Mega Morphing Power Rangers

[Flightless Man]

Episode 12.5: The Enemy Within
​

As soon as she materializes, Emma's pulse starts going through the roof. The hallway she finds herself in, is dreadfully familiar. Mint green walls covered in months worth of grim, are broken up by a zigzagging blue line.

Dingy yellow panels fill the space between the flickering fluorescent lights above her. I can still remember how many are in this hallway. "One hundred and thirty five, with the broken panel right over… there it is." She mutters to herself absently, Emma's feet leading her deeper into the hospital.

Her dread grows deeper with each step, but she can't stop walking forward. This could be my greatest fear, or it could by whatever would make me happiest. She reaches the door and glances at the number, confirming this is indeed the room her mother died in.

"Let's get this over with," Emma lets out a hiss, before grabbing the handle. Before she can change her mind, Emma shoves it open and enter.

The room is the same, but it's no longer a room for one person. "No!" She gasps out horrified, with the door slamming shut behind her.

On either side of her mom's bed, is a matching one for her dad and Trini. Gia and Skull's bodies are both laying under the window, the closed blinds blocking her view of outside.

With anguish filling Emma's heart, she whirls to the last three beds. Jake, Noah, and Troy are likewise dead and this is when her tears starts to flow. She doesn't see the room shimmer and warp around her, years passing in seconds.

"Don't cry Emma, being dead's not so bad." Gia's voice shakes her out of her grief, making her look up and scream. Her oldest friend is no longer a fresh body, but a corpse well into the decay process.

Yellow skin hangs from her face, with a large part of her cheek missing and the teeth inside exposed. Her eyes are milky white, with most of the hair fallen from her head in clumps.

"Nothing hurts anymore dear," The gurgling from behind her can only come from her mom, but Emma can't bring herself to look. "Have you come to join us?"

Eugene reaches for her face with his black and rotting hand. He grabs her chin and makes her look at him, with Emma only able to screw her eyes tightly shut. "Don't you love us Emma, why won't you look at us?"

"She knows this is her fault," Trini explains with a croaking voice. "Emma's never been brave."

With another wheezing hiss Gia agrees, twisting the knife even deeper. "That's why you always kept me around, right Emma? So I could fight all your battles."

"No wonder Skull ditched you," Troy mocks her, his voice sounding like he has only half a tongue. "You're a coward."

"So why did Zordon choose you?" They all speak as one, the voices blending into a screeching cacophony.

Why was I chosen? She starts to tremble again, thoughts of her team flooding her mind. Noah is a genius. Even if he can't fight as well as the rest of us yet, none of us can do what he does.

Emma thinks of her best friend next, trying to borrow some of her strength. Gia is tougher than nails, so why did someone as soft as me get selected? Only to remember that's exactly what she was just accused of her whole life, hiding behind the strong.

Troy has the determination of stone, nothing seems to even make him blink. She knows how easy it is to bring her to this state, so why pick a crybaby?

She considers Jake last, but knows even he is more worthy. He might seem like a goofball, but he's dedicated to the cause completely. Feeling her heart sink into her left shoe, Emma nearly gives up.

"I'll always believe in you Emma," Her mom's last words of weight echo in her head, stopping her from giving in to despair. "So don't compare yourself to Trini, Gia, or anyone else. Because none of them will ever care as much as you do, so learn to rely on each other."

Emma smiles and the inhumane noise fades around her, remembering what had been to hard to face before. "I won't be here much longer, but my love will never leave you." Warm tears trickle down her face.

"I'm not hiding behind you anymore Gia," She exclaims with full confidence in herself. You've been showing me how to stand on my own this whole time. "I'm ready to be strong Mom."

Emma forces her eyes open and readies herself to fight off the ghouls, but finds it thankfully unnecessary. Finds herself beneath tropical trees and alone, she groans.

It takes some effort, but she manages to climb high enough in a tree to see the terrain rising up to the temple. Maybe five miles max, I can do this... no problem. Emma considers how rough the terrain looked and starts the hike while she still has sunlight.


…


"Where am I?" Are the first words out of Noah's mouth as he finds himself suspended in midair. A strange buzzing noise is coming from his left, but he finds himself stuck to something and unable to move.

Cobwebs in the branches above him, make his skin crawl. Worst fears… well shit. He realizes what's going on, just as the buzzing is cut off suddenly. A massive shadow is cast over him, with the long spindly legs making him squirm.

"Not getting eaten by a damn spider." Growling to himself, Noah forces his brain to work. What would Jake do? The answer he comes up with, makes him laugh despite the pants wetting terror.

Noah squirms in his clothes, careful to keep his skin from making contact with the web. Once he's wormed his way out of his plaid button up, the jeans are carefully shimmied out of.

He swallows his terror and makes himself look over to the source of the shadow. A massive bone white spider is feasting on something, or someone wrapped tightly in webbing. The spider is the size of a walrus, which makes the no longer squirming feast... man-size.

Swallowing some bile at the idea, Noah shifts his gaze downwards. He's maybe thirty feet up, but this is not the only web in the trees. As far as he can see, webs leave the entire jungle a deathtrap.

"Jake would do something stupid, so let's see how that works out for me." Noah readies himself and launches himself into the air, keeping his body in as tight of a dive as possible.

He nearly makes it through, but his left calf snags on the last web. His speed makes it act more like a wax strip, throwing him off target and towards the tree trunk.

Thudding off of it, he tumbles to the ground and gasps for breath. Feels like I'm playing Mowgli, I look like I was raised by wolves. Noah forces himself to stand and looks over his muddy and nearly nude body.

Angry schreeching from from the trees has him looking for a way to run, but he knows how fast spiders are. I'm not out running a spider that size, let alone a whole colony of them. "Emma would try and tame you, so I'm going to need a little Troy and a dash of Gia for this."

Noah grabs a sturdy looking stick and brandishes it defensively. He may not have the lance skills in his brain right now, but he's confident in his ability to take at least one arachnid with him.

"Well, don't you like dark meat? Come and get me!" Roaring at the canopy, he watches a shadow double in size. Now! Stabbing up, he feels the crunch of his spear and shoves the spider to the side.

It lands with a thud and writhes, but Noah has no time to celebrate. Three more are nearly upon him, so he removes his weapon with a squelch.

He considers the way the hesitate before charging for him. Emma is the best in the woods, so let's see if I've learned anything from her. Whirling on his heels, Noah makes a break for the sounds of rushing water.

"Faced my fear, but aversion therapy ain't for me!" He crashes through the foliage and finds himself getting entangled. The more he struggles, the tighter he finds himself bound.

Noah blinks in the course of his writhing, only to suddenly find himself on the beach. No longer wrapped in vines, He looks down and blushes. Somehow he took his own shirt and pants off, binding himself in them during the course of the hallucination.

"Just glad none of the others saw that," He mutters under his breath and dresses himself once more.


…


Gia materializes in total darkness, pressure weighs down on her and makes it nearly impossible to breathe. But I can still freak out. She has maybe a foot of space around her head, with dirt constantly sprinkling into her eyes.

I need to move! Blood pounds in her ears, as Gia tries to wiggle a hand upwards. Only have a little air, need to start digging. Trying not to succumb to the terror building, she lets it feed her adrenaline instead.

It doesn't take too long digging out her second arm, the loose soil being easy to shift around. But once Gia starts to dig above her head, the dirt tumbles onto her uncontrollably. I can still get out of this!

Refusing to give up and die, Gia tries to cover her face with her hands. It leaves her with even less room than before, but she can't let go of her determination. If I let go for even a second, that's as good as giving up.

Emma would be fine here. Thinking of her nature loving best friend, Gia can only hope a tree grows above her unmarked grave. Gia stops struggling and realizes she's growing lightheaded. Almost out of air, guess I really can't control everything.

People have come and gone from her life with grand promises and even grander betrayals, it's kind of relaxing… knowing she won't have to keep her guard up much longer.

Jake surprised me. Gia smiles sadly, wishing he had a chance to keep doing it. I could have had a summer of smiles with him, instead of holding him at arms length this whole time.

Hope my replacement is smart, Noah needs someone who can keep up with him. She considers the awkward ranger and how earnest he is, which leads her to thoughts of Troy. Not all guys are like my dad, all three of them are proof.

Finally letting go of the struggle to control everything, Gia finds herself able to breathe again. No more crushing pressure is closing in on her and she opens her eyes.

Submerged up to her neck in a crystal clear pond, Gia finds herself tangled in some vines hanging down. "Well this could have been a very strange grave." She snorts and works herself free, walking out of the water with the help of the cord like vines.


…


Blinking in confusion, Jake finds himself in someone's living room. "Your wife isn't getting suspicious, is she?" A voice purrs from behind him, making him spin in shock.

The girl he saved at the beach is standing in front of him, with little more than a smirk on her face. She's at least ten years older, which explains what she said about me having a wife. Glancing over her shoulder, he catches sight of himself in a mirror.

I look nearly thirty, what the hell is going on? Flinching away from Dana's gorgeous body, Jake wracks his brain for answers. Nothing springs to mind at first and he finds it very hard to think.

The enticing sight before him can't be real, which only leaves an illusion. Is this a fear… or my desire?

"If she is, you can always just leave her." Dana wraps herself around him, making Jake go still. "We can finally be a real family and you can forget that wretched shrew."

Feeling his blood freeze in his veins, Jake realizes exactly how terrifying this really is. I've become my father.

Dana purrs in his ear, never stopping with her honeyed promises. "You can just play for a different team, you wont have to see Gia anymore and the brat only a few times each year."

My dad would never have quit playing soccer, he would have just turned in his morpher and worried about himself. "This can't scare me anymore." He calmly declares, making the body wrapped around him stiffen. "Gia would never let me get away with this and even more importantly... I will never let this happen."

Opening his eyes and ready to fight a naked woman, Jake finds himself with a shrieking monkey on his back. It pulls his hair and yanks a fistful free, before leaping from his shoulders. It lands on an overhanging branch and vanishes into the jungle.

 

[Flightless Man]

Episode 13: Life's a Masquerade​

Once the pair arrive on the island, Skull takes the lay of the land. He see's nothing to give the place such a fearsome reputation and turns to let his companion know. "Bulk… what's uh, going on?"

His only friend is cowering in the dirt and backing into a hollow log. Bulk doesn't respond, he only begins whimpering and shutting himself inside with a large piece of bark.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Snorting scornfully at the cowardly display, Skull realizes something. "Wait, you aren't morphed..."

Baboo said if they got the Mirror of Regret, the world would be conquered in twenty four hours. Rita also said she would give Bulk Angel Grove for doing well. "What will I get for doing her job for her?" He grins to himself and leaves his only friend crying inside a log.

He starts to hike towards the hills, using what Emma taught him to stay on track. Maybe I can have Australia. "Don't think Scorpina's getting it anymore." I know Kim didn't like bugs and snakes, maybe Rita doesn't either?

Chuckling himself, Skull doesn't see the five beams of color get scattered across the island. With flamethrower in hand, he burns a swathe through the foliage.


…


Reaching for the cliff's edge, Troy grasps a root and heaves himself over. His hands are blistered and bloody, but he finally reached the plateau.

Taking a deep lungful of the crisp air, he takes a moment to peer over the island. With the setting sun blanketing the jungle in shadows, Troy thinks he can make out where he arrived. "Only three or four miles, I thought it was a lot longer."

Hope the others are alright. Shaking the worst case scenarios from his mind, Troy finally looks upon the Temple of Regret.

The stonework is ancient and reminds him of a Chinese pyramid. Designs are as clear as the day they got carved, showing Troy scenes of nine different red rangers and the challenges each faced. Only an antechamber is visible, with the rest of the structure being inside the mountain itself.

Stepping inside the limestone chamber is like being doused in chili powder. All of his senses explode into action at once and the overload sends him crashing to the hard floor.

Flames fill Troy's vision, before extinguishing into a black haze. The sound of fireworks fade along with the smell smoke, with the air around him cooling down again.

When his sight returns, he finds himself snug in a bed he doesn't recognize. The décor is nearly all some shade of red or gold, with it all being more luxurious than he had ever dreamed of having. Rolling onto his side in an attempt to get out of bed is stalled, when he sees a tray filled with his favorite foods.

Troy is sorely tempted by the waffles and back bacon, but the note tucked under the plate is what gains his attention. Grabbing it before his growling stomach wins out, Troy feels his face go crimson.

'Good morning Babe, I went to pick up your Aunt and Uncle. I made sure my tux is hanging up, no wrinkles this time.' A very well drawn ape wearing a red suit is inserted here, making Troy smile. 'We'll be at the anniversary ceremony watching from the second row and don't worry, Jason will be hiding out at the hotel.'

He finally gets out of bed and opens the door to the rest of the condo. The walls are covered in pictures of the other rangers, each with the appropriately colored frames. It's not just the friends he recognizes either.

Half of the pictures are of people in color coded uniforms. Each time a group of teens stand before him and he gets progressively older in each of the ten photos. Glancing down at his belt shows a strange morpher, a very gaudy gold instead of the normal scarlet shade.

Even the coin is different, with some kind of dragon or at least a scaly creature engraved on it. Everything I could ever dream of. Troy realizes how dangerous this place is, because he doesn't want to leave.

Acceptance, safety, and my mistake undone? Why would I ever wake up? A second glance at the pictures of his friends though and he remembers. "The world needs us." He has to say it aloud, or the knowledge may slip away again.

If I'm fighting monsters, why can't I fight for what I want? Troy doesn't walk to the front door, instead reaching for the new morpher and finds it once again crimson. "It's morphing time!" Roaring in rejection of the falsity, Troy opens his eyes.

He finds himself on a stone bridge, suspended high enough the bottom isn't visible. A dozen of the bridges meet up, with each one having a different color door of sealed stone. Glancing back shows his own door was the red one, with the cliff side just visible through it.

In the center of the room is raised platform, with Skull's skeletal body in front of the mirror. He laughs at Troy, before grabbing the artifact and lifting it carefully.

In his attempt to escape though, he trips on a raised portion of stone. He stumbles forward and juggles the mirror back and forth between his hands. Ending up on his back, he holds the magical artifact held aloft triumphantly

The mocking laughter cuts off suddenly, when Skull takes the chance to look at his prize. The face of a monster stares back at him, flooding his mind with every misdeed ever committed by him. He lets out an anguished screech, before the mirror slips from his bony fingers.

It smashes against the stone, but Skull doesn't react. All he does is lay on his back and babble incoherently. All of his regrets overwhelm him at once and leave him unable to hold his shape.


…


Not exactly what I expected to find. Emma frowns at her new location once stepping into the antechamber of the temple. The waterfall is gone, with the landscape now a vast grassland.

A herd of gazelle dash across the horizon, pursued by some kind of predator. "Aren't you going to get a shot of that?" Trini asks from her blind spot, making Emma whirl on her sister in shock.

She isn't trying to kill her and looks at least ten years older. Her clothing would be perfect for an African safari, which Emma realizes she may be on right now.

"National Geographic is paying you to take pictures remember, not just have fun with me." Grabbing the camera hanging from Emma's neck, Trini shoves it into her face.

"Right, sorry." Shaking her confusion away, Emma starts snapping the most perfect shots in her life. I'm not this good… no one is. Realizing the angles are simply not possible, Emma glances over at Trini.

Her sister gives her a wide grin, but something feels off to Emma. "Everything you always imagined?"

"Maybe if you hadn't just shoved her rotting corpse in my face, this could have worked on me." Ignoring the illusion, Emma screams into the sky. "But the tonal whiplash killed any chance this… test had."

A howling wind is her response, with it lifting her into the cyclone forming rapidly. It spins her in circles, forcing her to close her eyes. When the screaming wind stops and she opens her eyes, Emma finds her self being thrown towards Troy.

She slams into him and the pair go down in a tangled heap, but Emma is just happy to have found someone. "Troy? Boy, am I glad to see you."


…


"Mom, why do you work at the news station now?" A young girl's voice buzzes in Gia's ear, making her open her eyes in shock. "Didn't you like being a reporter, you got to travel everywhere?"

A child about eight years old is looking up at her. She looks like an almost perfect clone of Gia herself at that age, with the same persistent determination inside her.

"I get to see you everyday now, so I call that a win." Somehow, Gia knows exactly what to say. A feeling of warmth fills her, as she sees the love and trust in her daughter's eyes.

"Dad's only pretending he forget you know," Changing subjects with the coherence of a child, her daughter confides in her. "He got you an anniversary present months ago."

"Oh really?"

In a perfect imitation of Gia, the little girl crosses her arms and smirks. "He found out where Grandpa moved and let me help him pack the boxes full of glitter." Gia can feel her heart flutter at the devious smirk. "Uncle Noah is going to make sure a satellite is watching, so we can watch him open it."

"Come on Mom, you're missing the party." Her daughter takes her hands and starts to drag her towards the sound of laughter. "Uncle Billy is going to show us his newest invention."

Gia almost trips when she hears that. We saved him? Something inside her makes Gia plant her feet and shake her hands free.

"Mom? Is something wrong?"

"I want to be able to trust someone completely enough for this to be possible, but I can't trust people I don't know." Gia takes a step away from the girl. "This is just a what if, I have to deal with what now."

The house starts to shake and lightning crashes outside. And what now, is finding this Mirror and seeing how Jake is going to surprise me next. Turning away from her child, Gia runs for the closest door.

Slamming it shut behind her, she finds her self in a bathroom and braces the door with her back. "Mom?" Gia ignores the false emotion in her daughter's voice.

"I'm not your mother." But I could be one day, I just need to let someone in. "You aren't real!" Lightning strikes the house as soon as the words are screamed through the door.

The room goes dark and everything is silent for a few moments, but soon Gia finds herself leaning against a yellow stone doorway. Troy and Emma are morphed and standing over a pile of bones.

Clambering to her feet, she calls out to them. "You guys!"


…


Jake stops mid step and listens. May not be able to morph right now, but my hearing's still a lot better than before and that sounded like someone crying. Looking around the jungle, he follows the sound to a fallen tree.

The pitiful sobs are coming from inside, right behind a door made of bark. "Troy?" He can tell it's a guy inside the log, but not which one of his teammates. "Noah?"

When he gets no answer and the sobs continue, he slowly reaches a hand out. Grabbing the damp bark, Jake tears it away in a single fluid motion.

The sight of Bulk curled up in a ball and whimpering to himself, is enough to make Jake stop cold. Do I leave him like this? He tosses aside that idea immediately. No one should be left going through that, not even Bulk.

"Should I capture you?" He knows that won't work either. Never mind, can't carry you through the jungle by myself.

That just leaves… Jake almost considers ending the powerful foe here and now, but knows he doesn't have it in him to kill a defenseless man. So he reaches for the emerald device on his belt instead.

Touching it releases a pulse of toxic force. The magic throws Jake across the clearing and sends him crashing against a tree. Does mine do that? He groans and worries about someone grazing it accidentally.

"Bullet?" Bulk mumbles from his shelter, realizing he is not in fact inside his locker back in middle school. "What are you doing here?" His mind is clearer than it's been for days, but that fades as the Sword of Darkness exerts it's influence once more.

Bulk's expression changes from panic to a predatory leer. "We may not be able to morph, but I'm the only one with a weapon right now." He emerges and swings his blade, letting his muscles stretch and his blood flow.

"I couldn't kill you in cold blood, but now it's on." Swinging his limbs loose, Jake starts bobbing to his own music.

"You should have, because that was the only shot you'll ever have." Bulk charges forward and slashes wildly.

Good thing he doesn't know how to use that thing. Snorting at the horrible swordsmanship on display, Jake delivers a snap kick to Bulk's wrist. The shriek of pain comes at the same time he drops the glowing weapon.

"Yoink." Snatching the handle in midair, Jake prepares to snap the blade against the nearest tree. The moment the metal touches his skin however, he feels a torrent of darkness surge inside him.

The shock makes him drop the sword, but power is now calling out to him. Tantalizing him with promises of victory over all who oppose him, it's nearly enough to make Jake grab for it again.

With a feral roar, Bulk throws himself at Jake. He knocks the black ranger to the ground and let's his weight take over.


…


"Are you ready to launch Commander Taylor?" Noah jerks back in shock, all of a sudden finding himself in a control room of some sort. Over twenty technicians are behind consoles and looking to him… for orders.

"We received the green light from NASADA," Hayley's welcome voice is he one to speak this time, making him sigh in relief. "Terra Venture is ready whenever you are."

"Sorry, I was just overwhelmed for a second." Trying to play off his behavior, Noah looks out the window and sees an entire city under a dome of glass. Four smaller domes circle the central one on a ring, rotating around at a sedate pace.

Hayley gives him a knowing smirk. "It's a lot to take in, but this is Earth's first step towards the stars and it's all thanks to you. So are you ready to go see some alien worlds?"

Noah almost pushes the button right at that moment, caught up in Hayley's praise and eager to see his dreams come true. But Noah knows what's going on. "Fool me once."

He ignores anything his crew says and turns away from the console. Noah walks away from the illusion and walks out the door, finding himself on a stone bridge. Troy and the girls are morphed like he now is, but Jake is nowhere in sight.

"I thought Jake said he wasn't going to be late anymore?" He plays off the timing of his own arrival and joins them.

 

[Flightless Man]

Episode 13.5: Mirror of Regret​

Gia kicks one of the larger shards of glass over the edge of the bridge, irritation all over her face. "We came all this way for… nothing?"

"I wouldn't say nothing, I learned a lot about myself." Pacing in front of the black stone door, Troy voices his feelings on the matter. "As I'm sure you all did. So we wait for Jake to finish, his entrance was probably just harder to find."

Emma does her best to reassemble the bones of Eugene in the proper placement while they wait, her hands shaking the entire time. "I want to bring his head with us, maybe Zordon can do something for him."

"He starts mouthing off and I'm shoving one of Jake's socks in his mouth." With neither guy being willing to say anything against it, Gia is the one forced to set some ground rules.

"What's taking him so long?" Noah mutters to himself and tries to stay distracted, examining the designs on the cavern interior. "Even I made it up here before he did."

Troy realizes something and a feeling of cold dread worms through his gut. "Black isn't the only color missing right now."

"Bulk..." As understanding dawns on her face, Gia starts to look frantically for the quickest exit. "Did anyone see which way Jake's beam went?"

Not letting the panic build, Noah fiddles with his watch and whistles when finished. "I've managed to get our communicators to beep when we get closer to him, should be able to triangulate his position this way."

"How close does he have to be for it to work?" Troy doesn't hear anyone's beeping.

"One beep at a mile, another one every two hundred feet or so."

"Back the way you came and we'll circle the island." Taking over because of her wilderness experience, Emma starts hissing commands to the others. "Troy and I will each go opposite directions around the base of the mountain, expanding outwards with each lap."

Seeing the logic, Noah points between himself and Gia. "We're going straight to the shoreline I take it?"

"I'll go clockwise, you go counter?" Catching on quickly, Gia agrees.

"Once someone gets a beep, call the rest of us. Don't need to be looking for anyone else." Troy reminds them all, before racing back through his crimson passageway.

Noah and Gia take off through their own doors, while Emma hesitates above the bones. Too late to change my mind now. She grabs the silent skull and dashes out her own pink doorway.

In the now empty chamber, no one is present to witness to glass shards begin glowing. They melt and the liquid pools over Skull's carefully arranged bones. A green metal is left behind, as the glass moves up to the neck.

Stretching into a fresh mirror, a thick green frame forms around it. When the green glow fades from the newly formed creature, the Mirror Maniac sits up. The reflection of the pink ranger was the last face seen by the glass shards, making Emma it's first target.


…


"What happened to only having one shot?" Spitting out a glob of blood, Jake spins on his heel. The kick lands clean and he can feel Bulk's nose break. The spray of crimson only confirms the damage, making Jake ignore his throbbing foot.

Clutching his face with one hand, the green ranger just laughs darkly. "We could have done great things together, such a shame you won't make your sister's wedding." He flings his hand forward, sending a shower of blood at Jake.

As the black ranger is forced to look away, Bulk grabs one of his hands. In the weight lifter's ironclad grip, Jake is lifted into the air and brought crashing back down… repeatedly.

Tossing the wheezing Jake onto the dirt, Bulk delivers a kick to his ribs. "Stay down and I'll make it quick." Now where's my sword?

Scanning the area for his weapon, he hears some crunching. Barely having time to conceal himself in the foliage, Bulk watches for an opening.

The rest of the rangers arrive within moments of each other, with Gia dashing for the bloody Jake. The other three take a defensive stance, scanning for danger.

"Is he okay?" Noah's voice is tense, with the smell of blood overwhelming his enhanced nose.

Gia worries for a moment and takes three tries to get a pulse. "He's alive, but looks like hamburger. Bulk really worked him over." She looks over his wounds, gingerly brushing a hand against the swollen eye.

"I see green everywhere," Hisses the blue ranger, his frustration starting to get the better of him. "Anyone else having any luck?"

Troy stops and activates his thermal vision, his eyes narrowing on a nearby mass of warmth. "Let's get this over with, I can see you."

Glancing less than twenty feet in front of him, Bulk can see the Sword of Darkness. Too far, they'll catch me if I make a break for it. Before he is forced to act, a new voice joins the conversation and distracts the rangers.

"You may see me, but I have eyes for one girl only!" The voice is a distorted version of Skull's, only far deeper and infinitely more sinister. A bolt of blue energy shoots from the jungle and slams into Emma, sending her bouncing across the ground.

"Emma!" Moving to check on her, Troy watches the monster approach with wary eyes.

Accepting the hand up, she has to double check she still has Skull. He's no longer delirious, but is still only observing. The normal anger is gone from his eyes, replaced only by… regret?

"I'm fine, we have to make sure Jake doesn't get hit."

Noah agrees and steps in front of Gia, his lance spinning faster than ever. "Get him out of here Emma, we'll deal with your stalker."

She does so and carefully takes Jake in her arms, before dashing away from the battlefield. Gia stands beside the red and blue rangers, forming a wall of primary color.

Taking the chance provided, Bulk hustles forward and grabs his sword. Once the familiar burn is back in his palm, he cuts off after the fleeing Emma.

"Going somewhere?" Slashing for her neck, Bulk forces Emma into a slide. She manages to avoid the attack, but Jake is sent sprawling onto the dirt.

Even without being morphed, Emma finds each one of his swings delivered with bone shaking force. Somehow the overweight teen manages to keep up and even manage to out pace her own strikes.

He catches her Blade Blaster against his own weapon and smirks. "I'll still let skull keep you, if you beg nicely that is." When she only snorts in response, Bulk twists his wrist suddenly and sends her own weapon flying.

Laying forgotten beside the unconscious black ranger, Skull watches the fight with growing concern. I need to do something, I let him get this bad. With every ounce of willpower inside of him, Skull makes his fingers wiggle.


…


Noah teaks the energy blast square in the chest and rolls along the dirt. Sparks explode around him and shower the clearing in smoke.

"You alright?" Gia checks between slashes, doing her best to get close with the monster. Emma and Jake need us! She does her best to ignore the sound of the other battle nearby and focus on the foe before her.

The green monster with a mirror for a face stops all of a sudden, going as still as a statue. For nearly an entire minute he remains motionless, allowing the rangers time to regroup.

Troy reaches for it with his sword, only jerking back when the monster's hand twitches. Slowly at firstt, but soon they move with a regular range of motion. Once the fingers are working, the wrist and entire left arm are next.

"What's it doing?" His curiosity begins overriding his commonsense and Noah steps closer.

The monster breaks into what appears to be an attempt to run forward, but the shambling makes it hard to tell if it is intentional. It ignores all three rangers and dashes towards the now silent second battle.

Following the monster's mad charge, they find Bulk about to end Emma. The Sword of Darkness is in his raised fist and glows with raw power.

"Leave her alone!" Skull's head shrieks from behind Emma, as he directs his body towards his only friend. He lacks the grace to catch or even deflect the attack, taking the full force of the strike.

Emerald light nearly blinds everyone with eyes open, with it taking minutes for the spots to clear from their vision. The Mirror Maniac is gone completely, not even ash left behind from the powerful blow.

Bulk's smirk of triumph slowly morphs into pained horror, his eyes locking onto his broken sword. The last energy blast Skull sent from his body in retaliation, was just enough to snap the cursed weapon.

He starts wailing in agony as the backlash of the magic courses through his body. Nearly overwhelmed by the agony, Bulk dissipates into crackling green light and shoots into the sky.


…


On the planet Tengu twenty nine light years from Earth, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa lay waste to the world's champions. Cackling madly at the devastation being wrought all around him, Lord Zedd sends forth a stream of white lightning.

It strikes the Black Condor, causing the ranger to writhe before him. While his monsters keep the other avian rangers away, he increases the voltage. When no more whimpers come from the bird's body, Zedd strides forward and claims his morpher.

"You got one Zeddie," Cheering him on, Rita loops her crescent staff around Yellow Owl's neck. "Now watch me!" She snarls pure savagery on her face, snapping the ranger's neck with a crunch.

His chest contracts at the sight and makes it hard to breathe for a second. She is so utterly foul... I love it! Stepping over the remains of Red Hawk's Zord, Zedd returns the compliment. "How delightfully cruel my darling, this has been so much fun."

"Foul demons from beyond, you shall do this world no more harm!" The final three rangers unite on shaking legs, Red Eagle shouting in defiance at Zedd's advance. "For those you have already slain, you shall find no mercy from us!"

"And we shall give you none in return," Casually Rita mocks the hero. "When you all finally die, this world and all who inhabit it belong to us!"

Zedd stops The humanoid mass of eyeballs from running after Blue Swallow, leaving her for the other monsters. "We do need the one called Zenowing taken alive, he's the one who designed their Zords and I want one of my own."

"Aye aye Sir," Eye Guy remarks with a disturbing giggle, before collapsing into hundreds of eyeballs. Each one rolling away in a different direction. "No one can escape my gaze for long, I'll find him for you."

Turning back towards the battle, Zedd strokes his chin in consideration. "Red or White? Decisions are so hard, I'll just kill both."

Calling forth all the ambient hate, rage, and fear, Zedd tears a hole in the sky. The wormhole stretches across the solar system and sucks in one of the orbiting asteroids. Once in the atmosphere of Tengu, the hunk of rock plummets to the ground.

With a little extra tug from his bride, the asteroid crashes directly onto Red Hawk. He dies instantly, with White Swan being knocked out from the shock wave.

An eerie melody can now be heard, with the volume rising rapidly. "I got the runner Lord Zedd, one Blue Swallow for you and the Queen." Gnarly Gnome brags and has the blue ranger join the unconscious White Swan.

"Hand over your morphers and swear allegiance to us," Rita struts in front of Blue Swallow, her chest puffed out in beautiful arrogance. "Or die with the rest."

"You will never w-" The avian white ranger tries to defy the sorceress one final time, but is vaporized by a sneering Lord Zedd.

"Never want to be as pathetic as you lot." He smirks down at Blue Swallow, her eyes blinking rapidly in horror. "So what's it going to be, we need someone to teach the ten thousand eggs we're getting in tribute." He smirks as she reaches with shaking hands for her morpher.

 

[Flightless Man]

Episode 14: Green Candle​

When the last screw is tightened, Noah pats Robo Knight on the back and proclaims him fixed. "You're as good as new, unless you want some upgrades?"

"I have seen where Zordon's upgrades lead." Robo Knight gives Alpha Five an unreadable look. "I see no logical reason to lower my combat capabilities in such a way."

Crossing his arms, Alpha actually growls at his brother. "Didn't see you fixing yourself with that fancy combat tech. I seem to remember being the one who fixed the Zords, so maybe show some gratitude!" He gives Robo Knight a feeble shove and walks away, his muttering only growing in it's fervor. "Not like I asked to be tech support."

"Is Alpha Five also in need of repairs, he appears almost as emotional as a human."

"No, it's just part of the software updates." Noah finishes putting the tools "You are behind by four."

Chiming in with a snarky voice, Alpha opens the door to the main chamber. "It's not just the hardware, but who you are on the inside that really matters." He holds his head high and strides out of the room.

"He just wants to help," Noah chides the robotic warrior, but does wait for him. "It's because of you he isn't able to fight, so go easy on him."

"Because of me?"

Shrugging at the confusion being displayed, Noah tries to explain. "When you went into hiding, Zordon mourned you like a son."

This makes Robo Knight freeze in place, a strange sensation filling his body. "Explain."

"He made the other models to stay home, he wasn't going to lose another Alpha to violence." Noah frowns to himself. Wait, what happened to the other three?

"Blue Ranger, I have another query." Robo Knight follows him out of the room and the two enter the main chamber. "Why have you not vanquished the monster?"

Following the robot's gaze, Noah sees the girls speaking with the skull of Skull. He's contained inside a bubble of violet light and the trio are locked in a heated conversation.

"Because he's already dead, so we can't just purify him like normal."

Robo Knight's eyes narrow and his voice grows firm. "If he is to remain in the Command Center, Zordon and Alpha will require my continued protection."

"Oh joy," Grumbles Alpha while he resumes his normal tasks.

Barely acknowledging the new arrivals, Troy is focused on his discussion with Zordon instead. "We're going to beat Bulk, with a candle?"

"With the proper wax made with the blood Jake… acquired from the Green Ranger." Zordon expands his explanation to include Noah and Robo Knight. "We will be able to drain the excess energy flowing through him."

"How long will the process take?" Chimes in Noah, intrigued by the idea. "And what are you going to do with all that power?"

Alpha is silenced with a single look from Zordon, who then is particularly careful with his phrasing towards the rangers. "It will have been tainted by the Sword of Darkness and require cleansing before it can be put to any use."

"You said excess energy, he'll still be able to morph?" Catching something the others all overlooked, Gia frowns up at Zordon.

"We could drain more, but that runs the risk of killing him." Admits Alpha.

Shaking his head at that idea, Troy reassures the worried robot. "That's alright, with the sword broken and him brought down to our level..."

"We can take him." Agrees Emma, confidence rolling from her in waves.

"It could take several days to finish the process, so be on guard when the Green Ranger notices the effects." Warns Alpha. "The Megalania Zord will still be able to fight at full power, with all the weapons they slapped onto it." He starts muttering about his brother's work being tarnished and distracts himself with a blinking console.

"Bulk will ignore it for a while, but he'll throw a tantrum once he knows what's going on." Skull cautions everyone, his voice grim as he imagines the destruction. "He knows where you all live, so don't make it hard to find any of you."

Gia stops herself from shutting up the head of her childhood friend and listens to his words. The idea of what he could do to her mom or David turns her stomach. The others have similar thoughts of their own loved ones, sharing concerned looks in the tense silence.

"Let's draw him out of the city," Troy thinks of how far away they really need to be. "You and Hayley are almost done the Radbug, right?" When Noah gives a confused nod, he continues detailing his plan.

"Let's set up in the desert and make it real easy for him to find us." He grins confidently and starts waving his arms for emphasis. "His Zord comes out of the ocean, so we'll see him coming."

Emma catches on and expands the idea with a determined grin of her own. "If he tries to come at us without his Zord, we'll have the advantage."

"We need to finish this before Rita comes back, we can't let her make him any stronger." As she starts to pace, Gia tries to stay focused on the discussion. "Will the Battlizers be ready in time?"

Alpha freezes and turns, a defiant hand on each hip. "So you can break them again, no way. I do try to have my own life you know, even if I can only watch concerts and plays on the viewing globe."

"Alpha, you know it can be set to record anything." Chiding his youngest son, Zordon has a frown spread across his face. "You will have them finished in time for the ambush, the rangers are counting on you."

Robo Knight feels a strange sensation in his chest and wants to help his… brother. "Would it go faster if I assist you?"

"Will you show me how to shoot a blaster once we finish?" Tilting his head to the side in curiosity, Alpha loses his defensive stance. "Since you never got destroyed, Zordon has no reason to deny my request to practice anymore."

Closing his eyes, the rangers can see Zordon visibly count to ten, before he makes makes his decision on the matter. "Alpha One will assist you with creating a new body, you can use the mind transfer device once I approve the design."

"Really?"

"You aren't a child anymore, you're over a thousand and ready to hang out with the teenagers." Smiling at Alpha Five, Zordon actually has teary eyes. "I know you will all guide him for me."

Noah looks like a dog with a dozen bones. "What king of body are you thinking of, because I've seen some really cool synthetic skins. You could look almost human if you wanted, the only problem is the skin colors aren't quite natural."

"Ooh, are you thinking of looking like Robo Knight?" Her eyes dart back and forth between the two robots, Emma's eyes dancing with amusement.

Gia counters this with her own idea. "If you want to look like a warrior, go with the Samurai."

"If Robo Knight is all about power, why not go for speed and agility?" Suggests Troy, getting caught up in the idea of a robot ninja. "Robo Ninja has a nice ring to it."

"Why stay medieval?" Noah can't stop himself from giving the 'correct' answer. "I say if you really want to fight, I can bring some anime over for you to check out. You'll really get some ideas from Gundam Wing."


…


When yet another gust of wind blows away his notes, Jake tosses the whole notebook into the campfire. "I give up, it's too hard focusing when my head is pounding like this."

"Well we have so much else to keep us busy," Gia snorts at the outburst, but is just as tired of waiting for Bulk.."Would you rather play another game of checkers, or do a few laps of the camp?"

"Oh, or you could Emma and Troy make the rockman." Laughing at Jake's disgruntled expression, Noah points to the half finished pile of stones.

Wiping sweat and dirt from her face, Emma corrects Noah with a giggle. "It's called an Inuksuk. The Inuit make them to communicate with other tribes, since they can go so long without seeing anyone else."

"What's ours saying?" Troy is intrigued and carefully makes sure his rock is balanced.

"Evil beware... or Gia will shove Jake's socks in your mouth."

Grumbling at the laughter, Jake gives a feeble defense of his foot odor. "It's because of all the soccer."

"Except you quit and we can all still smell you." Noah smirks in triumph.

"I haven't had a chance to get new shoes, I kind of got the shit kicked out of me." When he mentions his solo fight with the green ranger, the laughter ends.

Gia takes the chance to spend some one on one time and invites herself along. "I need to do my back to school shopping, want to make a day of it?"

"I'd love to… if we ever get out of the desert that is."


…


Early the next morning when the sun is still only cresting the horizon, Troy keeps watch over the campsite. Three days of waiting, is Bulk really just this dense?

Poking at the fire's embers, Troy mutters to himself and the sound carries across the sand."He has to have noticed the drain by now, why hasn't he come for us?"

Only his honed reflexes make him jerk aside in time, a beam of green striking the spot he was just sitting. "Sorry to keep you waiting, I've been looking for the trap all night."

Bulk strides towards him morphed, but with a noticeable change in his uniform. No longer is the metal shield on his chest a brilliant gold, now it is a very dull grey. His hands are shaking with each step and his head twitches erratically with every sound.

"But you geekoids didn't set any, did you?" He snorts derisively at Troy and scolds him. "Should have set a perimeter, you wouldn't be caught here all alone." Dad would have spanked my ass red for shoddy work like this.

A bolt of energy shoots from each tent, one blue and the other pink. Emma and Noah spring the trap and catch Bulk in a pincer, giving the others a chance to morph. Yellow and black lights flashes from the tents match Troy's red one, with all three joining the surprise attack.

"This is the trap moron," Gia's leg sweep is barely avoided by Bulk, with her following it up with a jab for his face. "We didn't think you'd be dumb enough to come by yourself."

Correcting her friend, Emma drives her knee into the green ranger's abundant gut. "Well actually we did, that's why we're here after all."

"Fine, even I didn't think Bulk was this dumb." Gia clarifies and backs away with Emma right behind her.

"Who said I came alone?" Bulk recovers and calls in his own familiar backup.

Three figures clad in what looks like a cross between biker gear and bondage leather charge across the desert sands, each one with a face distorted in rage. Rocky crashes into Noah and the pair roll along the sand.

Adam and Aisha work as a team, meeting the yellow and pink ranger in nearly even combat. They force the girls away from the main fight, leaving Troy and Jake alone to face the green ranger.

Bulk kicks at the fire, sending the flaming logs into Troy's face. While the red ranger is distracted, he takes the chance to kick Jake in the face.

"You fools thought this would stop me from using my Zord?" He mocks the rangers and reaches for his Dragon Dagger, bringing it to his lips with deliberate action. "I can control mine remotely, you're the ones who need to be inside them."

He begins to play the flute and the haunting melody echoes across the desert. It reaches farther than should be possible and wakes the dragon.

"Hope the tin can you call Robo Knight is fixed, because Angel Grove is going to burn."





Notes: For reference, the Ape zord and Titanus(Ultrazord) is basically the Tigerzord battle mode. Rocky, Aisha, and Adam are the Gorma tribe BDSM generals from Dairanger.

Megazord Battle mode is the season 1 MMPR megazord (only with a wolf foot), Flight mode is basically the Ninja Mega Falconzord, tank mode is the tank from season 1, Aquatic mode is basically the Lost Galaxy megazord with a propeller. Guardian mode that Alpha mentioned a while ago, will basically be the Zeo Megazord (only both feet will be animals and not rock formations).

Dragonzord Battle mode (Dragon/Mastodon/Triceratops/Tiger) will be called the Superzord. You can see where this leads.

Spoiler: Minor

Everyone joked about Super-Ultra-Megaforce, but i think it makes sense when the Megazord/Titanus (ultra)/Dragonzord (super) can all canonically combine.

It took so long because I'm working on a Pokemon fangame, made some real progress this weekend and just didn't really write. Sorry for the longest wait so far.

 

[Flightless Man]

Episode 14.5: Breaking the Spell​

Blocking the super humanly strong attack, Gia kicks cloud of sand into Adam's face. Don't want to hurt him. "Can't sense any of Vile's normal magic in them, something strange is going on!"

"I was saving them for Rita and Zedd's return, but you forced my hand!" Bulk deflects both the Power Sword and Ax, growling in rage at his foes. "Let's see how well Baboo's conditioning worked."

Ignoring the sand in his eyes, Adam forcefully slams his foot against the ground. A shock wave of force ripples through the desert and kicks up a sandstorm.

"What did you do to them?" Roars Troy as he presses his attack on Bulk, with Jake switching his weapon to it's cannon mode and laying down cover fire.

"No idea what he did, I just told him I wanted obedient soldiers." Retorts the green ranger, his tone mocking and snide. "Seems like he succeeded, they don't talk back like Skull always did."

Learning this first hand, Noah takes one of Rocky's fists to the gut. The power behind the blow lifts him several feet into the air and drives the air from his lungs.

"Noah!" Pausing her own battle with Aisha for a moment, Emma sends a volley of pink lasers between him and his foe. The time is enough for Aisha to clap her hands together, sending a pulse of force outwards.

It slams into Emma and sends her crashing through the Inuksuk she and Troy made earlier. The rocks come tumbling down on her, pinning the pink ranger beneath the rubble.

"Go give her a hand," Jake hisses at his leader, his eyes narrowing on Bulk with deadly focus. "I've got this moron." A quick double blast covers his charge, with the ax already back in position. He swings for the green ranger's legs and catches his ankle, yanking him to the ground on the back swing. "I've got a score to settle with him.

"Better pick up the pace," Taunts Bulk, as Troy dashes to Emma's aide. "My dragon's had almost five minutes to rampage. How much of the city do you think is left?" He tries to sound cruel and uncaring, but Jake can hear the doubt in his voice.

Remembering everything his sister told him about Bulk's past, Jake makes a split second decision. Instead of bring his ax down on a fallen green ranger, he slams the head of it into the sand. He doesn't want to do this, but this is all he knows how to do anymore.

"I thought you were the big man on campus, but all I see is someone desperate for his old friends approval." When Bulk tries to get up, Jake slams his heel against the green ranger's collar bone. The silver shield absorbs the force, but then it starts to shimmer.

Cracks starts spreading across the metal, before it shatters into pieces. The second it breaks, Bulk starts to convulse. Arcs of green electricity shoot from his body, turning any sand struck into patterns of jade.

The three reprogrammed teens take this as the cue to leave, breaking off combat suddenly and in eerie silence. The trio in black leather vanish into the sandstorm, leaving no trace when it dies down a few minutes later.

As the Bulk writhes in the sand overwhelmed by the power backlash, the others stand around him in a circle. None of them anything at first, just relieved the dangerous opponent is down. Of course Troy can't ever be content when people are in danger, so he is the one to speak first.

"We do have a battle to finish, ready to call the Zords?"

While the others nod, Emma's eyes lock onto the weaponized flute in Bulk's hand. "Do any of you know how to play?" The question is like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the rising cheer in everyone.

"I'll have my falcon meet you on autopilot, I need to get to the base." She grabs the weapon from Bulk's grip, her voice dubious of the idea flowing through her mind. "Eugene knows how to play, I'll make sure he gets the Megalania back in the water."

Gia grimaces at the idea of trusting Skull, but can't think of a better option in the moment. "We'll go help Robo Knight keep it busy, don't let Skull pull a fast one on you."

"What's he going to do, swallow it?" Snorts Jake, the mental image now stuck in his head.

Scolding him, Troy explains exactly how much trust is being placed in Skull right now. "He could level a block before she gets the flute away from him."

Alpha's voice crackles to life over the helmet radios. "Rangers, you need to get back to the city!" The panic in his voice is unnerving. "The military has been called in due to your absence, the Dragonzord is tearing them apart!"

"You heard Alpha," Troy declares firmly, throwing his hand skywards. "We need Pleisto Zord power, now!" Four bolts of colored energy shoot towards Angel Grove, while a pink and green one head deeper into the desert.


…


Inside Titanus, Robo Knight can do little more than shield the city from the brunt of the Dragonzord's onslaught. The soldiers who came to defend Angel Grove are positioned too far away however, with each missile fired dealing devastating losses to the brave humans below.

Why do they continue, they have seen how little their weapons do? Unable to comprehend the foolishness on display, Robo Knight fails to realize the Dragonzord is no longer focused solely on him anymore.

The soldiers may be killed in seconds, but the Dragonzord doesn't have an infinite supply of weapons. Even now, Robo Knight can track the flight path of a dozen jets. Each on is locked onto the massive green machine, with four rockets being launched from each plane.

Forty eight explosions ripple across the surface of the lumbering Zord, with one arm even going limp at it's side. A female voice that doesn't belong to either ranger speaks over his intercom, somehow having hacked the secure channel.

"Yellow Eagle here, my flock and I will cover you." Her voice is confident but grim in the face of failing. "Can you take Godzilla down, or should we call in the prototype?"

Deciding to answer the one who aided him, Robo Knight responds honestly. "My weaponry is insufficient, we must hold out until the Rangers can join us."

A brief pause as Yellow Eagle processes the information and the she hisses back. "Why aren't they here now, this is kind of a big fricking deal?"

"They are facing off with the mind controlled Green Ranger now, they will join us once he has been freed from evil's grip… or slain." Sending his Zord charging forward, he knocks the massive reptilian machine off balance and away from the advancing tanks.

"Do we have an ETA, or are we just supposed to hold the line as long as we can?" She sighs back, but none of the soldiers break formation.

"Unclear, the Ra-" Robo Knight cuts of mid sentence, as the thunderous footsteps of the Megazord declare they have arrived. "The Rangers have joined the battle, have your ground forces disengage. It would be… unfortunate, if any happened to get caught underfoot."

She responds with a snort, with the tanks following her instruction with only a brief delay. "Affirmative. We're heading back to restock, hope you have this finished before we get back in the air."

"Rangers, it is good you have succeeded." He directs his next message to the Megazord directly. "But why is the Dragonzord still on a rampage?"

Troy explains with a sigh. "None of us know how to turn it off, so Pink brought the control device to he only one we know who does."

"Good work on keeping Angel Grove safe RK," Noah is next to blurt out a response. "I was kind of expecting more than two buildings to be on fire."

Considering all who sacrificed themselves fighting at his side, Robo Knight's response is given solemnly. "I could not have done it alone, you humans truly are surprising."


…


"You aren't going to tell me this is a bad idea?" Emma demands with a huff, as soon as she arrives at the Command Center and Bulk is behind is own double layered force field.

"You must trust your instincts Emma, Jake has shown us all stupid ideas can work." Above her, Zordon's lips quirk into an amused smirk. "You were chosen for a reason. The ability to forgive is rare, but even rarer is the ability to ignore one's own hurt and focus on the task at hand. If you say goodness is in him, it is present and we only need dig deeper."

He smiles at her and Emma knows this is the only option. "Ready to give this a try Eugene?" She holds the Dragon Dagger before his mouth, an expectant look on her face.

"You don't think I'm going to make things even worse?" His voice is filled with regret.

"You saved me from my sister on the moon and then again from your evil best friend." Staring him straight in the eye, Emma throws her hands up in confusion. "You may not be who I thought you were, but right now I need you to him again."

"Okay." Eugene closes his eyes and sighs shamefully. "For you I'll give it a try."

Smiling while he can't see, Emma makes sure the expression is off her face when his eyes open. "Thank you." Putting the instrument of control to his mouth, Emma glances over to he viewing globe.

The Dragonzord isn't completely overpowering the Megazord and Titanus this time, with both managing to keep the hostile machine contained. Step by step, they force it backwards and even farther from Angel Grove.

"Hey, eyes over here!" Eugene barks in annoyance. "I don't have fingers remember, so you need to move yours where I show you.

"How are you going to show me and play at the same time?" She doesn't want to doubt his skill, but this is very unconventional and not a time to screw up.

"Low power eye beams, they don't even burn the pages when I read in the dark." Explains Eugene with a wry chuckle. "Bulk never knew I was reading every night up on the moon."

Emma takes the chance to question him. "Why did you change, didn't Gia or I mean anything to you?"

"I was alone and scared," He admits with a guilt laden voice. "Bulk told me things would change if we did, so I convinced myself you would both be better off without such a dweeb in your lives."

"Gia might actually agree with that," She concedes, making Eugene giggle. "Now are you ready, everyone's counting on you."

"No pressure or anything, just have a whole city to save."

She smirks down at him with a correction. "Well if we lose the Megazord, the whole world is going to fall next. So really… you need to save the entire Earth right now."

"It's a good thing Emma said you're a musical prodigy, this should be a piece of pancake." Alpha chimes in trying to be supportive.

"I play piano though!" Skull's whine is nearly a panicked shriek. "This isn't exactly the same thing."

Grinning at Alpha, Emma corrects him this time. "It's a piece of cake Alpha, not pancake."

"Oh." He tilts his head to one side and appears to take a mental note.

"I know being just a head is daunting, but the world needs you now." Zordon shares a smile with Eugene, the only other one who can relate.

"Let's give this a try I guess." Sighing, Skull puts his mouth in a puckered position.

His and Emma's first few notes are failures, with Alpha wincing before the viewing globe. "Oh that was a bad one."

By the sixth note however, the two exes find a melody that works. Alpha cheers when the Dragonzord begins to grow sluggish and the many weapons deactivate. Grinning as they play the dragon to sleep, Emma and Eugene direct it back into the ocean.

 

[Flightless Man]

Episode 15: A Date With Danger​

Taking advantage of the lack of attacks for the last several days, Gia and Jake are finally able to have some time to themselves. The mall is crowded, with everyone else in Angel Grove funneled into the only one not turned into rubble this summer.

Constantly darting glances at each other from the corner of their eyes, the duo eventually catch each other. While Jake chuckles at the awkward eye contact, he keeps sliding his hands in and out of his pockets and has no idea what to do.

She grabs his arm with a smirk, looping her own through his and pulling him into the first store to have Power Ranger merchandise in the window. "Come on, we have to check this out."

"We have to get one of these for… Al." Jake remembers himself at the last second and holds up a white shirt. Why are my hands so sweaty, this should be a piece of pancake compared to saving the world? It shows the Megazord battle from when he was in Troy's body, complete with the adorable victory shuffle he had it perform when they won.

Laughing at the idea of the robot wearing the extra large shirt, Gia grabs a red beach towel that has a white diamond pattern. "Don said he was red right?" Why is it so hard to think of anything witty, it's just Jake?

"I love it!" He starts grabbing a shirt for him and the guys, while Gia flips through the yellow and pink racks beside him. "Now I just need one in Noah's size, he has such narrow shoulders."

"Your's are just freakishly wide, Emma kept banging into door frames when she was you." Teasing him with a playful smirk on her face, Gia graciously allows him to grab her own purchases.

They finish up in that store with gifts for everyone on the team and head towards the new Fro-yo shop. With all the recent devastation in Angel Grove, anyone looking for a cheap business has gobbled up the homes of the residents no longer willing to stick it out.

The two slowly lose the awkwardness as they just enjoy an hour of fun. Once they brush fingers for the fourth time in as many minutes, the couple stops jerking away their hands with embarrassed blushing and settle for locking fingers.

On the way through the crowded mall, they catch sight of some of the newly dubbed Silver Guardians. The symbol of a silver shield with two golden swords crossed behind it, is on the right breast of each one seen patrolling casually.

"What are they doing here?" Hisses Gia, her desire to find the missing people floods back into he forefront of her brain.

One of them hears her and decides to clear things up. A solid looking man with a name tag declaring him as Corbett interjects. "Keeping you all safe Miss, do you have something against the security of those shopping?"

"I've seen the news, I know how "effective" you really are." Gia's face settles into a stern frown. "You do a good job letting people evacuate, but you shouldn't be claiming that you're capable of saving the city." I'm not even sure we are.

"We won't need the Rangers for much longer, the last battle showed we can't rely on them to respond on time." Mike smirks with arrogance. "By the end of next month, you'll see what we've been working on."

Snorting at the blustering man, Gia turns on her heel and drags Jake to finally get her yogurt. "Mister Milton is still missing and the three we fought in the desert, are marked as currently patients in Stone Canyon General."

"So I take it you want to investigate?" She gives a firm yes, which has Jake shrug easily. "Cool. I'm free all weekend, so where do we start digging?"

Ripping a poster from the wall, she holds it with a clenched fist. "I've seen these recruitment posters hanging all over, I say we go sign up for the tryouts and see what's going on tomorrow."

Gia isn't sure if it's the way the light is framing his face right now, or if it's just the casual confidence in which he said it. But she darts in and plants a quick peck to his cheek.

"I'm surprised you're fine letting Troy handle Bulk's interrogation, you are the one who said he had to prove himself before making decisions for all of us." She admits, knowing they're really here today to avoid thinking about the Command Center and what's going to be done with the green ranger.

"Troy's earned my trust, all of you have really." With red cheeks, he admits slowly. "I know I only had a few minutes left before you guys saved me on that island, so thanks for you know… coming back for me."

"Thanks for letting me control the pace, it's working." She reaches up and brushes her thumb against the angry red scar cutting his left eyebrow in half. "He sure did a number on you."

"And boy is my dad pissed." He scowls in frustration. "I'm definitely going to need help getting a scholarship, I was worried he was going to give me the boot."


…


"You just want to look like a person?" Hayley struggles to wrap her head around the concept. Noah had shown up bright and early, asking if she could help him and Al with a project. She was… let's say shocked, when Alpha was the one to teleport into her workshop.

"Yes, my experience as Troy has left me yearning to feel things again." Admits the robot, a wistful tone to his voice. "If Noah can fight as he is, I can make do in a human body."

"Thanks." Noah frowns with annoyance leaking from him at the jab.

"You're welcome?" Pausing in confusion, Alpha looks to Hayley for a clue.

"He's being snarky Alpha, just ignore him." She smirks at Noah's discomfort and gives him a break, returning to the reason they are here. "You know the skin will have a metallic sheen to it, it wont fool an in depth look."

Alpha's hands go to each hip and he cocks them with confidence. "Which is why Emma has offered to show me how to use makeup."

"… I can't believe I never thought of that," Sighs Noah, embarrassment turning his cheeks pink.

"Jake told me all about puppies, he promised to take me to the dog park one day." Alpha admits softly. "It's been so much fun having you all come visit, but it's really lonely when it's just me and Zordon all day."

Wincing at the unintentional dig, Noah starts working on measurements. It takes a few tries, but eventually Alpha decides to settle on an exactly average height of five foot ten inches. Mousy brown hair with a heavy curl and bright green eyes are settled on, while Alpha goes through same Sears catalogs for a few faces to combine.

"My mom sent a message to Andros and his team, to let them know Vile is loose again." She gives an approving smile to Alpha's choice, before she starts an amalgamated sketch. "Apparently stuffs gotten really bad all over. New threats are popping up from here to the Zangyack system and a few ranger teams have already fallen."


…


Orion slides a newspaper across the counter towards Emma, noticing the worried expression on her face and the constant wringing of her hands. "Have you heard? they're going to bus half the Stone Canyon kids to us and the over half to Mariner Bay."

"For the whole year?" Emma blinks in shock, but is very grateful for a distraction right now. "That's a lot of kids." She frowns when Orion confirms the question, a somewhat guilty look on his face.

"Well the Megazord kind of destroyed the high school, so it's going to be at least six months before they have a new one ready." Emma nearly cries at that, so Orion changes tactics. "My uncle's told me about how bad it gets on some worlds, you guys are doing incredible."

"Really?" She sniffles and accepts a napkin gratefully.

"Earth hasn't lost a single city yet," Orion smiles back. "In fact, we've not even had a thousand casualties. For rookies, that has to be some kind of Ranger record."

"Thanks, I really needed to hear that." Emma rubs at her tired eyes. "It's been so overwhelming with my sister vanishing again. Not to mention how hard it was when Eugene died in front of me and then came back as a skeleton."

Orion sits in open mouthed shock, while Emma continues her dearly needed venting. "Now he's a talking head at the Command Center and I have no idea how I can ever really move on."

"Want to go see a light show at my mom's observatory? It's a nice relaxing night watching lasers make designs of the galaxy to Queen songs." He smiles and extends the offer. "I think all of you would love it, I can call her so she sets aside some seats tonight?"


…


Bulk's eyes bounce between his only friends head, an imposing robot knight, an ageless head in a jar, and the firm glare of Troy. "I'm sorry and I know it doesn't make up for what I've done, but I am."

"Rita had me under her control, but I didn't even try and break free. Not until Bullet got me out of that nightmare and I couldn't stop myself from trying to kill him." No one responds and only Troy shifts position, crossing his arms and staring defiantly into Bulk's eyes.

"I started acting like this so people would leave me alone," He admits with shame filling his voice. "It worked and then I missed having friends, so I became a bully. Was the only time I ever talked to anyone else anymore."

"This summer, he treated me and Skull like people used to." Bulk looks down at Skull and tears roll down his cheeks. "I don't want to be me anymore, I don't want to keep hurting people, and I'm so sorry I ruined your life."

Skull sniffles back and starts to wail. "I let you because I'm a spineless coward, just like Gia always said!" He keeps sobbing, even as Bulk lifts his skull and embraces him softly. "I don't want to be me anymore either! I hate being so mean..." He trails off and lets Bulk finish.

"We turned into the people we hated." Bulk realizes, finally understanding what his actions have caused. "Let me help you, I need to make up for what I've done." He pleads with Troy, who is finally becoming convinced this is not just a show. "Rita and Zedd will be back soon with a whole new army, you'll need all the help you can get."

"You're right." Finally Troy speaks, his voice grim and barely above a whisper. "We have worse coming and will need everyone willing to fight against it." He gives Bulk a hand, shaking firmly once it's clasped. "I think I even know how you and Skull can start making up for things."

"What do you need us to do?" Skull pipes up with worry in his voice, even though his eyes are locked in determination.

"Emma's sister – Scorpina – is on the loose and we can't afford to go looking for her." Growling at how much havoc could already have been caused, Troy gives the two a mission. "If you two can do this for us and bring her back captured we ca-"

"Wait," Robo Knight interrupts suddenly, his eyes locking on Bulk in mistrust. "It is more logical for myself to go with the skull, while the Green Ranger remains here aiding you."

Not seeing why but willing to listen to a good reason, Troy waves on Robo Knight."How so?"

"If he is only tricking you, this will allow you to keep watch over him." The mechanical warrior grabs Skull from the green ranger. "While I will ensure this one is also earnest in seeking redemption, I will need a guide for modern times after all."





Notes: Fro-yo is from the 70's commercially, I checked. For the Battlizers, It's basically the original movie suits (but Jake and Gia have opposite helmets.) and each ranger has a back mounted device and either arm or feet attachments. Next chapter will all be Vile's going on in space instead of only last segment.

 

[Flightless Man]

Episode 15.5: It Came From Angel Grove​

Master Vile's cloud of dark energy encircles the world of Corinth, that he long ago prepared with runes. Finding his empire divided among those who once served him, he knows that he shall require new forces to reclaim what is his.

Once the planet has been fully enshrouded in vile darkness, the Master of Evil speaks to the entire population. "People of Corinth, I thank you for prospering in my absence." His voice shifts to a menacing cruelty. "But it is time to harvest my crop. Most of you will be dead in moments, but your sacrifice goes to a worthy cause… mine!" Power echoes with his words and flows into the buried runes.

Screams echo across Corinth when glowing runes appear etched in the ground. Those nearest are lucky, for they become the focal point of the rituals. Everyone else however stops screaming in terror and begins wailing in agony.

The entire population of Corinth – save for the six hundred and sixty six chosen – ignites in black flack. In less than a second they are all reduced to ash, with the power from the sacrificed flowing into the survivors.

Scott Truman glows with energy and his skin changes to a dark crimson. He grows in size, with dragon like wings erupting from his back. When his transformation is finished, he rises anew as Olympius.

Across the continent, Flynn Mcallistair writhes in the dirt as he becomes Loki. He bulks up and two massive curved horns burst from his forehead. His flesh darkens to a nearly black indigo, with many small bony protrusions poking through.

The staff of her mansion die around her in agony, but Summer Landsdown doesn't spare them a second thought. Too concerned is she with the silver bat wings growing from her shoulders and the metal scales emerging across her skin. When she finishes screaming in pain, Vypra is ready to serve her master.

Ziggy whimpers in fear when his floor glows and his body begins going through horrible changes. His nose grows in length and narrows, with his eyes becoming beady. Once his skin has become a very pale blue, Jinxer begins cackling madly.

Dillon is interrupted from his letter to Tenaya asking about her latest adventure with the Space Rangers, as his entire room explodes in light. Pain fills every nerve and he begins the agonizing transformation into Diabolico.

In her lab, Doctor K watches her assistants turn to dust and can only stare in wonder at her own changes. When her skin shifts to a mottled green and she gains in mass, Doctor K can only giggle uncomfortably. The giggles become manic laughter in short order and Levira is the only one left in the room once the transformation is complete.

The twins Gem and Gemma are both on runes that begins to glow beneath them, changing both into monsters. Gemma's eyes fuse in the middle of her face, while her tongue grows massive inside her mouth. She becomes Camille, the shape shifting assassin in service of Master Vile.

Her brother screams an entire mountain range away, with his skin becoming a mixture of leathery orange and red. His torso splits almost like an open maw, with fang like spikes running along both sides. When black and yellow patterns fill in his flesh, Darkonda roars in glee over his newfound power.

"Now, we are almost ready to move against the one who claims my throne!" Master Vile shrieks to his forces when his ritual is finished, turning his focus outwards in contemplation. "We just need to find… adequate transportation for you all."

He scans nearby systems in search of those both evil and desperate enough to serve him. He finds his prize on a grand pirate's galleon, with Captain Mutiny at the helm of a very foul crew. Mutiny may have to much pride, but his First Mate however… yes Divatox will serve my needs.

Sending whispers to the disgruntled woman, Vile directs her right to her captain's quarters. He fills her with borrowed strength and smirks when she blows a hole in her old bosses chest. "Excellent, now bring your fleet to Corinth Admiral Divatox. We have an Emperor to depose." Vile orders loud and clear, no longer needing to hide his influence from those on board.


…


Emperor Mavro feels a force he thought long vanquished approach his throne world. "Damaras, prepare our forces. We have company." He watches the best warrior in his forces – if not the galaxy itself - race to follow his command.

"Boys, don't embarrass me here." He directs his mocking tone to Vrak and Vekar, knowing this will require delicate handling. "This will decide who sits the throne, so do not fail me!" Mavro allows waves of energy to surge forth and slap against his sons, with Vekar stumbling back with each wave of force.

Vrak – ever the useful son – speaks with arrogance. "Of course father, our family is the only one fit to sit the throne." Distracted as he is, Mavro misses his son's shifty voice. Instead he keeps his eyes on the fleet of Captain Mutiny, flying new flags and bombarding his city.

"You will need more than Mutiny to defeat me Vile!" He roars from his balcony. "My reign is secure and you will fall to the might of my Armada!"

A swirl of black smoke reveals a smirking Master Vile and his newly acquired generals. Divatox remains on board her flagship, destroying any ship that tries to reach the sky.

"I believe you will find your reign not as secure as you believe." Mocks Vile and with a wave of his hand sends black lightning coursing through Emporer Mavro.

The black and gold behemoth shrieks in agony, his very molecules losing cohesion. In a few seconds of excruciating torment, Mavro disintegrates before his son's eyes.

While Vekar shrieks in terror, Vrak gets a single nod from Master Vile. He steps towards his brother and swings his sword with lightening quick reflexes, severing the feeble Vekar's head from his shoulders.

"I believe I have proven my loyalty?" Vrak kneels before Vile who simply nods, a vicious smile growing on his face.

"I believe you have King Vrak." Patting his new servant on the head like a dog, Master Vile finally calls Divatox off with a thought. "Now Levira here shall keep an eye on you, while I determine the loyalties of the rest of this so called United Alliance of Evil." Evil makes no concessions or alliances, it devours everything in it's path!


…


Divatox's galleon docks with the Annihilation Asteroid, disembarking with an arrogant spring to her step. Elgar, Rygog, and even Porto shuffle along behind her on the way to the meeting, with the Diva of Destruction ignoring all the confused glances.

"Divatox is here!" She kicks open the door and smirks at the assembled leaders. "Sorry to keep you all waiting, but we can finally start."

"Where's Mutiny?" The Hydro Hog growls when Divatox claims the seat beside him.

She kicks her feet onto the table and snorts derisively. "I took over, Master Vile needed someone with… pazzaz!"

"Master Vile..." Lord Drayven hisses, his eyes darting around the table for those also concerned by the news. "He's back?"

"Oh yes, I'm sure you all heard about us taking out Mavro?" Giggling at Edenoi's villain, Divatox directs her mind to her brother standing guard behind Drayven. <You really had better get ready to join the winning side, I made sure to put in a bad word for you Havoc.>

"That was you?" The one trying to claim the title of Emporer is Grumm and he looks worried by this.

The Vampire Queen hisses, with Necrolai's words being directed to the pirate. "I heard it was simply regicide."

Moltor and his brother exchange looks of concern, with Lord Arcanon himself even shifting awkwardly in his seat across from them. Galvanax, Sledge, and Madame Odious all start muttering and arguments start to ring out across the table. Lothor has to silence his nieces whines, so his own yelling can be heard.

"Let's just cut to the chase shall we?" Divatox claps her hands and brings silence to the table. "Master Vile is angry with all of you, so how are you going to make it up to him?"

Jumping to his feet, Lothor roars at her with spittle flying from his mouth. "By ripping out your heart and throwing it at his feet should he ever dare show his face here!"

"You believe I fear your combined power?" Mocking laughter floods the room from every direction and a black smoke billows in. It takes the shape of Master Vile and his demonic forces, with him grabbing Lothor in his magic.

He starts to squeeze the ninja wizard and when no one interferes, he taunts the terrified villain. "Even if you all attacked me at once… you'd die in agony. They all know this and are only going to watch your end."

"Like hell we will!" Marah yells in defiance, with her sister backing her up fearfully. Two blasts of energy fizzle against Master Vile, but he is only amused.

"Ha! You at least raised them loyal, I'll just need to lend them some power!" Marah and Kapri scream as the magic forces them into a single body covered by a black carapace. "How does that feel Trakheena, ready to take over for your uncle Lothor?"

She stabs first and answers him only after her uncle is lifeless on her claw. "I believe so." She smirks around the table and shakes the blood from her hand.

"Anyone else?" Vile taunts the assembled villains, with General Havoc acting before his Lord Drayven can.

Havoc bisects the powerful if foolish Lord and kicks his body onto the floor. "You require competent help and it has been over a century for him to conquer Edenoi, I will be a superior replacement."

Galvanax moves to attack Master Vile in combination with Moltor and Flurious, but the brother with the icy heart instead joins the clear winner. He blasts his hot headed brother and smashes his chilled body to pieces.

Before he makes it half a dozen paces, Madame Odious does something to him. He stops running forward and begins to scream in anguish. He melts slowly, but nothing he does can stop his demise.

"Good, now we can get back to work." Master Vile summons a seat made from storm clouds and settles himself at the head of the table. "Mondo decided he was better than you and went solo?" He hisses when Hydro Hog confirms this.

"Space is big, we didn't see a reason to fight him until we killed all the rangers."

"Imbeciles! You can't let an affront like that go, nor shall we tolerate the interference of the Space Rangers." Vile smacks the aquatic villain with the back of his hand. "You each have one year to prove you deserve to live, let alone remain in charge. Otherwise I'll be finding replacements for all of you!"

"What do you want done?" Sledge the bounty hunter cautiously broaches with a glance at the body closest to him. "Master Vile." He remembers to add with nearly a whimper to his voice.

"You can be useful," Vile dismisses the brute with a wave of his hand. "By ending the Space Rangers. Even you should find this possible, so Darkonda will ensure you get the job done."

Smirking when Sledge hurries from the room, he scowls at 'Emperor' Grumm. "IF you wish to have the title of Emperor, you had best go topple an actual Machine Empire."

"As you command Master Vile," The villain bobs his head in deference. "I shall leave them nothing but scrap."

"So we don't have another repeat of the late Drayven's failure, Hydro Hog shall take over the conquest of Edenoi." The mastermind turns to the now directionless General Havoc. "And you Lord Havoc, shall bring ruin to the world of Denzi."

He gives orders to the rest of his commanders, with Galvanax being sent to Sentai Six and Odious going to Kamen Five. Flurious leaves with his forces and heads to Aquitar to freeze the oceans solid. Juukou is left to face the onslaught of Necrolai's vampires, while Divatox and her crew hunt down the missing moon of Phadoes.

"Trakheena will eliminate Xybria and acquire as many psychics as possible." She bows to Vile's orders and scurries from the room. "Diabolico, you and the demons will be divided among our… loyal subjects. Make sure you all leave with one of them."

He watches all his forces streak away from the asteroid, and considers how long it will take Vrak to defeat this so called Space Patrol Delta. "Maybe I should check in on him and have some fun."

 

[Flightless Man]

Episode 16: Undercover Rangers
​

Rita strides into her throne room, Zedd is behind her looking over the assembled forces with a snarl on his face. Baboo has throne himself at their feet, while the Green Ranger is no where in sight. The three figures behind him don't even twitch.

"What happened..." The Lord of Evil kicks the whimpering Baboo and sends him rolling across the floor. He points the tip of his staff at Baboo's face, holding it in place menacingly.

"The Rangers broke the spell," He whimpers up at the Lord and Lady of the castle. "Scorpina must have told them what to do." Thinking quickly, Baboo tries to shift the blame.

The monster known as Dischordia sees her chance and chimes in with a feral smirk on her face. "Are you going to tell them about the humans?"

"And how they actually managed to do damage to the Dragonzord?" Polluticorn catches on and stokes the fire even more.

"I thought it was your job to deal with them, why are they only getting better?" The mimicry monster that looks like a bunch of lipstick and a microphone, twists the knife even deeper in Baboo's back.

Trying to explain, Baboo starts babbling everything he can think of. "I have all of the base's security codes and the Prototype will work for us with the flip of a switch." He dares to climb to his knees when he isn't assaulted again.

"I managed to implant nearly a third of the Quantron armor with control chips and have installed an auto destruct feature in all the Mirage Fighters nearing completion." Baboo gains courage and continues with arrogance returning to his voice.

"You escalated the conflict?" Rita's hiss suddenly becomes a deafening shriek. "You imbecile! Now we have even less time to defeat the Rangers now!" She starts blasting Baboo with violet fire and doesn't even enjoy his screams, to preoccupied with how control is slipping through her fingers.

Zedd stops her just short of ending Baboo's pitiful life. "Darling, this could make things easier. We no longer need to avoid collateral damage, we can even move to shock and awe tactics."

"If the humans want to fight back, lets show them just how outmatched they really are?" She clarifies with a vicious giggle. "I guess It could be fun to crush any hope they have managed to regain in our absence."

"Get back to the base and ensure the defenses go down when the Murder descends." Zedd backhands Baboo and watches him scamper off to obey. "We had best begin hatching the first batch."


…


Handing a disguised Jake his recruitment form, Gia smirks at his muttering. "We need someone in each department, I thought medical would be a perfect chance to try out the dream." She moves to snag the form back, only for Jake to yank it away.

"I just thought we would actually be spending the day together and not just…" He shrugs, having a hard time finding the right way to phrase it. "You know, in the same building. I didn't think you'd be inviting the others along either."

Gia rolls her eyes, but secretly enjoys the earnestness on display. "Troy offered Bulk a spot on the team, I don't really want to leave him alone right now." If you think it took a long time for me to trust you and the guys, I'll be needing grey hairs before I forgive Bulk.

"Fair enough, but you trust him to run loose in the base?"

"I'm signing him up for laundry," She admits with a chuckle. "I don't really expect him to find anything, but it'll keep him out of trouble."

Giving his girlfriend a considering look, Jake realizes he has no idea what Gia wants to do with life. "You all know what I want to do and Noah's obviously going to revolutionize some field of science. How about you, what makes you happy?"

Gia waits for the normal follow up, about how she's so smart and talented. How I can do anything apparently, because I'm oh so perfect. Except it never comes, Jake just waits for her answer.

"You're actually going let me think about it?" Not even Emma is so restrained, she keeps telling me that I'll write her articles.

"Of course," Jake gives her an encouraging smile. "I know my thoughts get all jumbled up, sometimes you need time to think..." He looks around the Juice Bar and waves at Ernie behind the counter. "I don't see any emergency, so take all the time you need."

Wow, this is new. She feels a weight of expectation jiggle loose on her shoulders. "And you aren't going to tell me I can do anything?"

He laughs warmly at this and shakes his head firmly in the negative. "I've spent my whole life trying to live up to my dads idea for who I should be, I'll never put that pressure on anyone." Taking her hands, he squeezes in support. "I like you and figure we can find out who we're going to be together."

"Should we come back later?" Noah interrupts, with him and the Ziktor siblings having snuck up on them. "Looks kind of steamy." He stage whispers to Hayley, making Jake blush and yank his hands back across the table.

"No, this is important." Gia slides over, letting the girls slide in beside her. "About half the people we brought back from the moon… never went home." Her grim words kill any good mood left at the table.

Jake slaps his form onto the table and smirks. "We're going undercover, I'm going to be a medical student."

"No offense… but how?" Trying to keep her tone kind, Hayley is the one to broach the fact that he's only in grade ten.

"Alpha will feed him any answers he needs," Gia explains, feeling the sudden urge to defend Jake. Only me and Noah can tease him like that… and maybe his sister when we save her.

Noah's face begins twitching and he gestures with his chin towards the door. Bulk is walking behind Troy, looking very different from how the bully usually would.

Gone is all the black leather and chains, now he has a forest green hoodie and a darker shade of jeans. He has an awkward look on his face, with his hands moving in and out of his pockets repeatedly.

Catching sight of them, Troy brings him over and greets everyone calmly. "Hey, Bulk wants to say something to all of you."

"Especially you Jake," The anxious Bulk gives him an awkward smile, before turning to Emma. "And you. I really hurt you two the most with my actions and I'm sorry."

"I saw the best in you before the spell," Taking the chance to speak first, Jake offers Farkas his hand. "If Troy says he can see it again, I'm willing to forgive you." He puffs his chest out. "Besides, I'm the one who took you down and I can do it again if I have to."

Looking at Emma, Gia asks for her opinion. "What do you think, he wasn't cursed when he screwed you over?"

"I was chosen because I can see the best in people," She frowns at her shaking hands, only to clench them in still fists. "If I can't give you a second chance… maybe me and Jake should switch colors."

"Nothing against pink, but nope." Jake puts his foot down. "I already traded and now my Battlizer has the wrong face plate."

When it's clear things will be able to proceed – if awkwardly – Troy grabs a pair of stools for him and Bulk. "What's this about going undercover Gia?"

"The Silver Guardians are up to something, we need to find out what."

"Zordon said the organization like this when he was a ranger, was a huge help for his team." Troy frowns at the idea, but is willing to hear Gia out.

"Well something is different, he did say his team had no secret identities..." Remembering some earlier conversations, Emma speaks up in defense of Gia's plan. "Maybe they don't trust us?"

Gia hands a form to everyone and explains. "I want Noah in R and D, while I handle maintenance."

"I'm in security?" Smiling at how well his team is managing to work together, Troy has no complaint with his assignment.

"I'm in the air force!" Emma hisses when she reads her own form. "What are you thinking?"

Catching on quickly, Troy clarifies for the irate pink ranger. "Well you are the only one of us with a flying Zord."

"Oh…" Her face goes rosy and Emma sinks into her seat. "Yeah."

"Laundry is fine by me, I don't want to screw this up."

Orion's eagerness quickly fades, when he realizes Gia doesn't have a form for him and his sister. "Can't we help with this one, it's undercover after all?"

"Speak for yourself, I've got a weekend planned with Alpha." Kicking her brother under the table, Hayley shrugs apologetically to Gia. "Sorry, but he really wants a body."

"You can come with me Orion," Offers Troy. "Since I have a feeling you'll go without us anyway." Orion chooses not to incriminate himself by answering that.

"I had a few extras made," Noah hands a communicator to Bulk and then slides one to each of the siblings. "So if you two are going to help out..."

"They should be able to call for help." Agrees Troy with an impressed smile,

They stand and leave Hayley to find her own way home, Noah being the one to say goodbye. "Alright, I guess we'll see you later?"

"As long as you don't get caught." She smirks and saunters out the door without another word.


…


"Hayley, I have a proposition for you." Alpha hesitates in handing her a wrench.

She can hear the weight in his statement and gives him her full attention. "What is it?"

"When we drained the excess energy from Bulk, we managed to cleanse enough for two whole power coins." His hands shake as he does something he probably should have asked Zordon about first. "What's your favorite color?"

Hayley drops the screwdriver and lets it clatter on the cement. "Alpha… what are you really asking me?"

"Zordon had me select the rangers and I believe I will be asked to select another ranger." He sighs and tries to explain. "You are a potential candidate, so I wanted to put in a good word for you."

"Really..." Her eyes are wide, with her mouth hanging slack jaw.

"Yes, although I still have to bind the coins to the bones of animal." Alpha confirms this, his voice no longer filled with anxiety. "If you have any suggestions for creatures from the Pleistocene, I will send the rangers to acquire a sample."

Hayley's shock fades and her analytical mind takes over. "You said two coins… is that why you need this body so bad?"

"If we finish the coins and Zords first, I won't be a viable candidate." He admits with what almost sounds like a whine. "I just want to help my friends, you are the only people I know… at least since the last team passed on and that was a very long time ago."

"Purple." She tries to get Alpha back in a more excited mood. "What color are you making for yourself?"

He giggles awkwardly and admits his secret desire. "Orange, since I'm already mostly yellow and red."

"How long do we have before the Powers are ready?" Hayley needs to know how long she has and if it's going to be possible with what she has in her workshop.

"By the end of September at the latest." He answers, making Hayley begin to sweat.

"That might be a problem, since it's going to be October before we have you functional." She hates having to discourage him like that, but she needs to be honest with him.

Alpha bobs his head slowly, already knowing this was likely. "That's okay, I'll just have to go over the files for someone better."

"Else." Hayley firmly insists, which makes him beep happily.

 

[Flightless Man]

Episode 16.5: Truth Discovered​

Getting off the bus with the other recruits, Emma makes sure to be as far away from the 'Sky Cowboy' as she can get. She shoves herself between two other pilots on the tarmac and tries not to look out of place in the lineup.

Can't see anything unusual out on the airfield, where do I even start looking? When a whistle blares, Emma snaps her back straight and looks forward. The officer testing them is a woman, one who she can recognize immediately by voice.

"You all want to save the world?" The 'Yellow Eagle' barks once everyone is silent. "I don't think any of you can even save my place in a line!" She blows on her whistle twice, signaling a soldier to yank a tarp to the side.

One of the Dragonzord's fingers is revealed, barely recognizable by the damage done to it. "I did this…" Taylor's gaze scans the assembled recruits, slowly settling on Emma herself. "How the hell did you slip through?"

"Uh..." Emma's blood freezes, but Taylor doesn't actually seem mad.

She explains with a somewhat impressed scowl, as two soldiers come and escort Emma back to the bus. "I don't care how much you want to help, we only take adults in the Guardians and already trained pilots here in my flock."

Hope the others had better luck than I did. Emma frowns to herself, as a rapidly moving black cloud approaches. "That's not a cloud!" She tries to warn the driver, but he reacts too late. The cloud breaks apart into a swarm of black feathered people.

Several bird men grab one edge of the bus, yanking it over onto it's side with very little effort. Emma slams hard against the side of the bus, as glass rains down on her and the driver.

As caws come from the tarmac, Emma forces herself over to the unconscious soldier. Checking him for injury, Emma breathing out in relief when he groans. She doesn't have time to get away and morph, the gunshots are disturbingly close and growing louder.

She steadies her breathing and crawls out the remains of the windshield, scanning for any nearby threat. A few bodies are visible on the ground, but most of the soldiers managed to reach cover in time.

"Get down!" One barks, before releasing a tight cluster of shots above Emma's quickly prone body.

His confident command becomes a terrified scream, when talons sink into his shoulders. He's lifted into the air before he comes slamming down unmoving beside Emma.

Not going to meet the same fate, she flings herself into a handstand and crashes her heel against the creatures skull. It shrieks in pain, before going silent when it crashes into the ground. And now to get out of sight. Emma scans for an escape route and barely avoids her next attacker.


…


Gia tries to keep a neutral expression on her face, when Damon leads her and the other recruits into the workstation. When she sees two white legs towering above her, her heart starts to pound in her chest.

"You're building a Zord!" Her blurted remark has Damon grin and slap a hand against one of the legs.

"Is that what the kids are calling them?" Pride is evident on his face. "My baby may only be legs right now, but Cyclopsis will be online soon. Really learned a lot when that wing got torn off the rangers battle… Zord." He grins at the word, finding it adequate for his needs.

He leads them around the massive workshop, showing off a trio of dart shaped vessels. Each one is black with yellow accents and a single massive cannon on the nose. Damon calls them the Mirage Fighters and that they have had the first successful test flight.

It's several hours of mind numbing work, with Betty and Ben being strangely eager to wax the floor. Gia finds the pair annoying but not any worse than Bulk, so is able to endure the babbling from both.

Klaxons begin to blare and the lights go orange, with Damon immediately issuing commands. "Base has been breached, so we need to lock this place down!" He turns back to Gia and the Burke siblings and barks.

"You three need to get to one of the evacuation tunnels and head to the muster point. We can't afford the man power looking after you right now." His eyes are frantically darting around the workshop, but his voice remains firm and clear.

The Burkes don't react fast enough, so Gia jabs Ben with her elbow. "Move it, we aren't trained for this!" And I need to get a hold of the others, make sure this isn't because of one of them.

This gets them moving, with Gia right behind them. They follow the yellow stripe on the wall, only to stumble to a halt.

Four crow monsters block the way and begin eagerly cawing when they catch sight of the trio. The closest one slashes for Betty with it's talons, but Gia yanks her away in the nick of time.

"Find another way out!" She commands the siblings and slams her fist into a bird's chin when it comes too close. "I'll deal with these guys." They have no room to maneuver in these hallways, so I just need to be fast.


…


Waiting outside the lab door, Noah tries to remain inconspicuous while Miss Fairweather scans her retina. Intense security, I can't believe I managed to pass all the tests to get cleared for this assignment.

She waves him and Nate inside, laughing when a cloud of mist covers them. "Decontaminate, don't worry about it." When the two can see again, the first thing they can see is a robot police officer secured by heavy restraints.

"What is that?" Nate blurts out for him, while Noah's palms grow clammy.

"We found it a few years ago and having been working on reverse engineering it," Explains the friendly mentor. "It's weaponry and vehicles are in different departments being studied, they have all lead to incredible advancements."

Taking the chance to learn more, Noah speaks up. "What are we doing here?"

"We're creating our very own elite defense force, by combining this robot's technology with the concept of the power rangers..." She flips on a computer monitor, showing a collection of seven armored figures. "Because of how incredible insects are in respect to size, we have based our Battle Borg armor on beetles."

Realizing what feels off about everything, Noah keeps babbling. "I'm super excited to see all of this, but this seems like top secret stuff. Why are we already getting access?"

"Do you know how many people are moving away from California?" Miss Fairweather retorts and crosses her arms, her face expects no answer from him. "Anyone with the skill to be an asset is taking any job out of state, you are the only two who actually had the skill level to be of any help to me."

She doesn't have long to go over the plans, with alarms ringing out across the base not even fifteen minutes into the discussion about finding a viable power source. She doesn't freeze even as Nate begins to lose his head, grabbing a handheld weapon from on of the drawers.

"You calm and collected, or frozen in fear?" Noah jerks at the question and stops thinking he's been discovered.

"I'm good, what's going on?"

Shoving a small silver blaster into his hand, she thumbs the safety off. "Base has been invaded, if it was only a drill the lights would be yellow. Aim for the head and if it starts to get warm wait before shooting again."

She grabs a second weapon for herself, after shoving Nate inside one of the larger cupboards. Frazzled but not overwhelmed she sprints for the lab door to initiate lock down protocols.

Only a few paces from the door, it crashes open in a storm of black feathers. The Tengu Warriors shove themselves inside and only Noah's precise aim saves Angela Fairweather from disembowelment.

"Get away from them!" He moves forward slowly and keeps the birds in the doorway with careful shots. He ignores the warning about it getting too hot and feels the blaster begin vibrating in his hands.

Tossing it through the doorway just before it explodes, Noah shakes himself loose. Let's see how much I've really learned. He doesn't flinch when the trio of surviving foes charge into the room and simply starts to bob and weave around them.


…


Jake swallows his dread and follows Anton Mercer into the lab. This guy gives me the heebie jeebies. After waiting for anyone else to show up for over an hour, the guy strolled into the waiting room without a word and waved for Jake to follow him.

"It's about time we got a new lab assistant, Phenomenus has been working us overtime getting the serum to work." Mercer doesn't explain what the serum is or why he's so understaffed, he just leads Jake deeper into the base and farther from any exits.

"You'll be keeping the test subject's vitals monitored, as well as keep him clean." Mercer points with his pen when the door swing open, revealing a teenage guy in green sweatpants.

He has long brown hair that's drenched with sweat, with a dozen tubes connected to him. Some are draining fluids and others are filling him with strange glowing liquids.

Jake's jaw drops in shock and he has to say something about this craziness. "What the heck is wrong with him?"

"He was recovered among those rescued from the moon and no one asked about him before we claimed him and the other… undesired." Mercer smirks at his reaction and heads over to the systems keeping check on the teen.

"Strength levels are nearly triple what a normal person his mass should have, with vitals all remaining at sedate levels." He marks this down on his clipboard. "Serum Four G is ready for animal testing."

Jake is forced to give one Thomas Oliver a sponge bath, while gagging on the foul odor coming from whatever is in his sweat the entire time. He almost cries in relief when the bases alarms start going off and gleefully is ordered to head for the muster point.

Mercer barks at him to be back when the crisis is over, but Jake has no intention of ever walking back into that room for a second shift. He dashes through the hall, only to get corned by a pair of birds. "Okay… this is new."


…


"Whoa..." Orion nudges Troy in the side and points towards the soldiers in fancy silver armor. "That stuff is heavy duty."

He has to concede it does look imposing, Troy doesn't think it will make a big difference. "This Quantron armor may be able to take a few hits, but you can't move in something like that." And Rita's monsters are all deceptively fast.

The dozen recruits follow behind Lt Stone, while he shows of the sunglasses able to scan for the energy a monster emits. "And these are the V-Lancers." He shows off the advanced piece of weaponry, making even Troy see how useful it can be.

"They have a laser rifle mode and can be switched to an energy baton for close quarters," Stone sends a quick salvo down the range, obliterating the target hanging at he far end. Without a wasted motion, he flicks it into the melee mode and dismantles the table I was on in only a few strikes.

"When do we get one of those?" Orion is nearly drooling, with Troy beside him nodding in agreement.

Snorting at the blonde teen, Stone tries not to destroy all of his hope. When I don't think you'll kill yourself with one and I can trust you not to show it off on the street." He's interrupted from the rest of his demonstration when the alarms start to go off.

"Battle stations everyone!" Commander Mike Corbett roars across the room. "We got a base to get back under control, so watch and learn from the security cameras rookies."


…


Bulk blasts yet another one of the new bird people and covers the escaping family. So these are the Tengu. Laundry staff was funneled out f the base in the first batch of evacuees, which let him get to the monster attacking downtown before any civilians had been killed.

"Now what's keeping the others?" He growls to himself and dives in front of the unicorns energy beam, stopping a pair of teens recording the fight from being slaughtered. Are they just going to make me do this all by myself, is this my test?

 

[Flightless Man]

Episode 17: Jake Thinks Twice​

As he dashes away from the nightmare inducing lab, Jake desperately searches for a wheelchair, gurney, or just anything that can roll. His search is cut short, when he nearly runs right into a pair of cawing foes.

Slamming this foot into the first ones beak, he sends it crashing into the ceiling and wastes no time moving onto the second one. The burnt bodies of several more lay on the ground, with scorch marks covering the hallway.

"Boy am I glad to see you," Pants Noah in relief, as soon as Jake enters the lab being attacked. "Yo know where the others are?" He drives an elbow into his opponents sternum and nearly collapses against the wall when he sees the fight is over.

"Others?" Angela Fairweather has her weapon drawn on the door, but doesn't miss the word choice. "What exactly are you doing here Mister Loudermilk?"

Noah tries to catch Jake's gaze, but the black ranger is distracted by the sight of the offline robot from the future. "Well that's not actually my name, but I can't tell you what it really is either." He shrugs off her calculating expression for now and lets Nate out of his cupboard.

"So for all I know, you're behind this attack?" She jerks her weapon towards the two rangers, her eyes narrowing in concern.

Snorting at that, Jake has no time for this nonsense. "Lady, do you actually know what's going on in this place?" When she tries to claim the standard line of defensive research, he shushes her. "Grab something with wheels and follow me, if you can still say that in a couple minutes… well I think you're not so innocent either."

Nate is starting to freak out as Miss Fairweather directs him to grab one of the folded wheelchairs. "What's happening here?"

"You're going to find out." Jake leads the trio back the way he came and directs Angela to open the lock.

She tries to scan herself in, but it only flashes red in response. "I'm supposed to have clearance for the whole floor..."

"That's a point in favor of you not being a shitty person." Jake grabs her pistol and sends a beam of energy for the door handle. "Now you may want to cover your noses, this place reeks."

Mercer doesn't give them an easy time getting inside the room, peppering them with laser beams of his own. "I knew something was wrong with you!" He roars when Jake narrowly avoids a lethal shot and charges towards him in a tackle.

Jake brings the crazed man down to the ground hard, with his head slamming hard against the floor. "If a sicko like you is saying that, I'm proud of the compliment."

"Oh my god..." Angela gasps when she finally sees the state of Tommy Oliver.

"Yeah, that was my reaction." Jake growls, as Noah helps him get the abducted teen onto the wheelchair.

Calling over to Nate, Noah gets him to push. "You ready to go? We need to move before any more of those things show up."


…


"Is that Gia?" Crowded around the security monitors with the other recruits, Orion points out one camera to Troy.

In one hallway Gia is facing off with a trio of foes, while on the floor below her a squad of soldiers are engaging another group. "Yeah, we're going to need to find the fastest way to her." Agrees Troy, as he scans the other screens.

Soldiers are scattered around the base and doing a surprisingly effective job at defending the base, but do still lose men in every fight. "Who are they?" He catches sight of a mustached man in a military dress uniform, who is doing his very best to keep to teens safe behind him.

"Captain Mitchell and his kids, he's in charge of the whole defense division." One of the other recruits answers for Troy.

Grabbing a pair of radios, Troy shoves one into that guys hands. "Alright, guide me and Orion to them. We'll grab them and our friend, make sure they get to safety." He doesn't let anyone argue, grabbing his friend's hand and racing from the room.

"You two better pick up the pace, the birds have a boss." They hear one of the recruit's voice crackle over the radio. "And he's ripping right through the Guardians."

"Give us the clearest path to them," Troy growls and ignores the burning in his lungs as he charges down the corridor. He and Orion are forced to ignore several hallways, the sounds of combat steering them down side corridors.

"One more left and then take the stairs down one flight." Doing as instructed, Troy thanks the recruit and dashes down the steps two at a time.

They arrive to find Gia standing above her downed opponents and she nearly starts laying into the duo. Only Orion's frantic cry of her name, saves Troy from a boot to the jaw.

"How much farther to the Captain and his family?" Troy barely greets the yellow ranger, before he's already back on the radio for further directions.

"Far side of the floor you three are on, they managed to hole up in one of the bathrooms and are keeping the birds out." The recruit's voice is grim. "But the monkey thing is heading right for them and they aren't alone!"

The trio arrive in the hallway, to find Noah and Jake holding back a dozen of the Tengu. They manage to keep the birds from getting inside the bathroom, but are visibly slowing down from how long they have been forced to.

Interfering before the two receive any serious injury, the trio surprise the cawing warriors. They crash into them from behind and start dropping the shocked foes with relative ease.

"About time you guys found us," Noah groans.

Troy ignores this and barks orders at the bathroom door. "Captain Mitchell, we need to get you all out of here now! The monster in charge of the attack is on it's way here."

"Too late for escape I'm afraid." The mocking voice of Baboo fills the hallway. He struts forward seemingly unaware it is the rangers before him, or maybe just uncaring after his earlier torture at Rita's hands.

"I'm going to need too bring you all with me, so please… resist." He smirks in feral delight, snapping his hands forward and revealing his razor sharp claws. "I really need to work off my aggression on someone."

"Get my children out of here!" The voice of Captain Mitchell roars, as a constant barrage of energy flies at the vampire ape. He charges towards Baboo with both his and Miss Fairweather's blaster, raw determination plastered on his face.

The blasts are mostly avoided by Baboo, but those strike the sealed doors of an elevator behind the monster. It melts away and exposes the long drop down, with Captain Mitchell tackling the monster inside.

Baboo's scream mixes with the father's roar of triumph, before a swarm of smoky bats explode from the shaft. They screech and escape through the air vents, leaving the four rangers alone with their charges.

"Dad!" Dana's shriek is filled with anguish, with Ryan collapsing to his knees beside her.

"We need to leave now, this place isn't what we thought it was." Grabbing the grief stricken teens by the hand, Miss Fairweather starts pulling them towards the stairs.

"I finally know where I recognize your voice." The recruit on the radio finally catches on, with Troy just hoping the security guard from city hall remains silent. "So I'm guessing you lot want to avoid the squad of Guardians heading for you?"

Troy blinks in shock, but does answer however slowly. "Yeah, we need to get these people out of here."

"If I hadn't just seen you all risk your lives for them, I may be doubting myself more over this." The recruit remarks with a chuckle. "So take the stairs and go up all three flights, you'll need to cross half the floor and take the blue flight of stairs to the surface. It'll bring you out at the car park entrance and you'll be in the clear."

"I owe you one for this."

The guy laughs even harder in response to that. "I'd say we're even, after you taught us to aim for the head."


…


Cassidy and Devon watch the green ranger defend the entire street by himself, none of the other rangers in sight. She has the fear stricken Devon keep rolling, while she does her best to capture the scene for the first close up battle footage.

"And even though just days ago he was one of our greatest threats, today the Green Ranger is the only reason anyone on this street is alive right now." She directs Devon to pan across the battlefield, especially the few civilians still cowering in fear.

"Since he no longer has the golden crest around his neck, I can only conclude he was being controlled by it before." Cassidy tries to keep her voice calm and crystal clear in her delivery, but she knows a few stammers slipped in. "He saved my cameraman and myself not fifteen minutes ago, but now he faces this unicorn monster alone."

She turns away from the camera and gives her live report on the battle before her. She watches the green ranger avoid dozens of pinkish balls of plasma and get thrown around by gale force winds. When he's struck by a bolt of lightning and sent flying from the explosion, Cassidy has to bite her lip to avoid shrieking.

"I'll be rewarded well for bringing Rita and Zedd your head," Polluticorn howls in triumph at the groaning Bulk. "Traitors will not be tolerated!" He sends forth another bolt of energy, only for this one to be thankfully interrupted.

A trio of arrows strike the monster and explode, sending him rolling along the road. Emma lands beside Bulk and helps him up, making sure to keep her eyes on the monster.

"Sorry I'm so late," She apologizes and quickly sends another set of arrows forward with precise aim. "The airfield was hit and I just managed to get away."

"I'm going to assume the others are dealing with something similar," Bulk hisses out in response, positive his shoulder is dislocated. "And not that I'm being taught some kind of lesson."

Snorting at the idea, Emma assures him that's not the case. "If it is, I wasn't told about it."

"This thing is tough, how are we going to take him down?" Bulk meets the Polluticorn with both Blade Blaster and Dragon Dagger in hand, barely catching the monsters claws on them.

"He looks like a unicorn, so I'm guessing the horn is important." Emma focuses on the glowing horn and sighs in relief when four beams of color arrive on the scene.

Troy relives Bulk immediately, his sword clipping the monster on the side and sending into rolling away. "You did great, sorry we took so long."

Working with the red ranger, Bulk grabs the monsters arm and pins it to his side. "What kept you guys?" He asks casually, even though he's burning to know.

"We found out what was really going on and let's just say… never bet against Yellow when she has a hunch." Jake remarks and starts the process of bringing the Power Weapons together.

"Move!" Troy warns him when they fire, giving Bulk enough time to get clear of the blast.

When the smoke clears, another naked stranger is revealed. "Alpha, just like we talked about." Gia calls the Command Center and Bulk watches the cleansed person shoot away in a beam of grey light.

"Where's he going?" Bulk realizes the beam is not going towards the desert.

"Sending him to Canada so the Guardians can't experiment on him." Explains Gia with an audible smirk. "We're going to send them all over so the Guardians can't hide them away anymore."