Yeah, it’s been a while since I last posted one of these. Been pretty busy this past month. Will try to push these out quicker, but not making any promises.
Disclaimer: The author of this document would like to clarify that Power Rangers and its characters is owned by Saban Brands and not the author.
-o-
Zedd’s Palace
Earth moon (Luna)
An Hour Ago
Goldar walked through the dingy halls of the palace and into the processing center, where many of Zedd’s Putty Patrol soldiers were being produced. He looked around at the several fresh stock created, helping out in adding more numbers to their army. The Titan didn’t understand the meaning of this, but he knew it had something to do with Lord Zedd’s master plan and that would be a one-way battle. Goldar realized that the processor wasn’t just processing a large number of Putty stock, but all remaining stock. Stock that could easily produce more than two thousand Putties under normal circumstances.
“Quite the sight, isn’t it?”
Goldar turned his attention towards Finster, the aging monster maker who had been a loyal servant of Rita Repulsa before Lord Zedd took over the palace. In the months since Zedd’s arrival, Finster had been reduced to a peripheral participant. He would offer counsel that was later ignored, he’d craft a monster or two mostly out of boredom and then set them aside. Even with Rita’s return, his duties were largely unchanged until Zedd approached him with schematics for a large scale Putty processor that Finster would modify to his satisfaction. The end result was a more large-scale version of his old Monster-Matic, which also saw use in creating a few choice monsters.
“Your genius knows no bounds, Finster.” growled the Titan. “If only it had succeeded in removing Zordon and his minions from this world.”
Finster snarled in response. “And once our new Putty army is completed, they will no longer be a problem.” He took a step back to admire the machine he devised. “I’ve even reconfigured the processor so that each Putty is reinforced to endure a longer battle. It’ll use up more stock and we’ll have far fewer putties, but more than enough to eliminate the Ranger problem.”
Goldar nodded in silence. He noticed the tougher skin of these new Putties. Not quite as smooth as they usually were, but probably enough to resist the toughest blows that these punks would throw at them. Part of him wished that Zedd went this route as soon as he began… but then again, he didn’t know about the existence of another power coin… and one whose power surpassed those of the Rangers.
Finster then spoke once more. “I have a message from Lord Zedd. He wants you to attack Angel Grove and draw the Rangers out. He’s hoping that the attack will drastic them from pursuing the eighth coin.”
That suited Goldar fine. Zedd can obsess with the coin while he can obsess with the demise of the Rangers…
-o-
Angel Grove Inn
Earth (Terra)
Five minutes ago
She laid on the small bed of her rented room at the inn, staring at the plain white ceiling. Her thoughts drifted back to her first encounter with the Power Rangers at the tavern. She didn’t question how they found her, as she figured they would have the means to track her down… or rather, the coin she carried with her like a cross. One spoken word gave away their ages; she knew they were teens not much younger than her. One could forgive her for taking the whole thing likely. They’re just teenagers, after all. They haven’t seen the things I’ve seen. Experienced what I have. Who could blame them for assuming that she’d be an agent for one of their enemies?
But she also knew that these were no ordinary teens. She heard stories through the barkeep she befriends; the exploits of their heroics, the honors bestowed by the city, and the respect they’ve earned countless times over. They’ve seen their fair share of weird. And then there was… what does she call it? An epiphany? A revelation? She couldn’t quite say… but somehow, she knew their names. She knew their personalities. She knew a little of their life stories… maybe, maybe not. How else would she know to address their leader by his name?
Gillian dangled with the coin. She thought about what they told her; that it was the last of eight coins of power. Is that how she knew their names? Is there some kind of link between her coin and theirs that she didn’t know about? She pulled the necklace off and laid the coin on the counter by her side. She saw it glow ever so faintly, but slowly getting brighter. She slow sat up, holding her head. She felt something was off. Was that something to do with the coin?
“What are you?” she asked, “Why are you such a headache?”
Her answer came in the form of a slight rumble that followed by a slightly louder rumble. She quickly glanced out the window overlooking the city and she saw the cause of the commotion. A giant with blue skin and golden armor. A hulk of a beast that was slowly headed her way, only stopping every few steps to let out a flurry of scorching red beams towards a number of buildings that were immediately consumed in flames before exploding.
Gillian stared ahead at this beast. Was he one of the monsters she heard people talk about that the Rangers would fight? It didn’t take long for her to figure out why he was coming this way. Another one looking for this coin? She missed the days when the bad guys were chasing her after she had killed their leader. Hell, she missed the days when she DIDN’T have this cross to bare.
Is this what she got for doing what she did? Was this her penance for avenging their deaths the way she did? She would often ask these questions that she’d never get an answer to. She knew this was how things were going to be. For how long? Who knows?
She pushed those thoughts out of her head. She took the coin and pushed it firmly on her left palm, then tore a piece of cloth from the bed linen to wrap around her hand. She made sure to apply the wrapping firmly as to keep the coin from falling off. And then she gasped. Suddenly, there was a surge that passed through her entire being. Not pain, not anguish, not strength… something that felt foreign to her. She had felt the coin’s influence over her a number of times, but never to this degree.
Can’t think about it. Gotta get out NOW!
Grabbing her coat and slipping it on quickly, Gillian took one long look at the marching giant coming her way. Her attention was such that a loud crash from behind startled her. She turned to see a number of greyish creatures – almost average human size, but with no features beyond the rough clay-like skin. Before she could react, the creatures leapt, tackling her to the ground and piling on top of her. Gillian struggled to get something – anything – free from their grasp, but they were simply too much.
And then her hand started to glow a faint bluish color, which soon enveloped her entire body. A second later, there was a blinding light, forcing Gillian to close her eyes. When she opened them, she found herself freed from the creatures’ grasp. When she sat up, she looked around to see nothing but ash and burnt pieces of clay matter. She glanced at the bandaged coin in her palm, her eyes wide with shock and perspiration forming on her face. She’s never had this happen before. She didn’t even know she could do that.
“What the hell is going on here?” she muttered openly.
She felt nauseous momentarily before the feeling faded away, making away for fierce determination. She couldn’t quite explain it nor did she understand it, but she found herself compelled to confront the giant coming her way. She found herself, gently opening up the window and taking a step outside. She looked down to find more of those clay creatures making their way towards the building, either through mob mentality or by way of leaping across the few trees around the inn in hopes of reaching her faster.
Just as instinct willed her in the open, it willed her to leap out the window in a dive. She found herself extending her arms outward, with each arm slowly enveloped in an aura of flashing colors. She was somehow able to shift her body so that she’d land on her feet, but the impact of her landing caused a shockwave of wind and energy that caused the clay minions to fly off along with whatever debris happened to be loose. When the dust settled, Gillian stood in the center of the newly formed crater. She soon found herself holding a pair of newly formed swords of medium length in her hands that she hadn’t possessed before. Whatever doubts or questions she had were pushed aside to focus on the thing in front of her.
That focus waivered as soon as the first Putty Patrol jumped into sight.
-o-
“Rangers!” Alpha shrieked as the Rangers materialized in the Command Center, where the klaxons were blaring louder than they usually did. “Goldar is attacking downtown Angel Grove and there is a growing presence of monsters in that same area.”
The Rangers turned to see the viewing globe as the images shifted from Goldar marching and destroying buildings with his eye lasers to Putty Patrollers and various fish monsters of the past wrecking havoc in the city streets as people ran away screaming in terror. The Rangers quickly turned to face their mentor.
“This is the fourth attack from Lord Zedd since yesterday,” Zordon observed. “It must be a major offensive maneuver to weaken your strength, but I cannot determine for what diabolical purpose.”
“It’s more than that, Zordon!” Alpha shrieked, “Look at the viewing globe!”
The Rangers turned towards the viewing globe, where they saw a girl in unfamiliar clothing dash at the growing army of Putty Patrollers and various fish monsters. It didn’t take long for anyone to realize that the girl was the same one they met at the tavern mere moments ago. Tommy clenched his fists and stared on as the realization of this attack’s true purpose was; to drive the bearer of the coin from hiding.
“It’s that girl with the coin,” Kim said aloud, “They must be after it too.”
“We cannot let Rita and Zedd get that coin under any circumstances,” the sage warned, “To do so will grant them an enormous source of power that can destroy us all.”
“You guys go after the girl,” Tommy ordered, “I’ll handle Goldar with the Tigerzord.”
“You sure about that?” Rocky asked.
Tommy nodded. “Positive, man. Let’s do it.”
-o-
For a short while, Gillian managed to effectively hold off the Putties with the two blades in her hand. However, the larger fish creatures, whom later showed up along with the rest of the Putties, proved to be more than a challenge. Things were going smoothly until one of the fish creatures managed a lucky shot that shattered one of her swords, leaving her with one sword. She held the remaining sword two-handed and soon her attacks were more ferocious that the creature couldn’t keep up and was destroyed as a result. When the numbers were slowly steadying against her, she managed a backflip that easily covered several feet away from the bulk of monsters. When she landed, she continued to sprint away from the creatures until she cross an intersection.
Gillian turned to face the approaching army of monsters and extended her sword overhead. The blade soon began to glow in shifting colors and with a buildup of energy so massive she could no longer contain it, Gillian swung the blade and marveled as a energy blade formed from it, growing with each passing micro-second. The blade Gillian swung was normally two feet long, but the energy blade that extended from it covered several miles, which was enough to take down the entire putty army and few of the fish creatures in one slash. The second, somewhat shorter slash finished off those that weren’t already destroyed.
She looked on at the mess she had caused in disbelief. She couldn’t believe this was her doing it. How is this possible? She couldn’t say. All she knew is that she had to get out of here before things got worse… only to be spooked by an array of blasts that surrounded her. She turned to see the source of the blasts and scowled. The Power Rangers had arrived, drawing their blasters and laying down fire to break her retreat. She had doubts about them. She didn’t want to hurt them despite her warning. They were answering a call and the city needed help. Maybe she could try and-
PFFT!
An errand shot from one of the Rangers’ blaster scorched her in the shoulder. Much to her surprise, it felt like a hard punch rather than a beam of light setting flames on her coat that quickly put out. The flames surrounding the burn quickly died off and Gillian’s brow furrowed. She contemplated negotiation and she got shot at. That pretty much settled it.
Screw this. These guys are asking for it.
The Rangers assumed their battle stances as the girl slowly approached them. They noticed the blades they held vanished and her hands were glowing with energy. Then her eyes started glowing. She stopped her advances and took a step back, bringing both her hands together and holding them close as streams of blue and rose energy began to gather and form between her palms. That aura that surrounded her hands now encompassed her entire body, which prompted the Rangers to make a mad dash. Two steps later, the girl threw her hands forward, unleashing an ever blowing ball of blue fire their way. The fireball soon exploded, knocking the Rangers to the ground, scorching their protective armor at certain points.
Gillian gave them no time to react. A flick of the wrist caused one of her swords to reform in her hand. She swung at air with the blade, which send a crescent wave towards the Rangers, knocking them back down once more. Whatever questions about how she was doing all this have all but faded. Whatever came to her, she went along with it. All for the sake of keeping the coin from falling into their hands.
Doesn’t matter who.
-o-
The Blue Ranger recovered quickly enough to summon his Power Lance, allowing him to deflect the sword that was inches away from slicing his head open. He could see the other Rangers rushing to aid them, but she effortlessly swung at them, pushing them away. Meanwhile, in the distance, he could see Goldar and the White Tigerzord dueling, thus allowing them to focus on the current situation. Beneath his helmet, Billy was cursing himself. The second time they’ve encountered this girl with the coin and once again, it’s gone badly. And now they’re getting hammered.
We need to de-escalate this situation, thought Billy, Urgently.
He looked on as the girl held her own against Rocky before she landed a kick into his chest, pushing him far back. Aisha and Kim jumped in, but was soon met with an elbow to the gut for the former and a fierce headbutt that looked to have cracked the Pink Ranger’s visor before thrown off the girl.
“Cease your attack!” called out the Blue Ranger. “We mean you no harm.”
“Like hell you’re not!” she spat back as she hurled another fireball towards the Rangers. Billy found himself able to roll out of the way and avoided the brunt of the damage, but couldn’t get a clear view of the others. Once again, Rocky was back on the attack, throwing a volley of punches and kicks that were easily and effortlessly deflected. Billy was almost as impressed as he was afraid; whomever this person was, she was a hell of a fighter that could probably give Tommy or even Jason a run for their money. As far as he was concerned, she didn’t need to coin to handle herself.
Which makes her all the more dangerous, the Blue Ranger surmised.
-o-
Gillian managed to dodge the Red Ranger’s flurry of attacks, blocking a few blows and deflecting the others. Her instincts and reflexes honed from years of constant conflict dealing with more dangerous adversaries, she expected to be in for a hell of a fight. Just as she blocked his blows, he was also quick to evade and dodge hers. The exchange lasted a couple minutes, waiting for one to make the fatal mistake that left them open. The Red Ranger left himself open and Gillian struck with a side kick that rocked him back. Another slide kick tripped him up and he’s looking at the lights.
Got to hand it to him, she admitted, Kid’s good.
Gillian’s train of thought was broken by several bolts fired from the distance. She turned to see the Black Ranger launching projectiles from his axe. Most of them missed her, but one happened to have struck her sword, which deflected the shot off into the distance. Before long, Gillian found herself waving the sword around maniacally, deflecting every shot that the Black Ranger threw her way until one of the shots caught his arm and caused him to drop the axe. Before he could recover, Gillian threw the blade his way, which struck his chest, bursting the armor into flames and knocking him to the ground.
Two down. Three to go.
-o-
“Power Cannon!”
The Blue, Yellow, and Pink Rangers had positioned themselves to summon the Power Cannon, a massive cannon with a dragon’s head too big for one person to wield. The Rangers deployed their power charges into the cannon, took aim, and fired their shot towards the girl, who nimbly jumped out of the way. The Rangers repositioned themselves to take aim once more, but when they saw the girl again, they found her holding something in both hands aimed in their direction. A contraption that comprised several weapons assembled together in a fashion that was all too familiar to the Rangers.
“Is she holding a Power Blaster?” Kim shouted.
Billy looked on in terror. The girl was indeed holding a Power Blaster. The very same Power Blaster they had assembled from their weapons countless times in the past to put away numbers of Rita and Zedd’s minions. A weapon that was aimed in their general direction. He tried to warn the others off, but it was too late. The Blaster fired its volley of beams that ended up striking the Power Cannon, decimating it almost immediately, but not before the Rangers leapt away. The girl aimed the blaster directly at Billy and fired. He braced himself for the worse.
It never reached him.
Because at the last possible moment leapt the Pink Ranger, who stood in front of her friend and gave him cover. The blast struck her full force, knocking her over Billy, and sending her crashing through the inn’s wall in violent fashion. Billy turned away from the girl and made a mad dash towards his fallen friend. When he got to Kimberly, he recoiled in fear at the sight of her limp, unconscious form. The blast was not only enough to break through her Ranger suit and force a demorph, but she had scorch marks all over her chest and some of her arm. It was
Billy froze at the sight of Kim. In all his time as a Ranger, he never expected any of them to incur this kind of abuse. Not even Lord Zedd’s worst could have inflicted this much damage. He turned behind him to see Aisha trying and failing to incapacitate the girl, a thought dawning on him as he surveyed the ugly scene around him.
We’re in trouble.
-o-
It didn’t take long for Tommy to summon his Thunderzord and just as quickly as it emerged from its hiding place, the White Tigerzord marched through the city streets to meet up with the giant-sized Goldar, who turned to face his old adversary for a moment and turned away. The Tigerzord shot a couple of tigerbolts at the Titan, which had little effect. Tommy then implemented the stronger bolts by inserting the Tigerorb behind him into the slot. The stronger bolts didn’t phase Goldar, but they did get his attention and Goldar replied with several eye beams. Tigerzord marched through the exploding bolts unphased and summoned its sword.
“Go away, Ranger!” Goldar growled. “I have no time to deal with you!”
Tommy laughed. “You should have known better than to cause mayhem in my city, monkey-face.”
Tigerzord began its approached, but before it could extend its sword, the Tigerzord froze. It did not go back to a standing position, tumble downward, nor did the failsafe security measure kick-in, where the Zord would fade away and return to its hiding place. It just stood there with the sword firmly in the zord’s hand, no signs of moving or creaking. Goldar was dumbfounded by this occurrence and was almost hesitant to strike at the Tigerzord, thinking it to be an elaborate baiting strategy on the White Ranger. But then he dismissed the thought and found pleasure in the fact that perhaps his enemy has lost control, leaving him open to whatever intention the Titan had in mind.
In the cockpit, White Ranger desperately tried to figure out what happened. Anything he tried had no effect. When he peered towards Saba’s control port, he saw that his enchanted saber was missing from the command port. Without Saba in the port, the Tigerzord cannot and will not function. White Ranger would attribute this to faulty memory, but he did remember inserting Saba into the port. Before he could think of anything else, Goldar struck Tigerzord with a quick swipe of his sword. Tigerzord did not flinch however, but it did tumble to the ground, smashing a nearby building into smithereens.
“Alpha!” White Ranger spoke through his communicator. “My zord’s out! I need help!”
Goldar saw the incapacitated White Tigerzord with a certain sense of pleasure. Whether the fate smiled upon the Titan with this event was an afterthought at best. He had his long time foe right where he wanted him, and now he had the chance to finish off the cancer called the White Ranger.
TO BE CONTINUED…
