Disclaimer: The Power Rangers, VR Troopers, and Big Bad Beetleborgs are the property of Saban Entertainment and I lay no claim to them. Katarina Petronov, Jamie Zedden, Lillian O'Neil, and Christina Collins are from her 'Personality Conflicts' written by Ellen Brand. Samantha Jones and The Doctor are property of the BBC. Josie and Jessie Belle are based on the Circuit Breaker character from the 'Transformers' comic by Marvel Comics Group. If anyone has any comments contact me at foi72@yahoo. com
Psycho Returns: The Zeo Quest Part One
By the Q-team
There was plenty of activity in the Power Chamber. Unfortunately not many people were around to do it all.
Alpha 5 had been monitoring for signals to the lost Zeo Crystal components. So far only the White fragment had been found, and the Silver fragment had been taken by the Machine Empire. The Purple and Black fragments were still unaccounted for.
Skull had been looking through a new set of sensors hoping to find some lead on where the missing rangers were. All anyone knew was that they were led into a trap by the Psycho Rangers and hadn't been heard from since. All anyone could do right now was hope that they were all right and be safe from whatever Biilly had planned for them. Also missing were Jamie and Leslie Zedden. Scans for them came up negative as well. Zordon tried to get impressions of Jamie or Leslie from Zedd and Rita's palace, but could detect nothing.
The Doctor had been fiddling with his TARDIS again trying to not only get it operating again, but to also use the Gallifreyan technology to find something that Alpha and Skull were missing. Those efforts had sadly come up empty as well until Alpha broke the silence.
"Ai yi yi yi yi! We have a signal!" Alpha 5 called out. "We have located the Black Zeo Crystal!"
This news brought everyone in the Power Chamber to attention. "Where is it located Alpha?" Skull asked.
Alpha ran the scan and triangulated the signal to Maguire's Leap. "There is also someone there. Ai yi yi yi yi! Zordon! Doctor! It's Richie!"
The viewing globe brought up an image where a young Hispanic young man was dropped off by Tengas and was left behind to fend for himself. Unfortunately for Richie the only way to really get back to civilization from Maguire's leap was by vehicle and sadly none was close by from what he had seen. If Richie didn't get out of there he would either freeze in the desert cold or dehydrate in the desert heat.
"Hey I know that guy!" Skull said. "He works at Ernie's. What's he doing there?"
"I'm not sure. ", the Doctor said. "But I'd say it would be a good idea to find out. And pick up the Black Zeo Crystal while you're there."
Skull smiled at the Doctor's comment and knew the Time Lord was right. "Why not? Let's get to it."
"Then I guess all that needs to be said is... let the Zeo Quest begin!" Skull took Zordon's words to heart and went on his way. First stop... Maguire's Leap.
Chapter 1: Richie and Emily
Richie looked all around Maguire's Leap hoping to find some indication that civilization was somewhere around. He thought he saw a black motorcycle close by, but as he approached it it dissapeared leaving him stranded.
Okay Richie which way do you go? he thought trying to determine the best direction he could go in. It may not have made much of a difference because the towns of Angel Grove and Crossworld City seemed to be the same distance from where he was.
Richie was more familiar with Angel Grove than with Crossworld so he decided to make for more familiar grounds, namely Angel Grove. And if I'm lucky maybe I'll be picked up a hitchhiker.
Richie started to walk on when he noticed a black 8-sided crystal shining against the setting sky. Stepping over to it he reached down to pick it up, only to be thrown back a good couple of feet. He hit the ground hard and fell into a state of unconsciousness. When he finally awoke he saw Skull standing before him with his arm offered out to Richie.
"Going my way?" Skull asked as Richie took his hand to be helped up. His hand still holding the Black Zeo Crystal
Two teleport streaks entered the Power Chamber. Both of them revealing themselves to be Skull and Richie.
"Welcome Richie Evans. ", Zordon said. "I bid you welcome to the Power Chamber. The headquarters of the Power Rangers."
Richie looked confused as to what was happening. First he and Emily were taken, then he was dumped in the desert, came across a Black crystal, and now he's in the headquarters of the Power Rangers? And what's weirder, is that Skull is a ranger as well?
"I realize this must be all that confusing for you. ", a man in the garb of an Edwardian gentleman said who introduced himself as 'the Doctor'. "But we are in need of your assistance."
Richie continued to try to sort out the strange mess he was in. "Me, what can I do?"
"Plenty with that crystal. ", Skull said pointing to the Black Zeo Crystal that Richie was holding. "It looks like you have been chosen to be the Black Zeo Ranger."
"What?" Richie said in surprise. "No, not me."
"Ai, yi, yi! Why not Richie?" Alpha asked. Richie turned to the android and was startled.
"Who are you and how do you know who I am?" Richie asked.
Zordon was the one to answer that. "We know of you through your interaction with the rangers. Now before you answer that you do not know who the rangers are, I must correct you and say that you do. You have met them many times in their civilian identities."
"I...I...I know the rangers?" Richie asked getting more confused by the second. "How?"
"Observe the viewing globe. ", Zordon said and Richie turned to the wall where the viewing globe started to form visions. Visions of young people who had fought to protect their planet from multitudes of evil monsters. Visions of people he knew.
The viewing globe then shifted to reveal the faces of those young people that had been called Power Rangers: Jason Lee-Scott, Trini Kwan, Zack Taylor, Billy Cranston, Kimberly Hart, Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park, Aisha Campbell, Katherine Hillard, Tanya Sloane, Samantha Jones, David Trueheart, Samoht Revilo and Farkas Bulkmeyer. "Them? They were the Power Rangers?" Richie asked completely stunned.
"Yes Richie. And apparently destiny has chosen you to be one of them. For you have been chosen to be the bearer of the Black Zeo Crystal. ", Zordon said. Richie picked up the crystal and just stared at it.
"I'm not worthy of this. I don't deserve it. ", Richie finally said. He handed the crystal over to Alpha who was surprised at Richie's decision.
"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi! Why Richie? Why won't you accept the powers of the Black Zeo Ranger?"
"Because I'm not a ranger." Richie answered. "You saw the video on that globe. They all were great fighters. They were heroes that were just...so cool. Everyone thought so."
"Bulk and Skull didn't. ", the Doctor interrupted.
"But they came around. Hell, Bulk's even a ranger now. And so are you Skull."
Skull cleared his throat before answering Richie's claim. "That's not exactly true Richie." Richie looked on confused and asked "What?"
"In order for me to get my powers which are the White Zeo Powers I have to find the remaining Zeo Rangers and their powers. The Black, which you have, the Purple, and the Silver."
"How will you know who they are?" Richie then asked. Skull just smiled and looked down at the crystal which glowed in Richie's hand. "Oh I have a feeling I'll find out."
"But I'm not a ranger." Richie tried to get his point across to no avail. "I'm not worthy of this."
"Richie. It's that very same unworthiness you say you possess that makes you worthy. ", Zordon answered. "When the original five rangers Jason, Kimberly, Trini, Billy and Zack were chosen, they did not believe they were worthy either. In fact they refused the power when it was presented to them."
This admission startled Richie. "They refused the powers?"
"Yes." Zordon said. "They did not feel that they were worthy enough to be rangers. They just felt like they were ordinary teenagers. But I believed in them, and in defending this planet against forces like Rita and Zedd my beliefs turned out to be justified."
"And those beliefs also are placed in you. ", the Doctor said next. "You already sought to improve yourself in your karate lessons. And the friendships you struck with the other rangers and Emily show the caring heart that you possess."
It was the mentioning of Emily's name that took Richie out of his state of disbelief and brought back the memory of her being taken by Goldar and his troops. "Emily is in trouble. Can we do something for her?" Richie asked.
Skull was taken back by this news, and Richie quickly explained what had happened. "Zordon, what do we do?" Skull asked.
"Unfortunately we cannot teleport into the lunar palace." Zordon said. "It is heavily shielded from our scans and we cannot teleport our way in."
"What about Kat and Tommy? They got in once." Skull said trying to offer a sugesstion.
"That was when Kat had recently been freed from Rita's control. She had not reset the safeguards to the palace at the time and it would be only logical to assume that even with Kat and Tommy here access would not be granted." Skull and Tommy sighed at that news but were not going to give up.
"Alpha. Do you have the blueprints to the lunar palace on file?" the Doctor asked. Alpha nodded and went to call up those plans.
Skull and Richie looked on wondering what the Doctor had planned. Hopefully they would find out soon enough.
"What do you want with me?!" the girl Emily St. John screamed as she was being escorted into the palace throne room. Sitting on the throne looking down at her was Lord Zedd. By his side was none other than Rita Repulsa.
"Unbind her." Rita ordered as the Tengas cut loose the ropes holding Emily's arms together. "Don't bother trying to run. You're on the moon. There's no place for you to go."
Emily sighed realizing that escape would be...difficult but that still didn't stop her from asking again "What do you want with me?"
Rita and Zedd shared a smirk as Rita reached under her robes and produced a purple six sided crystal that glowed with power. Casting her eyes at Emily she said "Here catch!" and tossed the crystal into the air. As if on impulse Emily ran towards the crystal and caught it as it was about to hit the floor. When she picked herself and the crystal back up a purple glow eminated from it as the Zeo Crystal chose it's new Purple Ranger.
"Well, it looks like we have a winner!" Rita shrieked as she realized that the flash of purple meant that Emily was the new Purple Zeo Ranger. Emily looked on amazed and confused as to what had just happened.
"Congratulations girl." Rita crossed over to where Emily was standing looking her over with a look in her eye. "You are now the new Purple Zeo Ranger. Or at least you will be when the other crystals are found."
"Purple Zeo Ranger?" Emily said trying to grasp the concept of her as a Power Ranger.
"Is there an echo in here?" Rita asked with sarcasm. "What part didn't you get? The Purple Zeo Crystal... has chosen you... to be the NEW... Purple Zeo Ranger!" Rita deliberatly spoke in slow motion making fun of Emily's confusion. Zedd looked down from his throne chuckling to himself.
"And this means?" Emily asked still trying to grasp the concept of her as a Power Ranger but also wondering why Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, two known villians who hate Power Rangers more than any living thing in the universe, would be happy that she is now a ranger.
"Because you are going to be OUR Purple Ranger. Ah!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!" Rita then shot out a bolt of magic at Emily which knocked her out and brought her down to the ground. Three Tengas came in and Rita ordered them to take her to Finster's lab.
"All right my little buttercup. We have our new ranger. Now what are you going to do to make her ours?" Zedd asked.
Rita thought hard about this. "Well we can't use the conventional spells. Those don't work all that well. Plus the big giant head will see that coming." Zedd agreed with Rita's assessment then Rita's eyes shone with a new evil gleam to them.
"But maybe we don't need a spell. I've been watching some of the television on Earth and I saw an idea we can use. Instead of a spell why not give her a whole new personality?" Zedd looked confused as to what Rita was thinking.
What are you getting at my lovely little apple blossum?"
"Here's the deal Zeddie, we put Purple Girl into a trance see, and in this trance we construct a whole new personality for her. Then we bury that personality deep within her mind and when we deliver the code word the goody good Emily will be gone and in her place will be OUR Purple Ranger!"
Zedd seemed intrigued by the prospect Rita presented. "A created personality that can be activated anytime instead of a spell. That's something Zordon would NEVER see coming. And by the time he does it will be too late! I love it! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
"Well then Zeddie let's get cracking!" Rita and Zedd left the throne room ready to begin their work on Emily.
"I just love human imagination." Rita said laughing all the way to her lab. Zedd shared his wife's attitude and laughed himself.
Josie Belle was still focused on her computer as she continued her research on Rocky DeSantos. She heard her sister Jessica come into the room and Josie immediately turned off her monitor so Jessica wouldn't see what her sister was up to.
"Another one of your 'top secret' projects Josie?" Jessica said coyly as she entered the room and noticed Josie's monitor turned off.
"Yeah." Josie answered not sure what else to say. Then she realized something. "Aren't you and Rocky supposed to be meeting somewhere today?"
"Yeah we were. ", Jessica said nodding her head down. "But when I went to meet him he wasn't there. I dropped by his house and he said that he was out with friends and he hadn't gotten back."
Josie saw the sadness is Jessica's eyes and went to comfort her sister. "Maybe he had a good reason. Maybe he was held up somewhere and couldn't get back."
"With his friends?" Jessica said. "What could they all be doing that would keep them away like this?"
"I don't know Jessie. I don't know." Jessica didn't even bother to call Josie on calling her by her childhood nickname. She just leaned forward and hugged her sister. After a minute they broke away.
"So you working on another weapons contract?" Jessica asked.
"No, it's... something else." Josie answered. "As soon as it's done I'll let you know huh?"
Jessica shook her head as if dissapointed in what Josie had become. Ever since her accident she had become vengeful and turned her creative gifts in the computer field towards high-tech weapons and other tools of destruction. She seldom did new computer innovations anymore, which was one of the reasons the Blackrock Corporate Conglomerate let her go since her new technologies were too focused on weaponry and not the development of new technologies as was the direction G. B. Blackrock hoped to take the company.
Nowadays Josie sold her technological patents to anyone who was interested. Maybe one of them will get those robots that did this to me!" she thought as she looked down on herself and the chair that she would be forever in most likely. And those multicolored people whoever they were.
Her thoughts turned back to Rocky DeSantos and the friends he had. Josie found it strange that she would associate Rocky with those who she thought were as responsible for her being in the wheelchair as the machines were. Could they be them? I have to know!
"Hello, Earth to Josie. ", Jessica said snapping Josie out of her train of thought. "If you'd rather be alone I can go ahead and leave now."
Josie swallowed before answering. "I'm sorry Jessie. I've been insensitive. I've just been thinking about Rocky all of a sudden."
"You're not looking to take him from me are you?" Jessica asked coyly.
"No, I just wonder who he thinks he is standing you up like this. Doesn't he realize you have feelings?"
"Yeah he does. ", Jessica said finding herself defending Rocky. "And I'm sure he's got a good reason for standing me up. And I'll wait to hear what it is." Jessica then got up and stormed out of Josie's room.
As Jessica left Josie turned on the monitor again studying the image of Rocky and his friends. You have a secret Rockford DeSantos. I'm going to find out what it is!
The Doctor, Richie, Alpha and Skull looked over the blueprints of Zedd and Rita's lunar palace hoping to find another way in. After all if goldar and Rito could get into the Command Center once then rangers could surely get into the Lunar Palace couldn't they?
"Anything yet?" Richie asked trying to see if the others could find a way in that he had missed. It was then that the viewing globe activated revealing Lord Zedd's image.
"Please allow me to save you the trouble my young friend!" Zedd said to the assembled.
"Oh no not again! Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi!" Alpha said remembering the last time Zedd appeared in the viewing globe. Zedd meanwhile cast a look towards the Doctor and remembered him from the grid war.
"I see you have changed Doctor. I must say it's not an improvement." The Doctor was in no mood for small talk and immediately got to the point.
"We know you have Emily St. John Zedd, as well as Leslie Zedden. If you turn them over to us then you will have no problem, and you will be spared from what is to come."
Zedd pretended to be scared. "Oh I'm so shaking. The great Doctor, resident of the Shadow Grid, hero of the universe! Ha ha! Am I supposed to be scared of you? In case you haven't realized I also have an in with the Time Lords. I'm sure you know her... the Rani!"
The Doctor nodded aware of the name of one of his many foes. A brilliant biochemist who did not care for the ethical practices her contemporaries took to heart. "You didn't turn her over to the Rani did you?"
"Now why would I do that? Especially since she has other toys to play with? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Zedd then decided he had enough witty banter and decided to get to the point.
"Now, just to let you know I was in the market for a new Evil Ranger, and your Purple Zeo Crystal seems to have chosen her. But there is only one problem."
"The powers won't activate until all the crystals are together. Yeah we know." Skull said. "So what's the point of this?"
"The point is since her powers won't activate then she is useless to me at least in the conventional sense." Everyone was worried about what Zedd meant by 'the conventional sense' and what Zedd was going to do instead.
Zedd was quick to explain that. "So what I'm going to do is invite the Power Rangers to TRY and get her back. Oh wait a minute. Where are the Power Brats? I so much wanted them to come immediately, but they don't seem to be home."
Zordon could not tell Zedd that the Rangers had dissapeared and most likely had been captured so he said something else instead. "They are on a mission where they are out of contact. They cannot receive your demands even if they wanted to." In essence it was the truth, they were out of contact and they were sent on a mission. But Zordon didn't know what actually happened to the rangers, and right now everything depended on finding out.
"Oh well I suppose I can wait a while. ", Zedd said not bothered by Zordon's saying which seemed odd for Zedd, at least that's what Zordon thought. "She'll be at Angel Cliffs in twelve hours. Tell the Rangers to try and get her!" Zedd then cut off transmission leaving Skull, Richie and the Doctor wondering what the next move would be. "Well?" Richie asked. "What do we do?"
"It's obviously a trap of some sort." The Doctor said. "Emily is just bait so the other rangers can come in and be picked off by Zedd."
"Which means we won't fair any better." Skull said.
"But it's a chance we have to take right?" Richie added. "I mean we can't leave Emily in Zedd's hands."
"No Richie we cannot." Zordon said. "But for right now all we can do is wait. The opportunity will present itself to free Emily."
And with luck, help us find out where Leslie Zedden is and free her as well. Zordon mentally added.
Zedd cut off the transmission to the Power Chamber, and turned to Rita who asked "Do you really think that the rangers will come for her?"
Zedd thought about it for a moment. "Usually they would. But you and I have both been unable to locate them as of late, either in their ranger identities or their human ones. I have a feeling that they are preoccupied elsewhere at the moment."
"So what the rangers won't come?" Rita said not believing what she's hearing.
"The rangers probably won't, but that doesn't mean that Zordon won't send someone to get our future Purple Ranger. And that's all we need right now." Zedd laughed as his plan started to unfold bit by bit.
"And the transmission was a stroke of genius Zeddie. It buys us enough time to finish creating the personality for OUR Purple Ranger!"
Zedd nodded in agreement with Rita. "Unfortunately we have to keep the original personality intact in order to keep it in connection with the power so we're going to have to put in safeguards where the goody two shoes Emily can't get out."
"No problen Zeddie. Oh this is going to be great. Our own Evil Ranger and Zordon won't see it coming until it's too late!" Zedd and Rita both laughed as they headed back to Finster's lab where the reprogramming of Emily was taking place.
Emily was strapped to a lab table with a large helmet strapped onto her. She thrashed left and right hoping to get free, even if she wasn't aware she was doing so. For the real battle she was fighting wasn't in the lab, but rather within her own mind as Finster was monitoring the progress of the device as it rewrote Emily's personality.
"FINSTER!" Rita bellowed as she and Zedd entered the lab. "How's it going?"
"Oh just fine my queen!" Finster answered. "The process is 75% complete. Soon her mind will be totally rewritten to our needs, and your Purple Ranger will be ready at your command."
"Just remember to keep her orininal personality intact." Zedd added. "We'll need the goodness that contains to access the powers when they activate."
"And when she's secure in the ranger's trust. That will make it all the more satisfying when they are borken! Ah! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Rita and Zedd continued to laugh as Finster looked down at Emily wondering what sort of battle was being fought in her mind
Emily St. John ran. She ran down a narrow path in a dark and dismal space. There was mist all over and the fall below would be and endless one she knew, but she had to stay on the path. She couldn't let them get her. She had to keep running.
Gotta keep going, gotta keep going, was her thought. She continued to run until an image appeared before her. It was her and Jason, holding hands and walking down the beach together. If it wasn't for him she would have still been in that gang, and most likely in jail. The images continued to shift and more pleasing images with Jason and his friends appeared. Playing volleyball, helping out at Ernie's, playing games at the local penny arcade. Emily smiled at the joy these images brought her, these were memories that made her happy.
Then all of a sudden two staffs cut through the tapestry of images brutally and the images of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa stood over her like giants shredding whatever happiness they could come across and putting up images of hate, evil and submission. Soon the happy images of Emily's life were replaced by Jason and Emily breaking up, her time in the gang, and images where Zedd and Rita stood as the dominating forces in Emily's mind.
Emily St. John was in a war for her soul. And it was a war Emily was losing.
"STOP IT!STOP IT!" she screamed. "YOU CAN'T DESTROY MY MEMORIES!"
"Oh don't be such a crybaby!" the image of Rita said. "We're just doing some redecorating."
"And besides your conscious mind could use a little renovation don't you think? I swear it's too disgustingly happy in here. ". The image of Zedd continued to put up more negative images around the scene that represented Emily's mind. Images Emily didn't want.
"STOP IT!" she screamed as she lunged towards the gigantic images but unfortunately there was no floor to break her fall and the good representation of who Emily St John was fell. She fell down what seemed to be a bottomless well unable to stop. Screaming as she wondered when she would hit bottom.
Which was happening right about...
The eyes flashed open and the girl was up like a shot. She looked around taking in her surroundings until her eyes locked onto Rita and Zedd. After a brief second of taking in their features Emily St. John smiled.
"I am at your command my master and mistress. ", the future Purple Ranger said. Zedd and Rita smiled and Finster made ready the process to bring the old Emily back and to put the new one in storage in the subconscious mind. Waiting for when she would be released.
There was little else that could be done in the Power Chamber except wait for Zedd's deadline to pass so everyone went about their business. Alpha had performed some diagnostics on equipment while Skull showed Richie around. The Doctor was back at work getting the TARDIS operational, but there was something tugging at the back of his mind.
Zordon seemed to pick up on his friend's distress and asked, "What troubles you old friend?"
The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS with his 'part of the day' and began tweaking it. All the while preoccupied with something Zedd had said in his transmission. "I'm just thinking about the statement Zedd made, about being in contact with the Rani."
Zordon nodded. "She is another dezien of the Shadow Grid I take it?" The Doctor nodded.
"We didn't take any classes together or anything. I knew her mostly by reputation. The Time Lords expelled her for her unorthadox experiments in biochemestry and genetics. But she knows a few things about temporal theory here and there. It's practically schoolboy knowledge for all Time Lords."
"And for her to be allied with Zedd, even in the most remote fashion gives him an unsettling advantage. ", Zordon commented.
"I probably wouldn't call Zedd and the Rani allies. ", the Doctor commented. "More so like passing acquaintances that see each other from time to time. But I am troubled with something Zedd had said, 'the Rani has more than enough toys to play with'."
Zordon suddenly shared the Doctor's concern. "Could the Rani have taken some people for her experiments?"
"It's possible. But the big question is who was taken and why." The Doctor then immediately called for Alpha and he ordered him to run a computer search, anything involving the name 'Rani' or something with the word 'Rani' involved in it.
"This will take some time Doctor. I'll begin work immediately." Alpha began inputting the search and let the computer do the work. Not long after that the sensors went off.
"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi! It's Emily she has appeared back on scan!" The viewing globe swirled to reveal a swarm of Z-putties and three monsters guarding an unconscious girl. One Grumblebee, a Turkey Jerk and Pudgy Pig.
"I'd better get Skull and Richie back here. ", the Doctor said as he turned to leave the main chamber. At the very next minute Skull and Richie walked in. "What's up guys?" Skull asked.
The Doctor showed them the image on the viewing globe and that pretty much said it all.
Meanwhile Zedd and Rita stood back watching the swarm of Putties and three monsters walk around the unconscious Emily. "I don't know Zeddie. Do you think it's convincing enough?"
"It better be." Zedd answered. "We've practically thrown everything but the kitchen sink into this plan. Even a few failed spells for covering our tracks."
"Well I guess we'd better get the show on the road." Rita aimed her staff at Emily sending waves of power into her trying to rouse her from unconsciousness. "Come on girly girl. Wakey wakey!"
Emily woke back up and looked around her surroundings. "Where am I? What's going on?"
"You my young friend are bait for the Power Rangers. And when they arrive their end shall be near!" Zedd hammed up the 'doom of the rangers' bit hoping Emily would buy it then teleported away.
Strangely enough Emily couldn't remember her time in Rita and Zedd's captivity, only being dragged into the throne room and knocked unconscious. But she did notice something sitting on her lap that glowed brightly indicating that it belonged to her now.
The Purple Zeo shard.
The Doctor, Skull and Richie looked on at the scene before them Emily tied up surrounded by monsters and Putties, and no rangers to call upon to help them with the rescue.
"So Doc, what's the plan?" Skull asked.
The Doctor turned to glare at Skull. "First of all young man kindly refrain from adressing me as 'Doc'. Second, I was kind of hoping one of you had a plan."
Richie looked at the Doctor in surprise. "You don't know what to do?"
"I'm a Time Lord not God!" the Doctor said in defence of himself. "I don't know everything." He paused for a brief second as an idea crossed his mind. "But I may know enough of something that could be useful."
The Doctor ran back into the TARDIS with Skull and Richie in close pursuit. They ran through the endless maze of corridors until they finally came to the Doctor's workshop. "Does anyone remember how we got here?" Skull asked sarcastically.
"Never mind that what are we looking for?" Richie asked. "And more importantly, how do we find it underneath all this mess?" Richie looked all around the workshop taking notice of the scattered tools, half completed devices and other odds and ends that the Doctor had lying around. As for the Doctor himself, well he was sorting through a pile of the junk trying to find what he would be needing."
"Hmmmm... no... close...Oh I've been looking for that..." The Doctor stuffed a lot of his smaller devices into his coat pockets and continued sorting through the equipment hoping to find what he was looking for.
"Eureka! Here it is!" The Doctor pulled out a large device that reminded Skull of the dehumidifier in his parents basement. He thought it might be the same thing but with the Doctor one could never tell.
"What is that?" Skull asked.
"It's an ultrasonic generator." the Doctor answered. "I picked one up on of the rummage planets where they sell discount equipment. I decided I needed a hobby one day so I decided to try and restore one."
"Does it work?" Richie asked.
"Oh yes. I managed to complete it before going on to my next hobby. Yo-yoing. It was all during my fourth incarnation." The Doctor then gave a lopsided smile and turned back to the boys.
"Oh and do be good gentlemen and help find three others like this?" Skull and Richie were taken aback by the Doctor's request as they looked around at all the junk in the workshop. He wants us to look through this?" Skull thought.
Richie however began to search quickly. Emily's life depended upon their success.
Alpha looked through all the old equipment that had been kept in storage searching for the items Zordon asked for. "Quickly Alpha we don't have much time!" Zordon said.
"Ai yi yi yi yi! I'm trying Zordon but we've acquired so much junk over the millenia that it's hard to find anything in this mess." Alpha ontinued to search while Zordon waited.
I can't believe I'm mising something such as searching through boxes. Zordon thought. Ever since he had been trapped in the time warp by Rita he had found himself mising a lot of the things that made living life worthwhile. Stuff like walking through a field, eating a meal, watching a sunset, and now he found himself missing looking through old boxes trying to find lost items.
One day I'll be free of this time warp. One day I'll see my family again. Zordon promised himself. The next second Alpha let out his usual 'Ai, yi, yi's' and said that he had found the items they were looking for.
The little robot dragged out a chest and opened it. "Is everything there Alpha?"
Alpha dragged out two helmets. One black and one white. They seemed like old ranger helmets but they didn't seem to fit any pattern of power. Not Dino, not Zeo, nothing. They just had the usual face shield and color that went with a ranger. Also in the chest were different assorted weapons and uniforms, as well as two other helmets and weapons sets. One purple and the other silver.
"We will have to check the weapons out to see if they have an adequate charge." Alpha said.
"For now just focus on the black and white weapons. Emily has little time to waste." Alpha followed Zordon's instructions and carried the box to the lab where they were to be checked.
Back at the Belle house Josie was starting to get into some interesting stuff about Rocky and his friends. Most noticeably about behavior habits in regards to monster attacks. Very interesting, she thought. They always seem to dissapear whenever a monster attack comes around, and no monster shelter in Angel Grove has a record of them appearing.
Anyone else would probably have dismissed that as nothing, seeing as how some homes had their own monster shelters to them and other families just huddled in their garages. But there was more to Rocky and his friends that met the eye, and it seemed like she was so close to something that it was almost in her face. And it would have except, the clock said that it was time for the family to leave and go down to protest the new Collins Industries Automated Chemical plant.
The Belles were very outspoken when it came to automation. They did not believe that the computer should be in control despite having worked with them. Often they used what happened to their daughter Josie years ago at the hands of machines to prove their point. As a result, Josie became the poster child of the evils of automation.
"Josie you ready?" Jamie Belle asked from downstairs.
"Yes mom I'll be right down." Josie reached up for her jacket and put it on. She then lifted herself back into her chair and wheeled herself down to where her family was waiting.
Rocky DeSantos will have to wait. I've got a protest to get to.
Skull and Richie stood in the Power Chamber waiting for what seemed like forever to them. Both for the Doctor and for Alpha 5 who said that he was getting some back up weapons ready for them.
"What's taking so long?" Richie asked.
"Patience young ranger. They shall be finished soon." Zordon said. After a few more minutes the Doctor and Alpha came out of the TARDIS holding three Ultrasonic generators and a box.
"What's all this?" Richie asked.
"A little insurance policy." Alpha said. "These are the weapons and armor of the Power Warriors."
"Power Warriors?" Skull asked.
"Ancient predecessors to the Power Rangers." Zordon explained. "They fought evil wherever they found it until they retired. Their weapons still remain, and even though considered primitive compared to standard ranger powers they still pack some punch to them."
"This is only is the ultrasonic generators fail on us." the Doctor said. "It never hurts to be prepared. "Skull and Richie looked at each other and then at the boxes of armor and weapons. Both then decided that it would probably be a good idea to have something as a back up.
Skull and Richie stood in the old armor of the White and Black Power Warriors. Skull had the Zeo foil in his hand and it was getting power through the microscopic generator. Richie had a lance in hand and ready to fight. His weapon's power was going through a similar generator. The Doctor then brought up the ultrasonic generators and then asked Alpha to teleport them to the areas that were designated.
"Ai, yi, yi! Be careful!" Alpha said as Skull, Richie and the Doctor teleported out.
"You sure this will work?" Skull asked the Doctor over his communicator after placing his Ultrasonic generator into position.
"Positive." was the Doctor's answer as he spoke into another communicator Alpha had provided for him as he set up his generator. "Well almost positive."
"Almost positive?" Richie asked with surprise. "You mean you don't know if this will work?"
"As I said before I don't know everything. What's the point of living if you knew everything about everything? There would be no challenge would there?"Zordon was listening in on the conversation and smiled as he listened. Amused by the words of his old friend.
"I'm certain things will work out well Doctor." Zordon answered. "You've come through many times for the forces of good across the cosmos."
"Well it's nice to know someone appreciates me." the Doctor said in a mock pout but keeping his mind on the business at hand-taking out the putties and rescuing Emily.
"We have to be careful. We don't want to expose Emily to unnecessary pain. And while the Zeo Crystal is more durable than conventional Earth Crystals I don't want to expose it to the Ultrasound longer than necessary. "Richie and Skull both nodded at their generators which were positioned at different corners of the pit where Emily was being held. The three generators formed something of a triangle with the monsters and putties in the center.
"All right people. Let's switch them on." Skull and Richie followed the Doctor's order and turned to power on at low levels. The three then looked down after putting on headphones to protect them from the ultrasound and waited for the results.
The putties semed to regard the sound as an agrivation of some kind. Like an itch that doesn't go away even if you scratch it so many times. The monsters started to feel the same way and Emily also started to feel the effects as well.
"Look!" Pudgy Pig said as he pointed in Skull's direction. They saw the future White Zeo and immediately went to charge at his location.
"That's not all. Look!" Turkey Jerk pointed in Richie's direction as Grumblebee pointed to where the Doctor stood.
"We've been made Doctor!" Richie announced on his communicator. "They're coming towards us."
"Use your blasters to lay down some cover fire!" the Doctor ordered. Both Skull and Richie brought out their blasters and fired some shots sending some of the evil warriors back, but some were getting through.
"We have no choice. Crank it up!" The Doctor turned up his generator with Skull and Richie following up shortly after that. The monsters were in agony as they put their hands to their ears falling down to the ground in pain. Emily was also feeling the pain of the Ultrasound but with her hands bound could not put her hands to her ears hoping to block it out.
Skull had to move fast so he ordered Alpha to do a hopskotch teleport right to Emily's location. Soon Skull was right next to Emily and he put a headset on her so she could block out the ultrasound. She turned to look up at Skull with confusion in her eyes.
"No time to explain. Hold on tight." Skull moved to teleport Emily out but three putties were heading his way trying to stop him. Taking out his Zeo foil Skull fought off the clay warriors keeping himself between them and Emily. The putties were driven back but more seemed to come despite fighting through the pain of the ultrasound.
Skull then activated his teleporter and he and Emily teleported back to where his generator was sitting.
"Alpha teleport us out now!" the Doctor ordered. At that two streaks of white, one streak of purple and one streak of black left the area leaving disoriented monsters and putties wondering what they were going to tell their mistress Rita and their Emperor Lord Zedd.
Turkey Jerk, Grumblebee and Pudgy Pig all walked into the Chamber of Command in the palace, all complaining how their ears hurt. Rita and Zedd sat looking down at the approaching monsters. "Well you miserable morons. What just happened?" came the bellowing from Rita.
The monsters cringed when they heard Rita's voice but they still gave the bad news anyway. "They escaped Empress!" Grumblebee said bowing his head down in shame the other monsters and putties doing the same.
Zedd and Rita just smiled and said, "Perfect."
"We were lucky we didn't need to push the Power Warrior weapons this time. ", Zordon said to Skull and Richie.
"Yeah they seem to work pretty good but we might still if we need to find the Silver Zeo Crystal." Skull said. "We still don't know where it is or who's got it."
"We shall begin searching for it at once. But in the meantime. ", the Doctor pointed to the girl who held the glowing six sided Purple Zeo Crystal looking like she just stepped off the plane to OZ.
Emily looked on in awe of the Power Chamber as it took her a few seconds for her to find her voice. It took even longer however for her to comprehend everything that had happened to her.
"So you guys are Power Rangers?" Emily asked Richie and Skull.
"Well not exactly. We still need to find the Silver crystal and its bearer first before the powers can be fully activated. Yours as well." Skull answered.
Emily picked up the six sided Purple Zeo Shard and looked it over. "And this crystal is mine."
"The crystal and the power it contains Emily St. John." Zordon said. Emily was taken aback by the giant floating head hovering in the tube, and she was a little curious about what a blue Police Box from London was doing in such a high tech establishment. Plus she wondered who the owner was who wore the Victorian gentleman's garb.
"Long story. But in short, I am a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. I am a resident of what you might call the Shadow Grid." the gentleman known only as the Doctor had said.
"But now we have other business to attend to." Zordon turned to Emily and asked her, "Emily St. John, you have been granted the power of Zeo Ranger VI-Purple. Do you accept this responsibility?"
Emily seemed to hesitate for a second but she felt something poke her in the back of her mind as if saying 'accept! accept!' and finally Emily did.
Are you sure about this old friend? the Doctor mentally asked Zordon.
I have scanned her thoroughly Zordon thought back. I can detect no spells or otherwise that have been placed on her.
Just because there is no spell on her doesn't mean that something wasn't done to her. , the Doctor thought back. Zordon agreed and decided that he would keep his eyes open on Emily then he went back to speaking to his soon to be rangers.
"Excellent now all we need to do is to find the Silver Zeo Shard and it's bearer, and we shall have our new Zeo team together. ", Zordon said. Skull however was a little uncertain about that prospect.
"Something tells me that will be easier said than done. ", the future White Zeo had said.
Chapter 2: Jessica
Standing from uptop of the main corporate building of Collins Industries the CEO looked down at the crowd of protestors rallying at the plaza protesting his new automated chemical plant.
"I don't believe this. ", Mr. Collins said as his 14-year old son Wes looked on. "You try to make life easier for others and make a profit in the process and what do you get? Protesters!"
Wes didn't exactly agree with his father on his opinion and he said so straight out. "Dad these are people looking to work. How can they work if machines do all the work for them?"
"Why would people want to work?" Mr. Collins asked. "Don't people want to spend time with their families? Sit on the barco lounger and drink beer as they watch the NFL? Mooch off the wealthy who continue to sacrifice for those less fortunate and only get grief in return?"
Wes rolled his eyes back. You just don't get it dad. I'll bet mom could have. "I'll see you later dad. "Wes then turned to leave the office.
"You'll be home by six right?" Mr. Collins asked.
"Yeah, whatever." was Wes' reply as he walked out. Mr. Collins then turned on his big screen T. V. where news reporter Bunny Bodell was giving her story on the protest.
"It is quite the scene here at Collins Industries as workers afraid of losing their jobs are rallying in protest of the new automated chemical plant, and as you can see the crowd is really showing their disfavor towards Mr. Collins' new technological innovation." The cameraman then pointed towards the main door where Wes was walking out and heading towards his limosine where the driver was waiting. Bunny, not one to pass up opportunities, jumped at the chance for a probable interview.
Excuse me Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins!" Bunny said heading for Wes. "What are your views towards this chemical plant? Do you agree with your father on the belief that automation is the way to go?"
Wes didn't like the mike being thrown in his face but he knew that he had to choose his words carefully. "My father has his motivations for building an automated plant and I'd like to think that they are noble intentions. But I also have to consider the opinions of workers. Some people need jobs in their lives so they can provide for their families and give themselves a sense of fulfillment. So believe me, I see both sides of the story."
Wes moved to get into the limo as the driver started the engine but Bunny had one more question to ask. "Mr. Collins what side do you support?" Wes paused as he thought about how best to answer that and then turned back to Bunny with his answer.
"What do you think?" he asked and then the limo wentdown the street with the driver making sure not to run into the protesters as he rode out.
"So there you have it. Thoughts straight from the son of the owner of the new plant. And from the next generation of America." Mr. Collins looked at the screen not sure whether to be proud or dissapointed in his son for the comments he made. But the next people Bunny decided to interview really made Mr. Collins steam up with anger.
"Oh great the Belle family!" Mr. Collins cursed. "You can't get into any form of automation without them getting involved."
Bunny walked up to where the Belles were holding up picket signs. Jessica, Jamie and Jerry Belle carried their picket signs along with the other protesters. Josie also held up a sign from her wheelchair.
"Excuse me Mr. Belle! Mr. Belle!" Bunny said walking up as fast as her high heels could take her. "A word please?" Jerry nodded reluctantly and turned to face Bunny waiting for whatever questions she had to offer.
"The Belle family is well known for being opponents of automation, yet you make your living doing computer work for major conglomerates. Isn't that a contradiction in terms?"
Jerry seemed about to answer but instead it was wheelchair bound Josie who spoke up. "A contradiction in terms? I don't think so. I love working with computers. My family are the most sought after computer technicians in the world. There probably isn't a server in the world that doesn't have a Belle's fingerprints on it. But sometimes technology can run away from you, take a life of its own. And that what you create can turn on you just like that!" Josie snapped her fingers illustrating her point.
"I'm in this chair because of runaway technology, and other forces whom I don't think I should mention right now. I'm not sure people would believe me anyway. But let's just say that technology is designed to make our lives better, and if we don't put limits on it then it will be the machines doing the controlling and not the humans."
Bunny was intrigued and wouldn't leave well enough alone. "What other forces are you talking about Miss Belle?"
Jessica seemed to gulp at the prospect of Josie mentioning who would put her in the wheelchair all those years ago. To name those she thought were involved would only be asking for trouble from the rest of Angel Grove, at least if she named one of them. "The Machine Empire. ", was what Josie said.
But I so want to mention that the Power Rangers are just as responsible. It's not the people's fault that they don't know them like I do.
Up on the Machine Skybase King Mondo was watching the news with interest, especially since the Machine Empire's name had come up.
KLANK! Get in here!" Mondo bellowed. Soon the chief general and his aide Orbus walked in ready to serve his master.
"Yes your majesty. How may I serve you?" Klank asked.
"What does this human girl mean when she says that we caused her paralysis? In all the attacks that have been done under my leadership never once have I heard something about a girl being paralyzed!"
Klank shared Mondo's confusion. "I do not know. Perhaps Gasket launched an attack that we were not aware of?"
"Not likely." Mondo said in contemplation. "I've kept tabs on my wayward son even if he hadn't realized it. But there is one other possibility."
"You don't mean your second made son Prince Grommet don't you?" Klank asked.
"It's very possible." Mondo answered. "He led the expedition party to this planet in order to scan it for defences. It was also during the time Master Vile had turned back time so all that he had to be concerned with were mewling brats and those Aquatian Rangers."
"So what happened next Master?" Klank asked.
"I'm afraid Klank I do not know. Contact was lost shortly after his arrival. He said there were some difficulties but that they could be handled. When we arrived no trace of his expeditionary force was found."
"Could he still be operational Master?"
Mondo sighed briefly as any father concerned for his first born son would. "I suppose it is possible. I hope to see him again, but right now isn't the time for trivialities. How goes the work on the Zeo Cannon?"
Klank seemed hesitant to answer Mondo's question. "Uhh my lord. There seems to be a problem."
"A PROBLEM?!" Mondo's oil pressure was clearly boiling.
"Yes your majesty. Apparently we can't seem to collaborate the frequency of the Zeo Crystal with that of the Zeo Cannon. The system remains incompatable with the Zeo Crystal."
Mondo cursed when he heard Klank's report then he turned towards the T. V. and saw the Belle family again. They are well known for their efficiency with computers. Perhaps if I can get one of them then I can have my cannon ready.
"Perhaps I can solve two problems at once." Mondo said with a sneer as he looked at his Silver Zeo Cannon then turned his gaze to the Belle family. Most particularly Josie.
The protesters continued to speak out against the plant with the Belles making their voice the loudest. "LESS AUTOMATION! MORE HUMANIZATION!" was the protesters rallying cry. Everyone raised their voices to be heard as they held up their picket signs high.
Josie herself also held up a picket sign. Even though she was in a wheelchair there was no way she was going to let herself be a complete invalid. Whatever she could do she would do. Jessica stood by her sister holding up her own picket sign and standing near her sister.
Jessica always admired Josie. She saw in her a courageous young woman who let nothing stand in her way, even if that something was her own body. Josie would let her opinions be known, and not be daunted by the consequences. Except for her opinions on the Power Rangers.
The Belles knew full well about the accident that left Josie in her chair. Especially since they had lived through parts of it and tried to be supportive, but when it came to her feelings on the Rangers Josie Belle was on her own.
When the Rangers returned in 1993 Josie immediately jumped on the anti-ranger bandwagon, despite her family's objecions. "Josie if you keep trash talking the Rangers it's going to backfire on you." Jessica said warning her once, but since Josie was so in to hating the Rangers Jessica's words fell on deaf ears especially since everyone in Angel Grove loved them.
One time at a Power Ranger rally Josie walked up and asked what do people really know about these so-called 'heroes'? Why do they hide themselves? And what about the innocents that get caught up in these 'monster attacks' that happen so frequently? Everyone in the audience seemed to have an answer for her questions like 'Protection against a hungry news media. They defend us from Rita Repulsa. ' and 'The innocents are cared for by medical teams and the hospitals in Angel Grove and Stone Canyon. '
Josie realized that the people of Angel Grove were all taken in by the Power Rangers. She tried to tell the story of her paralysis and the role the rangers played in it but no one was listening. In fact she was booed off the stage at one time and some even threw trash at her. Right then Josie knew that unless she had some iron clad proof that the rangers were a menace then it did no good to speak ill of them. Especially since they were loved by the whole city.
Jessica noticed Josie's blank stare as she was remembering her past. "Hello anyone there?" she asked. But then someone else broke Josie out of her contemplative state.
"COGS!" someone shouted as a battalion of the mechanical warriors appeared. Josie turned to look and her eyes went wide as if she had seen a ghost. The people all ran away leaving Jessica and Josie alone together. The younger Belle moved behind her sister's wheelchair and started to push her away.
The cogs noticed this and immediately went into pursuit of the two girls. "I think King Mondo thinks you've pissed him off enough don't you think?" Jessica asked.
"Let's just get out of here!" Josie said. But there was still a part of her mind that was asking Why is he attacking now? He hasn't shown interest in me or the family before.
Another teleport signal appeared and a second group of cogs appeared. This group led by none other than Klank. "Josephine Belle. It is my honored duty to inform you that you are hereby ordered to surrender yourself to the mighty King Mondo at once."
Josie thought Klank's declaration was the biggest joke she had ever heard. "You mean after all that you robots have done to me? You finally give me the time of day?"
Klank seemed confused by Josie's statement but the confusion had no relevance to what he had to do. "My young lady I have no idea what you are talking about. All I do know is that you are wanted by his majesty and I shall take you to him."
Jessica stood by her sister as if saying that she would be there for her no matter what. Josie then looked at Klank as if she had daggars in her eyes. "Well you can go ahead and tell King Mondo, and you can say that I'm being polite about this, THAT HE CAN TAKE HIS DEMANDS AND SHOVE THEM WHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE!"
Klank was taken aback by Josie's statement and Orbus popped up on Klank's shoulder asking "Can she say that?"
Klank didn't seem to hear as he drilled daggars of his own into Josie. "How dare you say that of the great King Mondo!"
Josie wore a smirk on her face as Jessica got into a fighting stance. Self defence courses were always free in Angel Grove. "I'll say whatever I want about the fat tub of rust. He and the rest of you machines can kiss my ass in Hell!"
"Very well. Cogs TAKE THEM!" Klank ordered. The surrounding Cogs moved towards the young girls meanacingly. Jessica immediately took on the ones behind her using a series of punches and kicks to hold them back while Josie was left facing Klank and the cogs in front of her.
"Now let's see. What to do first?" Josie then pushed a button and electricity shot out of her wheelchair striking at whatever Cog it could find. They all found themselves twitching like madmen as their circuits were blowing and they made noises that seemed like pain. Klank however held back as he saw Josie take out the approaching Cogs, but he still had a few left in reserve.
"Most impressive. But can you take us all?" Klank then sent in his next wave of Cogs and Josie smiled as they approached. Pressing another button a static pulse shot out of the chair and struck the remaining Cogs. Klank held back this time too.
"Josie behind you!" Jessica shouted. Josie heard her sister and pulled out a rod shaped weapon. She then swung the weapon around and it hit the Cog coming up behind her. As the Cog went down Josie saw her sister being held down by the Cogs.
"JESSIE!" Josie shouted. Klank walked up and stood behind Josie. "Now shall we talk about that surrender now?"
"How about you do some talking!" a voice said from behind Klank. Klank turned around and saw three people in what appeared to be outdated Power Ranger weaponry. One wore a black suit, another wore a white one and the third was in purple battle armor. Unknown to Klank they were Richie, Skull and Emily.
Klank looked at them confused. Josie looked on with a mix of confusion and anger. "Just who are you?" Klank asked.
"Well for right now we are the Power Warriors. And if you don't let these girls go we're going to put you down." Skull said with his blaster drawn like Emily and Richie.
"Not if I put all of you down first!" Josie screamed as her anger got the better of her. She fired her electric bolts from her chair again. The three Power Warriors were knocked down while Klank rolled out of the way and joined the cogs holding Jessica.
"JOSIE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Jessica screamed as the Cogs held her.
"I suppose one Belle girl is as good as another." Klank said. "Adios!". Next thing the Cogs and Klank dissapeared with Jessica leaving the stunned Power Warriors and Josie behind.
"JESSIE NO!" she screamed.
Back on the Machine Skybase Mondo was irate.
"KLANK YOU IMBECILE!" Mondo screamed. "I told you to grab the wheelchair bound girl not the other one!"
"But your majesty. This one is just as good as the other one. She can get your Zeo Cannon working again. Klank said grovelling like there was no tomorrow. For him anyway.
"But we could have used her disability to control her!" Mondo said. "How can we control this one?"
Jessica stood tall as she heard how Mondo thought they could control Josie through her disability. "Control Josie? You've got to be kidding! She's one of the most headstrong and stubborn people I've known. What were you going to use to get her to work for you? A way to make her walk?"
Mondo looked down at Jessica and sneered. "Everyone knows invalids are the weakest of any species. Just throw their disabilities in their faces and it's a easy way to break one's spirit."
Jessica couldn't believe what she had just heard. Josie was right. Machines are evil, and this robot definitely proved that point. She summoned up enough spit in her mouth and threw it at Mondo who moved back and wiped off the spittle from his chrome face.
"Well then young lady. It seems you need a lesson in respect. And I shall be happy to provide it for you!"Mondo reared back his staff ready to hit Jessica when Klank stood in the way.
"Move out of the way Klank! Or I shall strike you down along with her!" Mondo clearly stated that he wasn't making an idle threat.
"Your majesty. I beg of you do not strike this girl down. Sure she may not be the girl you are looking for but she is of the same bloodline as the other. And all of her family are talented in the computer field. She should be no different. She can help us restore the Zeo Cannon." Klank continued to plead the case of sparing Jessica and it seemed like Mondo was coming around.
"What measures will be taken to control her?" Mondo asked.
"Why the lives of her family your highness. If she does not do as we demand we shall simply annihilate them." Jessica's face reflected a state of shock as she heard Klank's sugesstion.
"YOU MONSTERS!" Jessica screamed as she lunged at Klank. "You'd finish the job you did on Josie!"
Klank held her firm and kept his tone even. "I'm giving you the chance to stay alive. And to keep your family alive as well. I highly recommend you accept it!"
Jessica looked around the throne room. The faces of Klank, Mondo, the Cogs, Machina and Sprocket all looked at her as they wondered what decision she would make. Finally she made it.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked.
Skull, Emily and Richie were just getting up after the blast they had taken from Josie. When they looked up they saw Josie holding her stick-like pulse weapon straight in their faces.
"What's the matter? The so called Power Rangers couldn't be bothered trying to save a bunch of protesters? They had to send Rescuing Rejects?" Josie sneered as she delivered her insult.
"JOSIE WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" a voice off to the side called out. Josie turned and saw her parents coming towards them with the protesters in tow. The look on Mrs. Belle's face was not a very happy one.
"Why did you strike down those Power Rangers?" Jamie Belle shouted at Josie. "They could have saved your sister!"
"Saved her? SAVED HER?!" Josie carried on like she had heard the biggest joke in the universe. "Even if they were rangers, which I don't think they are, they would most likely have hurt her just like they did me!"
Emily got up and was curious about what Josie meant. "What the hell are you talking about? When did the rangers hurt you?" Emily's inquiry was interrupted by the beeping of the communicators on the gauntlets of the Power Warrior costumes.
"Warriors please return to the Power Chamber." Zordon said. Skull nodded to both Richie and Emily and they made ready to teleport out. Josie however would not give up that easily.
"Oh no you don't!" she said brabbing her disruptor stick and practically throwing herself out of her wheelchair. Even though her legs wouldn't work she had good armstrength and managed to make contact with Skull just as he was teleporting out. Josie managed to grab hold of Skull and soon she was teleported out along with Skull, Richie and Emily.
"JOSIE!" Jamie screamed at the spot where her daughter and the three future Power Rangers stood. But there was nothing but footprints indicating that they were there.
The Power Warriors were gone taking along an extra passenger in Josie Belle.
Klank escorted Jessica down to a hangar deck where King Mondo's newest 'ultimate weapon' sat awaiting completion-the Zeo Cannon.
Jessica looked on at the monstrous weapon in both awe and fear. "You want me to help you with that?"
"Aye milady." Klank answered back. "And if you don't well we can find ways to change your mind. I take it you may know what they are."
Jessica glared at Klank. She had a good idea what the Machine Empire would do if she didn't cooperate. Her family could be placed in grave danger. Or anyone else that the Machine Empire might think would be useful to get her to go along with their plan.
And if it's not me then they could probably get someone else. Jessica thought. "All right I'll go along." she said.
"Excellent!" Klank said. "Now if you'll come this way I'll show you to the computer room where you shall begin work." Klank led Jessica down a series of catwalks that would lead to the main control room of the cannon.
Yeah I'll go along! Jessica thought. Until I can find a way to wreck your plans. Klank kept up the pace and decided to ask Jessica the question that had been bothering his core processor.
"Now perhaps you could answer me this question." Klank looked and Jessica and asked straight out. "Why does your sister hate the Machine Empire more so than the rest of your fellow humans?"
Jessica paused for a second and looked directly into Klank's optical sensor. "You up for a long story?"
The three Power Warriors looked at their surprise guest as she took in everything inside the Power Chamber. Everything from the computers to the TARDIS(although she wondered what a Police Box was doing in such a high tech establishment{it's occupant was in a storage room looking for parts to fix it})to Zordon himself Josie looked on with a mix of awe and contempt.
"So this is where the so-called 'heroes of Earth' go after they destroy another monster." Josie said as if laughing at the place the rangers called home. Even though she greatly admired the technology it contained. Her train of thought was disrupted when Alpha 5 came up to her to ask if she needed anything.
The response he got was a shot from her repulsor baton which sent Alpha spinning around like an old record player. "AIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYI!" the little robot said repeatedly as he continued to spin. Josie turned up the setting and looked like she would vaporize Alpha on the spot when Skull and Richie held her arms back with Skull trying to pry the weapon from her fingers.
"All right let go of the stick and let go of it now!" Skull said as Josie tried to keep hold of the power stick.
"NO! He is a machine! A robot! He must be destroyed." Josie said.
"Not this one!" Skull said finding the right pressure point to cause Josie to lose her grip on the stick. Josie's weapon dropped to the floor and she cast a glare at Skull, Richie and Emily.
"I should have know! You're all traitors! You only pretend to fight the Machine Empire but you're really in league with them!" The rangers were all taken aback by Josie's accusation.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Emily asked.
"Oh don't play dumb with me!" Josie said with a smirk. "Why else would you have a worthless robot around unless you were in league with those monsters? Yeah. Pretend to be heroes while all along working with the enemy!"
"ENOUGH!" Zordon bellowed. Everyone turned to look up at the Morphin Master who clearly wasn't pleased about what was going on. "For your information Miss Belle Alpha 5 has been a faitful and trusted servant to me for many years. I trust him implicitly as do my Rangers. He has been a good friend to them and is always there for them no matter what the crisis."
"Hah! I say the only good robot is a dead robot!"Emily looked like she was ready to rip out Josie's hair due to the contempt she was showing them as well as to Alpha and probably Zordon as well.
Zordon looked down at Josie and saw a silver aura around her, but it looked all distorted and black around her. She looked surrounded by bitterness and hate which was consuming her aura. She could be a recipiant of the Silver Zeo Powers, but her aura has been distorted by vengeance and hatred. The Silver Zeo Powers are supposed to represent justice and purity, and I see Josie does know that on some level but the call of vengeance is great within her almost to the point of consuming her. And there is the matter of that wheelchair.
"Miss Belle", Zordon asked. "Does this hatred you have towards the Rangers and the Machine Empire stem from you being kept in that wheelchair for probably the rest of your life?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Josie said with a sneer as she looked at Zordon. "Wouldn't you like to know."
Blackrock Corporate Conglomerate Oil Refinery/Rig
October 26th 1986
Just 100 miles off the coast of Southern California a momentous occation was taking place. The opening of a new oil refinery.
But this was no ordinary refinery. This was the oil refinery/rig that would take Planet Earth into the new millenium when it came. Everything onboard was state-of-the-art. Equipment ranging from drilling sensors that would detect even the most remote of fossil fuels to fuel purifiers that would enable the fuel to be ready for transport to local gas stations and into the cars of millions of Americans across the continent.
News crews flocked the scene where the CEO and owner of BCC, G. B. Blackrock, would unveil his newest innovation. And give credit to those who helped make the vision a reality.
"Good afternoon this is Deborah Terrell of KOMO Action news. The news station of Seattle. Today we stand at the site of the new Blackrock Corporate Conglomerate oil rig and refinery where G. B. Blackrock himself will address the new innovation. And where we will hope to get some words from Mr. Blackrock, and the people who helped bring this remarkable vision to life."
Deborah continued to speak as much of the rig as she knew until Mr. Blackrock showed up. After a few minutes the main news room decided to cut to a break and go on to the next story. It was then that the guests of honor decided that they would make their presence known.
"Dave the corporate chopper of Mr. Blackrock is starting to decend." Deborah said as the chopper whirled it's blades landing on the rig's helipad. Once the engines started to shut down the door of the chopper opened and G. B. Blackrock walked out of the chopper waving to the press and the home viewers watching.
Also coming out of the chopper were two people, a man and a woman holding the hand of their eight year old girl while holding their five year old close to them. Deborah commented that these were the Belle family: Jerry, Jamie, Josie and little Jessie.
The reporters kept their gaze on Blackrock who took to the podium and made ready to address the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, and to all the viewers at home. This day is a momentous occation..."
"How momentous is it?" little Jessie Belle asked to chuckles of the press. Jamie Belle gave a 'that's not nice' look to her daughter and Jessie went back to letting Mr. Blackrock speak.
"As I was saying, this new oil rig/refinery incorporates state-of-the-art technology to help secure new deposits of fossil fuels that will carry us into the next millenium. This rig is loaded with fuel purifiers, high-tech laboratories, anything and everything to make the transition from here to you, the faithful consumer." The speech seemed to go on for what seemed like hours to the kids who were getting bored really quickly. Come on get to the good part thought little Josie.
The reporters also thought the same thing until one decided to ask "Is it true that this rig is armed with special weaponry?" Immediately reporters turned to Blackrock hoping that he would answer the question if for no other reason than to save them from a slow news day.
Blackrock seemed to take the question in stride. "Yes, I will admit that this installation is armed with new experimental weapons. These were designed by our specialists who handle our military contracts and they range from laser tracking cannons to particle beam weapons the the next generation of missile systems."
"Why such advanced weaponry? What use does it serve?" another reporter asked.
Blackrock sighed. Some called him paranoid for putting in such advanced high tech weapons on most, if not all, of his installations. But he had heard of the stories about corporate raiders. The big stories coming from his competitor Stark Enterprises which was constantly under attack from industrial sabotuers like the Ghost, the Fixer, Spymaster, A. I. M. , Hydra, even from competitors such as Hammer Industries and Roxxon have tried to strike at Stark. And while Blackrock was not quite at the level of Stark's sophistication it was getting there and Blackrock would be damned if any of his holdings would be targets for the vultures of the corporate world.
"If you watch the news today, you'll hear horror stories about corporate espionage of one form or another. Some of it is behind the scenes while others are more overt. If you look at Stark Enterprises' track record of people trying to bring them down you'll see why such defences would be necessary." Blackrock then did what he could to change the subject and he decided to help bring in the genius who helped make the miracle of science possible.
"But we are not here to discuss weapons. We are here to introduce something that will benefit all of mankind, and the miracle computer technology that is incorporated into this rig wouldn't be possible without the endeavors of the Belle family." Blackrock said in congratulations. "Most importantly the member of the Belle family who is the designer of most of our computer systems."
The press wasted no time turning their cameras towards Jerry and Jamie Belle ready to assault them with a barrage of questions until Blackrock waved them off.
"No not them. Who I mean is... this little child prodigy right here." Blackrock picked up nine year old Josie and held her high for all the world to see. From Jerry, Jamie and Blackrock they all looked up at the little girl and immediately saw something special in her. Jessie looked up confused wondering what the big fuss was about with Josie.
The reporters shared Jessie's disbelief. What all did Josie do? she thought. Jessie's level of computer research was pretty much the same as Josie's was when she was her age. So Jessie wasn't quite at the level Josie was in computer knowhow, but was getting there.
Deborah Terrell decided to call Blackrock on the whole 'child prodigy' issue with Josie Belle. "Oh come on Mr. Blackrock. You really can't expect us to believe that a nine year old girl helped design a sophisticated state-of-the-art computer system such as the one in this rig do you?"
Jerry Belle then spoke up. "Well then don't believe it. Think that some egghead that looks like Albert Einstein designed the computer systems in this rig. But if you take a look at this little girl in action you'll be singing a different tune."
Jerry and Jamie hugged little Josie who was sppreading her little nine-year old smile wide. "When she was in the lab working on the systems", Jamie said continuing where Jerry left off. "It was like your little kids with picture puzzles. There were so many pieces to put together and Josie was able to put together each and every single one."
"Josie is a genius." Jerry said praising his daughter. "And our other daughter Jessie is showing the same talent too. So don't be surprised if you see something from her later on." Soon Jessie was blushing as much as Josie was.
"Can mom and dad never stop showing us off?" Jessie asked Josie.
"Ahhh No." Josie said smiling as she turned back to the swarm of reporters her parents and Mr. Blackrock were being questioned by.
"You heard it here first people. Child prodigy helps design new state-of-the-art oil rig and refinery." Deborah Terrell said to the news audience. An audience that not only spread across the world but beyond as well.
Not far away in the vast reaches of space a ship flew through the stars circling as it travelled. The ship looked like it was a giant spinning gear and it was heading towards Earth. It's commander stood on the bridge looking out at the big blue marble they were approaching.
Prince Grommet, the middle son of King Mondo of the Machine Empire, took notice of the planet as well as the crew that he had with him. He only had a few cogs and a limited supply of monsters. His lieutenant, a machine named Klang, stood by his side awaiting orders.
Grommet was an imposing figure. His body was sculpted to mechanical perfection displaying an image of power and strength. His frame was also streamlined with gold ornamentation as if stating his place and rank in the Machine hierarchy. As second son he was next in line to assume his father Mondo's throne. Normally the right would go to the first son, but due to the revolt and dissapearance of Prince Gasket Grommet became the immediate successor.
He was also aware that the third-made son Prince Sprocket would probably try to bump off his brother now that the reins of power were closer to him now, so Grommet took no chances. Before leaving Grommet made sure the ship was cleared of all viruses and explosives. Or anything that could be used to destroy him. When all was said and done Grommet took his force on board his ship and proceeded to Earth as the advanced scout for his father's empire.
Grommet made it a point to study the planet well. Both on the holo-vids and up close.
"So this is the planet my father hopes to add to his collection." Prince Grommet had said. "It looks pretty enough."
Klang then gave his report. "Your majesty, you do know that this world is under the dominion of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa."
Grommet nodded well aware of that fact. "It is also a fact that they had been unable to succeed of late and that they only managed to give the rangers trouble thanks to the 'aid of Master Vile." Grommet chuckled as he said the word 'aid' knowing full well that Zedd's father in law had probably taken full control of operations there. An action that was not sitting well with Zedd.
"My lord!" his aide Klang said. "According to my readouts this whole planet is out of temporal sync. "Grommet turned and told him to clarify.
"The chronalogical energies surrounding Earth have been set back at least ten years. I believe Master Vile has turned back time!"
Grommet nodded as he contemplated this news. If this is true then the rangers defending this planet must have been reverted to children. This almost seems too easy. But the Machine Prince had to make sure.
"Klang. Send down some probes." Grommet ordered. "If the planet is as defenceless as it's supposed to be then we should A. )have no problem conquering it. B. )Rita and Zedd will have conquered it..."
"Or C. )Both answers?" Grommet chuckled a little at Klang's joke and briefly wondered if his lieutenant really was kidding when he mentioned that. Surely with one ship I could take this planet. Grommet thought.
After a wait the telemetry returned from the probes that were launched. Grommet was not at all pleased with the information that he received.
"RANGERS!" he cursed. And judging from the uniforms they were the Alien Rangers from Aquitar. "Zordon must have called them in to hold off Vile and his forces."
"There's more your majesty." Klang then activated a series of images that dictated scans of Rita and Zedd's palace. "Based on the scans I have received it appears that Master Vile has pulled out. He's not in the palace."
"So Rita and Zedd are leading the assult now." Grommet mused over this. "This may be useful."
"What are your orders your majesty?" Klang asked.
Grommet mused over what to do next then he decided. "We shall begin to take the planet."
All the cogs and Klang turned to their master and wondered if he was making the right decision. "Trust me I haven't lost my central program. This conquest will have to be done in stages. First we will need to establish a base where we can acquire resources that we'll need. Fuel, materials, technology. Then when we're firmly entrenched we shall spread our forces out taking all that is in our way. Including any rangers that would be foolish to cross us."
Klang wasted no time with praise for Grommet. "An excellent plan your majesty. But where shall we begin?"
"Here is where we'll stake our claim!" Grommet said pointing to a monitor on his right that showed the special report on the Blackrock oil rig/refinery. "Here is where we shall announce to the world the coming of the Machine Empire!"
Evil laughter echoed throughout the halls of the ship as the Machines made ready to steal an invasion from Master Vile, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. A move that reflected just how evil the Machine Empire could be.
Deep within the confines of the rig a wheezing sound could be heard among the hum of machinery. But this wheezing sound was not a part of the regular equipment that operated within the rig. Rather it belonged to a ship unlike any other that had materialized in an inconspicuous corner signifying it's landing on the rig.
The ship was unique compared to other ships, one of the reasons was that it took the exterior shape of a British Police box, another was that it could hold more people than the outer shape let on. The vessel was dimensionally transcendental-meaning that it was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside.
And the third difference was that it could travel within the fabrics of time AND space. This ship was the TARDIS(Time And Relative Dimensions In Space). And it's pilot was the Time Lord known as the Doctor.
When the TARDIS finally solidified the Doctor stepped out to look at his surroundings. Hmmm, cold mechanical. Kind of reminds me of an oil rig. , he thought. As he took in his surroundings the Doctor's five passengers also stepped out. Each one wore a shirt or outfit that reflected a dominant color. A girl in pink, one in yellow, and three boys wearing red, green and blue respectively also looked around. Their names were Katherine Hillard, Samantha Jones, Tommy Oliver, Adam Park, and Rocky DeSantos. They were part of the team known as the Power Rangers: Zeo.
And they were ten years out of their time.
"Where are we Doctor?" Kat asked. "Are we in San Francisco?"
"Uhh Kat." Rocky answered. "I've seen pictures of San Francisco. And I don't think we're in San Francisco."
"Well we may be in San Francisco." Kat said. "It could be a factory or something we've landed in."
"Or an oil rig off the coast." Samantha said. "I've seen a few of these before. I think it's an oil rig."
"Very astute of you Samantha. Yes it is an oil rig." the Doctor said. "But it does seem a little more advanced than the ones I'm used to. From the looks of things, late 20th century early 21st."
Tommy took out his Zeo tracer which was designed to find the Silver Zeo crystal or its host whomever it may be. It started to give off faint traces almost as if the person whom the Silver Zeo Crystal was supposed to go to was on board the rig. "Doctor!" he said as he showed the teacer's reaction.
The Doctor and the rangers took out their tracers and tried to see where the faint signal was coming from. The faint readings became stronger as they seemed to point towards a section of stairs that went up.
"Stay here." the Doctor said. "I think the less of us seen the better we all shall be. I'll only be a moment."
Samantha was about to protest but the Doctor held up a finger saying for her to be quiet for right now. "Call it a feeling. But I think it would be best if you stayed below." The Doctor then continued on upstairs and the rangers were left down below with the TARDIS.
"So anyone got a deck of cards?" Rocky asked in a humorous tone. The other rangers took him back into the TARDIS where they could amuse themselves. Adam was glad Rocky cracked a joke. It showed he was slowly getting over Jessica's death.
After the press had left the Belle family decided to spend some quality time down in the computer control room where virtually every aspect of the rig/refinery was being monitored. Jerry and Jamie looked around the room and then looked down at Josie who was sitting in the central control chair. "Well Josie you've really outdid yourself."
"Awww mom!" Josie said pleading with her parents not to make a fuss. Truth be told she didn't want to be reminded all the time that she was Josie Belle child prodigy. Sometimes she would just like to have been Josie Belle-All American girl. She who had the envy of the boys at her school, was popular of her looks instead of her brains and had lots of friends.
But instead the Belle girls were homeschooled. Jerry and Jamie were afraid that if their two daughters went to public school that they would be easy targets for the bullies at high school. They relented a little when it was decided that after Jessie was pushed off her tri-cycle one day by kids looking for trouble that karate and self-defence would be put into their repetoire so the daughters could handle whatever trouble would come down their path.
Now the Belle girls could handle themselves and any piece of hardware that came their way, and the Belle parents couldn't be happier.
"Hey Josie." Jessie said. "I'm going to see if I can find some Ice Cream on this tub. You wanna come?"
Josie thought for a moment. Ice cream? She like any other kid her age loved the stuff, but her parents would only allow the girls to get one scoop when they got to the ice cream parlor. Fortunately Josie and Jessie had allowances and they saved them up so they could get double scoops when THEY went down to the Ice Cream parlor.
But this time Josie didn't feel like having Ice Cream. She wanted to stay inside the computer room and look around at all that she had designed and what others created. "No thanks Jessie, you go on."
Jessie Belle looked wide eyed at her sister YOU DON'T WANT ICE CREAM?!" she thought as she left with her mom and dad to find the cafeteria on the rig and to see if they had the delicious dairy treat on board. Josie Belle stayed in the control room looking at her work brought to life. She felt like an artist who had created a masterpiece.
The Doctor walked through the rig/refinery following the signal that would lead him to hopefully the Silver Zeo Crystal or its participant. Odd, he thought. This whole scenario seems familiar to me all of a sudden. The Time Lord could have sworn that there was some mention of an oil/rig refinery somewhere and some terrible event that was going to happen but before the Doctor could place it he found himself meeting with security guards.
"Don't move sir." the chief guard said. "Are you authorized to be here?" The Doctor thought about that answer for a second and then answered "Are we truly authorized to be anywhere young man? I mean are we authorized to be on this planet? Are we authorized to live? Are we authorized to be in the dreamworld when we go beddie-bye?" The guards all looked confused as they all wondered what the strange man was talking about.
"I think you had better come with us sir. ", the security chief said as he ordered his men to escort the Doctor to a holding area. But the guards didn't come forward. The security chief turned to see what the problem was with his men and he paused as he saw what his men saw.
The Doctor also stepped forward to see what the problem was, and he didn't like what there was to see. For approaching the oil rig/refinery was a circular vessel that spun as it came towards them. The vessel grew larger and larger as it came closer and soon it eclipsed the sky as it stopped just above the installation.
Soon a voice echoed from the massive ship. A voice that filled everyone with dread. The Doctor included. "I PRINCE GROMMET CLAIM THIS FACILITY FOR THE GLORIOUS MACHINE EMPIRE!"
Sitting from his window G. B. Blackrock looked out to see the massive ship hovering practically next to his rig. He was shocked as the rest of the workers but when he heard Grommet's announcement he activated the rig/refinery's intercom and blared out "You want one?Build one yourself!"
Blackrock then cut off the transmission and went to the internal comm line and started giving orders. "I don't care what it is but SHOOT IT DOWN! ACTIVATE PERIMETER DEFENCES!" All around the rig weapons came out of it and locked onto the massive ship.
Inside the computer room Josie Belle was all alone. None of the systems techs had arrived from the mainland yet to be trained in operating the new equipment so Josie had to handle it on her own, at least until her mother or father had shown up. "Josie co-ordinate automated defence systems. Lock them onto that... whatever it is."
Despite being only nine years old Josie Belle rose to the occation. She began the work Blackrock asked of her and was done in two seconds time. "Already done Mr. Blackrock."
The computer locked onto the flying saucer of Grommet and all the cannons indicated that they were ready to fire. Josie wasted no time.
"FIRE!" she ordered and al across the rig/refinery volley upon volley of weapons fire was lobbied against the ship. Sadly it proved to be ineffective.
The Doctor meanwhile was all but forgotten about when he dissapeared around the corner and brought up his communicator to call forth the Rangers. It also dawned on him just where he was and what was going to happen. This was the rig that Josie Belle had her accident on. This was a critical juncture in time that had been distorted by the efforts of Master Vile.
"Rangers come in." the Doctor said into the communicator.
Inside the TARDIS the rangers were amusing themselves in the Doctor's console room. Kat decided to put on some dance music on the Doctor's phonograph to practice some moves. Tommy decided to practice a kata while Adam immersed himself in the Doctor's vast library. Rocky played a round of poker with Samantha until the Doctor's voice came in through the communications circuit.
"Rangers come in." said the voice on the console speaker. Samantha quickly answered it since she was the most familiar with the console's basic functions. "What's up Doctor."
"I know where we are." the Doctor said explaining the situation. "We're on the Blackrock oil/rig and refinery in the year 1986."
All the rangers, especially Rocky, were speechless when they heard that. Adam was the first to speak but it was in a small voice. "When Josie had her accident."
"We also have another problem. Samantha can you activate the infinity window?" Samantha pressed a series of controls and the area above the TARDIS console shimmered to show an image of what was happening outside. The ship of the Machine Empire standing there with the rig's armaments firing at it to no avail.
"A Machine Empire ship in 1986?" Tommy asked confused.
"Technically Tommy, but in essence this attack was supposed to happen ten years in the future supposedly." was the Doctor's response.
"This all happened when Master Vile turned back time." Adam said as the realization dawned on him.
"Whose ship is that?" Kat asked.
"That's Prince Grommet's vessel." the Doctor explained. "He apparently was the advanced scout for his father's initial invasion. No one knows what happened to him."
"Looks like we're about to find out." Tommy said. "Do you want us to morph and meet them outside Doctor?"
"Yes, do so." the Doctor answered. "If Grommet decides to strike the workers here will need all the help they can get.
All the rangers nodded, except for Rocky who seemed to be a million miles away. He only caught parts of the conversation. His mind was somewhere else entirely as he imagined what was going to happen. Grommet would attack, Josie would be paralyzed, and Jessica would be killed years later.
I can save them. Rocky thought. I can save Josie, and I can warn Jessica and save her too. They don't have to be victims. A nuge by Adam brought his friend out of the dream state he had been in. "Rocky you all right?" he asked.
"Yeah Adam fine. Let's get out there."
Tommy nodded in agreement with Rocky and all five Zeo Rangers stood ready for morphing. "All right. IT'S MORPHIN TIME!"
"ZEO RANGER I-PINK!"
"ZEO RANGER II-YELLOW!"
"ZEO RANGER III-BLUE!"
"ZEO RANGER IV-GREEN!"
"ZEO RANGER V-RED!"
The Zeo Rangers left the confines of the TARDIS to confront Grommet and his forces. For Rocky he hoped it meant that he would be able to save two girls that had bleak futures. One he loved with all his heart.
On board his ship Grommet looked at the pitiful defence being hurled his way. Volley upon volley of weapons fire being hurled towards him and his ship only shrugging it off thanks to the shielding in place.
"No damage sustained you're majesty. ", Klang had said. "Shields are holding, and they seem to be absorbing the energy fire that is being hurled towards us as well."
"Good work Klang. Now let's swat the insects why don't we." Klang immediately activated the loudspeaker and addressed those on the platform again.
"Humans! You're pitiful attempts at resistance are nothing more than an amusement to say the least. And like all amusements they have become boring and tiresome."
The cannons of Grommet's ship came to bear and they had all locked on to their targets. Grommet savored the moment and then ordered his gunners to "FIRE!"
Upon the order bursts of cannon fire struck the defences on the rig. The automated cannons were taken out with surgical precision, and the workers that were providing cover were scrambling for cover as they hoped to avoid the incoming flames and debris.
Grommet looked on with interest and amusement. The rig apparently was stripped of whatever protection it apparently had. Or so he had thought.
On board the rig Blackrock looked at the damage his rig had sustained. Already some of his employees were injured, and he needed to do something quick. "Josie he's taking us apart piece by piece. The surface to air harpoons! FIRE THEM NOW!"
Inside the computer room Josie was already on the job targetting Grommet's ship. "Target acquired and firing harpoons Mr. Blackrock."
The harpoons fired from the rig and latched onto Grommet's ship. They seemed to be doing their job as they pierced the ship's skin, but it wasn't known if the secondary function would work on whatever this Grommet was. The ship looks like a giant gear. Josie thought. I only hope the nerve gas works.
A Cog brought up a readout that said that something had penetrated the outer hull of the ship and was leaking out gas throughout the ship. Klang looked over the readouts and relayed the findings to Grommet.
"My lord. These harpoons are filled with nerve gas and they are spreading throughout the ship." Grommet seemed unimpressed with Klang's report but decided to ask the question anyway.
"Is the gas any threat?" Grommet asked knowing full well what the answer would be.
"No your highness." Klang reported. "If there were organics on board then it may be posible. But since all there are on board are machines then there is no threat to us."
"Well then, let's just show them how futile their efforts are." Grommet sneered. "Direct the ventilation ducts towards the rig. Let's give the humans a taste of their own poison."
Klang followed his master's order and the gas was redirected back at the humans on the rig. Many of them scurried away from the gas as best they could. Others were caught up in its wake. They fell upon contact with the gas.
After looking at the bodies that had fallen Grommet decided to give his next order. "Deploy boarders."
Inside the cafeteria of the rig/refinery the Belle's were huddled together along with all the administrative and non-essential personnel. Both Jamie and Jerry had tried to go to the computer room to be with their elder daughter but they were held back by security. They kept trying to go around security only to find brick walls such as scattered debris and a nerve gas cloud blocking all their accesways to the computer room.
Despite their efforts at trying to get to Josie the Belle's found themselves huddled back into the cafeteria holding each other close and worrying.
"I'm worried about Josie aren't you?" little Jessie said to her parents.
"Shush little one." Jamie said holding her daughter close. "I'm sure she's fine."
"Nothing's going to happen to a girl as smart as Josie." Jerry Belle said. "All she has to do is stay inside and let the gas pass and everything will be okay."
Jessie tried to keep her spirits up but it wasn't easy. It got even more difficult when she looked outside and saw Cogs coming from the ship and boarding the rig like pirates in a pirate movie.
"MOMMY! DADDY LOOK!" Jessie pointed to the Cogs and both Mr. and Mrs. Belle got worried. Please let Josie be all right! they both thought.
The security guards ran to meet the approaching Cogs and tried to fight them but it seemed like they were over run as soon as the Cogs set foot. Guards tried to fire their weapons at the metal soldiers which had no effect. They also tried to beat the Cogs with their weapons used as clubs or hand to hand and got thrown into the ocean water for their trouble. No matter what was done the efforts of the guards was futile, and from his monitors placed in his office G. B. Blackrock knew this.
"This is G. B. Blackrock." he said over the intercom with his voice reflecting the sadness he was feeling. "I hope everyone can hear me. We've lost. Take all necessary steps to abandon this rig."
One voice however would not accept defeat. "Mr. Blackrock I'm staying until we beat these things. It's your rig no one can take it from you."
Blackrock admired the young girl's guts and spirit. She seems very confident for a nine year old, but I know a losing battle when I see one. "I don't care about this rig Josie please, we don't have time to waste."
Josie was silent for a few seconds then she spoke again. "Mr. Blackrock look at your monitor!"
Blackrock turned back to the monitor on his desk and saw the same multicolored warriors that Josie saw on hers. One in pink. One in yellow. One in blue. One in green, and one in red. Blackrock looked at the monitor and saw that the red one was about to speak.
"You Cogs don't belong here. It's time to send you bozos packing!" The five warriors then grabbed loose cables and swung on into the battle like Errol Flynn in an old pirate movie. Blackrock looked at the video stunned.
"Josie, are those those Alien Rangers I've heard about in Angel Grove?" Blackrock asked.
"I don't think so Mr. Blackrock. Their colors don't seem to match." Josie answered. "But they do seem to follow some sort of pattern that reminds me of the rangers." Josie observed the color schemes of the warriors and the fighting styles of them and deducted that they may be an offshoot of the rangers in some way.
"Well right now they're on our side. And that's good enough for me." Blackrock said as the Zeo Rangers continued to fight the Cogs happy that his workers would be safe and his investments secure.
The Zeo Rangers leapt into battle. Each one fighting off a group of Cogs and helping the remaining guards do the same. Kat was fighting off some helping the guards gain some ground. Samantha was showing off what she could do with a few Modasian Kickboxing moves and some Martial Arts taught to her by Adam and Tommy and doing quite well also.
Speaking of Adam he had his hands full with Cogs led by the resident monster that Grommet sent down. "Rangers, I am Hydrovolt! I am your destruction!"
"Do you know how many monsters we've heard say that?" Tommy asked as if Hydrovolt's comment didn't mean a thing.
"Uhhh one million seven hundred and ninety-five thousand two hundred and three?" The Green, Yellow, Pink and Red Zeo Rangers looked at each other in disbelief.
"Was that monster being funny?" Kat asked.
"All the more reason to take him down." Adam said. "His joke is worse than any of Rocky's" Red Zeo nodded and then turned to look in Blue Zeo's direction who had his mind on a different task altogether.
"Rocky what are you doing?" Red Zeo asked Blue who had his scanners on.
"I've got to find Josie. If I can find her, I can save her." Rocky said looking over the data his sensors were receiving. Unfortunately all the systems seemed to be giving off electronic heat so Rocky couldn't pinpoint Josie's thermal signiture among all the equipment. However he did catch signitures in the cafeteria area.
"Tommy there are people up above I'm going to check them out."
"Rocky!" Tommy called out but Rocky already had done a mega leap up to where the cafeteria stood. There was still gas surrounding it but it was dissipating slightly.
Tommy had no time to worry about Rocky further. There were other matters to worry about. Cogs for one, and a monster for the other. I hope Rocky knows what he's doing! the Red Zeo thought. Hydrovolt however saw one less ranger as more of an advantage to him.
"I won't worry about your friend right away!" Hydrovolt said. "I'll just get him later. But for right now WORRY ABOUT YOURSELVES!" Hydrovolt then fired a stream of electrical bolts from his fingers and they struck down the remaining four Zeo Rangers with tremendous force. It wasn't enough to cause them to demorph but it was enough for Hydrovolt to send the cogs in to soften up the rangers some more.
"Cogs ATTACK!" Hydrovolt ordered. The Cogs followed the monster's order and moved in to beat on the four Zeo Rangers. Each Cog managed to get in the first shot.
The Belles sat huddled together. Jerry and Jamie tried their best to calm little Jessie, but it was no easy task. Especially since they were scared themselves. "Mommy? Daddy? Are we going to be okay?" Jessie asked in a tiny voice.
"Don't worry little one." Jerry said. "We'll be okay."
"And we'll all be together as a family. You, me, daddy and Josie when this is all over." Jamie said as she tried to hold back her tears for her daughter's sake. It was then that the cafeteria door was kicked open and a strange figure in blue walked in. Everyone in the room was scared, except for Jessie who pointed at the Blue Zeo Ranger and said "Mommy look an Alien Ranger!"
Rocky stood speechless as he looked down at the little girl held in her parents arms. The little girl who would grow up to be the Silver Zeo Ranger. The little girl who would capture Rocky's heart. The little girl who would be killed by a madman.
"That's right little girl, and I'm here to make sure you are all safe." Rocky said as he tried to get into an Aquatian Ranger character and not let on that he knew Jessie. They might believe me more as an Aquatian instead of as a human. Not everything is known as to what Aquatians can do.
"What are you doing here? Mrs. Belle asked Rocky. "Don't you usually stay in Angel Grove?"
"We do." Rocky answered. "But... we felt a great disturbance in the Morphin Grid that something dreadful was going to happen here. And that your two children would be involved." It was a big stretching of the truth but Rocky needed to tell the Belles what was going to happen to Josie and Jessie.
Jerry was suddenly concerned. "What's going to happen to my girls?"
Rocky looked down at little Jessie and stared at her as if reaching out to something. "I know what's going to happen to her ten years from now. A monster is going to come for her and he is going to take her life. Her death will affect many people."
Jamie was scared. "Oh God, Not my Jessie!" she said holding her daughter. Jessie wondered what they were talking about, and why her mother was suffocating her.
Rocky spoke again hoping he was making a difference in the Belle's future. "And your other daughter is in danger right now. An accident is about to happen to her that will affect her for the rest of her life. I have to find her and save her."
"Oh my God! That's Josie." Jerry said. "What's going to happen to her?"
"I'll answer that later I may not have much time right now. Where's Josie?" the Blue Zeo Ranger asked.
"The computer room five floors down." Mrs. Belle said as she held Jessie tight.
"Thanks. Let nothing happen to Jessica okay?" Rocky said as he left to hopefully save Josie. The Belles saw Rocky leave as Jessie however continued to stare at the where the strange man in blue stood. She got the strangest feeling about him, like she should know him and that someone had walked over her grave.
And also her mother was holding her too tightly. "Uhh mommy I need to breathe here."
The four Zeo Rangers tried to fight back but with the early advantage the Cogs had received they were outmatched and down on the steel floor quickly.
"And now for the finishing touch! Cogs return to the ship!" Hydrovolt ordered. The Cogs looked confused as to Hydrovolt's order but they obeyed and returned back to Grommet's ship.
Red Zeo stood up first and glared at Hydrovolt. "What's the matter Hydrovolt? Now that your goons are gone you're going to finish us off now!"
Hydrovolt seemed to sneer at Tommy's statement. "Yes, but not in the way that you might think." Hydrovolt looked all around the rig/refinery taking notice of all the metal and electronics around him then he looked at the Zeo Rangers.
"What do you think would happen if a whole lightning bolt struck this whole place?" Hydrovolt then brought up his own hand which was sparking with electricity and brought it close to a central support beam that stretched clear into the water and where everything metal around the rig/refinery seemed to connect to. The monster's sneer seemed to spread wider as he realized the Zeo Rangers must have caught on to what he had planned.
"Let's find out!" Hydrovolt then brought his hand close to the support beam and since water was a conductor to electricity then the electric current would spread throughout the entire rig electrocuting a good part of the workforce onboard including...
"NOOOOO!" Red Zeo shouted as he moved to try to stop Hydrovolt but he was too late.
Electricity flowed throughout the superstructure of the rig/refinery as well as anything electronic or metallic that it was connected to. The whole complex turned into one big electric conductor, and it shocked the rangers as sparks came from everywhere giving their powers much punishment.
The rangers found themselves thrown overboard by the sparks coming everywhere. As they fell they demorphed and hit the water. After a minute four heads broke the surface as Tommy, Kat, Samantha and Adam tried to keep their heads above the surface.
"What now Tommy?" Kat asked. "We can't go back to the rig. It's still too hot due to Hydrovolt."
"And who knows if Rocky's all right." Adam added.
Tommy was about to speak when a transport beam hit the four rangers and beamed them up onto Grommet's ship. The prince now had four prisoners of war, but through it all Tommy knew what Hydrovolt's actions would do, if the story he had been told was correct.
Hydrovolt must have already doomed Josie Tommy thought as the transport beam took him aboard.
Rocky was making tracks as fast as he could to the computer center. He had to find Josie and get her out of there before Hydrovolt did what he was going to do.
I guess I never really believed it could happen. Rocky thought as his mind went back to the story that was told about the Belle family. Now that I'm involved, I guess I believe it now!
Next second electricity charged through all the metal in the framework that Rocky was near including the catwalk that he was on. Sparks started to erupt from his costume as the electricity made contact with his suit. He had to get out of there and get out quick. Spotting a spot of concrete floor nearby Rocky jumped towards it and landed dead center. He turned around safe from the electric current running through the framework but he was in direct view of the main computer center and of the electricity and explosions that were taking place there. Through it all Rocky heard a scream that would chill him to his very soul.
A scream that told Rocky DeSantos that he had failed.
"OH NO! JOSIE!"
Josie Belle was in Hell.
All around her equipment was short circuiting around her as Hydrovolt's electricity ran through it. There were explosions, electrical charges, and bolts shooting out from all over the place.
And a nine year old girl named Josephine Belle was at Ground Zero as some of the lightning struck her sending its scorching fire throughout her entire body.
She screamed like no one could ever scream, and probably like she would never scream again. Her every nerve was on fire as her senses and pain centers went into full overload.
And then she knew no more.
"And then I woke up in Angel Grove hospital." Josie said completing her story. "They said with retraining I could reaquire some of my upper mobility. But my legs were a slim to none chance when it came to recovery. My whole life was to be stuck in some blasted chair."
Skull, Richie and Emily lookad at Alpha and Zordon looking for some clarification. But Alpha could only shrug his shoulders. Zordon had a blank stare across his face.
"I am sorry Miss Belle. But I do not remember any such mission taking place." Zordon had said. Josie looked on in shock.
"You don't remember? You don't remember fighting a monster and getting me crippled?"
"No Miss Belle." Zordon said again. "The Alien Rangers were never on the oil rig. They never faced a monster named Hydrovolt, and no ranger team that I know of had an experience fighing a machine named Prince Grommet."
Josie spoke through clenched teeth. "You're lying. I remember seeing people fighting in spandex with different colors. I remember the story my parents told me about the Alien Ranger in blue telling me of my sister going to die ten years ago, and that I would get hurt on that rig. And you're telling me that it NEVER HAPPENED?!"
Zordon sighed. "To my knowledge no it has not."
"Well where are the Alien Rangers maybe I can ask them!" Josie said refusing to let the matter drop.
Zordon had another answer for Josie, another one she didn't want to hear. "Unfortunately Aquitar had been conquered. The Alien Rangers had fallen in battle and Aquitar is now in the hands of the United Alliance of Evil."
A smirk crossed Josie's features. "Well isn't that convinient. Behind enemy lines, can't confess their crimes."
Finally Emily had enough. She got into Josie's face and gave her two cents worth. "Listen bitch. We've heard your story, and we're sorry that you got caught up in a ranger battle. But Zordon has said that he doesn't know what happened that time you got crippled. Zordon has always been honest and upstanding to his rangers, and anyone else he considers a friend. He doesn't insult one's intelligence, and he'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Right now he says he doesn't know what happened, and I believe him. And if he finds out who those rangers were then he'll let you know."
"What makes you so sure he will?" Josie said with a sneer in her voice.
Emily responded with a sneer of her own and said "Call it Karma. Now if you don't mind perhaps we can figure out how to save your sister and get the Silver Zeo Crystal away from King Mondo!" Josie nodded and wheeled herself to where Skull and Richie were seated. Emily asked Alpha to stay back since she thought it wasn't a good idea to make Josie more uncomfortable than she already was.
"Thank you Emily." Zordon said but in the back of his mind he asked How does she know how I am with the rangers? She only arrived at the Power Chamber a short while ago.
This and a lot of other questions Zordon needed answered, so he left his plasma tube to journey into another part of the Power Chamber. A part where an old friend could bring some light to things.
Inside one of the many storage rooms of the former Command Center the Doctor was looking for some parts to complete a series of repairs on the chronal inversion circuitry. It was currently running on what the humans called 'a spit and polish' basis, and the Doctor thought it was high time the circuitry was replaced.
In a nearby tube Zordon's image appeared. Rarely did he appear in other sections of the chamber, especially storage sections but he had an old tube there and sometimes it was a good idea to have in case there were some conversations to be had that the rangers couldn't understand, but would benefit from just in case.
Josie Belle was one such conversation topic and the Doctor may well be the only one to help Zordon answer it.
"Well old friend. What brings you down here?" the Doctor asked.
Zordon minced few words and went straight to the point. He told the Doctor of the story of Josie Belle and a Machine Empire attack led by the missing Prince Grommet. How Josie was paralyzed and how a mysterious ranger team had appeared to apparently TRY to save the rig and its people, but were unable to save Josie who had grown up paralyzed ever since what happened at the rig.
"Right now I could use some Time Lord insight." Zordon said. "Just because I am in a time warp doesn't mean that I know everything."
The Doctor and Zordon laughed at the Morphin master's little joke as the Time Lord mused over what was said. A girl said the rangers were responsible for crippling her, or partially responsible anyway. No memory or record exists of such a mission despite Josie saying that it did, and they also said that the Aquaitian Rangers were responsible, even though they had been mostly holding off the advances of Master Vile, Lord Zedd and the Hydro Hog. The Aquatian Rangers couldn't be contacted due to Aquitar being held so the Doctor could only offer speculation. Zordon accepted it and was grateful for whatever insight the Doctor could provide.
"Well they could just have been Standard Rangers saying they were the Aquatian Rangers. During the misshaping of time by Vile the Aquatian Rangers were the only known rangers active. They might have said they were the Aquatian Rangers to ease any hostile feelings on board and try to do the job easier."
Zordon nodded. The explanation seemed plausible. "But that doesn't explain the mysterious mission. To my knowledge no ranger team had been in proximity to the planet except for the Aquatian Rangers. To my knowledge the mission nevver happened."
"Or", the Doctor said. "It hasn't happened yet."
Zordon looked on confused. "What do you mean Doctor?"
The Doctor explained. "Well it is extremely possible that a Ranger team may have been sent back in time and have been responsible for the accident that will occur. All we need to know is which team it was and when the time travel would take place."
Zordon nodded. "It might be possible for time travel to be a factor. Rocky, Adam, Kimberly, Billy and Aisha were sent back to Colonial Angel Grove one time. And Kimberly was sent to Old West Angel Grove."
"The only question now is 'when we find out about it what do we do about it?'" the Doctor asked. Both he and Zordon had no answer.
Inside the Machine Skybase Jessica had been telling Klank the same story. "That is quite the tale little miss." Jessica just glared at Klank.
"It's no tale. That's what happened." Jessica said keeping a hard expression on her face as she resumed her work.
Klank nodded and decided to take advantage of the situation by asking the question that had plagued all of the Machine Empire. "What happened to Prince Grommet?"
At that question Jessica raised her head up and looked Klank straight into his optical sensor. Her face had a smirk to it as she rolled off the answer to her own personal delight. "How should I know?"
Klank was taken aback by Jessica's answer. "But you were there. You saw what happened to Prince Grommet didn't you?"
"Look Klink" Jessica said deliberately mispronouncing his name. "Most of my time was spent crying in my parent's shoulders when all this happened. Mostly because I was a scared little girl. So I didn't see everything that happened. And even if I did what makes you think I'd tell you? Maybe I want to see you sweat for a while as you wonder what will I say next."
Klank tried to keep his composure and not let the insults phase him. "You know my dear machines don't sweat."
Jessica smirked. "No but you can worry. Now if you don't mind I've got work to do." Jessica buried herself back into the Zeo Cannon's inner workings leaving Klank fuming. The answers are so close yet so far away he thought as he continued to wonder what happened to Prince Grommet, an answer that would not come today.
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