Chapter 20 - Begin to Revile
Submitted September 1, 2016 Updated November 24, 2019 Status Complete |  In 2005 Angel Grove and the Power Coins are out there, broken, awaiting their other halves. When Roki and Zita Repulsa take residence in the Palace on the Moon six ordinary young people find themselves in the middle of a Z Putty attack. They become Power Rangers. It is then up to them to complete the other halves of their coins and defend the world against Evil.
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Television » Power Rangers series » Fan Characters (OC's) |
Chapter 20 - Begin to Revile
Chapter 20 - Begin to Revile
Palace on the Moon
Zita, Moriko and Griff were having a leisurely breakfast in quiet morning when Uncle Rito ran in. They blinked. They hadn't seen much of the old bones lately. He seemed strangely in a panic. "Run for your lives, kiddies!" he exclaimed.
Zita and Moriko got to their feet. "Uncle Rito, what on Luna is wrong? Here sit," Zita ushered him into a chair at the table.
"Let me pour you some tea," Moriko said and poured him a piping hot cup.
Rito shook his head and pushed the tea away. "No, no, no. Tea isn't going to help this. I'm getting out of here. You're old enough to make your own decisions but it'd ease my mind if you all left, too. Let Widow and Roki deal with it if they manage to make it back," he said and he was so full of nervous energy his bones rattled together.
"Deal with what?" Zita asked.
"My baby sister is coming," Rito whispered.
Moriko dropped the tea kettle. It was only Griff's sharp reflexes, pulling her away that stopped her from being seriously scalded. "I take it, that's not good," he said.
"No, siree bobcat," Rito shook his head vehemently.
Zita pursed her lips. "If your pea sized brain is capable, imagine my mother before the Wave that changed her into what she is today. Now add spoiled rotten baby of the family," she said sharply.
"My pea sized brain is doing a fairly good job of imagining an older you," Griff said and gave her a humorless grin. It resembled more of teeth-baring snarl.
Moriko sighed. Maybe one day these two would get along. Maybe. One day. "When is she due to arrive, Uncle Rito?" she asked.
"Today! That's why I'm out of here, dearies," Rito said and stood up. He dropped a bony arm around Zita's shoulder and squeezed her close. "You're always welcome to stay with me," he assured her. "You two, too," he assured Moriko and Griff.
"Thank you, Uncle Rito," Zita said.
Moriko smiled. "Yes, thank you," she echoed.
"I refuse to be run out of my own home by uninvited guests," Zita said.
"If Zita's staying, so will I," Moriko said and shrugged. If Ria Revile was every bit as nasty as rumors said, it might be the push Zita needed to begin to open herself to their destiny.
"Suits yourselves. I'm out," Rito said. He stood and gave each of them a hug, scooping Moriko and Griff up as one. He trotted out of the dining room.
Moriko sighed. She waved an arm and the mess she made disappeared. "The question is, why is Ria Revile coming here? I thought she was working on conquering all of Andromeda," she said.
"I suppose we'll find out once she gets here," Zita answered. "I meant what I said. I won't be chased out of here," she said and stalked out of the dining room.
Moriko was frowning. "I don't think any of this is good. I need to warn Rei. Staying or going?" she asked.
"I'll drop by Lammy's," Griff said. Mori nodded and the two of them disappeared.
-x-
Fox had never been to Tai's house before he took over training him. Fox had been the victim of not understanding when Rex had said he was better at the dual sword technique than Tai. He should really know better by now that when either of them says something like that, the margin of error was a sliver that normal people wouldn't even notice. Just because Tai admitted that Rex was better at the technique than he was did not mean he wasn't good at it.
And as a teacher, Tai was much more focused and patient. It was somehow worse than Rex's approach of laughing at him, rolling his eyes, or telling him everything he was doing wrong. Tai was relentless with drills and broke everything down so even a monkey could get it. At least Rex had assumed Fox was smarter than a monkey.
Or, maybe he was just cranky from doing drills for three hours in the training area behind the house and his arms felt like they were about to fall off. He fell over backwards and stared up at the sky.
Grandpa shook his head. "Not sure this one would make a samurai, grandson," he remarked. Fox wrinkled his nose. The old man was always supervising the sessions.
Tai cocked his head. "Maybe not but that's not really our goal," he answered. "Did you finish the blades?" he asked.
Grandpa nodded. "They are ready. Him, I am not so sure about," he said.
"If you're going to talk about me, at least do it in English," Fox complained as he sat up. He rolled his shoulders. "Wait. What blades?" he asked.
"Who said anything about blades?" Tai asked blandly. He didn't bother to explain that Grandpa refused to speak English.
Fox narrowed his eyes. "You and your tropical vomit granddad," he said and got to his feet.
Tai raised an eyebrow then glanced at his grandfather. Tropical vomit was definitely an accurate description of his fashion sense. "Since when do you speak Japanese?" he asked though he'd began to suspect from day one that Fox was following everything he and Grandpa were saying.
Fox shrugged. "I dunno. Watched a lot of anime as a kid I guess," he said and got to his feet, stretching. "I need hot water and lots of it," he grumbled.
"I've never heard anyone complain so much," Grandpa grumbled. "Come in the house for tea. Both of you," he said and went to the house.
"Come on. You were raised in England, right? Tea cures all ills," Tai said. Fox snorted but didn't argue as he followed Tai inside.
-x-
Lani sat on a park bench waiting for Tai. She absently played with the little red-jeweled fairy pendent he'd given her for Valentine's Day. She supposed it was a way of putting that whole Dark Tai thing behind them. She scuffed her red sneakered foot against the ground and checked her watch. She knew that he had training with Fox, but Tai was nothing if not punctual. She was just early.
"That is simply adorable. Did you're boyfriend give that to you?" a voice to her left startled her. Years of training and her recent experiences as a Power Ranger made her pretty aware of her surroundings. The fact that there was a girl suddenly sitting next to her when there hadn't been one there before instantly set her on high alert.
The girl was pretty innocuous looking. A little older than Lani, she was a cute Asian featured girl with large dark eyes. Her hair was lavender and pulled into curly pigtails. She wore a panda hoodie and large red glasses. Something about her seemed familiar to Lani but she couldn't put her finger on it. The girl was looking at her expectantly.
"Er, yes," Lani finally answered. "He gave it to me for Valentine's Day," she said and wrapped her hand around the pendent as if afraid the girl would snatch it if she didn't hold on to it.
If it were possible the girl's eyes widened even more. "So lucky," she gushed. She frowned slightly, "Someone in a shiny red suit killed my last boyfriend. I was very unamused," she said and her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "In fact, I think I'm highly jealous of you right now," she declared and stood up.
Thanking her creator that her instincts didn't let her down, Lani launched herself over the back of the bench a split second before a magical blast blew it apart. Lani twisted her wrists as she stood. "Don't take your romantic problems out on me. Who are you anyway?" she demanded.
The other girl's lips twisted cruelly. "Oh, little Earth girl. I'm something your puny mind couldn't handle," she said.
"Oh, yeah? Try me. You might be surprised," Lani prompted.
"You asked for it," she said. She winked and a smoky puff of magic changed her. Gone were the ridiculous glasses and panda hoodie. She now wore a military style hat and a military style overcoat over a black leotard. She wore tall boots and yellow-lensed cat-glasses. "I'm Rio Revile and my mother and I are going to crush this puny planet under our boot heels. I'll start with you," she said almost playfully.
Lani nodded. "There's just one problem with that," she said in a comparative tone.
Rio raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What would that be?" she asked.
"I wear a shiny red suit and I'm going to stop you," Lani announced. "It's Morphin' time! Tyrannosaurus-Rex!"
-x-
Command Center
Beta Z was reading the first report sent to her by Rex and Zhane when the alarms went off. "Ay yi yi!" she exclaimed and a viewer lit up. Showing the female Red Ranger facing the unknown stranger.
"What's the racket?" Danny asked as he popped out of the Blue Lab.
"Lani activated her distress beacon," Beez answered. "Lani is being attacked in the park by someone we don't know," she said on the open communicator channel.
"Another brilliant idea thought up by our resident evil genius," Danny murmured to himself. He made a mental note not to call Billie an evil genius to her face. She'd probably not react well even though he was joking.
"I'm on it, Beez. I'll grab Fox. You get Tori, Manny, Danny and Autumn. Have everyone else on stand-by," Tai said in answer.
"That's my cue," Danny declared. "Keep Holly workin' on our project," he said. He twisted his wrists. "It's Morphin' time! Triceratops!"
-x-
Rio faced down the female Red Ranger, eying her over the top of her yellow lenses. She smirked. "Good luck with that," she said and threw down a handful of what looked for a moment like turtle eggs. They burst open on impact and formed sleek, menacing, dark figures with skeletal details wielding scythes. "Bone Drones! Attack!" she ordered.
"Power Sword!" female Red managed to summon the weapon just as the creatures attacked. She deflected their attacks, but there was a lot of them and they didn't conveniently disintegrate like the Putties.
Red, Blue, Black, Pink, Yellow and Green laser blasts gave her some breathing room just as they were about to overwhelm her. "Phew," she blew out.
Male Red, the new male Black, the female Pink, female Yellow and female Green Rangers fanned out behind her, holding their blasters. "Who's your new friend?" male Red asked as he holstered his blaster.
"Wow," Black remarked, "She's well fit, ain't she?"
"It's like Rex never left," Blue said drily.
"Just learned British slang," Yellow agreed.
Green shook her head and Pink rolled her eyes.
Rio gave a curt bow. "Rio Revile, your new Overlady," she introduced herself sweetly. She held up her hand toward the sky in a gun pose. An actual laser blaster with shiny silver plating appeared. She pointed at them and began firing. Hundreds of pink-purple energy pellets bombarded them. Even Blue's force-field barely held under the onslaught.
She blew on the smoking barrel as the now morph-less Rangers got to their feet.
"Less than brilliant first performance. No one tell Rex," Fox complained as he got to his feet.
Danny didn't have the will to make a remark as he rubbed his aching arms. They felt like jelly.
Tai checked on Lani, helping her to her feet. She glared at the new villainess in town.
Rio's brows went up. "Oh, is that him?" she purred and approached the couple. She circled around them, looking Tai over appreciatively. "Hmm. I think when we conquer this planet, I'll keep him," she declared.
"Ew," Tori said. "Hey, lady, you made a boo-boo," she said with a sniff.
"A boo-boo? What are you? Five?" Rio scoffed and sneered at Tori.
"No. She's our cute little Tori. She's also right. You majorly miscalculated somethin'," Danny said, his wit coming back with the feeling in his arms.
"Oh? How so? I have you Power Rangers defenseless in front of me, surrounded by Bone Drones. In what way have I made a -- ahem-- boo-boo?" she asked.
"You miscounted," Autumn said quietly. She was staring at Rio curiously. There was something about her aura. Decidedly evil, yes, but familiar.
Rio closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I think I'm getting a migraine. Stop speaking in riddles!"
"She said you miscounted. It's not a riddle. Look," Fox said. He pointed at himself. "One," at Tai and Lani, "two, three," at Danny, and Manny, "four, five," at Tori and Autumn, "six, seven," a grin widening on his face, he pointed over her shoulder, "eight, nine, ten...well, you get my point," he said.
Rio whirled around. The rest of the Power Rangers had appeared. "What? What is this?" she demanded.
"Didn't think it was kind of strange that there were two Red Rangers? This is Angel Grove, chica," Manny said.
"That's right. Whatever you and Aunt Ria are up to, Rio, we won't make it easy on you," Rei said as she pushed Silver aside to let her pass. Dressed for practicing magic with her ornate staff in hand, she almost looked imposing.
"That explains it," Autumn and Lani said at almost the same time.
Rio pushed her glasses up her nose. "Thanks for the warning. We'll take it to heart,coz," she sneered Rei's way. She and the Bone Drones disappeared in puffs of smoke.
Rei sighed when she saw the way Tai was looking at her. She held up her hands, her staff standing on it's own as she did so. "I know. I know, 'Rei, you got some 'splaining to do'," she said.
Electrum put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll help. We go should go though," she said.
Tai nodded. "Yes. To the Youth Center," he said and the group teleported.
-x-
Palace on the Moon
Loud footsteps clacked through the Palace. Even the Putty Patrollers kept around as servants were eerily quiet. Zita waited patiently for the grand entrance. She didn't wait long. "Ah, there you are, girl," Ria Revile said in a loud, obnoxious sort of voice. It was so like her mother's that it was jarring. A tall imposing woman in a black body suit, a wide silver belt, a purple lined cape, and tall boots and gloves embellished with bone-like designs stood in the archway of the throne room. She wore a headdress what had a large star-like shape over her head with black- and white-striped antler-like shapes jutting out from either side.
"Aunt Ria, how interesting to see you so far from home," Zita said. She tried not to grimace at being called 'girl' as if she were a mere child.
Ria waved a dismissive hand as she surveyed the throne room with obvious distaste. "It looks like a Rachnaemance threw up in here," she complained. There was a loud clang in the corridor beyond. She whirled around. "Careful with the Hatchery!" she screeched at someone she couldn't see. "Put it in there with the little rat-faced man," she ordered.
At this Zita sprang into action and pushed past the older woman. Several Bone Drones were carrying equipment. "Don't go anywhere near the Monstermatic!" she contradicted. "If you must put that captraption anywhere put it in the empty store room at the end of the corridor," she said.
Ria was no longer paying attention. Instead she was bent over the telescope to peer down at the planet below.
Zita fumed. This was her home. What right did this person have to come barging in without invitation and try to take over? "Aunt Ria," she said through clenched teeth, trying to maintain a calm, "why have you come all the way out here? I thought you were happily conquering all of Andromeda," she said pleasantly.
Ria scowled and moved to the largest throne and sat down. "If I take you into my confidence, it'll be when I choose. Just stay out of the way for now. This won't take long," she said.
"That's Roki's throne. He's very possessive of it. He won't like you wallowing it out," Mori remarked as she entered the throne room with Griff silently behind her.
Ria surveyed Moriko without much expression. "You must be one of the off-shoots," she said. Mori put a hand on Griff's arm when he made to move toward Ria. The older woman gave Griff a cold smile when she noted his posture. "And whatever you're supposed to be. A family of traitors from what I understand. Your parents must be so proud."
"You only say that because you haven't met Widow," Mori said without rancor. Both Zita and Griff seemed to be fuming. Mori on the other hand wasn't fazed at all by this malicious woman. "I saw your goons with some interesting equipment," she said conversationally.
"You'll find out what that's for soon. When it's set up we'll begin," Rio said as she entered the throne room. She raised a brow and checked out Griff, an appreciative smile forming on her lips. "Hello, cousins," she greeted without looking at either of the two girls.
Now that did slightly annoy Moriko. "Hello, Rio. How did you enjoy your trip to Earth?" she asked frostily.
"I'd dare say she didn't enjoy it quite as much as she hoped she would," Zita said drily. She'd observed her cousin's encounter from there.
Ria stood up. "What are they talking about?" she demanded of her daughter.
Rio blew out a long breath. "There is more opposition than we expected. It won't be a problem once we accomplish our mission," she said.
"Good. Drones! Prepare the Hatchery!" she shouted and turned toward Earth with a greedy expression on her face. Rio smirked. Zita, Moriko and Griff couldn't help but wonder what they were going to do about these two unpredictable guests they suddenly found themselves saddled with.
-x-
Command Center
Rei, once again dressed in normal clothes, addressed the assemblage of Rangers and others. "Moriko warned me just before Rio appeared. You see, the family Vile has another daughter. Ria Revile is mother's and Uncle Rito's youngest sister. Rio is her daughter, our cousin. For the past few thousand years she's operated extensively in the Andromeda Galaxy and has a fairly large foothold there. I don't know why she's here but it cannot be a good thing," she explained as she paced.
"I believe I can help explain a few things. According to my initial research, Morphing Technology has been shared in the Andromeda Galaxy. At least two planets now have Power Rangers and they are inspiring other planets to resist. The main team causing the most damage is from within territory that Ria Revile held for several thousand years," Beta Z said.
"But no one can definitively say why they're here now," Tai summed up.
"Moriko is going to do her best to find out. I know you all probably don't trust her, but I swear she does not want the Reviles here anymore than we do," Rei assured them.
"It's not so much lack of trust as just plain wary. Your other sister is more unpredictable than a tornado in Kansas," Taran said.
Rei nodded. "She'd take that as a compliment," she declared with a small smile.
"It's not like we have much choice," Lani said. "We'll just have to deal with whatever comes; like we always have," she declared.
"Amen, sister. Sing it," Fox declared.
"You zip it. I saw the shame you brought to the Black today," Chloe said in disgust. "I see I'm going to have to take a personal interest in your training," she said.
Fox dropped his head and groaned. The last thing he needed was Chloe hanging around nitpicking his training.
Danny sniggered at his sister and she winked at him. Tormenting Fox was going to be one of her greatest joys in life. She could see it already.
Tai even managed a slight laugh when others began to chuckle as well. "Any other updates we should be aware of since we're all together here?" he asked.
"Well, I can say that the distress beacons programmed into the Morphers was a success. This should steam-line our response time," Billie answered.
"And the project Hols and me is workin' on should be ready for a field test soon," Danny answered.
"No hints as to what this top secret project is? Not even to your two best friends in the world?" Wood asked and clapped Nath on the shoulder to include him in that. Nathan, for his part gave Danny a pitiful pout and puppy-dog eyes.
Billie scoffed. "That's just gross. Don't do that," she said and held up her hand to shield his expression from view.
"Holly won't even tell me and Lani, her best friends in the world," Manny complained with a pout of her own.
"I know what it is and that's all that matters," Tai said.
"Yeah, Rex warned me not to let you get too big-headed," Fox said. "I've failed again," he said sadly.
Lani hid a snicker as Tai glared at Fox.
"No worries, mate. We're all here to make sure Tai doesn't get too up himself," Sora said.
Lani snorted as she sucked in a laugh. She cleared her throat. "You two stop picking on Tai or you'll have to deal with me," she warned them.
"Yes, ma'am," they intoned at once.
Zara held up her hand. "I got an update. We still aren't Power Rangers," she declared.
Mel sighed. "We're here for training," she reminded her friend.
"We're here for experience. We have the skill to help. We should be allowed to help," Zara argued back.
"They have a point," Winter said.
"They do. While I agree, we can't allow you to go face monsters without the protection of power suits. Both Zhane and Karone were clear that the Astro Morphers shouldn't be used again except for extremely dire emergencies and there's no way the Zeonizers have enough power between them to sustain either of you for a prolonged period of time," Tai explained patiently.
Zara pouted and Mel sighed. It wasn't anything they hadn't heard before but it was still disheartening.
"Don't worry. There's always Putties you can help with," Tori assured them.
Zara wrinkled her nose but didn't respond. Mel just sighed again.
"If that's it, we'd better start getting back. Just be on alert," Tai said. He glanced at Lani. "We still on?" he asked.
"As if I'm going to let that purple-haired weirdo ruin date night," she answered. He smiled and took her hand. He linked their fingers. He gave the room at large a brief wave. The two teleported out.
Others began to trickle off.
Lammy remained quietly. Winter gave her a curious look. "What's wrong?" he asked.
She shook her head, not wanting to voice her thoughts. "Hey, let's you and me do something fun," she suggested suddenly.
Winter looked around covertly for a moment. "You mean like a date?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yes. Why not? Unless I've been reading things wrong since we met," she said, putting her fists on her hips.
"No. Not at all. I know the perfect place," he said and held out his hand. Intrigued, she took his hand and the two of them left.
Soon only Beta Z was left alone in the Power Chamber, though Danny and Holly were busy in the Blue Lab. She opened an encrypted file in the databanks and analyzed it again. Countless times she's gone over this file but there was still an element missing. "Ay yi yi," she sighed and closed the file. She went back to work on the crisis at hand.
-x-
Four former Pink Rangers entered an empty building that shared an alley with the Scott Dojo. Until recently it was an office building but the owner went bankrupt and it was being sold off at an auction at the end of the week. Trailing behind the four older women were Melody and Zara. Zara suppressed a yawn but Melody was a little more enthusiastic about their purpose. "So who's idea was this?" she asked as she looked around. The building was wide and squat with three stories and a flat roof. The office areas were nice and spacious.
"If anyone can claim the credit it would be Kim. She's the on who first mentioned that her client base was expanding and she was thinking about looking for a place to teach a group rather than one-on-one," Cassie answered. "It snowballed from there as Kat and I reminisced about our dancing days," she added.
"There was wine involved. I like being a nurse but that was necessary when I mangled the tendons in my feet. I've always wanted to be involved in ballet again. Teaching sounded like the perfect way to do that," Kat said with a whimsical smile on her face.
"And I just want to be gainfully employed in something not spacey-wasey. My only qualifications at this point would get me jobs at R&D firms or something. In fact, I was about to accept a job at Nodroz when all this was brought up. No offense Melody but I need to get out of your grandmother's house," Cassie said quietly.
"Take me with you," Melody said in a hushed voice. They snickered together.
"So what are the rest of us doing here?" Zara asked. The potential business partners were accompanied by the two teenagers and Karone.
Cassie put her hands on either side of Karone's head. "She doesn't have any other friends here, so I let her tag along," she said in a mock whisper.
Karone harrumphed and pulled Cassie's hands away from her ears. "Well, I can't say that isn't mostly true. But I am the one who told them about this building," she said. Though she was bunking with Cassie at Melody's grandmother's house, she'd been given a job by Jason. She was kung fu instructor at the Dojo. Though Fox was her main student, some of the other Rangers were showing interest in learning from her. Jason saw potential and created a position for her. She'd heard about the building from Jason and Adam chatting about it over break. While Cassie was talking her ear off about this idea the three other former Pink Rangers had, Karone remembered the building.
"I'm here because I wanted to come. You could have gone to the Youth Center with Tori and Chloe," Melody said.
Zara just shrugged. "Well, let's get to thinking pink then and look around," she declared.
"Thinking pink?" Kim asked, her eyes lighting up. "That is amazing. Think Pink. I love it," she said.
Kat grinned "Brilliant," she agreed.
Cassie giggled. She draped an arm around Zara and squeezed her close. "Think Pink! Dance and Gymnastics Studio," she said, flourishing her other hand in front of her as if envisioning a sign with the name on it. With a renewed sense of excitement, the little group began looking around he building, voicing ideas, and laughing together over this one or that one. Even Zara started to have fun. It was hard to resist a gaggle of Pink Rangers.
-x-
Not far away, a girl with lavender hair wearing large red glasses and a panda hoodie held a device in her hands. It was beeping intermittently, leading her somewhere. She made a face. She and her mother were searching for a power source they'd heard about. It had fallen to Earth millions of years ago, fragmented. If it was indeed the Soul Stone that had fallen to Earth, then a fragment was all they needed to crush their enemies in Andromeda. They'd reduced this planet to slag just for good measure.
Though they'd taken up residence on the Moon, their home, Revile Castle, was hidden in a pocket dimension monitoring the planet. Revile Castle is a spaceship where Ria and Rio rule over their servants and subjects. From scanning the planet, they suspected the fragments they were looking for was here in Angel Grove but they couldn't definitively pin-point a position.
That was how Rio found herself personally roaming around the streets of Angel Grove with a handheld scanner. It was far less accurate but when Bone Drones had alerted them to a potential signal--they usually had disguised Bone Drones doing this--Rio came down herself. The signal was weak but getting closer. Perhaps not the fragment but worth checking out. The scanner suddenly let out an eerie squeak. The source was in a wide squat building next to the Scott Dojo.
She smirked slightly. She tapped her glasses and the lenses turned yellow. She used them to scan the building for body heat. She saw six figures within. She tapped the side of her glasses again. "Mum, you'd better send me a distraction. This could get messy," she said even as a wicked grin stretched her face.
-x-
Palace on the Moon
Zita gritted her teeth as she pushed a Bone Drone out of her way. Everywhere she turned, she was tripping over them. Ria was often lounging in Roki's throne when she wasn't fiddling with Zita's battle map. Rio was constantly interrupting Zita's work or bothering Moriko by hitting on Griff. It was enough to give anyone a headache. She'd thought a good old fashioned monster attack on Angel Grove would take her mind off things but when she went to Finster's lab she found it empty. Finster never left his lab. Even when the moon had been occupied by the Machine Empire, he'd remained, locked away in his lab with his precious Monstermatic.
Finding the lab empty, Zita was going in search of her aunt. This had her name written all over it. "Where is Finster!" she demanded when she stomped into the throne room.
"I haven't seen your little rat-man," Ria said dismissively. She turned away from her niece when her daughter contacted her. The headgear wasn't just for show. It had actual functions. A wide smile split her face. "If you want to see a real monster, little girl, follow me," she said and whirled with a flourish of her cape. She strode out of the throne room.
Zita was livid. "Tell me what you've done with Finster! You have NO RIGHT coming into this palace acting as though you own it. Thrax is the next Master Vile, not you," she hissed.
Ria turned to her niece with a snarl. "And just where is your big brother? Why is Roki claiming dominion and usurping his place?" she asked cruelly.
"Thrax gave dominion of the Milky Way to Zita and Roki before he disappeared," Moriko said coolly as she came into the corridor. "There are blood rights to support his claim," she said and produced a dagger and sliced open her palm. Blood welled and then pooled on the floor. It began to arrange itself into a complex system of signs and runes.
Ria waved an arm and the blood disappeared. "I have no interest in this puny little galaxy. Yet. But you should warn your brother, dears, blood rights or not, I will be the next Master Vile. If I have to kill my brother, my nephews and my nieces so be it. It's the Vile way," she said. She turned and stalked down the corridor to the hatchery.
Zita approached Moriko and placed a hand over hers. Purple energy glowed between them briefly as she healed her sister.
"I see why Rito lit out of her like his balls were on fire," Griff commented as he made sure Moriko's hand was okay. "Do you really think she did something to Finster?" he asked Zita.
Zita pressed her lips into a thin dark line. "Finster has lived in this palace for ten thousand years. He never leaves. Suddenly he vanishes when she comes along? Even you should be able to make that connection," she said, though her heart wasn't really in the jibe. She was too upset.
To his credit, Griff ignored it. "I'll find him," he said. He liked the ratty little man and had no wish to see him come to harm because of this woman.
Moriko smiled at Griff. "Thank you. Finster doesn't deserve anything she may have done to him," she said. He kissed her palm and dropped her hand. He nodded to Zita and stepped into the shadows and all but disappeared. "We should see what Ria and Rio are up to," Moriko said to her sister, Zita nodded and they quietly went to the Hatchery.
Glowing incubators with rather plain looking iridescent eggs the size of basketballs lined the room. In the center was an apparatus that glowed green. A pipe connected it to the ceiling. A lever jutted out of one side. One Bone Drone held open a glass door while another carefully placed one of the basketball sized eggs inside. He almost dropped it, "Careful, you mixed bag of nuts and bones!" Ria shrieked but he recovered. The other Done Drone closed the door and they both scurried away. The green glow intensified and the egg's shell began to crack.
Ria typed something into an interface on top of the contraption near the pipe then pulled the lever. The egg was sucked up into the pipe. It was then launched to earth, where it landed. The shell completely fell away and a fully realized monstrous menace stood in Angel Grove. Gray and somewhat tentacle-faced with one attached wing and a large sword, Aciduoux looked around him. There was water everywhere. He could feel it.
He began running and found a fountain. It was perfect. People were already screaming, but when he jabbed his sword over a pipe feeding the fountain, the spray became hydrochloric acid. The pressure was also increased. The fountain exploded under a geyser of the corrosive substance. Aciduoux laughed. "Run, run little humans. When you're all digested, I'll eat you up!" he cried.
Overhead, small one-man flight vehicles with skeletal details appeared and began shooting up Angel Grove.
-x-
Danny finished a final touch on the special project. He let out a low whistle. "I think we did good," he told Holly. He gave her a grin. "We make a pretty good team," he said.
Holly nodded. "I think so, too," she said with a smile.
Emergency alarms began going off. The two of them rushed to the Power Chamber. "Ay yi yi!" Beez cried. "Not only is there a monster attacking, but there are enemy aircraft tearing up he city," she reported.
Holly and Danny shared a look. "We can help with that," Danny said.
"I really hope so," Tai said when he appeared in the Power Chamber to assess the situation. "Take Lani, Fox, Wood, Tori, Autumn and Lammy to deal with the UFO's. Give them a crash course very quickly," he instructed Danny. "The rest of us will deal with the monster," he said.
"Right, Boss," Danny said. He twisted his wrists. "It's Morphin' Time! Triceratops!"
"Tyrannosaurus!"
-x-
Bright streaks of lights preceded the arrival of seven color-coordinated Power Cycles on the streets of Angel Grove. Sleek and streamlined with clearly Ranger specific details, they were impressive. They each came to a stop as the riders looked up into the sky.
Male Black shielded his visor with his hand. "Not to belittle your efforts here or anything, but we're down here, and those things are up there," he pointed out.
"Are you in any position to criticize?" Electrum asked him.
Male Blue just grinned under his helmet. "Oh, ye of little faith. You gonna have to learn not to underestimate me," he said. "Hold on to ya britches and activate Glider mode," he said and flipped a switch on his console. He leaned forward and gripped the handlebars. A streamlined, winged-glider formed around him. He sped forward and the now Power Glider took flight.
"I'll learn my lesson one of these days," Black muttered as he flipped his switch and prepared for flight. The others did the same.
"Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Battle Conversion Vehicles. They are equipped for land, sea, and air. Blasters provide most of the firepower but for extreme emergencies, all but enough power to safely land can be compressed into one Battle Cannon Shot. Use it wisely," Blue instructed as he maneuvered after one of the enemy air crafts. It fired on him, and he quickly dodged and returned fire. He scored a hit. The craft sparked and smoked and seem to fade out of existence.
Female Red banked sharply when an enemy craft tried to play chicken with her. She managed a 180 degree turn and got behind the craft and fired several times. The craft started spiraling wildly before it disappeared.
Male Yellow was whizzing along behind one of the enemy aircrafts, trying to keep up with the skillful maneuverings of it's pilot. "I feel like a Rebel battling Empire forces. This is so awesome," he said as he finally managed to fire on his enemy, scoring a direct hit.
Female Green managed a chuckle. "Leave it to Wood," she remarked. "Whoa, Lammy, you have a tail," she said and turned to follow the craft that was following the VelociGlider.
"I can't shake him," Electrum said as she fired on one of them.
The PteroGlider and StygiGlider moved in to box it in. It was slightly larger than the others and differently shaped. "We got him," femme Pink said. She and femme Green fired on the larger craft and it exploded. It sent the two smaller vessels off course. It took them a few minutes to right themselves again and get back in the game.
-x-
Aciduoux was tracing the water networks of Angel Grove, making fountains an fire hydrants explode with hydrochloric acid as he went. A sharp whistle caught his attention and he turned. A small compact cannon ball crashed into his middle. Female Black, propelled by male Red's enhanced strength, sent them both flying several hundred yards from the acid spraying into the sky. He crashed and she rolled off of him.
"Augh! What?" he snarled as he got to his feet.
"That was just the opening gambit," she told him. "Power Axe," she summoned and slashed at the monster. Aciduoux brought up his sword to block and knocked her back with a swift kick to her middle.
"That ain't very polite," Gold said. "StegoMace!" He jumped and swung his weapon. Aciduoux tried to block but he didn't expect the counterattack that followed.
"CeratoSword!" Silver's attack had him stumbling back.
"Power Grips!" Yellow zoomed around the monster in flurry, sending sparks wherever her Grips snapped.
Aciduoux roared in annoyance. He swung his sword preemptively and caught her off guard. She went crashing into Green, who deftly caught her. "Thanks," she said woozily.
"Anytime," he said and set her on her feet "Stygian Armor!" He also summoned the Stygian Blade and ran forward. He sparred for a moment with the monster, phasing out when Aciduoux tried to slice him. He spun and jabbed the monster in the side. His sword sizzled and pitted from the acidic innards of the monster but the wound healed almost immediately. His surprised gave Acidiuoux time to knock him aside.
Pink hovered slightly and fid several arrows in quick succession. Aciduoux swatted away most of them but one thunked into his shoulder and sizzled. He ripped it out and it was practically melted. Pink fired again and the arrows hit in several places, making the monster stagger back.
"That's what I needed," Blue said and tapped her helmet, making her computer disappear. "Power Sai!" She threw one, and it missed whizzing past his head. He turned to scoff at where it landed, having missed her mark completely. She was already aiming her second Sai. It caught him in a place on his back that bubbled and smoked. "It's up to you now, Tai," she said.
Red had already summoned his Power Armor. He drove forward and jumped, bringing his Tyranno-Sword down with all his enhanced strength. Aciduoux sparked and crackled. He roared and stumbled forward. He wasn't down yet, however.
"Magnum Power Cannon!" Female Black summoned. She pressed the trigger. "Magnum Blast!" The powerful blast slammed into Aciduoux and he exploded, leaving behind a small egg. The egg exploded and a giant Aciduoux formed.
-x-
Zara and the pink brigade were finally finished touring the building. As they were discussing their next step, the monster sirens went off. "Uh-oh," Cassie said as they began looking to see if the source of the disturbance was nearby. What they saw surprised them. Rio appeared with a band of Bone Drones. They surrounded the group as Rio held up a device that was making a strange whirring sound.
Rio scowled at the readings she was getting. "That's not possible," she said and hit the side of the detector. Nope, the readings she was getting was definitely coming from a person. One of these women, but other signals were interfering. "Separate them," she instructed the Bone Drones.
"Look, lady, you're making a big mistake," Zara said and ducked as one of the Drones tried to grab her. He made another attempt, and she crouched down and swept him off his feet.
Rio made and impatient gesture. "I said separate them!" she shouted.
"Again, really big mistake," Melody agreed as the former Pink Rangers fanned out away from each other naturally.
Rio was beginning to frown more. Sure it was clearing up her readings but she was really getting sick of being told she was mistaking. "Why is that?" she snapped.
"Because the adults are all former Power Rangers," Rei answered from where she'd snuck up beside Rio.
Her appearance seemed to be the catalyst the group needed to take out the Bone Drones. Karone being pregnant put her at a disadvantage but Zara and Melody flanked her, making sure she was okay.
"I'm not in the mood to fight with you," Rio said to Rei absently. She'd finally figured out which of the women was giving off the energy she was looking for. It was the white haired one. She winked out from beside Rei and appeared beside Kat. She grabbed the woman by the hair and poked her in the arm with the reader. Kat cried out, more startled than in in pain.
Rei pursed her lips. "Want it or not," she said grimly and summoned a White Spell and tossed it at Rio.
Rio let go of Kat and whirled away. She frowned at the definitive proof that she'd been led astray. The woman had at one time been exploded to a powerful power source, but it wasn't the Soul Stone. She put the reader away. "You asked for it, coz," she said and ran toward Rei. She jumped and kicked forward. Rei barely managed to get her arms up to block. She was knocked back. Rio was already launching into her next attack. She kicked Rei in the side and send her flying back. Rio was already moving again and brutally kicked the younger cousin in the back.
Rei landed with a crash. Rio walked toward her. "You really thought you were a match for me?" she asked and scoffed. "You better off as part of Zita," she said. She made a gun with her fingers and her laser pistol appeared.
A garbage can lid flew into her side, knocking her off guard. The lid, spun back and forth, hitting her several times before she caught it. She glowered at it and saw Zara nearby. The Bone Drones had all been defeated and the other women were beginning to regroup. "You should learn how to fight from some of your friends. At least make it interesting next time," Rio told Rei. She retreated in a puff a of purple smoke.
Zara and Melody rushed over to help Rei to her feet. "Are you okay?" Melody asked.
"I'll be fine, but I'll never hear the end of it from Sora," Rei assured her. "Are you okay?" she asked Kat.
Kat looked at the needle prick on her arm. "I'll be fine, but I think she drew my blood," she said with a frown.
"We should get to the Command Center," Kim said. Cassie nodded her agreement and the little group teleported.
-x-
Giant Aciduoux was heading toward the Midtown Reservoir, which supplied half of Angel Grove with tap water. He'd turn it to hydrochloric acid and devour every human he could that wereexposed to it.
"Billie, get back to the Command Center. Get with Dr. Bill and see what we can do about the water the monster ruined," Red instructed.
Blue nodded and teleported.
The crystal on male Red's gauntlet began to glow. "Magnum Alpha Megazord!"
From various place around the city, Zords began appearing and converged on their location. The Zords began assembling together. The SmiloZord and the MastoZord formed legs and feet. The TyrannoZord formed a torso while the PteroZord and TriceraZord formed arms. A helmeted head turned out of the TyrannoZord. The StygiZord broke apart to form gauntlets, a chest shield and a helmet. The StegoZord, CeratoZord and VelociZord configured themselves in a shoulder mounted dino head cannon system that attached to the back of the shield with a tail. Their pilots were teleported into an enormous combined cockpit except for female Blue and Black. Silver split into two to take their spots.
Aciduoux took a swing at the Megazord. The Megazord retaliated with a swing of the tail. Aciduoux caught the tail and spun the Megazord and sent it crashing into a building.
"Oops, our bad," Pink said apologetically with a grimace.
Female Black activated something on her Morpher. "Alphamax Cannon!" The Alphamax Cannon and she teleported aboard. "I'll give you guys a bit of breathing room. Get ready," she said. She approached the center console in the cannon. She grabbed the dual joysticks and targeted the monster. "Target Acquired. Firing!" She depressed the buttons. Two by two, from the outside in the points of the Alphamax Cannon began firing, hitting the monster in succession. Each hit glowed. Finally the middle barrel fired. A beam of blindingly bright light hit. The other ten points connected in a circle and hit.
Aciduoux stumbled back, sparking and smoking but he wasn't out yet. He swung his sword at the Cannon. It connected. Black yelped. The seven Power Gliders zoomed by, shooting him, not damaging but annoying him. "Thanks guys," she breathed.
"No problem, partner," male Black's voice answered. She felt vaguely proud of him.
"It's about time we finished this up," male Red declared. "Magnum Dino Blast!" He lined the target up on his screen. He pressed the buttons, the dino mouths come open and their tail whipped up and four points of energy where fired at the monster. It blasted through him, scattering him into nothingness.
-x-
Palace on the Moon
Rio reappeared. When she realized she was still holding the garbage can lid, she threw it down with a snarl. "You two have been holding information back," she accused Zita and Moriko, who were placidly playing chess in a sitting room.
Zita, who felt more than a little satisfaction that their monster had died spectacularly, glanced up. She raised an eyebrow. "We were told to stay out of it and that you'd handle your own business," she reminded her cousin.
Rio took a step toward her. Ria came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. She raised her eyebrows at her nieces. "You will tell us everything you know about Angel Grove," she said.
Moriko shook her head. "No, I don't believe we will. It's more fun watching you figure it out yourself," she said and gave them her best grin.
Zita nodded. She moved one of her pieces. "Check," she said as if she'd forgotten about their stewing relatives glaring at them.
Rio stepped forward, dark energy swirling around her fist.
Finally, Moriko looked at her seriously. "You don't want to take on two of us. Especially us. We are not Rei," she said in a calm but slightly dangerous voice.
Ria pursed her lips. "We have our own problems. Whatever they think they know, we can easily learn elsewhere," she told her daughter and stalked away. Rio gave her cousins one last glance and followed her mother.
"Any ideas what they're looking for?" Moriko asked Zita.
The other girl shook her head. "Is your Neanderthal having any luck finding Finster?" she asked.
It was Moriko's turn to shake her head. The two of them sank into a brooding silence as they continued their game. The Palace was becoming a very uneasy place these days. Something needed to be done about the Reviles.
-x-
Billy found the best solution for the hydrochloric acid problem. Baking powder and a dash of magic. During the debriefing, he'd gone to Midtown Reservoir to distribute the concoction and soon the water was back to normal and no one had been seriously injured. There were still a few questions as to the true motives of why the Reviles had come to attack Earth.
Kat underwent a scan. They concluded that her molecular structure was more densely irradiated by Zeo energy than the other former Zeo Rangers.
"So they were zeroing in on her Zeo energy. Why?" Tai asked.
"It didn't seem like she was especially interested after she tested my blood," Kat said out loud.
"Zita and Moriko don't know what they're after either, but they've pretty much taken over the palace and have even disappeared Finster," Rei said, rubbing her side as she wandered in from the Medi-Lab.
Sora frowned at her. "You should be laying down," he said.
"I'll be fine. I heal faster than humans," she said dismissively. She more than a little annoyed by how easily Rio had beaten her. She needed more training than how to use her staff as a weapon, that was becoming clear. She wondered why she could remember every spell Zita ever learned, but she didn't have her martial arts skills. It was aggravating. She Mori was the same. But Mori had Griff to train her. She chewed the inside of her cheek. Maybe she should ask Lammy for extra help. She hated to admit she was too embarrassed to ask Sora. Besides, she figured Sora would be too easy on her whereas Lammy wouldn't hold back at all.
"Well, this human's head is still ringing," Chloe said. She clapped Fox on the back. Fox grunted and stumbled. "You did pretty good today. But from now on, I'm in on the Kung Fu lessons. You can't just be good in BCVs and Zords. You gotta hold your own on the ground next time," she said.
Fox rubbed his shoulder, half proud half mortified. "Yeah, yeah, I got it," he said.
"We'll make a Ranger outta you yet," Danny said and also slapped him on the back.
"Ow! What is with you Kennedy's?" Fox asked.
Autumn laughed and moved forward to save him. "We gotta go, Our shifts start soon," she said. She rubbed his back and they teleported.
Tai was smiling halfishly. "Rei, soon as you know something from your sisters--"
"You'll be my first stop," she promised.
He nodded and broke up the debriefing. As everyone trickled out, he stood pensively, deep in thought. Lani leaned her head against his arm. "Missing your boyfriend?" she asked teasingly.
Tai chuckled. "That, too," he answered. "Mainly just wrapping my head around this new turn of events," he said. He kissed the top of her. "I gotta jet. My turn to cook supper. You wanna come over?" he asked.
Lani sighed. "Can't. Have a paper to write after supper," she said and crooked a finger at him. He obediently bent down so she could kiss him on the cheek. She slipped away from him and teleported. He teleported as well, leaving the Command Center quiet for once.
-xThe End Chapter 20x-
Zita, Moriko and Griff were having a leisurely breakfast in quiet morning when Uncle Rito ran in. They blinked. They hadn't seen much of the old bones lately. He seemed strangely in a panic. "Run for your lives, kiddies!" he exclaimed.
Zita and Moriko got to their feet. "Uncle Rito, what on Luna is wrong? Here sit," Zita ushered him into a chair at the table.
"Let me pour you some tea," Moriko said and poured him a piping hot cup.
Rito shook his head and pushed the tea away. "No, no, no. Tea isn't going to help this. I'm getting out of here. You're old enough to make your own decisions but it'd ease my mind if you all left, too. Let Widow and Roki deal with it if they manage to make it back," he said and he was so full of nervous energy his bones rattled together.
"Deal with what?" Zita asked.
"My baby sister is coming," Rito whispered.
Moriko dropped the tea kettle. It was only Griff's sharp reflexes, pulling her away that stopped her from being seriously scalded. "I take it, that's not good," he said.
"No, siree bobcat," Rito shook his head vehemently.
Zita pursed her lips. "If your pea sized brain is capable, imagine my mother before the Wave that changed her into what she is today. Now add spoiled rotten baby of the family," she said sharply.
"My pea sized brain is doing a fairly good job of imagining an older you," Griff said and gave her a humorless grin. It resembled more of teeth-baring snarl.
Moriko sighed. Maybe one day these two would get along. Maybe. One day. "When is she due to arrive, Uncle Rito?" she asked.
"Today! That's why I'm out of here, dearies," Rito said and stood up. He dropped a bony arm around Zita's shoulder and squeezed her close. "You're always welcome to stay with me," he assured her. "You two, too," he assured Moriko and Griff.
"Thank you, Uncle Rito," Zita said.
Moriko smiled. "Yes, thank you," she echoed.
"I refuse to be run out of my own home by uninvited guests," Zita said.
"If Zita's staying, so will I," Moriko said and shrugged. If Ria Revile was every bit as nasty as rumors said, it might be the push Zita needed to begin to open herself to their destiny.
"Suits yourselves. I'm out," Rito said. He stood and gave each of them a hug, scooping Moriko and Griff up as one. He trotted out of the dining room.
Moriko sighed. She waved an arm and the mess she made disappeared. "The question is, why is Ria Revile coming here? I thought she was working on conquering all of Andromeda," she said.
"I suppose we'll find out once she gets here," Zita answered. "I meant what I said. I won't be chased out of here," she said and stalked out of the dining room.
Moriko was frowning. "I don't think any of this is good. I need to warn Rei. Staying or going?" she asked.
"I'll drop by Lammy's," Griff said. Mori nodded and the two of them disappeared.
-x-
Fox had never been to Tai's house before he took over training him. Fox had been the victim of not understanding when Rex had said he was better at the dual sword technique than Tai. He should really know better by now that when either of them says something like that, the margin of error was a sliver that normal people wouldn't even notice. Just because Tai admitted that Rex was better at the technique than he was did not mean he wasn't good at it.
And as a teacher, Tai was much more focused and patient. It was somehow worse than Rex's approach of laughing at him, rolling his eyes, or telling him everything he was doing wrong. Tai was relentless with drills and broke everything down so even a monkey could get it. At least Rex had assumed Fox was smarter than a monkey.
Or, maybe he was just cranky from doing drills for three hours in the training area behind the house and his arms felt like they were about to fall off. He fell over backwards and stared up at the sky.
Grandpa shook his head. "Not sure this one would make a samurai, grandson," he remarked. Fox wrinkled his nose. The old man was always supervising the sessions.
Tai cocked his head. "Maybe not but that's not really our goal," he answered. "Did you finish the blades?" he asked.
Grandpa nodded. "They are ready. Him, I am not so sure about," he said.
"If you're going to talk about me, at least do it in English," Fox complained as he sat up. He rolled his shoulders. "Wait. What blades?" he asked.
"Who said anything about blades?" Tai asked blandly. He didn't bother to explain that Grandpa refused to speak English.
Fox narrowed his eyes. "You and your tropical vomit granddad," he said and got to his feet.
Tai raised an eyebrow then glanced at his grandfather. Tropical vomit was definitely an accurate description of his fashion sense. "Since when do you speak Japanese?" he asked though he'd began to suspect from day one that Fox was following everything he and Grandpa were saying.
Fox shrugged. "I dunno. Watched a lot of anime as a kid I guess," he said and got to his feet, stretching. "I need hot water and lots of it," he grumbled.
"I've never heard anyone complain so much," Grandpa grumbled. "Come in the house for tea. Both of you," he said and went to the house.
"Come on. You were raised in England, right? Tea cures all ills," Tai said. Fox snorted but didn't argue as he followed Tai inside.
-x-
Lani sat on a park bench waiting for Tai. She absently played with the little red-jeweled fairy pendent he'd given her for Valentine's Day. She supposed it was a way of putting that whole Dark Tai thing behind them. She scuffed her red sneakered foot against the ground and checked her watch. She knew that he had training with Fox, but Tai was nothing if not punctual. She was just early.
"That is simply adorable. Did you're boyfriend give that to you?" a voice to her left startled her. Years of training and her recent experiences as a Power Ranger made her pretty aware of her surroundings. The fact that there was a girl suddenly sitting next to her when there hadn't been one there before instantly set her on high alert.
The girl was pretty innocuous looking. A little older than Lani, she was a cute Asian featured girl with large dark eyes. Her hair was lavender and pulled into curly pigtails. She wore a panda hoodie and large red glasses. Something about her seemed familiar to Lani but she couldn't put her finger on it. The girl was looking at her expectantly.
"Er, yes," Lani finally answered. "He gave it to me for Valentine's Day," she said and wrapped her hand around the pendent as if afraid the girl would snatch it if she didn't hold on to it.
If it were possible the girl's eyes widened even more. "So lucky," she gushed. She frowned slightly, "Someone in a shiny red suit killed my last boyfriend. I was very unamused," she said and her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "In fact, I think I'm highly jealous of you right now," she declared and stood up.
Thanking her creator that her instincts didn't let her down, Lani launched herself over the back of the bench a split second before a magical blast blew it apart. Lani twisted her wrists as she stood. "Don't take your romantic problems out on me. Who are you anyway?" she demanded.
The other girl's lips twisted cruelly. "Oh, little Earth girl. I'm something your puny mind couldn't handle," she said.
"Oh, yeah? Try me. You might be surprised," Lani prompted.
"You asked for it," she said. She winked and a smoky puff of magic changed her. Gone were the ridiculous glasses and panda hoodie. She now wore a military style hat and a military style overcoat over a black leotard. She wore tall boots and yellow-lensed cat-glasses. "I'm Rio Revile and my mother and I are going to crush this puny planet under our boot heels. I'll start with you," she said almost playfully.
Lani nodded. "There's just one problem with that," she said in a comparative tone.
Rio raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What would that be?" she asked.
"I wear a shiny red suit and I'm going to stop you," Lani announced. "It's Morphin' time! Tyrannosaurus-Rex!"
-x-
Command Center
Beta Z was reading the first report sent to her by Rex and Zhane when the alarms went off. "Ay yi yi!" she exclaimed and a viewer lit up. Showing the female Red Ranger facing the unknown stranger.
"What's the racket?" Danny asked as he popped out of the Blue Lab.
"Lani activated her distress beacon," Beez answered. "Lani is being attacked in the park by someone we don't know," she said on the open communicator channel.
"Another brilliant idea thought up by our resident evil genius," Danny murmured to himself. He made a mental note not to call Billie an evil genius to her face. She'd probably not react well even though he was joking.
"I'm on it, Beez. I'll grab Fox. You get Tori, Manny, Danny and Autumn. Have everyone else on stand-by," Tai said in answer.
"That's my cue," Danny declared. "Keep Holly workin' on our project," he said. He twisted his wrists. "It's Morphin' time! Triceratops!"
-x-
Rio faced down the female Red Ranger, eying her over the top of her yellow lenses. She smirked. "Good luck with that," she said and threw down a handful of what looked for a moment like turtle eggs. They burst open on impact and formed sleek, menacing, dark figures with skeletal details wielding scythes. "Bone Drones! Attack!" she ordered.
"Power Sword!" female Red managed to summon the weapon just as the creatures attacked. She deflected their attacks, but there was a lot of them and they didn't conveniently disintegrate like the Putties.
Red, Blue, Black, Pink, Yellow and Green laser blasts gave her some breathing room just as they were about to overwhelm her. "Phew," she blew out.
Male Red, the new male Black, the female Pink, female Yellow and female Green Rangers fanned out behind her, holding their blasters. "Who's your new friend?" male Red asked as he holstered his blaster.
"Wow," Black remarked, "She's well fit, ain't she?"
"It's like Rex never left," Blue said drily.
"Just learned British slang," Yellow agreed.
Green shook her head and Pink rolled her eyes.
Rio gave a curt bow. "Rio Revile, your new Overlady," she introduced herself sweetly. She held up her hand toward the sky in a gun pose. An actual laser blaster with shiny silver plating appeared. She pointed at them and began firing. Hundreds of pink-purple energy pellets bombarded them. Even Blue's force-field barely held under the onslaught.
She blew on the smoking barrel as the now morph-less Rangers got to their feet.
"Less than brilliant first performance. No one tell Rex," Fox complained as he got to his feet.
Danny didn't have the will to make a remark as he rubbed his aching arms. They felt like jelly.
Tai checked on Lani, helping her to her feet. She glared at the new villainess in town.
Rio's brows went up. "Oh, is that him?" she purred and approached the couple. She circled around them, looking Tai over appreciatively. "Hmm. I think when we conquer this planet, I'll keep him," she declared.
"Ew," Tori said. "Hey, lady, you made a boo-boo," she said with a sniff.
"A boo-boo? What are you? Five?" Rio scoffed and sneered at Tori.
"No. She's our cute little Tori. She's also right. You majorly miscalculated somethin'," Danny said, his wit coming back with the feeling in his arms.
"Oh? How so? I have you Power Rangers defenseless in front of me, surrounded by Bone Drones. In what way have I made a -- ahem-- boo-boo?" she asked.
"You miscounted," Autumn said quietly. She was staring at Rio curiously. There was something about her aura. Decidedly evil, yes, but familiar.
Rio closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I think I'm getting a migraine. Stop speaking in riddles!"
"She said you miscounted. It's not a riddle. Look," Fox said. He pointed at himself. "One," at Tai and Lani, "two, three," at Danny, and Manny, "four, five," at Tori and Autumn, "six, seven," a grin widening on his face, he pointed over her shoulder, "eight, nine, ten...well, you get my point," he said.
Rio whirled around. The rest of the Power Rangers had appeared. "What? What is this?" she demanded.
"Didn't think it was kind of strange that there were two Red Rangers? This is Angel Grove, chica," Manny said.
"That's right. Whatever you and Aunt Ria are up to, Rio, we won't make it easy on you," Rei said as she pushed Silver aside to let her pass. Dressed for practicing magic with her ornate staff in hand, she almost looked imposing.
"That explains it," Autumn and Lani said at almost the same time.
Rio pushed her glasses up her nose. "Thanks for the warning. We'll take it to heart,coz," she sneered Rei's way. She and the Bone Drones disappeared in puffs of smoke.
Rei sighed when she saw the way Tai was looking at her. She held up her hands, her staff standing on it's own as she did so. "I know. I know, 'Rei, you got some 'splaining to do'," she said.
Electrum put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll help. We go should go though," she said.
Tai nodded. "Yes. To the Youth Center," he said and the group teleported.
-x-
Palace on the Moon
Loud footsteps clacked through the Palace. Even the Putty Patrollers kept around as servants were eerily quiet. Zita waited patiently for the grand entrance. She didn't wait long. "Ah, there you are, girl," Ria Revile said in a loud, obnoxious sort of voice. It was so like her mother's that it was jarring. A tall imposing woman in a black body suit, a wide silver belt, a purple lined cape, and tall boots and gloves embellished with bone-like designs stood in the archway of the throne room. She wore a headdress what had a large star-like shape over her head with black- and white-striped antler-like shapes jutting out from either side.
"Aunt Ria, how interesting to see you so far from home," Zita said. She tried not to grimace at being called 'girl' as if she were a mere child.
Ria waved a dismissive hand as she surveyed the throne room with obvious distaste. "It looks like a Rachnaemance threw up in here," she complained. There was a loud clang in the corridor beyond. She whirled around. "Careful with the Hatchery!" she screeched at someone she couldn't see. "Put it in there with the little rat-faced man," she ordered.
At this Zita sprang into action and pushed past the older woman. Several Bone Drones were carrying equipment. "Don't go anywhere near the Monstermatic!" she contradicted. "If you must put that captraption anywhere put it in the empty store room at the end of the corridor," she said.
Ria was no longer paying attention. Instead she was bent over the telescope to peer down at the planet below.
Zita fumed. This was her home. What right did this person have to come barging in without invitation and try to take over? "Aunt Ria," she said through clenched teeth, trying to maintain a calm, "why have you come all the way out here? I thought you were happily conquering all of Andromeda," she said pleasantly.
Ria scowled and moved to the largest throne and sat down. "If I take you into my confidence, it'll be when I choose. Just stay out of the way for now. This won't take long," she said.
"That's Roki's throne. He's very possessive of it. He won't like you wallowing it out," Mori remarked as she entered the throne room with Griff silently behind her.
Ria surveyed Moriko without much expression. "You must be one of the off-shoots," she said. Mori put a hand on Griff's arm when he made to move toward Ria. The older woman gave Griff a cold smile when she noted his posture. "And whatever you're supposed to be. A family of traitors from what I understand. Your parents must be so proud."
"You only say that because you haven't met Widow," Mori said without rancor. Both Zita and Griff seemed to be fuming. Mori on the other hand wasn't fazed at all by this malicious woman. "I saw your goons with some interesting equipment," she said conversationally.
"You'll find out what that's for soon. When it's set up we'll begin," Rio said as she entered the throne room. She raised a brow and checked out Griff, an appreciative smile forming on her lips. "Hello, cousins," she greeted without looking at either of the two girls.
Now that did slightly annoy Moriko. "Hello, Rio. How did you enjoy your trip to Earth?" she asked frostily.
"I'd dare say she didn't enjoy it quite as much as she hoped she would," Zita said drily. She'd observed her cousin's encounter from there.
Ria stood up. "What are they talking about?" she demanded of her daughter.
Rio blew out a long breath. "There is more opposition than we expected. It won't be a problem once we accomplish our mission," she said.
"Good. Drones! Prepare the Hatchery!" she shouted and turned toward Earth with a greedy expression on her face. Rio smirked. Zita, Moriko and Griff couldn't help but wonder what they were going to do about these two unpredictable guests they suddenly found themselves saddled with.
-x-
Command Center
Rei, once again dressed in normal clothes, addressed the assemblage of Rangers and others. "Moriko warned me just before Rio appeared. You see, the family Vile has another daughter. Ria Revile is mother's and Uncle Rito's youngest sister. Rio is her daughter, our cousin. For the past few thousand years she's operated extensively in the Andromeda Galaxy and has a fairly large foothold there. I don't know why she's here but it cannot be a good thing," she explained as she paced.
"I believe I can help explain a few things. According to my initial research, Morphing Technology has been shared in the Andromeda Galaxy. At least two planets now have Power Rangers and they are inspiring other planets to resist. The main team causing the most damage is from within territory that Ria Revile held for several thousand years," Beta Z said.
"But no one can definitively say why they're here now," Tai summed up.
"Moriko is going to do her best to find out. I know you all probably don't trust her, but I swear she does not want the Reviles here anymore than we do," Rei assured them.
"It's not so much lack of trust as just plain wary. Your other sister is more unpredictable than a tornado in Kansas," Taran said.
Rei nodded. "She'd take that as a compliment," she declared with a small smile.
"It's not like we have much choice," Lani said. "We'll just have to deal with whatever comes; like we always have," she declared.
"Amen, sister. Sing it," Fox declared.
"You zip it. I saw the shame you brought to the Black today," Chloe said in disgust. "I see I'm going to have to take a personal interest in your training," she said.
Fox dropped his head and groaned. The last thing he needed was Chloe hanging around nitpicking his training.
Danny sniggered at his sister and she winked at him. Tormenting Fox was going to be one of her greatest joys in life. She could see it already.
Tai even managed a slight laugh when others began to chuckle as well. "Any other updates we should be aware of since we're all together here?" he asked.
"Well, I can say that the distress beacons programmed into the Morphers was a success. This should steam-line our response time," Billie answered.
"And the project Hols and me is workin' on should be ready for a field test soon," Danny answered.
"No hints as to what this top secret project is? Not even to your two best friends in the world?" Wood asked and clapped Nath on the shoulder to include him in that. Nathan, for his part gave Danny a pitiful pout and puppy-dog eyes.
Billie scoffed. "That's just gross. Don't do that," she said and held up her hand to shield his expression from view.
"Holly won't even tell me and Lani, her best friends in the world," Manny complained with a pout of her own.
"I know what it is and that's all that matters," Tai said.
"Yeah, Rex warned me not to let you get too big-headed," Fox said. "I've failed again," he said sadly.
Lani hid a snicker as Tai glared at Fox.
"No worries, mate. We're all here to make sure Tai doesn't get too up himself," Sora said.
Lani snorted as she sucked in a laugh. She cleared her throat. "You two stop picking on Tai or you'll have to deal with me," she warned them.
"Yes, ma'am," they intoned at once.
Zara held up her hand. "I got an update. We still aren't Power Rangers," she declared.
Mel sighed. "We're here for training," she reminded her friend.
"We're here for experience. We have the skill to help. We should be allowed to help," Zara argued back.
"They have a point," Winter said.
"They do. While I agree, we can't allow you to go face monsters without the protection of power suits. Both Zhane and Karone were clear that the Astro Morphers shouldn't be used again except for extremely dire emergencies and there's no way the Zeonizers have enough power between them to sustain either of you for a prolonged period of time," Tai explained patiently.
Zara pouted and Mel sighed. It wasn't anything they hadn't heard before but it was still disheartening.
"Don't worry. There's always Putties you can help with," Tori assured them.
Zara wrinkled her nose but didn't respond. Mel just sighed again.
"If that's it, we'd better start getting back. Just be on alert," Tai said. He glanced at Lani. "We still on?" he asked.
"As if I'm going to let that purple-haired weirdo ruin date night," she answered. He smiled and took her hand. He linked their fingers. He gave the room at large a brief wave. The two teleported out.
Others began to trickle off.
Lammy remained quietly. Winter gave her a curious look. "What's wrong?" he asked.
She shook her head, not wanting to voice her thoughts. "Hey, let's you and me do something fun," she suggested suddenly.
Winter looked around covertly for a moment. "You mean like a date?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yes. Why not? Unless I've been reading things wrong since we met," she said, putting her fists on her hips.
"No. Not at all. I know the perfect place," he said and held out his hand. Intrigued, she took his hand and the two of them left.
Soon only Beta Z was left alone in the Power Chamber, though Danny and Holly were busy in the Blue Lab. She opened an encrypted file in the databanks and analyzed it again. Countless times she's gone over this file but there was still an element missing. "Ay yi yi," she sighed and closed the file. She went back to work on the crisis at hand.
-x-
Four former Pink Rangers entered an empty building that shared an alley with the Scott Dojo. Until recently it was an office building but the owner went bankrupt and it was being sold off at an auction at the end of the week. Trailing behind the four older women were Melody and Zara. Zara suppressed a yawn but Melody was a little more enthusiastic about their purpose. "So who's idea was this?" she asked as she looked around. The building was wide and squat with three stories and a flat roof. The office areas were nice and spacious.
"If anyone can claim the credit it would be Kim. She's the on who first mentioned that her client base was expanding and she was thinking about looking for a place to teach a group rather than one-on-one," Cassie answered. "It snowballed from there as Kat and I reminisced about our dancing days," she added.
"There was wine involved. I like being a nurse but that was necessary when I mangled the tendons in my feet. I've always wanted to be involved in ballet again. Teaching sounded like the perfect way to do that," Kat said with a whimsical smile on her face.
"And I just want to be gainfully employed in something not spacey-wasey. My only qualifications at this point would get me jobs at R&D firms or something. In fact, I was about to accept a job at Nodroz when all this was brought up. No offense Melody but I need to get out of your grandmother's house," Cassie said quietly.
"Take me with you," Melody said in a hushed voice. They snickered together.
"So what are the rest of us doing here?" Zara asked. The potential business partners were accompanied by the two teenagers and Karone.
Cassie put her hands on either side of Karone's head. "She doesn't have any other friends here, so I let her tag along," she said in a mock whisper.
Karone harrumphed and pulled Cassie's hands away from her ears. "Well, I can't say that isn't mostly true. But I am the one who told them about this building," she said. Though she was bunking with Cassie at Melody's grandmother's house, she'd been given a job by Jason. She was kung fu instructor at the Dojo. Though Fox was her main student, some of the other Rangers were showing interest in learning from her. Jason saw potential and created a position for her. She'd heard about the building from Jason and Adam chatting about it over break. While Cassie was talking her ear off about this idea the three other former Pink Rangers had, Karone remembered the building.
"I'm here because I wanted to come. You could have gone to the Youth Center with Tori and Chloe," Melody said.
Zara just shrugged. "Well, let's get to thinking pink then and look around," she declared.
"Thinking pink?" Kim asked, her eyes lighting up. "That is amazing. Think Pink. I love it," she said.
Kat grinned "Brilliant," she agreed.
Cassie giggled. She draped an arm around Zara and squeezed her close. "Think Pink! Dance and Gymnastics Studio," she said, flourishing her other hand in front of her as if envisioning a sign with the name on it. With a renewed sense of excitement, the little group began looking around he building, voicing ideas, and laughing together over this one or that one. Even Zara started to have fun. It was hard to resist a gaggle of Pink Rangers.
-x-
Not far away, a girl with lavender hair wearing large red glasses and a panda hoodie held a device in her hands. It was beeping intermittently, leading her somewhere. She made a face. She and her mother were searching for a power source they'd heard about. It had fallen to Earth millions of years ago, fragmented. If it was indeed the Soul Stone that had fallen to Earth, then a fragment was all they needed to crush their enemies in Andromeda. They'd reduced this planet to slag just for good measure.
Though they'd taken up residence on the Moon, their home, Revile Castle, was hidden in a pocket dimension monitoring the planet. Revile Castle is a spaceship where Ria and Rio rule over their servants and subjects. From scanning the planet, they suspected the fragments they were looking for was here in Angel Grove but they couldn't definitively pin-point a position.
That was how Rio found herself personally roaming around the streets of Angel Grove with a handheld scanner. It was far less accurate but when Bone Drones had alerted them to a potential signal--they usually had disguised Bone Drones doing this--Rio came down herself. The signal was weak but getting closer. Perhaps not the fragment but worth checking out. The scanner suddenly let out an eerie squeak. The source was in a wide squat building next to the Scott Dojo.
She smirked slightly. She tapped her glasses and the lenses turned yellow. She used them to scan the building for body heat. She saw six figures within. She tapped the side of her glasses again. "Mum, you'd better send me a distraction. This could get messy," she said even as a wicked grin stretched her face.
-x-
Palace on the Moon
Zita gritted her teeth as she pushed a Bone Drone out of her way. Everywhere she turned, she was tripping over them. Ria was often lounging in Roki's throne when she wasn't fiddling with Zita's battle map. Rio was constantly interrupting Zita's work or bothering Moriko by hitting on Griff. It was enough to give anyone a headache. She'd thought a good old fashioned monster attack on Angel Grove would take her mind off things but when she went to Finster's lab she found it empty. Finster never left his lab. Even when the moon had been occupied by the Machine Empire, he'd remained, locked away in his lab with his precious Monstermatic.
Finding the lab empty, Zita was going in search of her aunt. This had her name written all over it. "Where is Finster!" she demanded when she stomped into the throne room.
"I haven't seen your little rat-man," Ria said dismissively. She turned away from her niece when her daughter contacted her. The headgear wasn't just for show. It had actual functions. A wide smile split her face. "If you want to see a real monster, little girl, follow me," she said and whirled with a flourish of her cape. She strode out of the throne room.
Zita was livid. "Tell me what you've done with Finster! You have NO RIGHT coming into this palace acting as though you own it. Thrax is the next Master Vile, not you," she hissed.
Ria turned to her niece with a snarl. "And just where is your big brother? Why is Roki claiming dominion and usurping his place?" she asked cruelly.
"Thrax gave dominion of the Milky Way to Zita and Roki before he disappeared," Moriko said coolly as she came into the corridor. "There are blood rights to support his claim," she said and produced a dagger and sliced open her palm. Blood welled and then pooled on the floor. It began to arrange itself into a complex system of signs and runes.
Ria waved an arm and the blood disappeared. "I have no interest in this puny little galaxy. Yet. But you should warn your brother, dears, blood rights or not, I will be the next Master Vile. If I have to kill my brother, my nephews and my nieces so be it. It's the Vile way," she said. She turned and stalked down the corridor to the hatchery.
Zita approached Moriko and placed a hand over hers. Purple energy glowed between them briefly as she healed her sister.
"I see why Rito lit out of her like his balls were on fire," Griff commented as he made sure Moriko's hand was okay. "Do you really think she did something to Finster?" he asked Zita.
Zita pressed her lips into a thin dark line. "Finster has lived in this palace for ten thousand years. He never leaves. Suddenly he vanishes when she comes along? Even you should be able to make that connection," she said, though her heart wasn't really in the jibe. She was too upset.
To his credit, Griff ignored it. "I'll find him," he said. He liked the ratty little man and had no wish to see him come to harm because of this woman.
Moriko smiled at Griff. "Thank you. Finster doesn't deserve anything she may have done to him," she said. He kissed her palm and dropped her hand. He nodded to Zita and stepped into the shadows and all but disappeared. "We should see what Ria and Rio are up to," Moriko said to her sister, Zita nodded and they quietly went to the Hatchery.
Glowing incubators with rather plain looking iridescent eggs the size of basketballs lined the room. In the center was an apparatus that glowed green. A pipe connected it to the ceiling. A lever jutted out of one side. One Bone Drone held open a glass door while another carefully placed one of the basketball sized eggs inside. He almost dropped it, "Careful, you mixed bag of nuts and bones!" Ria shrieked but he recovered. The other Done Drone closed the door and they both scurried away. The green glow intensified and the egg's shell began to crack.
Ria typed something into an interface on top of the contraption near the pipe then pulled the lever. The egg was sucked up into the pipe. It was then launched to earth, where it landed. The shell completely fell away and a fully realized monstrous menace stood in Angel Grove. Gray and somewhat tentacle-faced with one attached wing and a large sword, Aciduoux looked around him. There was water everywhere. He could feel it.
He began running and found a fountain. It was perfect. People were already screaming, but when he jabbed his sword over a pipe feeding the fountain, the spray became hydrochloric acid. The pressure was also increased. The fountain exploded under a geyser of the corrosive substance. Aciduoux laughed. "Run, run little humans. When you're all digested, I'll eat you up!" he cried.
Overhead, small one-man flight vehicles with skeletal details appeared and began shooting up Angel Grove.
-x-
Danny finished a final touch on the special project. He let out a low whistle. "I think we did good," he told Holly. He gave her a grin. "We make a pretty good team," he said.
Holly nodded. "I think so, too," she said with a smile.
Emergency alarms began going off. The two of them rushed to the Power Chamber. "Ay yi yi!" Beez cried. "Not only is there a monster attacking, but there are enemy aircraft tearing up he city," she reported.
Holly and Danny shared a look. "We can help with that," Danny said.
"I really hope so," Tai said when he appeared in the Power Chamber to assess the situation. "Take Lani, Fox, Wood, Tori, Autumn and Lammy to deal with the UFO's. Give them a crash course very quickly," he instructed Danny. "The rest of us will deal with the monster," he said.
"Right, Boss," Danny said. He twisted his wrists. "It's Morphin' Time! Triceratops!"
"Tyrannosaurus!"
-x-
Bright streaks of lights preceded the arrival of seven color-coordinated Power Cycles on the streets of Angel Grove. Sleek and streamlined with clearly Ranger specific details, they were impressive. They each came to a stop as the riders looked up into the sky.
Male Black shielded his visor with his hand. "Not to belittle your efforts here or anything, but we're down here, and those things are up there," he pointed out.
"Are you in any position to criticize?" Electrum asked him.
Male Blue just grinned under his helmet. "Oh, ye of little faith. You gonna have to learn not to underestimate me," he said. "Hold on to ya britches and activate Glider mode," he said and flipped a switch on his console. He leaned forward and gripped the handlebars. A streamlined, winged-glider formed around him. He sped forward and the now Power Glider took flight.
"I'll learn my lesson one of these days," Black muttered as he flipped his switch and prepared for flight. The others did the same.
"Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Battle Conversion Vehicles. They are equipped for land, sea, and air. Blasters provide most of the firepower but for extreme emergencies, all but enough power to safely land can be compressed into one Battle Cannon Shot. Use it wisely," Blue instructed as he maneuvered after one of the enemy air crafts. It fired on him, and he quickly dodged and returned fire. He scored a hit. The craft sparked and smoked and seem to fade out of existence.
Female Red banked sharply when an enemy craft tried to play chicken with her. She managed a 180 degree turn and got behind the craft and fired several times. The craft started spiraling wildly before it disappeared.
Male Yellow was whizzing along behind one of the enemy aircrafts, trying to keep up with the skillful maneuverings of it's pilot. "I feel like a Rebel battling Empire forces. This is so awesome," he said as he finally managed to fire on his enemy, scoring a direct hit.
Female Green managed a chuckle. "Leave it to Wood," she remarked. "Whoa, Lammy, you have a tail," she said and turned to follow the craft that was following the VelociGlider.
"I can't shake him," Electrum said as she fired on one of them.
The PteroGlider and StygiGlider moved in to box it in. It was slightly larger than the others and differently shaped. "We got him," femme Pink said. She and femme Green fired on the larger craft and it exploded. It sent the two smaller vessels off course. It took them a few minutes to right themselves again and get back in the game.
-x-
Aciduoux was tracing the water networks of Angel Grove, making fountains an fire hydrants explode with hydrochloric acid as he went. A sharp whistle caught his attention and he turned. A small compact cannon ball crashed into his middle. Female Black, propelled by male Red's enhanced strength, sent them both flying several hundred yards from the acid spraying into the sky. He crashed and she rolled off of him.
"Augh! What?" he snarled as he got to his feet.
"That was just the opening gambit," she told him. "Power Axe," she summoned and slashed at the monster. Aciduoux brought up his sword to block and knocked her back with a swift kick to her middle.
"That ain't very polite," Gold said. "StegoMace!" He jumped and swung his weapon. Aciduoux tried to block but he didn't expect the counterattack that followed.
"CeratoSword!" Silver's attack had him stumbling back.
"Power Grips!" Yellow zoomed around the monster in flurry, sending sparks wherever her Grips snapped.
Aciduoux roared in annoyance. He swung his sword preemptively and caught her off guard. She went crashing into Green, who deftly caught her. "Thanks," she said woozily.
"Anytime," he said and set her on her feet "Stygian Armor!" He also summoned the Stygian Blade and ran forward. He sparred for a moment with the monster, phasing out when Aciduoux tried to slice him. He spun and jabbed the monster in the side. His sword sizzled and pitted from the acidic innards of the monster but the wound healed almost immediately. His surprised gave Acidiuoux time to knock him aside.
Pink hovered slightly and fid several arrows in quick succession. Aciduoux swatted away most of them but one thunked into his shoulder and sizzled. He ripped it out and it was practically melted. Pink fired again and the arrows hit in several places, making the monster stagger back.
"That's what I needed," Blue said and tapped her helmet, making her computer disappear. "Power Sai!" She threw one, and it missed whizzing past his head. He turned to scoff at where it landed, having missed her mark completely. She was already aiming her second Sai. It caught him in a place on his back that bubbled and smoked. "It's up to you now, Tai," she said.
Red had already summoned his Power Armor. He drove forward and jumped, bringing his Tyranno-Sword down with all his enhanced strength. Aciduoux sparked and crackled. He roared and stumbled forward. He wasn't down yet, however.
"Magnum Power Cannon!" Female Black summoned. She pressed the trigger. "Magnum Blast!" The powerful blast slammed into Aciduoux and he exploded, leaving behind a small egg. The egg exploded and a giant Aciduoux formed.
-x-
Zara and the pink brigade were finally finished touring the building. As they were discussing their next step, the monster sirens went off. "Uh-oh," Cassie said as they began looking to see if the source of the disturbance was nearby. What they saw surprised them. Rio appeared with a band of Bone Drones. They surrounded the group as Rio held up a device that was making a strange whirring sound.
Rio scowled at the readings she was getting. "That's not possible," she said and hit the side of the detector. Nope, the readings she was getting was definitely coming from a person. One of these women, but other signals were interfering. "Separate them," she instructed the Bone Drones.
"Look, lady, you're making a big mistake," Zara said and ducked as one of the Drones tried to grab her. He made another attempt, and she crouched down and swept him off his feet.
Rio made and impatient gesture. "I said separate them!" she shouted.
"Again, really big mistake," Melody agreed as the former Pink Rangers fanned out away from each other naturally.
Rio was beginning to frown more. Sure it was clearing up her readings but she was really getting sick of being told she was mistaking. "Why is that?" she snapped.
"Because the adults are all former Power Rangers," Rei answered from where she'd snuck up beside Rio.
Her appearance seemed to be the catalyst the group needed to take out the Bone Drones. Karone being pregnant put her at a disadvantage but Zara and Melody flanked her, making sure she was okay.
"I'm not in the mood to fight with you," Rio said to Rei absently. She'd finally figured out which of the women was giving off the energy she was looking for. It was the white haired one. She winked out from beside Rei and appeared beside Kat. She grabbed the woman by the hair and poked her in the arm with the reader. Kat cried out, more startled than in in pain.
Rei pursed her lips. "Want it or not," she said grimly and summoned a White Spell and tossed it at Rio.
Rio let go of Kat and whirled away. She frowned at the definitive proof that she'd been led astray. The woman had at one time been exploded to a powerful power source, but it wasn't the Soul Stone. She put the reader away. "You asked for it, coz," she said and ran toward Rei. She jumped and kicked forward. Rei barely managed to get her arms up to block. She was knocked back. Rio was already launching into her next attack. She kicked Rei in the side and send her flying back. Rio was already moving again and brutally kicked the younger cousin in the back.
Rei landed with a crash. Rio walked toward her. "You really thought you were a match for me?" she asked and scoffed. "You better off as part of Zita," she said. She made a gun with her fingers and her laser pistol appeared.
A garbage can lid flew into her side, knocking her off guard. The lid, spun back and forth, hitting her several times before she caught it. She glowered at it and saw Zara nearby. The Bone Drones had all been defeated and the other women were beginning to regroup. "You should learn how to fight from some of your friends. At least make it interesting next time," Rio told Rei. She retreated in a puff a of purple smoke.
Zara and Melody rushed over to help Rei to her feet. "Are you okay?" Melody asked.
"I'll be fine, but I'll never hear the end of it from Sora," Rei assured her. "Are you okay?" she asked Kat.
Kat looked at the needle prick on her arm. "I'll be fine, but I think she drew my blood," she said with a frown.
"We should get to the Command Center," Kim said. Cassie nodded her agreement and the little group teleported.
-x-
Giant Aciduoux was heading toward the Midtown Reservoir, which supplied half of Angel Grove with tap water. He'd turn it to hydrochloric acid and devour every human he could that wereexposed to it.
"Billie, get back to the Command Center. Get with Dr. Bill and see what we can do about the water the monster ruined," Red instructed.
Blue nodded and teleported.
The crystal on male Red's gauntlet began to glow. "Magnum Alpha Megazord!"
From various place around the city, Zords began appearing and converged on their location. The Zords began assembling together. The SmiloZord and the MastoZord formed legs and feet. The TyrannoZord formed a torso while the PteroZord and TriceraZord formed arms. A helmeted head turned out of the TyrannoZord. The StygiZord broke apart to form gauntlets, a chest shield and a helmet. The StegoZord, CeratoZord and VelociZord configured themselves in a shoulder mounted dino head cannon system that attached to the back of the shield with a tail. Their pilots were teleported into an enormous combined cockpit except for female Blue and Black. Silver split into two to take their spots.
Aciduoux took a swing at the Megazord. The Megazord retaliated with a swing of the tail. Aciduoux caught the tail and spun the Megazord and sent it crashing into a building.
"Oops, our bad," Pink said apologetically with a grimace.
Female Black activated something on her Morpher. "Alphamax Cannon!" The Alphamax Cannon and she teleported aboard. "I'll give you guys a bit of breathing room. Get ready," she said. She approached the center console in the cannon. She grabbed the dual joysticks and targeted the monster. "Target Acquired. Firing!" She depressed the buttons. Two by two, from the outside in the points of the Alphamax Cannon began firing, hitting the monster in succession. Each hit glowed. Finally the middle barrel fired. A beam of blindingly bright light hit. The other ten points connected in a circle and hit.
Aciduoux stumbled back, sparking and smoking but he wasn't out yet. He swung his sword at the Cannon. It connected. Black yelped. The seven Power Gliders zoomed by, shooting him, not damaging but annoying him. "Thanks guys," she breathed.
"No problem, partner," male Black's voice answered. She felt vaguely proud of him.
"It's about time we finished this up," male Red declared. "Magnum Dino Blast!" He lined the target up on his screen. He pressed the buttons, the dino mouths come open and their tail whipped up and four points of energy where fired at the monster. It blasted through him, scattering him into nothingness.
-x-
Palace on the Moon
Rio reappeared. When she realized she was still holding the garbage can lid, she threw it down with a snarl. "You two have been holding information back," she accused Zita and Moriko, who were placidly playing chess in a sitting room.
Zita, who felt more than a little satisfaction that their monster had died spectacularly, glanced up. She raised an eyebrow. "We were told to stay out of it and that you'd handle your own business," she reminded her cousin.
Rio took a step toward her. Ria came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. She raised her eyebrows at her nieces. "You will tell us everything you know about Angel Grove," she said.
Moriko shook her head. "No, I don't believe we will. It's more fun watching you figure it out yourself," she said and gave them her best grin.
Zita nodded. She moved one of her pieces. "Check," she said as if she'd forgotten about their stewing relatives glaring at them.
Rio stepped forward, dark energy swirling around her fist.
Finally, Moriko looked at her seriously. "You don't want to take on two of us. Especially us. We are not Rei," she said in a calm but slightly dangerous voice.
Ria pursed her lips. "We have our own problems. Whatever they think they know, we can easily learn elsewhere," she told her daughter and stalked away. Rio gave her cousins one last glance and followed her mother.
"Any ideas what they're looking for?" Moriko asked Zita.
The other girl shook her head. "Is your Neanderthal having any luck finding Finster?" she asked.
It was Moriko's turn to shake her head. The two of them sank into a brooding silence as they continued their game. The Palace was becoming a very uneasy place these days. Something needed to be done about the Reviles.
-x-
Billy found the best solution for the hydrochloric acid problem. Baking powder and a dash of magic. During the debriefing, he'd gone to Midtown Reservoir to distribute the concoction and soon the water was back to normal and no one had been seriously injured. There were still a few questions as to the true motives of why the Reviles had come to attack Earth.
Kat underwent a scan. They concluded that her molecular structure was more densely irradiated by Zeo energy than the other former Zeo Rangers.
"So they were zeroing in on her Zeo energy. Why?" Tai asked.
"It didn't seem like she was especially interested after she tested my blood," Kat said out loud.
"Zita and Moriko don't know what they're after either, but they've pretty much taken over the palace and have even disappeared Finster," Rei said, rubbing her side as she wandered in from the Medi-Lab.
Sora frowned at her. "You should be laying down," he said.
"I'll be fine. I heal faster than humans," she said dismissively. She more than a little annoyed by how easily Rio had beaten her. She needed more training than how to use her staff as a weapon, that was becoming clear. She wondered why she could remember every spell Zita ever learned, but she didn't have her martial arts skills. It was aggravating. She Mori was the same. But Mori had Griff to train her. She chewed the inside of her cheek. Maybe she should ask Lammy for extra help. She hated to admit she was too embarrassed to ask Sora. Besides, she figured Sora would be too easy on her whereas Lammy wouldn't hold back at all.
"Well, this human's head is still ringing," Chloe said. She clapped Fox on the back. Fox grunted and stumbled. "You did pretty good today. But from now on, I'm in on the Kung Fu lessons. You can't just be good in BCVs and Zords. You gotta hold your own on the ground next time," she said.
Fox rubbed his shoulder, half proud half mortified. "Yeah, yeah, I got it," he said.
"We'll make a Ranger outta you yet," Danny said and also slapped him on the back.
"Ow! What is with you Kennedy's?" Fox asked.
Autumn laughed and moved forward to save him. "We gotta go, Our shifts start soon," she said. She rubbed his back and they teleported.
Tai was smiling halfishly. "Rei, soon as you know something from your sisters--"
"You'll be my first stop," she promised.
He nodded and broke up the debriefing. As everyone trickled out, he stood pensively, deep in thought. Lani leaned her head against his arm. "Missing your boyfriend?" she asked teasingly.
Tai chuckled. "That, too," he answered. "Mainly just wrapping my head around this new turn of events," he said. He kissed the top of her. "I gotta jet. My turn to cook supper. You wanna come over?" he asked.
Lani sighed. "Can't. Have a paper to write after supper," she said and crooked a finger at him. He obediently bent down so she could kiss him on the cheek. She slipped away from him and teleported. He teleported as well, leaving the Command Center quiet for once.
-xThe End Chapter 20x-
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