Chapter 5 - From Outer Space .2

Command Center

Once Zhane was finally feeling better, he in turn began fussing over Karone. "I'm sorry for worrying you, but I'm fine. I'm more worried about you. It's almost time, isn't it?" he asked and put a hand on her tummy.

"Any day now," she said, so relieved that he was back safe and sound even though their shuttle wasn't.

Word was beginning to get out that Rex and Zhane had returned. Cassie and Jason arrived. Cassie went to greet Zhane while Jason went to view screens where Mel and Nyo were watching with rapt attention. "What's going on?" he asked, mildly concerned.

Mel put a hand over her mouth and looked toward the Medi-lab just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "It's Astronema," she whispered. The last thing she wanted to do was upset Karone in her condition. "How's that possible?" she asked.

It was Lammy who answered even though Mel was sure even the Goldsmiths couldn't hear her from the Command Center.

--x--

"You're not Astronema. You're just a clone of a woman named Karone," Lammy stated bluntly.

Astronema's face turned red. "I am not! I am Astronema, Princess of Evil!" she shouted. "Nubia! Teach her her place!" she said.

The dark woman got to her feet and gripped her whip. She flicked her wrist, intending to lash Lammy with it, but she held up her arm covered in exoskeleton, and caught it. She wrapped it around her wrist and pulled, pulling the woman off balance. Titus smirked somewhat. Nubia steadied herself and smirked as well. Suddenly the whip was no longer a whip, but a long snake who snapped at Lammy's face with poisonous fangs. Only Taran's quick actions to grab the snake's head saved her. The snake turned into sand and fell harmlessly to the ground.

"That's enough," Astronema said. She looked at them all. "I've greeted these peasants. They'll learn to worship me. Or they'll perish," she said as if it didn't matter which they chose. "That goes for everyone," she called out loudly so that those from the Moon were included. "Zebbo, Nebbo, Gebbo," she called out. Her little creatures came running back and boarded the ship. "Titus, Nubia," she said and entered the ship.

"Titus," Lammy said. "We freed you from Dr. Lee before. We can do it again," she vowed.

Titus looked at her for a long moment. "I believe you," he said. Nubia scowled and pushed him back into the ship. The hatch closed and the ship rose up and exited Earth's atmosphere, leaving everyone watching.

Widow took Roki's hand and they transported back to the Moon. Zita, too, returned to Tai's house in a puff of smoke.

Rei joined the Rangers, but Moriko and Griff left on their own.

Tai blew out a breath. "There's a lot to cover, we'll debrief in Red One in an hour," he said and looked pointedly at Lammy. She nodded, knowing she had a lot to explain to them.

--x--

Palace on the Moon

Roki lounged in his throne and watched his wife pace back in forth in something akin to a fury. "Are you okay, my love?" he asked.

"No! It's so outrageous it's laughable," she answered.

"You aren't laughing," he pointed out.

"It's so ridiculous I can't even laugh. Astronema? Seriously? She's a washed-up dreg about to give birth to some goody-goody, mealy mouthed offspring. I don't know what that thing is, but it's not Astronema," she said, and pointed in vicinity she guessed the Station was hiding. "If it gets in my way it won't even have a chance to become a washed-up dreg dropping mealy mouthed offspring," she vowed.

Roki had a smile a little at her tirade. "Expectant motherhood has made you even more vicious. I like it," he said.

She whirled around and narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you smiling like that?" she asked, raising a brow at him.

"Come over here and find out," he said. He leaned back in his throne and patted his lap.

She huffed. "Men. Always only thinking about one thing," she accused. She sighed and went to him. "But who can blame you when you're married to me," she said. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, letting him have his way in calming her ire.

--x--

The Station

As her pets frolicked and played, Astronema's bodyguards were on their knees in front of her. "Are you thinking of escaping Dr. Lee, Titus?" she asked.

"Always," he answered. His implant lit up, and his face tensed. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

"Never," she denied. "Who are you and who is Dr. Lee? You're my bodyguard. Why can't you just accept that be obedient like Nubia?" she asked him.

"Because I don't want to f--"

"Insolent!" Nubia barked, cutting off whatever he was about to say. "Please, ignore him, my princess," she pleaded.

Astronema squatted down until she was eye level with him. "Because you don't want to what?" she asked suspiciously.

"My princess, shouldn't the pod almost be ready?" Nubia asked, quickly trying to divert her attention.

Astronema frowned and stood. "Don't forget your place again, Titus," she warned and went to a console of the area of the station she used. "It won't be long now," she said. "Nubia, why don't you oversee the operation. Take Titus with you. Make sure he behaves himself," she said.

Nubia got her feet and bowed. "As you command, my princess," she said.

Titus got to his feet. "Never fear, my princess. My sense of self-preservation will always overrule my rebellion," he drawled lazily. The slapdash bow he gave her was far from respectful.

"See that it does," she said. "Go," she said, waving a dismissive hand at them.

They left her command center.

--x--

Command Center

Though not entirely time for the debriefing, Rex was still catching up with the team changes. "Okay, so Mace joined Chloe for team Mastodon and Billie cloned Tori after Manny moved to France with her mom," he asked, sorting it all out in his head.

"I didn't clone anyone. I don't even have an interest in biochemistry!" Billie snapped. Usually, she took that kind of thing in stride. Grouchily, but mostly saw the humor. "I'm going to the Lab," she grumbled and shuffled off.

Rex raised an eyebrow and pointed to where she disappeared.

Danny cleared his throat. "We overheard your sister at the Youth Center bragging to her friends that Nathan came to her house. There was a conversation I ain't goin' into. She's been like that ever since," he explained.

Rex rubbed the bridge of his nose. Mention of his sister reminded him that his family didn't know he was back yet. So much had happened in a short span of time. He decided he wouldn't reappear until after the debrief, however. "Wait. Why was Nathan at my house?" he asked.

"Tai asked to borrow my mom's SUV," Nathan said. "You have way too many clothes. And that's me saying this," he declared. He glanced toward the Lab. Finally, he decided not to bother Billie right then. She'd probably take his head off.

"Is there such a thing?" Rex wondered.

"I've never thought so," Chloe answered.

"See? No such thing," Rex said.

"It's super convenient how you didn't show up until after we finished moving you," Mace said.

"What can I say? Sometimes things just work out," Rex said and grinned.

"Lucky for you, I'm a super awesome guy and volunteered to help or else Nathan and Tai would have given up," Mason said and added his own smile.

Tori held a hand in front of her eyes. "I think I need sunglasses. It's blinding. Put your dimmers on, boys," she said.

Kiki cocked her head. Though they were smiling at each other it didn't seem all that friendly. "What's going on?" she asked her sister.

"They're trying to out Hart each other. It can get a bit much," Chloe declared. "Now that you're back, since you worked some kind of miracle with Fox, you need to do something about him. He can't fight his way out of paper bag," she said to Rex while gesturing in Mace's general direction.

"What are you talking about, sharp-tooth? I am a naturally athletic genius," Fox stated.

Chloe slow blinked at him. "Did you really say that with a straight face?"

Fox started laughing. "Yeah, I don't know how I managed that either," he admitted.

Rex shook his head. "A lot of the credit goes to Karone and Tai for making sure Fox doesn't get himself killed on a regular basis," he said. He glanced at his younger cousin. His good mood had slipped as he'd watched Fox and Chloe's easy banter. "From my brief observations, he was doing pretty well. But it's true, he needs work," he agreed, nodding thoughtfully.

"He's standing, like, right here," Mace said.

Rex ignored him. "I'm surprised Tai's let it go this long," he said.

"Dude. I've been a Power Ranger for, like, a week."

"Now, I'm even more surprised."

"If you didn't make it back before it became a problem, I would've dealt with it. AJ actually mentioned to me that there was a type of Pai Zhuq that focused on working with a flail like the one he has," Tai spoke up. He'd come out of Red One in time to hear the latter part of the conversation.

Rex nodded slightly. "We'll discuss it later. I think I just remembered something," he said.

"I guess I don't get a say?" Mace asked.

Fox shook his head. "No, not at all," he said. He wondered if it was bad thing that he was glad they had a new person to send to boot camp.

"What did you remember?" Tai asked as Rex went and pulled up footage of the insectoid things that they'd faced.

Rex blew out a breath. "A couple months back, Zhane and I answered a distress call on a desert planet. Although when we arrived to answer the call, the planet was deserted. We located the source of the distress call. We found the spaceship equivalent of a junkyard. The signal was coming from a junked out old shuttle. Creatures suddenly attacked us."

Danny looked at the footage as well. "If it'd been those things, wouldn't you have recognized them sooner?" he asked.

"It wasn't those things, but they kinda were, now that I think about it. Not as strong. Not as insect-like, and definitely no exoskeleton," he said.  He frowned, rubbing his forehead. "I guess it was a while after that Zhane realized some of Karone's things were gone. Like innocuous things you don't think about unless you just happen to. Hairbrush, toothbrush, clothes he thought she left behind because they didn't fit anymore, that type of thing," he shrugged.

"Some old hair, skin cells, and spit would be enough. Titus was created from a couple drops of blood," Lammy said. "We should head to Red One so that I can tell you everything I know about Dr. Lee Keflen," she said.

"Okay, I've been wondering for a while now," Rex said. There was a pause as they waited for his question. "What exactly is Red One?"

--x--

Titus and Nubia appeared on Earth. The Station was teleport capable, but Astronema liked making an entrance in her ship. Each had a hand-held tracking device. Nubia was barely able to contain her ire at him. "How dare you!" she snarled and pushed him.

He didn't move. "What, like it’s a secret? Even she's not stupid enough not to notice. She's using it to control you the same way she uses this to control me," he said, pointing to his implant.

"You stay out of my face and out of trouble. I'll find the pod and activate it myself," she warned him and stalked off.

He watched her go and put his tracking device in a holster on his belt since he wouldn't be needing it. He could do with a nap. He checked his surroundings. They'd appeared in the wilderness it seemed. He knew better than to seek out Grifforzer or Lammy. The punishment he'd receive for that wasn't worth it.

He began walking, looking for someplace he wouldn't be bothered. He suddenly stopped near a couple of trees whose branches grew to form a natural arch. The whole thing made his senses tingle. A girl walked down a well-trodden trail beyond the trees. She paused when she saw him standing there. Then she continued toward the trees. "If you're here to cause trouble you've come to the wrong place. It's better for you to go play with the Power Rangers," she stated.

"I'm just looking for a place to take a nap," he said.

"You've come to the wrong place for that, too. Me crashing at Tai's house is bad enough. Can't imagine how he'd feel if I brought you over," Zita said drily. Though she had to smile in amusement at the thought of the Red Ranger's house becoming a haven for alien villains. It was too comical. She almost laughed out loud.

Titus frowned at her. "You know who I am," he said. He assessed her again. Dressed in jeans and an oversized Angel Grove High tee-shirt, she wore sneakers and had her dark hair pulled into two low-hanging pigtails that curled slightly at the ends.

She grinned. "You don't know who I am? Did I lose my notoriety that quickly? Not sure I like that," she said. She held out her hands towards the trunk of each tree and pulses of energy moved from her palms into each tree that momentarily lit up the barrier surrounding the property as the pulse rippled along.

She nodded in satisfaction. It was strong and stable. She dusted her hands off.

The pulse really made his senses go crazy and the implant lit up like a Christmas tree, and the pain drove him to his knees. Zita turned to introduce herself after her dramatic demonstration when she noticed his predicament. She bent, a pulse of magic in her hand as she reached for the implant, but he grabbed her wrist. "Don't touch it. It thought I was trying shapeshift," he managed to explain. The pain finally ebbed away, and he wiped a drop of blood from his nose. "What is that thing?" he demanded, looking at the trees.

"A protective barrier. Unless invited in by someone with the proper bloodlines, evildoers aren't allowed in," she said. "Me being the exception," she added.

"I don't like it," he said.

Zita tore a piece of her stolen tee-shirt and pressed it where his nose was still bleeding. "That's the point I presume. It doesn't like your tech," she said.

"I'm not generally a good person without the tech," he said, regaining his feet and wiping the blood off his face with the piece of cloth. "You must be Zita. You look different than how you were depicted in the briefings," he said.

"I'm trying something new. Sloppy high school chic. It's not working?" she asked.

The way he crossed his arms over his chest reminded her a lot Griff just then. He was definitely one of them. She crossed her arms over her chest and returned his look with the added addition of a sassily cocked hip.  "This isn't helping me get a nap any sooner," he said. "Thanks for this," he said and put the bloody piece of cloth in her hand and started walking away.

She wrinkled her nose and burnt it with a quick spell. "What are you going to do about your tech?" she asked him.

He paused and glanced back at her. "Whatever I'm told. Tamper and magic proof. Not that I have any magic, but it was made quite clear that it was magic proof," he said. He pulled his device out of hip. Since he didn't have any magic, he had to teleport the old-fashioned way. Since a nap was out of the question, he'd pretend to help Nubia.

Zita watched him disappear. "We'll see about that," she said. She needed a project. Since defeating the Power Rangers was more or less off the table, finding out more about the new bad in the neighborhood and foiling its plans might just be the answer. She wasn't looking forward to it, but maybe it was time to reach out to Moriko. Thoughts whirling in her head, she started walking back up the house. She promised Grandpa tea and a game of Go.

--x--

Nubia found what she was looking for near a camping area. She could hear the inhabitants of this planet in the distance and smell the smoke of cookfires. It actually made her a bit hungry. The pod looked like a bunch of fish eggs in a sack. It was stuck to the side of tree and pulsated. Electrical discharges occasionally lit up the membrane. Those things were so disgusting.

She pressed a button on her screen. The pod began to pulsate frenetically, and arc with electricity. It grew at an exponential rate, sucking all the life from the tree it was attached to. It became a monster. Pinkish, it was an elephantine creature with a mouth for a head open over a brain, a face as it's middle and a long trunk in front. Extraneous trunks sprouted out of him as well. "Trunketeer at your service!" he trumpeted.

"Gather specimens for Dr. Lee," Nubia instructed. She used her newly reformed whip to point him in the direction of the indigenous species were frolicking. He let out a loud trumpet and began crashing through the trees toward the sounds.

--x--

The Rangers listened to everything Lammy knew about Dr. Lee. Including the more or less happy ending she and Griff thought things had wrapped up on. "Except, now I fear nothing turned out how we thought it did. Not only did he reclaim Titus, but it looks as though he sought vengeance against our client," she said.

"What do you mean by that?" Taran asked her.

"Prince Wakheem of the royal family of Adisvaar. It's a tiny but rich little kingdom tucked into a pocket dimension. Dr. Lee had been doing experiments on the people of Adisvaar. Because some of the elite families have the ability to transmogrify," she said.

"Trans-whatsit?" Nathan asked.

"Turn one thing into a different thing," Billie stated. "Like that woman," she said.

Lammy nodded. "The royal family being the most gifted," she said.

The monster alert began going off. "Some kind of creature appeared near the campgrounds by Grover Lake," Nyo told them.

"Team one will go, the rest of you on standby," Tai said as he got to his feet with the rest of his team. They teleported out of the command center.

--x--

Trunketeer was no ordinary deformed elephant thing. He had the ability to throw energy blasts from his main frontal trunk. Ordinary campers, enjoying the last vestiges of summer were going about their business. Some were grilling, some were setting up camps, others were splashing around in the lake. It all changed when a loud earsplitting trumpet was followed by an energy blast blowing a crater in the middle of the campgrounds. People screamed, first at the sudden attack, and then the creature that caused it.

Trunketeer sucked in a deep breath and fired from his trunk again, this time, instead of an energy blast, an energy net was launched and trapped people that were trying to get away. "You are not going anywhere," he said and gave a toot-toot from his trunk. Spotting more fleeing campers, he launched another energy net.

Multi-colored energy blasts knocked him back a few steps. "What was that?" he demanded. He found himself surrounded by Power Rangers. "Who called for party clowns?" he asked and sucked in a breath and let out a trumpet blast, that had the Rangers scrambling.

"Okay, that’s a tough one," male Black said.

"Understatement," female Green said.

"What's wrong? I thought Power Rangers were supposed to be tough. Are you scared already?" Nubia asked. She pressed another button on her device. "If you don't want to play with the Chimera, how about a playdate with more Skoria?" she taunted.

A craft landed nearby and opened. The insectoid foot soldiers began spilling out.

"Those things again," Yellow groused.

Red looked around. "Billie, Tori try to get those people free. The rest of you handle those things," he instructed. "Tyranno Sword!" he summoned and a dashed out of his hiding place toward the monster.

Blue and Pink nodded and ran to the trapped campers. "Power Fans!"

"Power Sai!"

Pink tried to slash at the net, but it was like hitting something incredibly hard and her fans rebounded. "Ack!" she cried out.

"Hang on a minute," Blue said and tapped her helmet, beginning to analyze the nets.

Green, Black, and Yellow were left to take on the Skoria.

"Power Staff!" Green summoned her long weapon and whipped it around her body as she attacked the insectoids.

Yellow sprinted forward and jumped. "Power Daggers!" he summoned as he landed and shredded the Skoria that were in his landing zone.

Black back flipped several times as Skoria converged on him. "Power Flail!" he summoned and launched the wicked ball forward, bursting through the creatures before retracting it.

Red battled many trunks, each time he'd slash one off, another would take its place. He surmised the weak point maybe its brain-filled mouth, but it was definitely not giving him a chance to get to it. Trumpeteer trumpeted gleefully and jumped back and blasted him with full force.

With a cry he was launched several yards and crashed into the ground. He gritted his teeth.

"I really hoped the Power Rangers would be better than this," Titus drawled from above him, crossing his arms over his chest.

Red grunted and got to his feet. He dusted his chest off. They eyed each other for a long tense moment. When Titus made no moves to engage, Red dismissed him and turned his attention back to the monster. Summoning his strength, he threw his sword like a spear. It may have whistled as it flew through the air. It cut through everything in its path.

-x-

Command Center

Lani gasped from where she was watching the fight. "That did not look fun," Fox said with a grimace.

"Yeah, but it's Tai," Chloe said and patted Lani's arm.

Lani nodded. Suddenly there was a commotion from the Medi-Lab. "What's going on?" she asked.

"It seems as though Karone is in labor and was ignoring the early contractions," Monitor Beez answered. "Don't worry. Myself, my hologram, and Kat have everything in hand," she assured everyone.

It seemed the commotion was hologram Beez shooing everyone but Zhane and Kat out of the Medi-Lab.

Rex rubbed his neck. "Man, what a day," he said, but he grinned when they saw Tai single-handedly defeat the monster. He draped an arm around Lani's shoulders. "I know you’re thinking how sexy that man is," he said, and she elbowed him in the side. He grunted but noted that she didn't deny it even as her cheeks flamed.

-x-

"Found the weak spot! Aim your fans at the thicker bits of energy!" Blue told Pink as she began to toss her Sais.

"Right!" Pink declared and complied. They began freeing the campers.

"Hey those are my pris--" Trumpeteer didn't get to finish his tirade against Pink and Blue because the flying TyrannoSword impaled him to the hilt. The point of the blade poked out the other side of his body. He began to arc electricity, and stumble around. "What! What happ--" he exploded. The TyrannoSword flew through the air again and landed in the ground in front of Red as the others regrouped.

Titus nodded, looking slightly impressed. Nubia seethed. She pressed a button on her device. The remnants of the Chimera bubbled and boiled and soon exploded into a giant-sized version.


"Come, Titus. I'm sure Astronema will want words with you," Nubia growled and the two teleported out of the path of destruction.

"RaptoZord One!"

"RaptoZord Two!"

"RaptoZord Three!"

"RaptoZord Four!"

"RaptoZord Five!"

"RaptoZord Six!"

The Raptor Zords began to digitize into existence and teleported their pilots to their cockpits. "Raptormax Megazord!" The Red RaptoZord changed into a lithe humanoid figure base, its long tail becoming a sword. The Pink RaptoZord broke and formed leg armor. The somewhat winged Blue RaptoZord transformed into chest armor. The little Yellow RaptoZord became almost spiny gauntlets. The four-winged Black RaptoZord became a helmet with side flares. Finally, the Green RaptoZord transformed into a smaller sword.

"We have to be careful of it's trunk," Blue said.

"Trust me, I know," Red said.

Trumpeteer fired aid trunk at them. The Megazord put up its long sword to absorb the blow, and it was pushed back. The sword was charred. They tried to slash at the monster with the smaller sword, but its trunks were in the way.

"We need the Legends," Pink said.

"Indeed, we do," Blue agreed.

"We're on it," Taran said over the comms.

While the Raptormax battled trunks and tried to minimize damage from its blasts, Gold, Electrum, and Silver appeared. "Legend Megazord!" They summoned as one. The StegoZord, VelociZord, and CeratoZord digitized into existence and began to combine, forming the Megazord. The Rangers teleported on board. "Spike-Tail Silo!" Gold summoned. A stegosaurus faced rocket-launcher looking cannon digitized onto their shoulder. "Aim!" The stego's mouth opened. "Fire!" Three balls of metallic light where launched from the Silo in quick succession. Each hit the monster in the back. The Raptormax took cover as it exploded into squishy looking egg-like things that shriveled up and disappeared when exposed to the atmosphere.

"Thanks for the save," Red said.

"Thanks for the distraction," Gold assured them.

-x-

After the battle Rex finally managed to go home and tell his parents and sister that he'd returned. After a feast in his honor, he retired to the apartment Tai had picked out for him to share. When he opened the door to the room, he'd been told was his, he was almost crushed by falling boxes. Tai snapped a picture of him. "This should make Nathan and Mace feel a lot better," he said,

"Maybe I do have to many clothes," Rex said as he extricated himself from the mess.

Tai grinned. "Man, it's good to have you home," he said.

"It's good to be home and suited up again." he said.

Tai's phone beeped, and he flipped it open. "Karone and Zhane are now the proud parents of a bouncing baby boy named Zeke," he said.

Rex groaned. "He was insufferable when she was expecting. I cannot even imagine how he's going be with an actual baby," he said, but he was smiling.

Tai chuckled. "C'mon, let me help you clear a path to your bed," he said. Rex nodded. He was so glad to be home.

-x-

Command Center

Even at night, with the celebration of a new legacy amongst them, Billie could be found in the Blue Lab, tinkering with something or other. Nathan knocked on the doorframe before walking in. She peered over her glasses at him. "What?" she said flatly.

"You should go home. Or come over to my place for My Little Pony and Care Bears," he suggested. She didn't answer him. With sigh he walked over to her workstation and put his hands on hers to stop her tinkering. She glanced up at him. "I don't know what Danny said to put his foot in his mouth and make you mad at me, but if it's about Rena Hart, then there's no reason to be mad," he said firmly.

"I know," she muttered.

He sighed again. "Aside from agreeing not to talk about it, we haven't talked about it. It's time, Billie. Come over to my place," he said.

Billie blushed slightly, much to her consternation. "We don't need to talk about any--" Nathan cut her denial off swiftly by pressing his lips against hers. Well, she supposed, maybe he was right. It was time. Perhaps even well past. She kissed him back.

-x-

The Station

Titus and Nubia were on their knees again. Astronema crossed her arms as she paced back and forth in front of them. "Well, that was an unmitigated disaster. Why didn't either of engage the Rangers?" she asked.

"I was told to stay out of way," Titus drawled in answer.

Nubia glared at him. "It was just a test case, my princess," she said. "The Power Rangers have no idea what's to come," she said hastily.

Astronema nodded. "True," she said thoughtfully. She down in a chair and the three-tailed cat jumped in her lap. She scratched it behind the ears. It began to purr, but sounded discordant and overly loud, making Titus's ears hurt.

Astronema looked up and seemed surprised that they were still kneeling before her. "You can go now," she dismissed. "Run along," she shooed them with her hand.

They got to their feet and bowed.

When they left, Astronema absently reached up and rubbed her temple near her implant. The constant throbbing in her head seemed to be much worse than usual. "No matter," she muttered. "We'll show them the true Princess of Evil next time," she said in a cutesy voice as she talked to the creature in her lap.

Next time.

-xEnd 05x-

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