Chapter 4 - Something Wicked .1

Billie tromped into the Youth Center after school and sat down at the booth/table that was quickly becoming property of her, Nathan, Danny and Wood. She lay her head down on her book bag. She was utterly exhausted. She had spent the remainder of last week and all weekend with Danny and Billy overhauling the command center and repairing Beta Z and integrating her into the Command Center's central computer. They had encoded their DNA into the system so that trespassers couldn't infiltrate without setting off alarms that would alert anyone with a communicator.

Beta Z, or Beez as she preferred to be called, was wonderment of scientific masterwork. Her learning and adaptive abilities had Danny in a constant state of awe. Billie had to admit this Alpha 5 was pretty damn awesome when it came to programming. She would be impressed with the mid-nineties work, but Billy had explained to them that Alpha 5 had been an android built on the far more technologically advanced planet Eltar.

Still, all things considered, she was awesome. Almost absently she pulled out a notebook and began to doodle some ideas she'd been having but had to be put on the back burner until they finished upgrading the Command Center.

Nathan, Danny and Wood came in. Nathan and Danny joined her while Wood continued to the counter. Danny wasn't in any better shape than Billie but he had the presence of mind to scope out what she was working on. He didn't say a word and fished out a notebook of his own and opened up a page he'd been scribbling on all day. He plopped it in front of her face.

Billie took it in and nodded.

Nathan watched in fascination as they immediately got on the same page and began speaking in some sort of alien techno language he didn't understand in the least.

Wood came back with smoothies for him and Nathan and Billie-specials for Billie and Danny. "Scary when they do that, isn't it?" he said to Nathan.

Nathan nodded. "Creepy even," he said and took his smoothie.

Behind the counter Rei was quickly adapting to working the Youth Center. Autumn had gone to take a delivery to the Scott Dojo and she was manning the fort in her place. She still had Winter as back up though. Every now and then, however, she caught herself looking for someone. Which was silly since she didn't remember knowing anyone, so who would she be looking for? She tsk'd herself and smiled as Chloe and Tori stepped up to the counter.

Chloe ordered two strawberry shakes and an order of fries. "Where do you feel like sitting?" she asked her friend, who seemed to be spacing out a tad.

Tori wasn't spacing out, she was staring at the three people who came into the Youth Center. One was a tall, elegant black woman of the Grace Jones mold with cute Bantu knots softening her look a bit. She was in her late twenties and dressed very fashionably. Maybe a little too much so. With her was a younger man in his early twenties with pretty green eyes and faintly curly brown hair. The third person was a redheaded woman around the same age as the young man with warm blue eyes.

Chloe shook her friend's shoulder. "'Ey, you wit' me?" she asked and peered at the trio curiously.

Tori turned her attention to Chloe and smiled faintly. "Sorry. Let's go sit over there and harass your brother," she suggested and nodded toward the booth next to the foursome.

Chloe smirked. "My favorite pastime. But you just want to get close to Wood," she pointed out wickedly.

Tori flushed. "Don't be silly," she muttered. "Meet you over, I gotta run and pee right quick," she said and bounced off. She turned briefly as she neared the restroom entrance and signaled the black woman covertly.

Chloe shrugged. Her friend hadn't been herself lately, but as open and cheerful as Tori Williams was, if there was something she didn't want to talk about, she wouldn't. She paid Rei and took the shakes and fries and went to sit at the table. She checked out the green eyed guy as his female companions went off toward the bathroom. She had to admit, he was pretty cute. He noticed her looking and gave her a wide smile. She returned it with a blush and turned her attention to her fries. She was as bad as Tori.

Just so she wasn't obvious she turned and sat on her knees to peer over the divider of the booths to see what was happening over there.

-x-

Autumn breezed into the Scott Dojo as if she belonged there. There was a lot of activity usually, but it was currently the lull between day classes and the 4 o'clock after school classes. She went to the back and gave a perfunctory knock on the office door and walked in. She glanced around. "Where's big brother?" she asked with a grin.

The young woman behind a desk doing paperwork looked up with a grin. She was a cutely athletic woman with hair that was blond over brown and warm brown eyes. "He said something about meeting some old friends of his and left me to handle the afternoon classes. That," she said and pointed to the bag Autumn carried, "is on him," she said with a grin.

Autumn chuckled and set the bag on the desk. She and Randi Scott went back a ways. Winter and Randi's twin brother were best friends through middle school and high school, therefore Autumn was exposed to them a lot. Though she was several years older, she and Autumn got on well. "I'll add it to his tab," she assured her. "Where is that rapscallion A.J.?" she asked.

Randi shook her head. "Doing his motocross thing. You know A.J. He's a free spirit," she said rolling her eyes. "Last time I talked to him, he did mention coming to visit soon and bringing a friend," she said.

Autumn nodded. "I'll let Win know if he doesn't already. Do you mind if I sit. I'm going to make this trip last awhile," she said.

Randi chuckled. "Sit," she invited and Autumn did just that.

-x-

Tori paced the bathroom until the older women came in. She pointed a finger at them. "Does Taran know about this little stunt?" she demanded as if they were the sixteen-year-olds and she the adult.

Ifeteyo Kotze was ten full years old than Tori and she found her rather cute just then. "He won't be thrilled but we weren't about to leave you alone during this time," she said in a dignified African accent.

"You can count on him showing up as well," Ros Jones stated in a black country British accent.

Tori rubbed her forehead. "How did you all even get into the country?" she asked them and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Don't worry about that. Our papers are all in order. Have done for years," Ros assured her. "Casey is good like that," she assured the younger girl.

Tori sighed. "I sure hope so. I'll let DF know you guys are here. Where are you staying?" she asked suspiciously.

"Covered. I booked a suite at a nice hotel," Fey stated. A devious smile suddenly crossed her face. "So, who was the kid with the dreads were looking so hang dog at before we came in?" she asked.

"You keep your love voodoo away from me," Tori said and stalked out of the bathroom. She joined Chloe, though she was hanging over the back of the booth bickering with her brother. Tori sighed and took a long slurp of her shake.

-x-

Roki was working in a lab within the Palace. He got tired of Finster's excuses as to why the growth serum wasn't working. He wore a lab coat and goggles. "If I knew what Mother did with her staff, I wouldn't have these problems," he muttered. He wasn't without magical power, but sometimes magic wasn't the answer. Well, not completely anyway.

Zita strolled in and rolled her eyes. "Still trying to get the monsters to grow?" she asked.

"Yes," he said as he carefully a vial of something blue to a beaker full of something red. There was explosion that left his goggles coated with murky purple film and filled the room of putrid smelling smoke.

Zita coughed and waved her hand trying to clear some breathing room. "That is so foul, it'd better work," she declared between hacking.

Roki merely gave her manic grin. He dashed out of his lab into Finster's lab and added it to a block of clay. "Make me a monster. Now!" he ordered Finster.

Finster quickly turned off his television and bowed several times. "Yes, yes master," he said and began rummaging around for a suitable mold.

Zita rolled her eyes. "While you do that, I'm going try an experiment of my own," she said and disappeared in a wisp of purple smoke.

Roki, unaware she was even gone, gave an absent wave over his shoulder.

-x-

Kimberly Hart made her way down into the basement gym of her uncle Iain's home where two of her favorite cousins were training. She'd arrived in Angel Grove over the weekend, checked in with Billy and the robot Beta Z. She was now equipped with a communicator and access to the Command Center without setting off the alarm system the Blue team had installed.

She was crashing at her parents home while she began recruiting students. She was an award winning gymnast but now she was a private coach. She decided to come home to the nest, so to speak. She watched quietly as the fourteen year old Rena and the Rex engaged in a back flip competition.

She smiled slightly. Rex was good. If he'd been as single minded as their cousin Mason, he'd probably be an Olympic Gold medalist, too. Rena was better than Kim was at her age as well, but she was just as flighty about training as Rex. They did it for fun, not glory. Show-offs.

"Am I going to be ignored all day?" she finally asked.

"Just a minute, Kim. I almost got him beat," Rena said between flips. Rex snorted and proceeded to trounce his little sister thoroughly. When they were done, Rena pouted. "I hate him," she muttered then she beamed at Kim and gave her a hug.

Rex came up behind her and enveloped them both. Rena gasped something about not being to breathe and he stepped back with a grin. "Go get cleaned up, Rat. Kimmy and me have grown-up things to discuss," he told his sister.

Rena rolled her eyes. "Like you count," she stated and flounced up the stairs.

Kim giggled. "So, what grown-up things do we have to discuss, li'l Rexy?" she asked him.

Rex grinned. "Power Ranger things," he answered.

Kim sobered and nodded. "Guess that would count," she remarked. She gave him a cocky wink. "Welcome to the club," she declared.

-x-

A monster that looked like he wore a spacesuit and had a swollen worm's head appeared near the City Pound. Z Putties appeared around him. Wormster wasn't just an experiment with the growth serum, he also carried an overly large blaster weapon that sprayed worms on people and attached to them and siphoned their memories.

He had a rather fondness for animals and was determined to set them all free of vile human control. People milling around screamed when the creatures appeared. "Free the puppies!" he ordered the Putties and began blasting humans.

-x-

Sora sat in his apartment nursing an arm that was still sore. He couldn't imagine what he had done to get it. He got up and moved to the faux mantle above a fake fireplace and toyed with the small sword replica he's had since he was young. His father had given it to him before he left, never to be heard from again.

He sighed. He hadn't gone to the Youth Center for several reasons. The first being that his classes were taking up a lot of his time. The main one, though, he had a sinking suspicion he knew what happens when the darkness gets him.

Some sixth sense alerted him to the fact that he was no longer alone. He turned and gasped as he took in the woman in the black and purple battle suit with blades coming out in various places. He recognized her. "We...met before," he said.

Zita strode forward and grabbed his coin. "You are my puppet and you will not break my control again!" she snarled and fed a burst of magical energy into him.

Sora cried out as pain wracked him. The blackness overcame him swiftly.

The Skeleton Ranger stood before his mistress. "He's getting annoying," he stated in a voice devoid of the charming accent.

Zita nodded. "I want you do go do as much damage as you possibly can to the city. If any Rangers get in your way, take no prisoners," she said and crossed her arms over her chest.

Skeleton Ranger bowed and teleported. Zita made a helmet appear over her head and she followed him.

-x-

Lani was at the mall with Manny and Holly when she got the call to meet at the Command Center. She was faced the perplexing dilemma of making excuses. "I'll be back soon, you guys. I forgot Mama wanted me to get something for her," she said apologetically, hating lying to her friends, but that was merely part of being a super hero.

"We'll tag along," Holly said with a smile.

"Thought you said you wouldn't be caught dead in Kana TuTu's," she said, naming a shop that catered to less than stylish middle aged women. Unfortunately, her mother really did shop there.

Manny and Holly grimaced. "Yeah, you go," Holly said. "We'll meet at the food court," she suggested.

Lani smiled and nodded and waved and darted away from them to find a private place to teleport.

She arrived last and blushed in embarrassment.

No one seemed to mind. Billy was manning the Command Center as usual, but it was Beta Z who called them. She brought up two different screens, one showing Wormster's attack and the other showing the Skeleton Ranger across town.

"Damn," Tai muttered. "Lani, take Billie, Danny, Chloe, Wood and Nathan to handle the monster. Autumn, Winter, Rex and I will try keep the Skeleton Ranger distracted until you guys can take care of the monster. Then hightail it over to help," he instructed.

Lani nodded. "Right," she agreed. She twisted her wrists making her cuffs appear. "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Triceratops!"

"Mastodon!"

"Stygimoloch!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

Once the Ranger had morphed and teleported, Beez looked at Billy. "He was well chosen," she declared thoughtfully.

Billy nodded with a smile. "Indeed he was," he agreed.

-x-

Animals were running around everywhere, people covered in worms slumped on the ground having their memories siphoned off. Putties were running amok.

Pandemonium awaited the Rangers. "You Rangers cannot stop me!" Wormster declared. Putties rushed forward to attack.

The femme Blue Ranger didn't have a chance to stay out of the fray as Putties attacked her, sensing she was the weakest link. She was, but that didn't mean she was going to let Putties get away with attacking her. "Power Sais!" she called and the two-foot long weapons appeared. She tossed one at an advancing Putty, hitting in square in the Z. When she went to jab another one, she lost her footing and went down. Or would have if the Pink Ranger hadn't caught her.

Over her head, the male Blue Ranger jabbed the Putty with the Power Lance. "We gotta work on your fighting skills," he declared.

The Male Pink helped her find her footing. "Now that's a show I'd pay to see," he declared.

"Hey! A little less chit-chat and more fighting please," the femme Red Ranger said as she bent backwards at an incredibly awkward angle to avoid a blow from a Putty. The Yellow Ranger sprang over her to kick the Putty in the Z.

"But the chit chat is part of the fun," he said as he landed.

Wormster found himself devoid of Putties sooner than he would have thought. "Uh-oh. He who runs away, lives to run away another day!" he declared and disappeared.

The femme Black Ranger cocked her hip and put a fist on it. "Did that really just pull a runner?" she demanded, offended by the mere thought.

"No time to worry about it now. We have get to Tai and the others!" the femme Red said. They
nodded and teleported.

-x-

The Skeleton Ranger was on a path of destruction, using his gigantic sword to wreck cars and flinging energy blasts from it to explode into buildings, shattering their windows. He felt unstoppable.

A shrill whistle rent the air, calling his attention. He turned and saw that the male Red and Black Rangers and the Green Rangers were surrounding them.

They were right outside the Youth Center and had a bit of an audience. Rei watched through the window's in pure shock.

Tori was being all but physically restrained by Fey and Ros while the young man, Hayden Bly was talking sense to her.

Zita jumped from her perch on a building across the street. Her helmet folded back, revealing her face with a streak of black lightning painted under one eye. "You Rangers know you can't hope to defeat my Skeleton Ranger," she declared.

The male Red Ranger pulled his sword with a metallic hiss. "That's yet to be seen," he declared.

Skeleton Ranger stepped forward. He swung his sword toward the Youth Center. The energy blast blew out the windows. "That will be you," he informed them.

"Our windows," the femme Green moaned quietly. "Power Staff!" she summoned the staff and jumped to swing.

"No!" Rei was suddenly there and from her came a blast of magical energy that knocked them all back, including the Skeleton Ranger.

Zita sucked in a hissing breath. "You!" she seethed. "Who are you?" she demanded.

Rei ignored her and ran to help the Skeleton Ranger, but he was already on his feet. He pushed her away with a growl and staggered off as the pain began splitting his head open. He teleported. Zita was shocked and angry. She roared and jumped at Rei but Rangers suddenly surrounded her. She disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

Rei slipped away as well, running off determined to find this Skeleton Ranger for reasons she herself did not know.

The male Red looked around his other team mates. "Monster?"

"Pulled a runner," the femme Black groused.

He nodded. "Lets get back," he said and the Rangers teleported to their prior activities.

-x-

Tori had sent Fey, Ros and Hayden back to their hotel after the Rangers disappeared. Ros wisely agreed and shooed the other two away. She was now helping to clean up broken glass along side Autumn, Winter, Nanna Mai and several other volunteers.

She carried a sack full of glass to the Dumpster behind the building.

One of the volunteers was Wood. He watched Tori go quietly. Man, he wished he could choose her to be his partner, but it just didn't feel right. He followed behind her quietly. "Hey," he greeted quietly.

Tori looked up and gave him a smaller smile that was about a thousand watts dimmer than her usual Tori smiles. Wood was quite an expert on many things Tori. She hadn't smiled that smile for few weeks now. "Hi, Wood," she greeted and hefted the bag up over her head, standing on her tiptoes.

Wood wasn't the tallest boy, but he was still taller than her, so he rushed forward to help her before she hurt herself. She gave him a smile that was a little brighter. "Thanks," she said with a light blush.

Wood stepped back with a nod. "Is everything all right?" he asked her. "Who were those people you were talking to before?" he asked.

Tori hid her surprise that he'd noticed her talking to Fey, Ros and Hayden. She didn't have a suitable answer to explain how she knew an African woman, an Englishwoman, or an Australian man. None of her cheerleading comps were international.

Wood smiled. "It's ok, you don't have to tell me," he assured her.

Strangely, tears pricked her eye but she blinked them back. Then she went and did something crazy. She hugged him because she needed a hug in a big way. Wood didn't mind. He was surprised, thrilled even, but he didn't mind in the least. He hugged her back.

She blushed and stepped away. "Sorry," she murmured and dashed back around the side of the building. She skidded to a halt when she saw a tall blond man coming up, eying the damage. "Taran!" she shouted and rushed forward to hug him.

Taran Goldsmith got an armful of Tori before he stop her. He smiled and patted her head in a brotherly fashion. "Nice to see you again, too," he said.

Wood watched the scene with a not so pleased expression. Autumn and Winter noticed this, too.

Tori beamed her thousand watt smile as she turned. "Ok, nosies," she scolded them lightly. "This is Taran Goldsmith. He's like a big brother to me," she announced.

Taran nodded his head. "Hello," he greeted. He gave them a rather bashful smile. His voice had a bit of a farm boy drawl.

Autumn found herself staring. The colors around him were amazing and she wasn't sure what they all meant. She blinked several times to clear her vision.

"So...if he's like a brother to you, how come we've never seen him before?" Winter asked, a tad suspicious.

Tori rebuffed his concern with a wave of her hand. "We met during one of my junior high cheer comps in Kansas. He was working to earn extra money. We're both adopted and we kind of hit it off and stayed in contact," she explained. It was a sort of true story. They had met when she was in junior high. Even Chloe knew the story she spun about Taran.

Winter nodded slightly. "Well, welcome to Angel Grove. I'm Winter Baker and this is Autumn, my sister," he said and extended his hand.

Taran took his hand and they shared a firm shake. "What happened here?" he asked, looking around curiously.

Wood was still sizing Taran up a bit. "Evil Power Ranger," he said simply.

Taran had to smile at the kid. "I see. Well, if you need an extra hand, I got two," he said, even though he could see other people cleaning up and watching them curiously.

Autumn gave him a smile. "That would be appreciated. Thank you," she said. He nodded and got to work.

Tori sent Wood a shy smile. It ended in a puzzled frown when he didn't return it right away. Strange. Well, no matter. Taran being there was surely a good sign.

-x-

Roki sat in a contemplative silence on his throne. His monster ran away. What kind of self respecting monster runs from a fight? He groaned and rubbed his forehead.

He was unaware of the large, black widow spider with a red skull on her abdomen skittering her way into the Palace on the Moon, making her way along expertly. She'd never been there before but if she had it her way, she'd be staying awhile. She made her way toward Roki. She'd been instructed to seek out Zita, but what her mother didn't know wouldn't hurt her. She found him in the throne room, stretched out lazily in his throne as he nursed his headache.

She wasn't concerned if she was bothering him. She could careless. She began crawling up his leg.

Roki went completely still as he spotted the humongous spider crawling over him. She made her way over his lap and up his chest and down his arm until she perched on the arm of the throne. In a wispy puff of black smoke, she took another form.

The form was a lovely girl with pale golden skin, slightly slanted, fathomless black eyes, and black hair with a sharp widow's peak. It was pulled into a drooping coif with strands escaping. She wore a ragged black prom dress and her long legs were clad in torn black stockings and strappy black heels. She looked like a prom date from hell but it all seemed to work for her.

She gave him a wicked smile and crossed her legs as she made herself comfortable on the chair arm. "Good evening," she said as if she hadn't just copped a spidery feel and intruded uninvited.

Roki was rather perplexed, and yes, intrigued at this new turn of events. He was seemingly relaxed. "Just who are you?" he asked, cocking a brow. He wasn't overly worried about his safety. He was a power magician in his own right, plus he had combat training for years.

She flashed him another grin and hopped down from the throne, landing easily even in her stiletto heels. She blew a strand of hair out of her face. "I am Widow," she introduced. "I believe our mothers were good friends before the Tragedy," she said with a dramatic bent. She was referring to the fact that Rita and Zedd had been turned Good.

"Yes. The Tragedy. And your mother would be Scorpina?" he asked as he watched her with a mix of fascination and wariness.

"You would be correct. Mother feels just awful about the Tragedy and is looking for a way to help those who were...infected," she said with a slight sneer in her voice. "Her activities, however, were a bit curtailed with the birth of my brother and sister," she added.

Roki nodded. "Then why have you come?" he asked bluntly.

Widow flashed him a mischievous smile. "Why, to show that my family is still loyal to the Palace of the Moon. I have brought a gift," she answered. A small box formed in her hands. She opened the lid to reveal ten softly glowing, multicolored orbs. "Your mother knew her dark magic, so I figured why mess with what works. Using ten candles, I've sucked the powers from the Sol System's guardian Reavers."

Roki stood and moved closer to inspect the orbs. The power throbbing from them was palpable.

Widow laughed, a soft, sultry sound laced with wicked glee. She picked up the Red Orb and stared at it. "Dear brother was the first to go," she said, satisfaction written all over her face.

"Dear brother?" Roki asked, trying to remember what he knew of Scorpina and Goldarr's family. It wasn't much.

Widow nodded. "Tarantules has shamed our family by being Good you know," she said with a scowling pout. She put the Red Orb back in the box and closed the lid. A white candle, barely a stub, burning weakly appeared on top of it. "This is the last. Her powers shall complete the set soon," she added.

She peeked at him. "So, milord Roki, a gift from Goldarr, Scorpina and Widow. A gift of fealty," she said wickedly and gave a low mocking bow, more for the purpose of showing off her cleavage than respect for him.

Roki admired the view for a moment. He noticed she still hadn't exactly given him the box. "Is there a price for this gift of fealty?" he asked suspiciously.

Zita tromped into the throne room, in her usual Lolita. She was most displeased with her Skeleton Ranger. She stopped short and eyed Widow shrewdly. "Who is this?" she demanded sharply.

Widow straightened and widened her eyes in feigned surprise. "My, my. How rude. Who are you?" she shot back and put a hand on her hip.

Roki grinned slightly. "That's my sister Zita. As you well know," he added, wondering at the game the girl was playing.

Zita scowled. "Why is she here?" she demanded, still not speaking to Widow.

Widow pursed her lips. "That is my business, dear," she said not quite sweetly.

Zita grunted. "Whatever. I'll find out eventually, dear," she responded and tromped out of the throne room.

Roki cleared his throat. He had a feeling things were about to get interesting. "So tell me, what kind of powers do these Orbs have?" he asked curiously.

Widow made the box disappear. "The Red one is the most powerful. It gets its power from the Sun, so naturally it has the most power. The White, Orange and Gray ones seem the second most powerful, and the rest are about even," she explained. A sudden wicked glint came to her eyes.

Roki was beginning to like that look. He forced himself to focus.

"They all get their power from one major source," she said as a smile curved her lips. lips as she held out her hands and a bottle appeared.

The room lit up with dim light emanating from the bottle. Inside was a small woman sleeping. She seemed to be on fire, but upon closer inspection one could see that she -was- fire. She had golden skin, but her hair and her garments were softly flaring flames. "Solaria, spirit of the Sun, guardian of the system. Needless to say, it wasn't easy getting her into this bottle and putting her to sleep," she said.

"How did you manage it?" he asked. He was now duly impressed with this woman.

Widow shook her head almost thoughtfully. "She's so good, she'd never think of the underhanded and terrible lies and sneakiness I could perpetrate. Ah, it was such fun," she said with a fond sigh. She made the bottle vanish. She smiled at him without all the exaggerated flirtiness. He liked it much better.

"Well, anyway. I think I shall find a room for my stay here," she said and vanished in a puff of black smoke.

"Don't ask my permission or anything," Roki said dryly to himself. He sat down and began to plot what could be done with those orbs if she ever named her price for them. Things were about to get interesting around the Moon Palace. He smiled, oddly looking forward to it.

-x-

Rei made her way back to the Youth Center. She really didn't know how to explain herself to Autumn and Winter. She ran off from her job without a job and gone for hours. She still didn't want to give up looking. Somehow she knew she had to help the Skeleton Ranger. That made no sense, he was evil and under control of that evil girl with her face. She just hoped the make-up and crazy hair the other girl had kept everyone from realizing how similar they looked.

She chewed on her thumb as she crept in the back of the Youth Center. She looked around sadly when she saw the clear plastic tarp covering the windows. She had to do something about this. Luckily, everyone seemed to be abed. She crept up to her room where she could think. She'd face Autumn and Winter in the morning.

x-The End Chapter 4-x-To Be Continued-x           

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