SANTA MONICA
2 YEARS AGO Tommy Oliver hopped out of the passenger seat of his mother’s Chevy cruise as she pulled into the driveway, not even giving her the chance to come to a complete stop. He rushed to the porch, ripping open the screen door before bouncing inside the house, his mother doing her best to keep up with him. He made his way through the kitchen, past the pile of Sailor Jerry’s liquor bottles that sat askew on the kitchen counter and on to the back porch where his father, Frank Oliver, sat finishing off another bottle. He smiled as he saw his son holding a large trophy in his left hand, his cigarette hanging from his mouth as the smile grew wider. “God damn boy, you keep filling up the house with these and who knows where your Mom’s gonna put em all?!” Frank Oliver gloated, setting down his bottle to pull his son into a massive bearhug. “Kiyoshi Ren said that I’m ahead of even where he was at my age! Can you believe that Dad? Who knows how good I can be in a few years!” Tommy boasted, too excited to contain himself. He had waited the entire ride back from Angel Grove to share the wealth of news he had with his father, who couldn’t be prouder of his son even if he tried. “That’s great Tommy but don’t forget what I told you. Just because you succeed now, doesn’t mean you stop working. Put your all into everything you do as if ya life depended on it and you’ll never have any regrets. Ren send you back with anything to work on?” Frank asked as he put out his cigarette on the empty Budweiser can next to his chair. “Yes sir! He wants me to focus on improving the power behind my sweeps and brush up on my kata’s.” Tommy answered, pulling out a worksheet his sensei had given him to help guide him in his training. “FRANK!” the voice of Catherine Oliver came booming from the house. “You wanna actually contribute something today and clean up this pile of shit on the counter so I can start dinner?” Mrs. Oliver was at the screen door, her eyes boring into her husband. Frank lit another cigarette before shooting his wife a look of what could only be described as contempt before grabbing the bottle and getting up from the chair. “Go upstairs and get started on that, you got a competition next weekend.” Tommy’s father instructed before he headed into the house. Tommy followed his father inside before darting up the stairs by the back door and into his room. He knew exactly what was about to happen, and moments later the screaming started. Tommy shut his door and locked it before turning to his mirror and going through his katas, focusing on his form and power as he tried to drown out the sounds of his parent’s latest argument. Suddenly his mirror burst into orange flames, sending the startled Tommy falling to the floor. Sweat poured from his brow as he struggled to scream for his parents, his voice suddenly escaping him. The flames came from the mirror and danced towards him before they took the shape of a creature wearing an armor of pure gold and holding an imposing sword. “Your heart called out to me across the universe. You are not what I was expecting human.” Goldar croaked, disappointed in what he had found before him. He looked down into the palm of his hand where the power coin with a dragon’s foot in its center sat. The coin began to glow a dark green the closer Goldar got to Tommy, and the monster growled as he realized what must be done. “There is a darkness inside of you that you lack the ability to tap. The Empress will have use for you when the great war comes.” Goldar explained to Tommy, who was still frozen on his bedroom floor. Tommy glanced at his open window and summoning every ounce of courage he had, bolted towards it. Goldar was far faster than his massive frame would lead one to assume, as he snatched up the boy by the back of his neck in one swift motion. He turned back to the mirror, which again erupted in flames as he dragged the boy with him through the portal he had created. “The sixth power coin has chosen you, you will not escape destiny. None of us ever do.” And with that the two of them disappeared, the sounds of the Oliver’s argument still echoing through the house. ANGEL GROVE TODAY “Aye yo Jace, slow up man!” Jason Scott pauses in the middle of the busy hallway, leaning up against a locker as his best friend, Zach Taylor weaves through the mass of bodies before finally catching up to him. “It’s still cool if I come to your dad’s fight this weekend, right? My mom said it was straight as long as I pass that chem test we got in fourth hour.” Zack asked as he slapped hands with a few members of the football team when they crossed paths. “Yeah man I’ll bring your VIP pass tomorrow but make sure you don’t lose it this time. I don’t wanna have to leave ringside to come vouch for you again.” Jason said with a chuckle, the fond memory of the fun they had last time his father had a fight coming to mind. “Man don’t even trip, I’m not about to slip up this time. I know you gotta be pissed off everyone thinks your pops is gonna get his head rocked though.” Zack answered as they headed up the stairs in a rush, desperate to make it to their world history class before the bell rang. “Nah it’s not fazing me, it’s mostly just been Bulk and Skull running their mouths as usual anyway. Besides you haven’t seen how hard my dad’s been training the past few months, I haven’t seen him in this great of shape since he dropped to welterweight for the Sabin fight.” Jason remarked, the pride he had in his father shining through as he discussed the upcoming fight. “You guys training tonight?” Zack questioned as they took their seats moments before the bell rang. “Yeah after he’s done with his sparring session he promised to finish helping me with my jiu-jitsu. You coming through?” Jason whispered back as Mrs. Applebee began the lesson for the day. “Nah man I got some stuff to take care of tonight if I’m going to slide through with you Saturday. We can spar tomorrow at the rec center if you free though? I definitely need to polish up on some of those moves he walked us through last weekend. “If the two of you are finished back there, I'd appreciate if you could keep the chatter to nonexistent while I instruct the class.” Mrs. Applebee’s voice boomed through the classroom as she cut into the two boys. Elsewhere in Angel Grove High, Kimberly Hart grabbed her backpack out of her locker before slamming it shut, her now ex-boyfriend Ryan continuing to plead his case as he followed her down the now emptied halls. “You can’t even hear me out? You really got some kind of nerve to act like this.” Ryan called after her, his tone scathing as his anger rose. “There’s nothing to hear. You got caught, be a man and own up to your mistakes. Pointing the finger at me for not wanting to hear your tired excuses is just pathetic.” Kimberly spat back, not once turning to face him as she headed through a set of doors and out into the student parking lot. Ryan scoffed as he watched her continue through the parking lot, finally giving up his chase. “You know you’re far from irreplaceable, right?” Kimberly stopped for a moment, finally turning around to face him. “If I’m so easy to replace, then why have we even been having this conversation? Do yourself a favor and quit wasting both our time.” She responded with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. She continued through the lot towards her cutlass before hopping in and pulling off, leaving Ryan dumbfounded as he watched her speed away. Twenty minutes later after fighting through lunch time traffic, Kimberly pulled in to the garage of her mother’s condo, desperate to get inside and crank the AC as high as she possibly could. She crept into the house through the garage door, tossing her backpack on the floor before heading into the kitchen. Much to her surprise, her mother was home from work. Even more surprising was the fact that her very best friend (and if she was being honest with herself, her only friend) Trini Kwan was there as well. They were deep in conversation as the View played on the living room TV when they noticed Kimberly enter. “I hope you have a good excuse for being home this early.” Ms. Hart told her daughter as she grabbed a drink from the fridge. “Other than the fact I would have ripped Ryan’s head off if I had stayed in that building any longer today, I got nothing.” Kimberly said with a deep sigh as she joined Trini on the living room couch. “What are you doing here?” She asked Trini who had begun pulling her textbooks from her backpack. “I’ve got the next two periods free. Your mom gave me a key so I can hang out here till fifth hour. You finish that report we have due in Biology?” Trini asked as she began to go over her own assignment. “I think we both know the answer to that already.” Kimberly answered flatly, her eyes on the ceiling as she tried in vain to wish her headache away. “Pull out what you have done so far, and I’ll see if I can help you scrape something passable up at least.” Trini told her. Kimberly headed down the hall to her room before returning with her AP Biology folder and plopping back down next to Trini. “Trini, I swear this world doesn’t deserve you.” Kimberly replied as she began going over the assignment. “I heard a couple girls talking about Ryan and Elise in home room.” Trini told her, hoping she wasn’t too upset to talk about it. “I’m not even concerned about that idiot. I don’t even know why I waste time around people who only see me as a means to an end.” Kimberly admitted, sinking further into the couch. “I knew Ryan was garbage from the start, and yet for some reason I kept him around. It made me feel…important.” “You don’t want or need someone in your life who doesn’t see the value in who you are to make yourself feel important. It’s a mistake too many girls your age makes.” Ms. Hart chimed in as she pulled her car keys from her purse and grabbed her lunch off the counter. “’I’ll be home late, there’s money on my dresser to get you and Trini a pizza. Only boy allowed under this roof is Billy. I’ll see you later.” She kissed her daughter on the forehead before heading into the garage. The girls watched as Ms. Hart’s Chevy cruise eased down the road and out of sight before Kimberly pulled herself off the couch and snagged one of her mother’s hard lemonades from the fridge. “I find it a cruel twist of fate that the only person allowed to bring their boyfriend here is you.” Trini chuckled as Kim made a face. “What can I say? I’m a lucky girl.” Trini responded before making a few adjustments on Kim’s paper. “Billy’s grabbing me lunch from Ernie’s, you want me to have him get you anything?” “Nah, but you guys should definitely come with me to Sarah’s party tonight. She’s got her parents beach house to herself for the next two weeks.” Kimberly replied, shooting Trini a double thumbs up and smile in a humorous attempt to sell her on the social activity. “As much as I love when you drag me to affluent neighborhoods where our classmates get to flaunt their parent's endless wealth, I should probably pass. Billy’s got that interview for that internship in San Francisco tomorrow and he wants me to help him prepare.” Trini answered, but made a face when she saw Kimberly feigning sleep at her excuse. “Boooo. Tell Billy that the best cure for stress before a big day is to cut wayyyyy loose. C’mon please? You know I hate going to these things where I secretly hate everyone in the room.” Kim pleaded, leaning on the back of the couch and pouting at Trini. “You know you could always just not go.” Trini advised, still not looking up from the assignment in front of her. “Well I do have to keep up appearances. C’mon, we’ll be there a half hour to forty-five minutes tops. After that I will allow Billy to whisk you home with no more fuss.” Kimberly assured her, crossing her hand over her heart to show her honor. Trini let out a deep sigh and tossed her head back before finally relenting. “Fine, but you’re the one telling Billy.” THE COMMAND CENTER LOCATION UNKNOWN The entire facility was pitch black, it’s lavish consoles and machines silent and collecting dust as the defunct command center hadn’t been utilized since Rita Repulsa was sealed away thanks to Zordon’s sacrifice. In a corner of the hangar where large robotics components were strewn about, the android known as Alpha Five’s systems came online abruptly, triggered by the alarms he’d set in place so long ago. “Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! No, not again. Not now!” Alpha shrieked as his systems finished rebooting. Mechanical arms zoomed towards the android as the lights in the building began to flicker to life. The arms assembled the rest of Alpha’s body, adjusting and adding the robot's own ligaments to his torso before sliding a program disc into a slot at the nape of the android’s neck. Once the assembly process had been completed, Alpha rushed to a unique lift that carried him up to the main floor of the command center. “There isn’t much time left. What will we do?” The robot questioned himself as the lift stopped and he rushed to the central console in the command center’s operations room, lights illuminating his path as the building recognized Alpha. The robot immediately began to work at the console, his metallic fingers never stopping for a moment as the large glass tube just beyond the console began to flicker with static and energy. “Not enough temporal energy to maintain the feed, I’ll have to increase the output by at least thirty percent or I’ll lose his frequency completely.” Alpha remarked, rushing across the room to a panel of circuits and switches. After making a few adjustments, the tube became flushed with static for a moment before finally, the face of Zordon appeared. “Alpha, it has been too long.” Zordon remarked with a smile as his eyes came upon the robot. “It has Zordon, but I’m afraid this reunion is due to malice on the horizon. The seal has been destroyed, and according to my sensors, the sixth power coin has found its chosen one.” Alpha said frantically, stressing the gravity of the situation at hand. “We knew this day might be possible Alpha. We don’t have another moment to waste. Initiate ranger protocol.” Zordan commanded his old friend, ready to face whatever Rita threw their way this time around. “Is this wise Zordon? My scanners have kept a close eye on the conditions of earth throughout these years, we could be making a grave miscalculation giving the power coins to humans in this era.” Alpha argued as the viewing globe behind him showed various images from throughout history, culminating with video footage of Donald Trump being sworn in as President. “The power coins themselves have been endowed with the ability to choose those worthy of each totem. They haven’t failed us before, they won’t do so now. There is too much at stake. Have faith that the power will protect us all.” Zordon answered, easing his companion’s many worries. A few minutes later, five different colors came shooting out of the command center and across the sky, inside each was a different power coin. EARTH’S MOON A black and purple mass of energy appeared on the surface of the moon, and seconds later Rita Repulsa emerged from it, followed closely by Goldar. She stopped for a moment, admiring the astonishing sight of her castle. It had been too long since she wreaked havoc on the universe from these halls, and she was more than eager to pick up where she had left off. Rita and Goldar stalked through the castle, entering the main chamber that hadn’t changed a bit in the two hundred years since she had last occupied it. “Finster and the others have been informed of your return my empress. They are currently in route to the palace. I’ve already started Finster’s clay machine, you will have a legion of putty patrollers at your immediate disposal.” Goldar assured her, pleased that he was ahead of the curve. There was nothing he sought more than the vindication and approval of Rita, and the fruits of his labors for the last two centuries was finally about to pay off. “Did you find it, the vessel?” Rita asked as she peered down onto earth with the aid of her cosmic telescope. “I did. He was not the ideal candidate, but I have molded him into a fine champion for your evil. Would you like to see him, my empress?” Rita turned around to face Goldar, intrigued by the description of the one who was destined to wield the sixth power coin. Goldar concentrated for a moment before opening a flaming portal of his own, and Rita followed him through it. They arrived moments later in the dark dimension, an abyss of a world that could only be manipulated by those Rita had granted the power to do so, such as Goldar himself. Chained to a wall behind him inside the massive room they found themselves in was none other than Tommy Oliver. Gone was the twelve-year-old boy, and in his place was a mountain of a teenager. His eyes were black as coal as he raised his head to get a glimpse at his visitors. “On your feet soldier. Bow before the one who has blessed you with the immeasurable opportunity before you. Bow before the soon to be empress of the universe!” Goldar ordered Tommy, who bent a knee before Rita and offered his hand. “I have been prepared for this very day. I await your orders, my empress.” Tommy finally rasped, a flash of green lightning illuminating in his eyes. Rita smiled as she felt the power coursing off the boy. “Goldar, show me what he can do.” Rita ordered, taking a few steps back from Tommy to rejoin Goldar. “Of course, my empress.” Suddenly, putty patrollers materialized inside the room, which began to grow wider and wider. With a snap of his fingers, the chains that held Tommy fell from the wall, the shackles still on his wrist and legs, each weighing at least sixty pounds. Tommy snarled as the putty patrollers closed in on him, before roaring with rage and surging on the attack. Jason finishing loading his dad’s gear into the back of the truck while his father, Derrick Scott, finished talking to his head trainer near the front doors of the private gym. Two honks of a car horn caused Jason to turn around as he saw Zach leaning out of the passenger side window of his cousin’s green trans am. “I thought you were studying tonight?” Jason asked as he approached the car, slapping hands with Zack and Curtis before leaning closer to the driver’s side window. “Yeah well that was before I heard about this party at Sarah Michael’s beach house. You tryna roll with or what?” Zack asked, to which Jason responded by abruptly tossing his bag into the trunk of the truck and slamming it shut. “Dad, I’m taking off with Zack. I’ll be home before curfew.” Jason yelled across the lot as he slid into the backseat. “You damn right you better be home before curfew.” Mr. Scott yelled back at his son as the car pulled off, not the least bit worried about him however. He smiled to himself as he watched the car go down the road, proud of the man he was raising his son to be. Already at the festivities, Kimberly wandered in to the party through the patio door with Trini and Billy sheepishly following her inside. Completely out of their element, the two held hands as they kept shoulder to shoulder and they waded through the sea of their classmates. “You two really need to relax. I can’t have you both following me around like kicked puppies all night.” Kimberly remarked as she made herself a drink at the bar. She took a sip of her concoction before offering it to Trini, who of course declined. “Well if we’re being technical,” Billy began. “Do we have to be?” Kimberly interrupted him before taking a large gulp from her red solo cup. “If we’re being technical, we wouldn’t be here and by default be currently uncomfortable if you hadn’t coerced us into joining you. Not that we, well I am complaining.” Billy finished as he slid out of the way of a group of kids carrying a keg into the kitchen. “Damn Kim I know you probably feeling more desperate than ever since Ryan dropped you, but to show up with Billy Cranston? Shit you might as well give me a crack now! Skull, Angel Grove Spartans star slot wide receiver chuckled as he poured himself a beer from the keg. “Nah man you know Kim don’t put it down for nobody. That’s why Ryan kicked her to the curb. We can shake that up for ya if you want though. Huh Skull?” Bulk, one of the team’s offensive and defensive lineman chimed in as he chugged his cup of beer. “I know you guys are more desperate than usual tonight, but could you keep out of my sight for the foreseeable future? I’m not into the whole Varsity Blues redneck vibe you guys give off. Just ain’t my cup of tea.” Kimberly said as she turned away from him. Billy and Trini snickered as Kim rolled her eyes. Skull promptly took his refilled cup and dumped its contents on to Kimberly’s head, which prompted the entire party to halt as all eyes were on the situation near the kitchen. “What the hell do you think you’re chuckling at little boy?” Bulk asked as she pushed past Kimberly and stepped in front of Billy. “Who let Cranston’s friendless ass in here anyway? It’s about time somebody put this bum exactly where he belongs, ain’t that right Skull?” “Oh no doubt.” Skull answered before slamming Billy’s face into a punch bowl full of jungle juice. Bulk laughed as Billy thrashed around helplessly. “I know you don’t drink cause you gotta keep your grades nice and tight, but sometimes it’s good to cut loose and toss one back don’t you think? Out of nowhere a lamp crashes against Skull’s head, prompting him to let Billy go. Much to his surprise, he turned to see Trini standing between Billy and himself, a fierce look on her face as she handed Kimberly a towel. “I think it’s well past time you learned the only time you should be putting your hands on ANYONE, is when you’re on the field. Get that through your head.” The three of them turned to leave when Trini was jerked back by the arm and spun around, leaving her face to face with a very heated Bulk. “I see you aren’t as smart as your boyfriend. But since you wanna throw hands with big dogs you gotta be ready for whatever.” Skull threatened as he sneered over Bulk’s shoulder. “Ain’t you got some passes to drop or a couple sexual harassment charges to deal with? I know you got to have something better to do than ruin everyone’s night trying to look hard.” Bulk and Skull turned to see Zach and Jason standing in the kitchen, having just entered through the back door with Curtis right behind them. “Oh bet, it’s the welfare case and the redskin whose daddy is gonna be eating liquid foods only after this weekend.” Bulk taunted, but his expression changed the moment Jason stepped forward, ready to force the pair of them to eat whatever words they uttered next. “Honestly Bulk, we been watching your little song and dance here, and while cute and all-” Zach stepped forward as well, his arms crossed defiantly. “We all about that action. So why don’t you let her go and bring that shit this way.” He said, finishing where Jason left off. Before things could progress any further, sirens could be heard blaring through the neighborhood as two squad cars arrived in front of the house. “Zach, that’s twelve! I gotta split cuz, hit me up in a few.” Curtis yelled to his cousin over the commotion as everyone scrambled to escape the house while three officers entered. “My dad’s going to kill me.” Jason said dreadfully as he watched the officers shine their flashlights through the house. “Let’s book it man, this ain’t the time for your chivalry. We did that already.” Zack implored and the two of them took off back out the door they came in. They rushed down to the beach and began sprinting away from the house when a car horn honking caught their attention. They looked towards the street and saw Kimberly, Billy and Trini waving from Kim’s cutlass. Zack shrugged and the two of them raced towards the car, hopping into the back with Billy. “Figured we owed you one.” Kim said as they sped down the road and passed the party where they saw some of their classmates now being rounded up by officers. “I calculated I owed you several. I appreciate the assist by the way.” Billy said as he offered his hand to Jason, who shook it politely before Zach slapped it enthusiastically. BIlly massaged his hand in pain from the grip of Jason and Zack’s slap. “So let me be the first one to ask what are Billy Cranston and Trini Kwan doing at a beach party?” Zack asked as he leaned towards the front seat. “What? We aren’t allowed to like the same things everyone else does?” Trini shot back, still irritated from the events that had just passed. “I poked and prodded them until they agreed to tag along. I should have figured something like this would happen the one-time Billy goes to a party.” KIm huffed as they reached a stop light. “If it’s worth taking solace in Kim, statistically speaking I am 89% sure our night couldn’t get any worse.” Billy chimed enthusiastically. Suddenly Kim’s cutlass was blasted with five rays of shining light. When the array of colors had disappeared, the car was completely empty, still sitting idle at the stop light. THE COMMAND CENTER The five teens got to their feet in the command center and took in their surroundings, completely in awe and shock as to where they had found themselves. “You know what Bill? I’m going to need you to keep your calculations to yaself from here on out.” Zack responded as he ran his hands across the set of controls in front of him. “Welcome humans. My name is Zordon.” The face of the sage of Eltar appeared in the massive tube and the group of teens all stood with their jaws dropped, unable to form an idea as to what they were seeing. “My apologies for bringing you here so abruptly, but I’m afraid time is of the utmost importance.” TO BE CONTINUED IN MMPR #3 1818
SOMEWHERE IN FLORIDA Jacy rushed through tundra, the sound of bullets cracking against the trees around her a sign she was running out of time. General Jackson's assault had begun, and they had prepared for weeks. Sahali, all of the elders knew the so-called "Americans" greed would lead them to attack. What they hadn't prepared for, was Her helping them. Three miles back, General Andrew Jackson watched as his men raided another village, the Seminole tribe bravely fighting back tooth and nail. It wasn't enough, no matter how fierce the warriors gathered to defend their village were, as the American troops were aided by strange, mindless gray creatures that helped them overwhelm the Seminole tribes of east Florida. Jacy dove across a ravine and behind a mass of trees before raising her communicator to her lips. "Zordon, she's made her move. There are putties everywhere!" THE COMMAND CENTER LOCATION UNKNOWN Alpha five raced back and forth around the command center, his robotic fingers an absolute blur across the multiple panels that made up the control board. "Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! They're swarming all over her!" Alpha fretted as he turned to the viewing globe, where he watched as Jacy did her best to keep ahead of the soldiers and putties hounding after her. "They're helping those soldiers slaughter her people!" The image of Zordon appeared inside the energy tube that helped connect him to this dimension. "Alpha, keep trying to contact the other rangers!" The voice of the sage from Eltar boomed throughout the command center, his concern for the young woman who had already been through so much reaching a fever pitch. After the rangers last battle with Rita's forces, Zordon had hoped with every fiber of what remained of him that the men and women who he chose to defend this world and the galaxy beyond had seen the end of her. Jacy rushed through the thicket of trees, bursting through the forest into another of the small villages that made up much of east Florida. She watched in nothing short of horror as a horde of putties tore through one of the towns her people had spent their lives trying to maintain. She had heard the stories from her grandmother for years about how so many tribes had been persecuted and treated like animals by the different entities hellbent on ripping their land away. Leave it to Rita to find a way to needle her where it would hurt most, Jacy thought as she fought back a well of angry tears. The sight of an elder woman of the tribe being dragged through the road by a pair of putties completely broke her in that moment. She was sick of this, of Rita and her plots, of being treated like some sort of monster just because they were different. One way or another, this would end today. "IT'S MORPHIN TIME" Jacy roared as she pulled out her morpher, her power coin gleaming brightly in its center. "SABRETOOTH TIGER!" There was a blinding flash of yellowish hue and moments later the Yellow Ranger rushed across the road towards the putties and their prey. The putties saw her coming and dropped the elder woman, rushing to meet their newfound opposition. Jacy generated each of her power daggers in her hands and went into action, ducking a kick from one of the putties before plunging the dagger straight through its chest. She nailed the second with a palm strike that caught it under the chin before decapitating it with a spinning thrust from the dagger in her left hand. No sooner had she dropped the pair of putties that a bullet bounced off her helmet. Jacy turned to see a group of US troops readying their weapons for another attack having witnessed her dispatch the putties with ease. She smiled underneath the helmet, more than ready to inflict upon these men the kind of pain and suffering they and their superiors had put her tribe through for centuries. Not too far from the village Jacy had begun to protect, Nadami and Amanda stood hand in hand as the Seminole Chief read their vows in the native language of Creek. Nadami could not be more overjoyed as he looked into the eyes of the woman he was choosing as his wife. The sacrifices they both had made to fight their way towards this moment strengthened their love in a way many couldn't understand, even some members of the tribe. He didn't care in the slightest about any opinion other than hers, as he was proud to have traveled the road he had. There were two beings he owed his life to, Zordon and Amanda. He pledged to give his life defending the world for Zordon, and now he was pledging that same life to the woman whom without he might not be a free man. The private ceremony was interrupted, as both the communicators they wore created for them by Alpha went off simultaneously. "Chief, please excuse us. My apologies." Nadami told the elder presiding over their wedding in Creek as they both stepped closer to the shore for a moment of privacy. The chief watched from a distance, slightly bewildered by the strange devices they wore on their wrists. "Come in, Alpha." Amanda said into her communicator. She glanced up for a moment and saw the irrepressible smile that Nadami always knew exactly when to show. She had been so nervous in the nights leading up to today, not because she was having second thoughts about spending her life with Nadami, but because she was terrified of the repercussions their union would have in the long term. A marriage between a runaway slave and the daughter of Herman Coates, the owner of the biggest plantation in the south, was one that would surely draw all the wrong kind of attention. Now as they were on the cusp of moving forward in their lives, something had to interrupt the moment they had been working towards since they had met. "Amanda, Nadami. US troops backed by an army of putties have begun destroying every village and town in their path. Jacy is currently taking on a platoon nearby." Alpha told the pair of rangers, his voice twice as frantic as usual. "We're on our way now, Alpha." Amanda assured him as Nadami rushed over to inform the Chief they would have to postpone their nuptials for the time being. He quickly rejoined his fiancée before they both teleported away in a rush of red and pink energy. Back in the village, Jacy continued her one women assault on the putties and Soldiers who had begun to burn down the homes built by her people. She caught a puttie in the face with a front kick before bringing down a soldier attempting to rush her from behind with a spinning elbow/roundhouse kick combination. It was then Jacy watched as General Andrew Jackson himself led a surge of reinforcements into the village. The US troops began to rain down cannon fire on the town, decimating what little remained of the society they had built. Jacy sprinted towards the cavalcade that had begun unleashing the cannon barrage, when suddenly a massive cannonball came directly at her! She ducked out of its path just before impact, the resulting explosion shaking the area for miles. Jacy got to her feet as she saw Rita's latest creation of terror, a 6'8 leviathan made of bronze and steel. Cannon guns were mounted on both shoulders as the creature continued to stalk towards the yellow ranger. In its hand it held a strange sword-like weapon that begun to change from the silver of its steel to a pitch black the closer he got to Jacy. Jacy readied both her power daggers before heading towards the monster, but before she could even get close she was blasted away by a barrage from each shoulder cannon. Jacy is sent hurdling across the town, crashing to a halt just as her fellow ranger's teleport onto the scene. Nadami, the red ranger quickly pulled his blade blaster and opened fire on the creature, sadly to little effect. "Amanda, I need you to put him down!" Nadami commanded as his power sword appeared in his hand and he changed tactics to hand to hand combat. He began to close the gap between creature and himself, dodging around the massive cannon blasts coming from the monster. Amanda tended to Jacy, who sat up as Nadami did battle with Rita's monster. "Don't worry about me," Jacy assured her teammate as she got to her feet, "I'm not taking a bow until Rita pays for this. I'll bring her down myself." Jacy told Amanda, the determination in her tone making her intentions clear. She began to march across the town turned battlefield when Amanda's hand on her shoulder caused her to pause. "Don't let your anger push you forward, not even because of all this. Rita wants us emotional and off our game. That's the only reason I can possibly see her aiding them." Amanda advised her. Jacy nodded before they both took off to join the fray. EARTH'S MOON RITA'S CASTLE Rita cackled loudly as she watched the ranger's battle her cannon monster, amused by their attempts to harm it. "Well Finster you have finally made me proud. What a beast you have created!" The monster maker known as Finster nodded politely at his empress praise. "Such adulation from you is much appreciated my empress. I can assure you that today will be the day you finally ravage the earth!" Goldar let out a low, menacing growl from behind Finster that startled the scientist. "But what of the other two ranger's my empress? Surely soon they will join the battle!" "Am I not the empress who has led you all to great victories across the cosmos? Have I not crushed hundreds of worlds under my power?" Rita asked her commander as he kneeled before her, doing his best to appease her. "I meant no disrespect my empress. Your time is finally at hand I only wish to see it through to fruition." Goldar assured his master. "You have nothing to apologize for Goldar. Rita's pass successes have no merit here, especially after the frequent defeats she has suffered at the hands of the sage's handpicked children." A voice boomed around the room, a voice Rita recognized and was none too pleased to hear. There was a crack of lightning and suddenly the image of the intergalactic tyrant Lord Zedd appeared before the group. "What have you done of late to deserve such blind faith?" Zedd questioned as he stood over Rita, whose boastful pride had been snuffed out by the arrival of her master. "I've waited patiently for long enough, and you have yet to deliver the earth. Now I see you have conspired with these humans, given them control of your puttie forces in a feeble attempt to finally beat the rangers? You have embarrassed me enough Repulsa, I hope for your sake that your acts of desperation don't fail you today." "They will not my lord! The Power Ranger's will be will cease to exist. This I can assure you. We will turn the earth and its inhabitants into a world crafted in your image! Goldar, head to the current location of the blue and black rangers!" "Yes, my impress." And in a blaze of gold fire, Rita's commander was gone. Shadeer and Thomas led a group of escaping Seminole families through the hot forest, the sounds of US troops cannons and guns destroying another town echoing in the near distance behind them. Shadeer's communicator went off, and he shot Thomas a look that let him know they needed to find some privacy. They allowed the group to get ahead some ways as they sagged behind before Shadeer finally answered. "Shadeer. The rangers are battling Rita's cannon monster in your home village. Please get the rest of the tribe to safety and hurry to assist them!" The unmistakable voice of Zordon instructed the two young ranger's. "We've just about got them to the rendezvous point Zordon, we're on our way now." Shadeer nodded at Thomas, who knew it was time to for business to pick up. "IT'S MORPHIN TIME. MASTODON!" "TRICERATOPS" The pair of rangers took off into the air as they teleported towards the battle their friends were currently in the thick off. Suddenly a mass of orange and red flames blasted the energy beams of Shadeer and Thomas, knocking them back to the ground roughly and preventing them from reaching their destination. "You alright?" Thomas asked Shadeer as he pulled his blade blaster, his eyes scanning the beach for what hit them. "Yeah I'm good. What could have possibly knocked us out of teleportation? I don't think even Rita has that kind of power." Shadeer hypothesized as he too pulled his blade blaster. "The powers of my empress are far beyond anything your human minds could ever fathom." They both turned as they saw Goldar walking across the beach towards them, sword in hand and licking his lips with fearsome glee. "You insects waste your lives squabbling through the most inconsequential conflicts, as if your wars over land and the color of one's skin matter. Nothing you imbeciles fight for matters, not after today. Today will mark the beginning of my empress long reign." Thomas had enough of Goldar's bravado. He knew the monkey was sent to either delay or kill them, whichever he accomplished first. The odds at the moment didn't favor them very much, a thought that twisted in Thomas gut as Goldar drew closer. Though their strength and battle skills were greatly bolstered once they morphed, and they had grown stronger training with the others day by day, they were no match for the absolute powerhouse that was Rita's chief commander. Goldar attempted to catch the pair of ranger's off guard, unleashing a blast of green flames from his mouth that Shadeer barely managed to avoid but caught Thomas full on, engulfing him. Shadeer's battle axe appeared in his hand as he surged forward at Goldar, convinced he needed to go on the offensive. Goldar managed to easily block the blow from the black ranger's battle axe that was meant to take off the commander's head. Goldar caught Shadeer with a kick to the chest followed by a slash from his sword across the gut that sent the ranger flying. Goldar turned around just in time to catch Thomas attacking from behind, having recovered from Goldar's flame eterna attack, by the back of the head and tossed him into his fellow ranger. "Surely this isn't how you want to die? There has to be some sort of warrior's heart beating in your pathetic carcasses? Or is this truly the sum of Zordon's great fighting force?" Goldar snarled amused as he gestured for the two of them to get up. Back in the village, the other three rangers continued their feeble attempts to wear down their opposition. The battle had far exceeded anything the US troops had expected to encounter, and most who hadn't been taken down by Jacy had fled as the cannon creature continued to decimate what little was left of the village. Jacy rushed the monster from behind as he battled Nadami, tossing one of her power daggers into its back. Though the blow didn't do the damage she wanted, it got the creatures attention and gave Amanda the opening she needed. Amanda leveled the creature with a trio of blasts from her power bow, rocking the monster enough that Nadami was able to swoop in and land a pair of slashes with his power sword that dropped it. The three rangers stood exasperated but ever vigilant as they waited to see if their efforts were successful. Their answer came when a massive energy blasts in the shape of a cannon ball blasted Nadami in the chest, sending him flying into the forest and landing with a crunch. "NADAMI!" Amanda screamed before taking off in the direction he was sent. They had been through so many battles, both the very definitions of alien and domestic. They were steps away from the life together they had always talked about. It couldn't end this way, not like this she thought as she raced after him. "Amanda, stay on task! We lose ground here and there's no telling what happens next." Jacy instructed the pink ranger just as she turned and is blasted with the same energy cannon charge that dropped Nadami. She is sent sprawling across the ground as the cannon monster began to stomp forward once again. "This is your world's end. This planet will become what all world's in this galaxy must at one point or another, a stepping stone towards Rita's goal of a galactic empire under her fist. How foolish you must be to believe you could stow the tide that is my empress will." The monster goaded Amanda as Jacy struggled back to her feet, barely able to keep standing. "Where-where the hell are Tom and my brother?" Jacy grunted as the situation they found themselves in continued to deteriorate. "Ask and you shall receive, yellow ranger." Goldar appeared behind the two rangers in a whirl of fire, the unconscious and de-morphed bodies of the blue and black rangers clutched in each of his hands. Inside the command center, Alpha paced back and forth frantically as he and Zordon watched the rangers plight on the viewing globe. "Zordon, there must be something we can do!" Alpha pleaded as he turned to Zordon. "As much as I wish there was, at this point all we can do is hope the power continues to protect them. And that somehow we weather this storm." Zordon answered gravely. "All these eons of trying to kill each other, and you would think I would have grown accustomed to your tired and airy routine. But you are just as insufferable as the day I destroyed your body, wizard." Rita Repulsa entered the main room of the command center, much to the shock of Alpha and Zordon. "How are you able to enter without a power coin?" Alpha asked flabbergasted as the empress of evil strided through the command center. Rita glanced in the robot's direction and signaled for it to be quiet before she turned back to Zordon brandishing her wand. Near its top was a gold power coin, the symbol of a dragon's paw in its center. "So, it seems after all your fruitless endeavors you've finally found it." Zordon remarked gravely as he saw the sixth power coin in her possession. "Lord Zedd believed I had been doing nothing more than wasting time and licking old wounds, failing to see just how much this sways the tide of our war. But I'm sure you do Zordon. You've always been stuck on the horizon, it's what makes you worthy opposition. I'm sure you're aware I'm incapable of utilizing its powers for myself. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to end all of this personally. I guess I'm selfish that way." Rita flashed a devilish grin as she took another step towards Zordon. "All these years, battle after battle and you still make the same mistakes." Alpha boasted, which caused Rita to shoot a glare in the robot's direction. "You've allowed your lust for destruction to send you directly into the maw of defeat." Zordon told the sorceress as every light and machine in the command center began to flicker and fluctuate. Zordon began to concentrate, they only had one opportunity at this. Alpha had hoped this route wouldn't be necessary, that if things broke down this far where they were forced to gamble it all then what hope would there be for the future? Alpha watched as Zordon focused the entire power of the morphing grid into their last resort. Rita realized that something was afoot and knew then it was time to put the sage out of his misery. She raised her wand, ready to begin wreaking all hell in Zordon's temple, but nothing happened. She looked at her staff, completely perplexed. She felt powerless, something she had never felt in all her eons of conquering the cosmos. She dropped her wand before falling to all fours, droplets of black blood coming from her mouth. She turned around to see Alpha Five pointing a circular, golden artifact directly at her, seemingly the cause of her sudden and rapid loss of powers. Her eyes went wide when she noticed the ancient, Egyptian text etched around it. "You've spent several lifetimes stepping on anything you considered beneath you, lauding in the idea of your own power. Now you must suffer the consequences that come with the path you've traveled." Zordon told her as a gold and black portal opened above Rita inside the command center just as the power went out completely. Some of the worst monsters, ghouls, and terrifying unidentifiable creatures thrashed and howled as they tried to break through the invisible barrier that separated the dimensional prison they were trapped in from the command center. Rita shot Zordon a look of deepest hatred as her body began to turn to dark green vapor that was sucked up into the portal. "Zordon of Eltar. Who knew you were capable of such sacrifices..." And without another word Rita was completely sucked into the portal, which closed immediately and left the defunct command center pitch black and silent. Back in the village, Nadami and Amanda continued the battle against the cannon monster and Goldar. Behind their opponents, the fallen rangers suddenly begin to de-morph. Nadami looked over at his fiancee and saw as her helmet and costume disappeared before looking to his hands where he saw his power sword disintegrate. Goldar cackled viciously as the rangers were now helpless. He pointed his sword directly at Nadami and it began to glow with green and black fire. "It seems fate has decided your lives should end by my sword. A shame red ranger, you were a warrior capable of testing my might on more than one occasion." "Goldar...." The commander turned to his fellow servant of Rita to see the monster beginning to disintegrate into black vapors right before Goldar's eyes. Goldar howled with rage as he turned to the rangers, angry he could not finish them off. Before they knew it he had disappeared in a blaze of orange flame, desperate to find out what had caused Rita's magic to falter. Amanda and Nadami rushed over to their unconscious teammates. Nadami tried desperately to reach the command center through his communicator, his heart leaping out of his chest as he put together the pieces of what must have caused them to lose their powers. Jacy recovered first, bewildered to see she had de-morphed. She looked around at what little was left of her village, the sounds of cannon and gunfire echoing far off but close enough to break the silence. "They did it. They overloaded the morphing grid to power that totem." Jacy assumed as Amanda helped her to her feet. "Is there any way to get back to the command center?" Nadami shook his head as he looked to the sky, the sun beaming stronger than ever on the three of them. "We can't do anything without a connection to the morphing grid. Nothing but hope Zordon contacts us." 200 YEARS LATER SOMEWHERE IN BRAZIL Goldar followed the human he had captured and forced to guide him through the massive maze that was the set of caves in El Dorado. They both halted as they reached their destination, the terrified and badly beaten human cowering as he pointed towards the wall they had reached. Goldar tossed the tiny man roughly out of his path, sending him over a nearby cliff and plunging to his death. Goldar ran his hands along the wall, fascinated by what he had discovered after two centuries worth of searching. "My empress. I've found you." Goldar breathed with bated happiness at wall, which bore a circular symbol with words written in Spanish carved around it. TO BE CONTINUED IN MMPR #2 |
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