord back in my possession, it will be a mere formality before I rule this world,” Zedd stated.
Angel Grove High School . . .
Jason, Adam, and Zack walked the length of the parking lot, Jason twirling his keys in his hand.
“You ready for the competition tomorrow?” Adam asked, looking to Jason.
“I guess as much as I will ever be. I’m just ready to get there and get it over with,” Jason replied.
“Wait up!” a voice came from behind. Adam immediately recognized it as belonging to Trini Kwan. The three guys turned around and saw Trini jogging up.
“What’s up?” Jason asked. With a short sigh, Trini began to explain.
“Billy called me around lunch. He asked me if I would get everyone together and meet him at the gym and juice bar when school’s over,”
“Did he say why?” Adam inquired.
“He’s been working on . . . something, he just won’t say anything about it,” she answered.
“Alright. Zack, I guess I’ll meet you over there,” Jason instructed as Zack nodded in agreement.
The gym and juice bar was set off the main building of the Youth Center. It sat surrounded by basketball and tennis courts on three sides and the park on one side. Its only accessibility was by foot, from the parking lot almost thirty yards away. Billy Cranston sat on a bench in the park area nearest the Youth Center, holding a navy backpack in his hands. A gleam of light caught his eye and he turned around to see Trini’s black Grand Prix pull up. A grin split Billy’s face as he walked to meet his friend.
“Trini . . . are the other’s coming?” Billy asked. With that, Jason, Zack, and Kimberly pulled up beside Trini’s car. Trini laughed at the irony and smiled at Billy.
“Billy . . . what’s happening, bro?” Jason greeted, shaking Billy’s hand. Billy, in his usual shy manner, shrugged at the question.
“Okay, so do you mind explaining why we’re at the Youth Center?” Kimberly asked. Billy shuffled his backpack in his hands and finally opted to pull it over his shoulder.
“I figured anonymity, considering our new functions, would be immensely significant,” Billy replied. Kimberly gave a look of disgust.
“Okay, Trini, can you translate from Billy-talk?” she asked. Trini smiled at Billy.
“Yeah, since we’re Power Rangers now, its important that we keep a low profile,” Trini said. Jason stepped forward.
“What does this have to do with us as Rangers?” he asked.
“I will reveal that once we are inside,” Billy replied. He led the teens inside the Youth Center, through the sitting area for the juice bar, and to a back room, usually reserved for youth club meetings. Billy sat his backpack on the round table as the others took their seats.
“Okay. For a few months now, I’ve been developing a long range communicator that would operate on wavelengths greater than that of ordinary radio devices. After analyzing technology from the command center, I’ve also found a way to tap into the teleporting systems. These devices,” Billy explained, unzipping his backpack and pulling six objects that appeared to be ordinary wrist watches from it, “are the finished product.” Trini leaned towards Kimberly and whispered to her.
“In other words, they’re really cool,” she said, full of playful sarcasm. Kimberly rolled her eyes at the comment.
“Wow,” Zack said, reaching for the communicator that was indicated to be his by the black panel along the band.
“When it became apparent that the only time we . . . excuse me, you, have communication systems is in a morphed state, I decided to implement these units. They will allow us to communicate with the command center, each other, and teleport back and forth to the command center,” Billy explained, sliding his communicator onto his wrist.
“Does Zordon know?” Trini asked.
“Yes, ALPHA is the only reason they were readied by this time. He replicated my original prototype and linked them to the Power Chamber’s computers,” Billy answered.
Lord Zedd sat on his ebon throne, his brain pulsating with evil thoughts of death and destruction. In his hands, he held a black leather case bearing a gold, round insignia of a dragon’s claw. He pulled the case open, revealing a dagger and a gold box. The dagger was emerald, onyx, and gold, with a silver blade. On the hilt of the dagger, a silver mouthpiece was featured, indicating its functionality as a musical instrument. Gold buttons were set into the handle and holes along the blade’s center were marked by gold. The dragon’s claw design was set into the hilt of the dagger as well. The box was gold, with green panels set near the bottom. It held a coin that bore the same dragon’s claw design as the case and dagger, surrounded by a black stripe that ran the length of the device. A black band of fabric encircled the back of it.
“The DragonZord would not be complete without a new master . . . and with the return of the Dragon Ranger, Zordon will bear witness to his final breath,” Zedd spoke in the echoing expanse of his throne room.
Okay, okay ... I'm mid way through Chapter Seven, so I've decided to post a little sneak peek ... here ya go
Tommy Oliver fought the massive beasts that tried to consume him with breaths of fire and brimstone. He was unarmed, save for his mastery of the Tae-Kwan-Do fighting style. However, even his karate was no match against the long necked creatures that slashed at Tommy with black claws that ripped his green teeshirt. He ran for what seemed like hours from the horde of monsters, until he came to an outcropping of rock. He turned back and saw the beasts were gaining on him. He began to climb the granite wall and felt a cold, reptilian skin against his leg. They had him. He slid down the rock, all the way to the ground, where the creatures began to gather around him. He felt the horrific pain as they slashed his stomach and chest, mauling his human body. He screamed in agony and looked up, directly into the face of one of the dragons. The beast began to open its mouth and Tommy could make a out a face staring back at him. Its mouth continued to open wide and Tommy found himself staring nose to nose at the face. He realized, after a few seconds, that the face he saw was his own.
It's good to see an update for this story. They seem to be a rarity in the Fan Fic section in recent months, for some of the good ones, anyway. Still getting used to Adam's Ranger status, but it actually seems to be working for me. My only complaints would be the bridges between updates. The uncertain schedule makes it hard to remember where we left off in the story. When I started reading this chapter I was wondering why it said Zedd had lost a battle to the Ranger's in Serpenterra when I couldn't even remember Serpenterra getting any action. The other thing is, sometimes the story doesn't make it very clear when we've switched locations. It did work though for Trini's early morning transport to the Command Center.
Is Haley Morgan the lady from Dino Thunder? Sorry, I'm not very familiar with DT. But I did like the introspective on her part at Jake's funeral. The scene at the cemetery was written well, too, along with the more emotional dialogue used throughout this chapter, like, again, in the cemetery, and with Kim's conversation with her mom.
And if it's all the same to you, I'll be completely ignoring the pictures for your new Rangers. No offense, but I'm partial to the original cast, and feel that it's one thing re-cast the team using new characters, but something completely different to re-cast the team using new actors for the same characters we all know (especially for one of the seasons among the many that could benefit from it, this one doesn't need it).
Finally having the Ranger's get deeper into their roles as "Warrior's" is pretty exciting, and you certainly didn't do anything make the matter any less exciting by bringing in a few familiar artificats at the end of this chapter. I can see big things coming here. Looking forward to more.
Linear Mode
