World Bender: Season 2

[Beckoner]

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If you wish to go to Season One, click here. (http://www.rangerboard.com/showthread.php?t=115027&highlight=World+Bender)


EPISODE LISTING
Episode 1: A Case of Bracelets (http://www.rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2805819&postcount=1)
Episode 2: An Unlikely Villain (http://www.rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2810299&postcount=6)
Episode 3: Unwelcome Wagon (http://www.rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2816993&postcount=14)
Episode 4: A Cerebral Enemy (http://www.rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2822059&postcount=22)
Episode 5: Bad Climate (http://www.rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2831372&postcount=27)
Episode 6: Complications (http://www.rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2845079&postcount=35)
Episode 7: Finding The Will (http://www.rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2847144&postcount=39)
Episode 8: Zero Sum Gain (http://www.rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2860998&postcount=44)
Episode 9: Entrepreneur (http://www.rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2865036&postcount=49)
Episode 10: Against Unspeakable Odds Part 1 (http://www.rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2868495&postcount=52)
Episode 11: Against Unspeakable Odds Part 2 (http://www.rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2894232&postcount=66)
Episode 12: Stranger than Strange (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2912196&postcount=73)
Episode 13: Endless Enemies (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2920756&postcount=79)
Episode 14: The Return of Zeltrax (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2932911&postcount=82)
Episode 15: Vengeful Intent (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2943484&postcount=87)
Episode 16: Emotional Investment (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2956910&postcount=89)
Episode 17: The Next Tier (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2981314&postcount=94)
Episode 18: Affections of a God (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=2996494&postcount=96)
Episode 19: Escape of the Bounty (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=3047316&postcount=106)
Episode 20: When Things Get Worse Part 1 (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=3062947&postcount=111)
Episode 21: When Things Get Worse Part 2 (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=3077149&postcount=117)
Episode 22: Approaching Destruction (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=3108236&postcount=125)
Episode 23: Inconclusive Conclusion (http://rangerboard.com/showpost.php?p=3111209&postcount=128)

Here it is fellas, the second season of World Bender. Here's the first episode for you all to enjoy (I hope), with more on the way. I'll update this page as the series progresses. Due to text formatting, it is recommended that you view this with a dark theme. RB Light will conceal certain words. Without a long intro, here it is: episode one.


World Bender Season 2
Episode 1: A Case of Bracelets


Today was a boring day. His room still wasn’t even completely unpacked since he moved from Iowa. The only thing he had actually situated was his bed, dresser, and nightstand. His name was Jaron, Jaron Eiker. At just 19 years of age, he had a very youthful appearance even for a young man. With straight brown hair with just a tint of red slicked down to his eyes, he was considered pretty cute by most girls. After two months of getting used to his new home in Pennsylvania, he was getting ready to take a few classes at the local community college. He lived with his widowed mother, and they had decided to move from Iowa in order to get a fresh start after his dad died in China when a renegade soldier had used a government robot to wipe out parts of Hong Kong. While he wasn’t particularly close with his dad since he was always traveling, but it still was a painful experience. He had no intention of moving out since his mother needed him more than ever, which was fine for him. He sat in the living room watching television, and a quick news insert came on advertising the 11 o clock news. There was yet another story about the reconstruction effort in Chicago ever since the Power Rangers had their last battle a while ago.

Jaron didn’t feel anything either way in regards to them leaving, but seeing the thousands of displaced people did irk him somewhat. After the news insert, another commercial came on advertising the crazy new cell phones that were just coming out. They were the hottest new thing. A new company had unveiled a new line of cell phones that were gaining major market share in just the past few weeks. They were pretty snazzy flip phones, but they were offering insane calling plans. Everything was unlimited for only 50 bucks a month. Apparently they used some kind of proprietary network and therefore bypassed the usual methods for cell phones. No one knew how they worked, but they were donating large amounts of their profit to the reconstruction effort in Chicago. For this reason alone, Jaron was thinking about picking one up. Cingular and Verizon sucked anymore, so he made a mental note to save up for one. The sun was shining brightly in the late afternoon, and public school was just ending. A little bored, Jaron decided to go for a drive.

“Hey mom, I’m heading out. I’ll be back later okay?” Jaron called upstairs where his mother was.

After snatching his keys off the key rack next to the front door, Jaron walked to his car in the suburb they had moved to. He noticed across the street there was another family moving in. The U-Haul was parked in the driveway as people were unloading a couch. It was then that he saw a familiar face. A rather confused looking African American guy the same age as him with gentle eyes and short hair came outside to tell the movers where the couch would go. It was his old friend from junior high, Mark Bimms! What were the odds?

“Mark!” Jaron yelled.

Mark looked over to him and his eyes suddenly widened. If he didn’t look confused before, he definitely did now. Mark walked across the street, clearly looking a bit surprised.

“Jaron?” asked Mark with disbelief.

“Dude, I can’t believe it!” Jaron said with a chuckle before embracing his old friend.

“I haven’t seen you in ages. I thought you guys moved to Arizona in the tenth grade. What are you doing here?” Jaron asked conversationally.

“Yeah,” Mark said in a somewhat somber tone, “My dad wanted to invest in real estate here since it has some of the lowest mortgage rates in the country.”

“It’s good to see you man. Hey look, I’m going for a drive to grab something to eat. You feel like coming along?” asked Jaron, overjoyed at the sight of a familiar face.

“Um, I gotta ask my dad first,” said Mark.

Jaron noticed that Mark was a little subdued from the last time he saw him, but then again growing up did that to you. Mark ran back into the house for a minute or two, before jogging back out and approaching Jaron who was standing by his car.

“What did your dad say?” asked Jaron.

“I wasn’t really carrying much anyway, so it’s all good,” Mark replied.

“I wanted to grab something to eat and then just take a little drive around town. I moved here a couple months ago and I’m still just getting used to it,” said Jaron.

“Sounds cool to me,” Mark answered.

In his little rinky dingy Geo Metro, Jaron took a leisurely drive through town. The two friends had a somewhat animated conversation about a variety of topics, just shooting the breeze and catching up. After driving past several fast food places, Jaron saw one that he liked: Burger King. Jaron took no time in slowing down and turning into the parking lot.

“A lot of people around here seem to like this place. I’ll never get it,” Mark commented.

“Yeah all my neighbors come here. It seems to be a kind of social hotspot around here, so I figured we’d come here,” Jaron answered.

“Sounds fine to me,” Mark answered with a smile.

The pair of them entered the establishment to find tons of high school kids forming a rather congested line. No doubt they were stopping by for an after school snack. Jaron and Mark looked at the impossibly long line and quickly reconsidered whether or not they wanted to eat here.

“Uh, so do you want to go somewhere else?” Jaron suggested wryly.

“That might be a good idea,” Mark agreed.

“Hey guys, you wanna hop in front of me?” said a girl who wasn’t far from the front of the line.

She looked pretty nice, and had a very sincere look in her eye.

“Are you sure?” asked Jaron.

“I saw the look on your faces when you came in here, so come on over. I’m not ordering that much anyway,” the girl answered, with her backpack slung over her shoulder.

Jaron and Mark quickly obliged her offer. After entering the line, Mark smiled and shook her hand.

“I’m Mark. This is my friend Jaron,” Mark introduced himself.

“I’m Nicole. Nicole Olmen.,” Nicole responded.

“You’re a senior?” asked Jaron, taking note of her physical appearance.

“Yeah. School just started but I already feel like I’m almost free,” Nicole remarked.

“Enjoy it while you can. Time goes so much faster when you get out of high school,” Jaron commented.

“How old are you?” asked Nicole.

“We’re both 19. Our birthdays are exactly one month apart,” Jaron said with pride.

Nicole smiled and shook her head.

“I turn 18 in a week,” said Nicole.

“Cool,” said Mark.

Their conversation was interrupted by the cashier asking to take their order. Nicole lived pretty far from where they were, so Jaron had offered to give her a ride home. Their new acquaintance proved to be rather interesting and funny. Pennsylvania was turning out not to be so bad after all. When it was time to go home, Nicole was dropped off first.

“It was nice to meet you guys. Thanks a lot for the ride,” Nicole said courteously.

“Thanks for letting us cut in front of you,” said Mark with a smile.

Nicole laughed before waving at them and going to her front door.

“She was cool,” Jaron commented.

“Yeah she was,” Mark said in agreement.

Having nothing left to do for the day, they returned to their own neighborhood. Once the car was parked and they had got out, the front light for Jaron’s house automatically turned on.

“It was good to see ya again man. We gotta hang out again sometime, especially since you’re right across the street now,” said Jaron.

Mark nodded.

“Well I’m needed at home. Still plenty of stuff to unpack. I’ll see you later bro,” said Mark.

Jaron nodded affirmatively, before Mark walked away back to his house. When Jaron turned around to walk to his door, he was startled by the sight of some kind of bum standing there. He was dressed in a grayish-blue rain poncho with a big hood concealing everything except his big, hooked nose. He was holding some kind of black case that looked like a really big and fancy lunch box.

“Whoa man, you scared me there. Can I help you?” said Jaron.

“Why yes my dear boy,” the old man said in a friendly, disarming tone, “I have a package for you. This case belongs to you. Inside are some items of great interest.”

“Uh, okay,” Jaron muttered in a confused tone, before taking the case.

“So, you’re not UPS or anything,” Jaron commented, eyeing the elderly man.

“Oh heavens no. I’m just the Case Holder. You’ve been selected based on a number of factors to receive the case for a period of time,” he replied.

“So this is like some kind of free trial scam or something?” Jaron asked in confusion.

“You won’t be paying for anything. However, after you’ve had time to inspect the items inside, I will return. Until then, good day,” said the Case Holder, before casually taking a stroll down the street.

Jaron was supremely confused, but simply carried the case inside his house and went up to his room. Tossing the case onto his bed, he went into the bathroom the wash up. After he had finished, his mother came walking down the hallway and spotted him.

“Hey little man; you just get back?” his mother asked.

“Yeah. I made a new friend today. This girl: Nicole. She’s pretty cool,” Jaron answered.

“Ooh, a lady friend?” his mom teased.

“No mom, it’s not like that,” Jaron answered defensively.

“I’m just messing. Remember the Bimms family? They moved in across the street. My god it’s been years,” she said.

“Yeah I saw Mark helping them unpack, we went out to eat,” Jaron answered.

“That’s good, that’s good,” his mom answered, grasping for something else to talk about and finding none, “Well, I’m heading off to a job interview. It’s at 5:00 PM so I better start getting ready.”

“Alright mom, I’ll get out of your way,” Jaron replied, before drying off his hands and leaving.

Walking back into his bedroom, he saw the case which he had completely forgotten about. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he opened the black case which happened to be quite nice on the inside. Inside were five weird looking wrist watches with dinosaur faces on them all lines up. Just below them for five colored rocks. Red, blue, yellow, black, and white were their colors. They seemed to correspond with the five wrist devices.

“What are these, toys?” Jaron muttered.

Picking up the red rock, he realized that it was more solid than any rock he had ever seen. It was made out of some kind of diamond material or gemstone. A gem this size had to be worth something, but Jaron pushed that thought of his mind. Picking up the wrist device with the red carnivorous face on it, he looked at it, rotating it with his hand and trying to figure out what it was force. The red gem then started glowing, which alarmed Jaron. He quickly tossed both the wrist device and the gem down. Coincidentally, the gem landed on top of the wrist device, and somehow was absorbed into it, causing the wrist device to glow slightly.

“Holy shit,” Jaron said in shock.

Once the little tendrils of light faded away from the wrist device, Jaron picked it back up. It suddenly vanished and turned into a silver bracelet with the red gem embedded in it. It suddenly jerked free of his hand and latched itself onto his left wrist.

“What the hell?!” Jaron said in alarmed frustration, trying to pry the bracelet off.

It wasn’t coming off, and after a lot of pulling and prying, he noticed that the bottom of it came loose easily in order to remove it. Making sure he hadn’t broken it, he put the bracelet back on, and then took it off again. It seemed to work just fine, and he put the bracelet on one more time and left it on. He needed to find out what this was, and he instantly went to run downstairs to the computer. What should’ve taken at least 20 seconds, took 2 as his perception of time suddenly changed. The world whizzed by slowly as he was propelled at speeds his mind could barely fathom. Quickly stopping his run, he came out of it and tripped over the couch by the computer table.

He had just run like he was the Flash or something. This was impossible. Jaron had to know what this was, and he pulled up and chair and quickly logged onto the internet. He tried googling numerous search terms, but all he could come up with was jewelery. After nearly 5 minutes of searching, Jaron became frustrated and leaned back in his chair to take a breather. He then took a second look at the bracelet, and remembered the dino-themed wrist device it had been before it turned into the silver bracelet. He entered three words: “Red dino brace” into an image search, and the exact image of them came up. He quickly clicked on them, and then he found out what they were, along with the silver bracelets.

The red gem was something called a Dino Gem, along with the other ones. And they were used as power sources for…it couldn’t be. Jaron could not believe it. These were morphers for Power Rangers. Jaron quickly stood up and clutched his head in disbelief.

“No no no. This isn’t happening to me. Who the hell was that old man?!” Jaron frantically talked to himself.

“I need to find that guy,” Jaron decided.

Grabbing his coat and heading out of the door, Jaron looked to his car. He stopped. Looking at the Dino Gem embedded in his bracelet, he realized that he could cover more ground if he used the speed he had previously. Jaron closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, and when he opened his eyes, everything was moving slower. In the daylight, he saw trees swaying much slower in the wind, and a car backing out of its driveway down the street terribly slow. He then began running in a streak of human speed. He last saw the Case Holder walking down the south end of his neighborhood, so he decided to check there. In the span of just a few seconds, he had darted to the end of the street, before turning left and barreling down the sidewalk while eyeing his surroundings. He couldn’t find the Case Holder anywhere. The man walked, so he couldn’t have gotten far, as he saw him less than 15 minutes ago.

Even while moving through suburbia at superspeed, he could not find the Case Holder. All of this occurred within just a couple of minutes. Finally deciding to give it up, Jaron turned back and started to head back home because he was starting to feel physically tired from the effort.

“Are you looking for me my boy?” asked a familiar voice.

Jaron’s eyes widened in alarm, and he instantly stopped super-sprinting. When he turned around, the Case Holder was standing directly behind him.

“How did you-” Jaron was interrupted.

“I’m afraid I must apologize for this sudden intrusion, but it appears you’ve inspected the package. Now I must ask something of you: I require you to choose two individuals who will receive the blue, and yellow ones,” the Case Holder said in a kind voice.

Jaron had no idea what to do. His world had just been flipped upside down, and he couldn’t figure out what to make of it. Between superspeed and an old man who seemed to be everywhere at once, his view of reality was becoming increasingly skewed.

“You want me to pick two other people? For what?” asked Jaron suspiciously.

“The world is going to need you. I’m afraid that certain events that could not be avoided are beginning to coalesce. Not so long ago you demonstrated your own heroic nature by helping a girl save her father. If anyone is deserving of this gift, it is you. I simply ask you to choose two partners to help you accomplish that same end but on a much grander scale,” the Case Holder explained.

“What about the black and white ones?” asked Jaron logically.

“Oh I’m sure those will sort themselves out. For now, the blue and yellow ones shall be your partners. One male and one female are all that’s required,” the Case Holder responded.

It was too perfect. In one day he had encountered an old friend and made a new one. He didn’t know any other girls, but Nicole seemed cool enough. And surely he could trust Mark.

“I want my friends to do it,” asked Jaron.

The Case Holder cocked his head to the side, before scratching an itch on the top of his left hand.

“Alright then. It’s done. Mark and Nicole have just received their gifts,” the Case Holder answered.

Jaron was instantly alarmed, and backed away before trying to rationalize the situation.

“Is this some kind of a set up? Where are the hidden cameras? You got guys hiding in the bushes or something?” Jaron demanded an answer.

“Oh no, nothing like that. I admit I am a bit eccentric, but not a trickster. You made a good choice. When you return to the case, you’ll find the blue and yellow ones missing. Do not be alarmed, for they are where they belong. After you’ve had some time, I will return. Until then, farewell my boy,” the Case Holder said enigmatically.

Jaron blinked, and when he reopened his eyes, the Case Holder was gone. Jaron had no idea how to take this. It was too much. He couldn’t process this. With no other options left, Jaron took a slow, contemplative walk back home as the sun started to set. After going up to his room, Jaron opened the case and saw that the blue Dino Gem and morpher along with the yellow ones were missing just as predicted. Whoever this Case Holder was, Jaron was not particularly pleased with the idea that a total stranger somehow gained access to his house while he was gone. Whatever the big idea was, Jaron had no intention of playing along. He did however, want to get to the bottom of this.

The bracelet on his wrist then suddenly beeped even though there were no visible electronics on it, and a voice came through.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” asked Mark’s voice, which seemed to be emanating from the Dino Gem itself somehow.

“Mark?” Jaron answered.

“Jaron, is that you? What’s going on?” Mark questioned.

A female voice then came through, clearly startled.

“Are you the guys from earlier? Seriously, what is all this?” asked Nicole.

“We need to meet. I don’t know what’s going on so we need to talk,” said Mark.

“Alright. I’ll pick you guys up in an hour and a half a little after nightfall. See you guys later,” said Jaron.

Jaron took full advantage of that hour and a half, as he spent all of it on the internet researching the Dino Thunder Rangers and learning everything he could about them. There was no way that some old man just casually gave him the ability to transform into a super powered being in a weird costume. All the signs pointed to yes however, given the increasingly unbelievable events that had occurred just in the past couple of hours. After he realized what time it was, Jaron quickly made his way to his car to find Mark waiting by it, before the two of them got into his car. Mark looked unsettled and uncomfortable, continuously touching his Dino Gem.

Neither of them said a word as Jaron drove to Nicole’s house, where she waited sitting on her front steps. Once she got into the car, Jaron accelerated hastily and began driving with no real destination in mind.

“Alright, what’s this thing doing on my wrist? I was taking a shower and after I finished drying off, this bracelet was suddenly here,” Nicole explained with concern.

“Same here. I was just unpacking when I noticed it,” Mark added.

“You’re saying they just appeared?” asked Jaron incredulously.

“Yeah,” Nicole muttered.

“I think this might be my fault,” said Jaron.

“What are you talking about?” asked Mark rather carefully.

“Some guy gave me a box; a case of some kind. It had these things in them. He told me to pick two people to get one of them so I just mentioned I wanted my friends to get them. Somehow he knew who you guys were and the next thing I know those two on your wrists were missing!” Jaron explained.

“That’s bull,” Mark said plainly.

“I’m serious. I have no idea what the hell is going on,” Jaron answered in a raised tone.

“So what are these things supposed to be anyway?” asked Nicole from the backseat.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Jaron said firmly.

“Try me,” said Mark.

“They’re morphers…for the Power Rangers,” said Jaron.

Before anyone else had a chance to respond, siren lights came on behind them revealing a black Crown Victoria. It didn’t look anything like a police car, so it must have been something higher up; like an FBI car.

“Shit!” Jaron yelled.

“You were followed? Do you have any idea what they’ll do to us? The government doesn’t exactly like the Power Rangers,” shouted Mark, clearly perturbed.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe this is happening,” said Nicole to herself as she held onto the sides of her head and tucked her head down.

“I’m pulling over. I’ll think of something,” said Jaron.

After coming to a stop on the side of the street, a lone man got out of the car and walked up to the driver side window. A man somewhere in his mid to late 30s with a clean shaven face, brown wavy hair, and brown eyes approached, and he gestured for Jaron to roll his window down who of course obliged.

“My name is Special Agent Arden Jones. I’m going to ask you to follow me to the Federal Bank on Vandorn street, and don’t try to run,” said the agent.

With that, Agent Jones got back into his car and drove up in front of them, with Jaron following behind.

“We are so screwed,” said Nicole in a panicking voice.

“No we’re not! Just let me do the talking,” said Jaron.

“You better be right about this,” Mark answered.

The agent took a slow, leisurely drive to the Federal Bank, which he likely selected because it was secluded, with all the surrounding buildings having already closed down for the night. This didn’t look good, and Jaron kept his hands firmly locked on the steering wheel before they finally arrived. After parking their cars in an alleyway adjacent to the bank, they had to get out of the car. Agent Jones silently motioned for the terrified teenagers to follow them out of the alley and onto the front steps of the large Federal Bank which had a locked rotational door that they stood in front of. It was here that Agent Jones stopped walking, before turning around to face the teenagers.

“So, what do you kids know about the Case Holder?” Agent Jones asked with a knowing gleam in his eye.

[Kali_WolfChilde]

oh, damndamndamndamndamn! Dude, you FREAKIN ROCK! I mean - oh, hell, you're the best writer i've seen in God knows how long. I'm gonna be glued to this story like the CIA are to Bin Laden tapes. KIU!!!!!

[Red Evolution Ranger]

Ok, no hiding for me this season! I must say, this is freaking awesome! I loved every minute of this first chapter, and I can't wait for more!

[dragomuseveni]

oh man dude im so excited for chapter two, this is totally awsome!!! I loved how you picked Jaron, i was like, i know i have heard that name before somewhere, oh man its the dude that helped out in the last one, and nice way to bring agent jones into this!!!

[roc da mic]

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

[Beckoner]

oh, damndamndamndamndamn! Dude, you FREAKIN ROCK! I mean - oh, hell, you're the best writer i've seen in God knows how long. I'm gonna be glued to this story like the CIA are to Bin Laden tapes. KIU!!!!!

I'm glad I didn't disappoint. Thank you very much. It means a lot that you would call me one of the best writers you've seen. I'd never think that on my own. I am confident in my story telling abilities, and I can only hope to improve to give you an even more entertaining story. I'm glad you've continued to follow the Benderverse!

Ok, no hiding for me this season! I must say, this is freaking awesome! I loved every minute of this first chapter, and I can't wait for more!

Thank you very much. I'm glad you came out of hiding!

oh man dude im so excited for chapter two, this is totally awsome!!! I loved how you picked Jaron, i was like, i know i have heard that name before somewhere, oh man its the dude that helped out in the last one, and nice way to bring agent jones into this!!!

I'm glad you like my choice for the Red Ranger. I thought I'd foreshadow him in that last season when he helped Chelsea (last season's Pink Ranger). Yup, Agent Jones is back.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

Thanks. I hope you like this chapter too man.

--------------

Well, without further distraction and delay. Here is chapter two.

World Bender Season 2
Episode 2: An Unlikely Villain


While Mark and Nicole expressed outright confusion, Jaron had a far more subdued reaction. Now convinced that he had been set up somehow, he had no intention of being arrested by an FBI agent a few hours after a stranger gives him a case. He decided he was never going to accept gifts from strange old men ever again.

“What are you talking about?” said Mark.

Agent Jones didn’t look amused, rubbing the bridge of his eyes and eyeing the three with irritation.

“Wait, I’ll talk,” Jaron quickly spoke up.

That got the agent’s attention.

“I met him today. He gave me this,” said Jaron, holding up his left wrist and showing the silver bracelet with the Dino Gem on it.

Agent Jones swallowed a gulp, keeping his eyes fixed on it.

“What’s going on?” Nicole quickly said.

“You kids don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into,” Agent Jones answered.

Jaron didn’t say anything, feeling his adrenal glands pumping in full forth at the sheer amount of anxiety he was experiencing as a result of all of this.

“What do you know?” Mark asked forcefully.

“Mark! He’s a fed, don’t push it!” Nicole said in a loud whisper.

“If he was going to arrest us, he’d have done it by now,” Mark rebutted, “Now what’s going on?”

Agent Jones paced along the step he was standing on, apparently weighing his next few words.

“This Case Holder you met is unlike anyone else we’ve ever dealt with. It was he who supplied the previous team of Power Rangers with their morphers. We don’t know who he is, or how he does it, but he seems to be capable of things that are frankly, unnatural,” Agent Jones answered.

This seemed to sedate Mark a little bit.

“We don’t know what his aims are, but we’ve determined that he gives off a very strange energy signal wherever he appears. We’ve used this to track him to you, Jaron Eiker,” Agent Jones continued.

“So then what do you want with us?” asked Jaron.

“I want you to return those to the Case Holder. The climate in Washington is very volatile right now. The world needs a break to rebuild right now, not another team of Power Rangers,” Agent Jones responded.

“How are we supposed to give them back? I have no idea where to find the guy,” asked Jaron.

“I want you to take these,” said Agent Jones, before taking three cell phones out of his inside pocket.

They were those new cellphones Jaron had seen on television. He was getting one for free? He could only speculate on the reasoning for it. Nicole was at a loss for what to think, while Mark was trying to figure out what was going on in the first place.

“So what do we do with these?” asked Mark, as the three received their cell phones.

“We’re going to continue tracking the Case Holder’s movements. The next time he appears and we are able to reach him in a timely manner, I will contact you. We will then return those to him,” Agent Jones responded.

“That’s fine with me. I don’t want any part in this anyway,” said Jaron.

Numerous sirens could be heard as several police vehicles came driving toward the Federal Bank. Strangely enough, a couple of Federal vehicles were following them. Jaron, Mark, and Nicole were now seriously alarmed.

“What is this?!” said Jaron, before he turned to look back at Agent Jones.

Strangely enough, Agent Jones appeared confused as well. This wasn’t his doing.

“I’m not sure. Let’s get into the building. I can’t be seen with you,” Agent Jones said calmly, before walking up to the rotary door of the bank.

The other three followed him, and were shocked to see Agent Jones draw his sidearm and shoot the locking mechanism on the top of one of the door flaps. He then effortlessly pushed the rotary door and entered. Jaron, Mark, and Nicole followed him quickly into the bank.

“Listen to me very carefully,” Agent Jones started, “Someone will call you when the Case Holder reappears. You NEED to find him and return those morphers. Whatever you do, DON’T come back for me. There’s an emergency exit by the managers office in the back. Now leave.”

Federal agents then began to storm the bank, holding up pistols that looked like toys somewhat.

“Go!” Agent Jones yelled.

Although it moved quickly, Jaron saw one of the FBI agents fire some kind of metal object from his gun which struck Agent Jones in the chest and sent him into convulsions. It was clearly a taser gun. Mark held his arms up defensively, as one of the electrodes aimed for his neck struck his forearm. He expected to feel himself zapped with electricity, but felt almost nothing. The electrode simply bounced off. When he looked up, his forearms were covered in some kind of blue glow.

“What’s this?” Mark asked to no one.

Nicole was scared at having guns aimed at her, taser or not. Screaming like a damsel in distress, she suddenly felt some kind of torrential force flow from her lungs and out of her mouth. A nearly transparent, yellow shockwave blasted from her mouth and knocked all of the FBI agents down. This caught them completely off guard, and they were quick to re-aim their tasers at the youngsters. That was all the motivation that they needed. Jaron looked toward the back of the lobby and saw a hallway just to the right of the bank teller counter. Mark grabbed Nicole by the hand and pulled her away as he ran. Jaron was quick to take off in a full sprint as well.

The three ran as fast as their bodies would allow, narrowly avoiding the metallic electrodes as they turned the corner and hid with their backs pressed against the corridor.

"Guys, we can't just leave him there," Jaron said hoarsely, panting profusely as adrenaline filled his system.

"He told us to leave! We have to worry about finding the Case Holder, or all of this was for nothing!" Mark argued.

"And I really don't want to get taken away. You saw those guys, they're Feds!" Nicole argued.

"Fine. You guys run, I'm going back to save him!" Jaron said in a carelessly loud tone, before running back toward the lobby.

Nicole and Mark had a mutual feeling that they couldn't allow Jaron to get taken too.

"God damn it!" Mark cursed in frustration, before chasing after Jaron along with Nicole.

The three got back to the lobby, and saw an incapacitated FBI Agent convulsing on the floor. The four other federal agents were distracted trying to put handcuffs on him as they got him to his feet, with several police vehicles and federal agents still outside.

Jaron didn't have time for words, and he still had questions for the man who was now at the mercy of the authorities. The bracelet on his left wrist then disappeared as the earlier device reappeared once more. All three young adults pressed a lever on the bottom of them, causing the mouths of their morphers to open, the eye shining a neon green.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up!”

Focused on saving Agent Jones who had been mercilessly tasered, Jaron performed his morphing call exactly the way he had learned from his research online.

With the exception of his head, Jaron’s body began to glow a bright white. The Dino Thunder insignia then appeared on his chest, and his body was propelled into the air involuntarily. Feeling his body fill with energy, Jaron’s body continued through in the air in a large somersault as red streaks of fabric materialized and attached itself to his body, forming a suit. Now wearing a very familiar red suit, Jaron landed back on the ground where he had been standing before. The force of his landing caused the marble floor of the bank to crack underneath his feet, and a helmet quickly appeared on his face. Jaron was now a Power Ranger. He was suddenly aware that he had weapons, and knew exactly how to call them. In addition, he felt amazing. Every part of his body was empowered. He felt stronger in places he didn’t even know he had. Mark and Nicole looked at him in astonishment.

“They’re back! We’ve got a Power Ranger!” one of the Federal agents quickly yelled into his radio.

“Guys, follow my lead. Just do what I did!” Jaron instructed.

Already having activated their morphers, Mark and Nicole just copied what they saw Jaron do. Just like him, their bodies glowed and they were propelled through the air as their suit formed around them. When they landed, they also cracked the floor beneath them, before their helmets appeared on their heads. The Blue Tricera Ranger and the Yellow Ptera Ranger now stood alongside the Red Tyranno Ranger.

“Take em down!” yelled the Federal Agent who had cuffed Agent Jones.

Aiming their pistols at the three of them, the three had no time to react as triggers were pulled and bullets came at them. Upon striking their bodies, sparks burst out of the impact points but did not penetrate. While they had felt fear for a fleeting moment when the FBI agents first drew their guns, they felt extremely confident having survived with little more than discomfort when the bullets hit.

Jaron smiled underneath his helmet, having never felt this way before. The Red Ranger ran into the fray, before slamming his palm into the chest of the FBI agent who had radioed their presence in. Unexpectedly, the agent was sent flying back and slammed into the glass front of the bank.

“Whoa,” Jaron said to himself as he looked at his own gloved hand.

“Be careful! Your strength is augmented at all times! Pull your punches!” Agent Jones managed to yell as the other three FBI agents backed away.

The Blue Ranger stood back as Nicole hesitantly stepped forward toward Agent Jones. Seeing what she was after, an agent moved to grab her wrist and stop her from helping Agent Jones up, to which she quickly pushed her assailant away, sending him flying back several felt before falling onto the marble-tiled floor. The two remaining federal agents then aimed their lethal pistols at Agent Jones, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He reached into his jacket, about to withdraw something, but it would be too late. Mark needed to protect Agent Jones, and with a subconscious knowledge that was granted to him when he morphed; his belt buckle shined and his Tricera Shield came to his aid. After securely grabbing it, he dashed up to Agent Jones and outstretched his arm in order to cover Jones with the shield. The bullets that were fired shortly after bounced off the Tricera Shield harmlessly.

Jaron quickly turned to look at the two agents, before subconsciously calling out his Tyranno Staff. Clasping it shortly after it came out of his shining belt buckle, Jaron jumped into the air toward them, before thrusting his staff outward, striking the two agents aggressively and knocking them down. The four agents could do little else but retreat, running out of the bank and leaving the rotary door spinning.

“Are you okay?" Jaron asked Agent Jones as his Tyranno Staff vanished back into his belt.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You weren’t supposed to come back for me. I don’t think you get what you just did,” Agent Jones said grimly.

“I couldn’t let you get arrested for nothing. There’s still a lot I want to know. Look, take the emergency exit you talked about, we’ll deal with the guys out front. I’m sorry about this, but it looks like the Power Rangers are back until we can find the Case Holder,” said Jaron.

The three Rangers ran out of the bank, looking at numerous federal vehicles and police cars. There were dozens of them, and the Rangers looked upon them with a twinge of fear. Even though they had just earlier proven they were impervious to bullets, old habits die hard. Having a pistol pointed at you was nothing to get used to easily. Helicopters were beginning to arrive, with their bright spotlights trained on the Dino Thunder team. They looked up as helicopters, some law enforcement and some from the press, began to take photographic evidence that the Power Rangers had indeed returned albeit in a different incarnation.

“So what do we do now?” asked Nicole.

“We keep them from getting into the bank so that agent can get out,” Jaron responded.

“I’m not going to hurt anybody,” Mark asserted.

Suddenly then, a strange green light appeared in the air across the street behind all of the vehicles. Something fell out of it. Because of how bright all the lights were, it was hard to see what it was. Suddenly then, blue lighting burst from the object’s last known location and struck a police car, causing it to explode. The police officers who were standing near it were thrown back. One of them was killed. Another blue lightning burst shot out, starting from the far right, and slowly moving to the left. Two more cars were severely damaged. The helicopters that were focusing their attention on the Power Rangers then turned their lights on the source of the mysterious attacker. Jaron couldn’t believe his eyes. It was impossible, but the armor was unmistakable. The THING that had attacked the police officer was walking toward them. It was covered in black armor, with an almost glass-like blue sword and a shield. But it couldn’t be who Jaron thought it was. Apparently, the morphers weren’t the only thing the Case Holder brought with him.

“Who is that guy? What’s he wearing?” Mark asked in anger, quite furious at his unprovoked attack.

The police officers began to fire their guns at the advancing figure, who simply held his shield in front of himself, blocking the bullets before he jumped into the air and soared over the police vehicles. He landed just in front of the Power Rangers.

“Who the hell are you?!” Jaron demanded to know.

From his research he knew who this was supposed to be in the television show, but there was no way a fictional person was brought here.

The being spoke in a low, deep, almost monster like voice.

“Who I am isn’t your concern. More importantly, I want to know where Federal Agent Jones is. I’ve got business with him,” the armored being answered.

“You don’t get out of it that easily. That suit you’re wearing doesn’t exist. I want to know who you are!” Jaron angrily demanded.

“I know this suit shouldn’t exist. I don’t understand it myself, but I’m going to use it to deal with that FBI crony that you let escape. My name doesn't matter. I’ll tell you what, you can refer to me by what I look like,” the being answered.

“And who is that exactly?” Nicole snapped back.

Jaron already knew the answer.

“Just refer to me as Zeltrax,” the being responded.

“Well, ‘Zeltrax’, we’re not letting you anywhere near him. You’ve done enough damage,” said Mark.

“Well then I’ll just kill you for getting in my way. I’m not in the mood to deal with you colored jackasses!” Zeltrax responded angrily.

Zeltrax then pulled his sword back and struck Jaron on the chest, causing sparks to fly out and the young Ranger to fall down. Jaron clutched his chest, trying to get his breathing back to normal.

“Holy shit that really hurt! Be careful!” Jaron warned.

Mark called out his Tricera Shield again, and Nicole called out her Ptera Grips, having no idea how she was even aware of their existence. Zeltrax lashed out with his blue sword, and the police were hesitant to fire, as the Power Rangers were apparently the enemy of their enemy. Zeltrax launched a series of attacks at Mark, who defensively used his Tricera Shield to avoid being struck, as sparks burst from it upon every blow.

This Zeltrax was vicious, and Jaron knew it wasn’t going to be long before he landed a hit, as Mark continuously stayed on the defensive.

“Fight back!” Jaron yelled as he got to his feet.

Mark didn’t listen, and Zeltrax managed to find an opening and jabbed his sword into the Blue Ranger’s chest, hurting him instantly and sending him stumbling back. Nicole was now feeling a little more bold, and started to recklessly lash out at Zeltrax with her Ptera Grips. The Yellow Ranger landed a clean hit on the unsuspecting Zeltrax’s back, who quickly turned around and began to knock each following hit away with his shield. After blocking all of the Yellow Ranger’s remaining attacks, he sent his leg flying out and struck her in the stomach, causing collision sparks and for her too to fall down. Zeltrax pressed the attack, and moved forward in order to try to send the tip of his sword straight into her neck. Mark couldn’t stand by and let it happen, and he pulled out his Thundermax Blaster from his belt holster and fired a laser shot right into Zeltrax’s hip.

He quickly stumbled sideways from the hit, finally separated from the rest of the Rangers. The police and federal officers took the chance, and fired their pistols at Zeltrax. While the bullets did indeed strike him, he easily survived as the only damage that could be visibly seen were collision sparks bursting from points all over his armor. He managed to bring his shield in front of himself, blocking most of the bullets while the rest struck his legs. He did not tremble. The Rangers heard Zeltrax’s words as he talked to himself.

“I see, so I’m as durable as the Power Rangers!” Zeltrax commented.

Without wasting any more time, Zeltrax thrust his sword forward, causing blue lightning bolts to burst from it and destroy a federal SUV. They all ceased fire as they took cover from Zeltrax’s next few attacks; blowing up vehicles as if they were fire crackers.

“We’ve got to stop him,” Jaron said with resolve.

Drawing out his Thundermax Blaster, Jaron converted it into the Thundermax Saber, now in possession of his own melee blade weapon. The Red Ranger charged Zeltrax, bringing the Thundermax Saber down toward Zeltrax’s head for an overhead slash. Zeltrax saw it coming, and blocked it with his shield. From his position, he sent out an attack of his own using his sword. The Red Ranger parried it, utilizing his training during his years as a Tai-Kwon-Do student. The two exchanged attacks with their swords, demonstrating skillful swordplay that both Mark and Nicole were surprised by. Jaron really knew how to fight. While Jaron himself wasn’t an expert in swordsmanship, he could tell based on Zeltrax’s swordplay that whoever was in that armor knew what he was doing. Refusing to concede any ground to this Zeltrax, the Red Ranger lashed out with a careless attack that left him wide open to a counter. Sending his Thundermax Saber dashing forward light a fencing thrust, Zeltrax wasn’t expecting such an unpredictable maneuver. The gambit worked, and the business end of the Thundermax Saber struck Zeltrax’s chest and collision sparks burst from the point of impact.

Zeltrax fell backward onto his back, before quickly getting up and assuming a defensive posture. Nicole quickly got an idea.

“Jaron, use your laser!” said the Yellow Ranger as she took out her own Thundermax Blaster.

Jaron listened, and converted his Thundermax Saber into blaster mode, before all three Rangers fired a volley of lasers at Zeltrax. While he blocked what he could with his shield, the majority struck his body and caused noticeable damage as he cried out in pain. Zeltrax was knocked back and after the Rangers stopped fighting, he put growled as his breathing appeared labored.

“I may be at a disadvantage here, but I’ll find your friend and slit his throat!” Zeltrax threatened.

In a quick act, a green fissure of some sort opened in the air above him and he was pulled into it, disappearing from the scene.

“What the hell?!” Nicole yelled.

“Invisiportals? Those exist too?!” Jaron exclaimed.

“Just what do you know, Jaron?” Mark firmly questioned.

“We have to get out of here first. Let’s go!” Jaron ordered.

Using the full force of their legs, the Power Rangers jumped into the air kicked off of various buildings to speed away from the scene. All of the law enforcement officers were left trying to tend to their wounded, while the press was left with footage of the newest team of Power Rangers.

After they got gotten sufficiently far away, the Rangers finally stopped in a small city park just a couple of miles away.

“Power down!” they all said coincidentally at the same time.

Their suits then broke away from their bodies, leaving them as civilians.

“Jaron, what do you know that we don’t?” Mark asked as he approached Jaron.

“When I figured out what these morphers were, I looked everything about them up online. I looked up the television show, which is actually called Dino Thunder. I watched Youtube videos of some of the first episodes, and that’s how I knew how to morph,” Jaron explained.

“And?” Nicole urged.

“That guy was a villain in the television show. He was called Zeltrax, but this guy can’t be the Zeltrax. This guy didn’t seem to know what was going on. He might have gotten that suit like we did. And that little disappearing act of his was called an Invisiportal in the show, but that’s a network that someone has to build. So someone had to have made it. We need to know who he is, and why he’s after Agent Jones,” Jaron elaborated.

“I’m afraid I must apologize,” said a familiar, old voice.

Jaron, Mark, and Nicole quickly turned around to see the Case Holder standing before them. Jaron was not impressed, and brazenly walked up to the Case Holder and grabbed him by the scruff of his poncho.

“Jaron!” Nicole said, clearly appalled at Jaron’s action.

“Just who the hell are you?! What did you do?! Why the fuck is a Zeltrax clone running around? Do you have any idea how many people just died?!” Jaron raged.

“My apologies. If you would but unhand me, I will offer an explanation,” the Case Holder said calmly.

Jaron reluctantly let go, and took a step backward.

“Receiving those morphers would have made things a bit unbalanced. To even out the balance, the person you encountered earlier had to become what he is. He is not the fictional counterpart nor a clone of the character. He is a man just like any other, and he received that armor in the same manner you did,” the Case Holder explained.

“You’re saying you gave him that armor so he could go apeshit on everyone?” Mark asked in an irritated tone.

“I did not. He received the armor involuntarily. I would never willingly do such a thing,” the Case Holder answered.

“What do you mean willingly? You’re saying you did give them, against your will?” Nicole cleverly asked.

The Case Holder turned to Nicole, before sullenly shaking his head.

“As I told you, he was given that armor as a manner of balance. I myself never met the culprit. You were given the Dino morphers: a force for good. Due to an unfortunate chain of events outside of my control, a force for malevolence was introduced before I met any of you. I am sorry, but that is all there is I’m afraid,” said the Case Holder.

“You’re being too cryptic. What exactly is going on?” Jaron asked.

The Case Holder suddenly cocked his head to the side, and then looked behind him. No one was there, as it was rather quiet where they were. The Case Holder then looked forward again at Jaron.

“You must listen to me. Use the Dino morphers and remove the one you call Zeltrax. Only then will I accept the return of your morphers. Only then will everything be re-balanced. That is your purpose. Farewell,” said the Case Holder.

“Wait!” Jaron yelled, unsatisfied.

The Case Holder’s poncho then suddenly fell to the ground as if no one was ever wearing it.

“Holy shit! That guy just vanished like Obi-Wan Kenobi!” Mark said as he recoiled.

Jaron was furious, and even more confused than when things had begun. Now more than ever he agreed with Agent Jones. The morphers had to be returned. They would only cause trouble. At the same time, they were going to have to deal with the appearance of this ‘Zeltrax’. Nicole was hyperventilating trying to process everything, while Mark’s eyes were wide with abject horror and vexation. Jaron simply decided to himself that he would remain the Red Ranger as long as he needed to. Hopefully Agent Jones escaped, and when he saw him he would have a lot of questions waiting for him.

[Einsider]

awesome start man! loved chapter one and the working in of Agent Jones! and chapter two was really good, is funny how they don't want the morphers but the caseholder won't have them back - a complete reversal of your SPD rangers! lol. Will be different now they have a proper bad guy to fight, i'm liking where this is going. The caseholder and agent jones thing kind of reminds me of Doctor Who and Torchwood - it's awesome man, keep up the good work!

[Red Evolution Ranger]

Sweet man! This episode was some serious awesomeness! Geez, I wish I could write half as good as you can... Anyway, love how you brought Agent Jones in, love the rangers..... pretty much love everything! Can't wait for the next chapter!

[roc da mic]

dude you have some of the best inovative ideas that i have ever seen.
i like your new and more realistic veiw on the power rangers. i was wondering witch team do you plan for next season?

[Kali_WolfChilde]

double damn! Beckoner, oh, how can i say this.... YOU ROCK!!!!!!

EDIT: who do u base ur characters off of?

[dragomuseveni]

dude that was ridiculous at first i wasnt sure who it was and then i realized it and literally shouted zeltrax...that i was not expecting, nice work!!! also i agree about the Doctor Who and Torchwood thing, I wonder if Agent jones is an anagram for case holder...prolly not o well

[Silver-Ranger]

nice you seem to have another awesome fic in the making Beckoner.

[Kali_WolfChilde]

I'm on the edge of my seat awaiting the next ep, amigo!

[Beckoner]

awesome start man! loved chapter one and the working in of Agent Jones! and chapter two was really good, is funny how they don't want the morphers but the caseholder won't have them back - a complete reversal of your SPD rangers! lol. Will be different now they have a proper bad guy to fight, i'm liking where this is going. The caseholder and agent jones thing kind of reminds me of Doctor Who and Torchwood - it's awesome man, keep up the good work!

Yes it is quite a reversal isn't it? Lol. Yeah I haven't seen Doctor Who and Torchwood. But since you've drawn parallels between the characters, I may have to check it out!

Sweet man! This episode was some serious awesomeness! Geez, I wish I could write half as good as you can... Anyway, love how you brought Agent Jones in, love the rangers..... pretty much love everything! Can't wait for the next chapter!

Thank you very much! Yup, Agent Jones is back!

dude you have some of the best inovative ideas that i have ever seen.
i like your new and more realistic veiw on the power rangers. i was wondering witch team do you plan for next season?

I appreciate that. My head is full of ideas, so I hope you enjoy what else I have in store. The Rangers-In-The-Real-World idea was something I had tossed around for a while.

As for next season's Rangers...well, I'll probably reveal that in one my previews for the next season.

double damn! Beckoner, oh, how can i say this.... YOU ROCK!!!!!!

EDIT: who do u base ur characters off of?

The Lineer family had elements lifted from my own family, and the rest I made up. This season's characters are completely original creations with no inspirations drawn from anyone.

nice you seem to have another awesome fic in the making Beckoner.

Thank you. Still two seasons to go!

I'm on the edge of my seat awaiting the next ep, amigo!

Wait no more!

I give you episode 3!

-------------------

World Bender Season 2
Episode 3: Unwelcome Wagon


Thankfully it was Saturday morning. Just the night before; Jaron Eiker and his two friends Mark Bimms and Nicole Olmen became the Dino Thunder Power Rangers. None of them were doing well comprehending the last 24 hours, having fought someone in a suit that was supposed to be fictional in addition to their own. The media was in a frenzy. Footage of their appearance was being replayed numerous times all over the world. Not a single government spoke of them fondly. While the United States government took a far less pointed stance on them in the way of criticism, they simply expressed “concern at the appearance of people who answer to no law with supernatural capabilities”. While the previous President had been impeached over the summer, Jaron couldn’t help but think that the now-promoted Vice President was simply sugar coating his true opposition in order to differentiate himself from his predecessor. Jaron was worried that he’d be found out. The government knew just about everything didn’t they? How could he possibly keep this up without being found out? While being the Red Ranger was very enjoyable, he was afraid to ever morph again.

If the government had methods to track the Case Holder, surely they could track morphing energy? Regardless of these concerns, Mark and Nicole came over the next morning also still wearing their morphers. Jaron had spent the morning showing them everything he looked up. He showed them the first four episodes of Dino Thunder, which is all he had seen as well since he figured that it would be all it took for them to learn about what they had received. While the show itself was corny, since none of them followed the franchise since they were nine years old, it was very informative. Mark now knew that he had indestructible energy armor for his forearms and Nicole learned that her screams were now ultrasonic and could inflict serious damage depending on how loud she screamed.

Mark was eyeing his phone, as there were no contacts listed in the phone and they hadn’t received any calls. He was concerned that their efforts to stall for time did not work.

“So do you think he got away?” Nicole asked almost optimistically.

“I’m not sure,” Jaron answered.

“He got away,” Mark said shortly.

Both Jaron and Nicole turned to look at Mark with interest, a little bit perplexed.

“What makes you so sure?” asked Jaron.

“The sight of us probably distracted them from everything else. I’m pretty sure they’d be more concerned with Power Rangers than an FBI agent,” Mark explained thoughtfully, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.

“That makes sense,” Nicole quipped briskly.

All three flinched when Jaron’s phone rang a neat little ringtone. Jaron almost dropped his phone anxiously trying to flip the phone open.

“Hello?” asked Jaron.

“It’s me,” said the voice of Agent Jones more clearly than any other phone he had heard before.

“Thank god,” Jaron breathed a sigh of relief, indicating that who it was to the others.

“I need you to meet me, at my place right now. Bring the case. I’m uploading the directions to your phone now,” Agent Jones responded.

Jaron was confused, and then Agent Jones hung up.

“What the hell was that? You can’t upload-” Jaron was quickly silenced.

His phone beeped, and a rather impressive looking screen flickered on his phone display, complete with directions more detailed than MapQuest could ever provide. Since when could phones be used in such a manner? Mark and Nicole were similarly impressed. Their interest in their expensive phones was cut short by the fact that they needed to get to Agent Jones quickly. Another problem was the fact that Jaron’s car was still in the alleyway by the bank, and surely someone had discovered it by now. It was then that Jaron realized that no one had come to question him, since his car was right next to the site of a major event. It concerned Jaron to no end now that he had thought about it.

“So how do we get to Agent Jones’ house?” Nicole asked concernedly.

“I guess we walk,” Mark quipped.

They wasted no time in walking out the front door, and then they were shocked. Jaron’s car was in the driveway as if it had never left.

“What the hell?” Jaron said almost angrily.

“Alright, this is weird. How the hell did your car get here?” asked Mark.

“I don’t know. We need to get to Agent Jones’ place fast,” Jaron responded as he suspiciously got into his car.

Following the directions exactly, Jaron drove himself and his cohorts to Agent Jones’ house, which was a simple two-story house on the other side of town. Just to avoid suspicion, Jaron parked his car a block away and they walked the remainder of the trip. Once they got to the front door, they didn’t even need to knock. Agent Jones, in plain civilian clothing, quickly ushered them inside as they walked up his front stoop.

“Get in,” he responded.

After being led to the living room, he sat in a chair directly across from the three who sat next to each other on his sofa.

“Agent Jones, what’s going on?” Nicole asked first.

“Just call me by my first name: Arden. I’m not a federal agent anymore. I quit,” said Jones.

“Why? What happened?” asked Mark.

“Turns out that some passerby called the cops because we were loitering outside the bank. I’ve been under suspicion for some time, so when they learned I was there, they sent other agents to apprehend me. You guys using your morphers only made the situation worse,” said Jones.

“So then how come you’re not in prison?” asked Nicole.

“To throw them off, I told them I was investigating possible connections to the SPD Rangers, and that I was going to bring you guys in when I learned who you were. Don’t worry, I didn’t give names. I basically said they compromised a mission I was secretly taking and could have brought in Power Rangers for questioning. So I handed in my resignation to avoid any further questions. I don’t mind, since I already have another job. It pays better too,” Jones explained at length.

The others remained silent for a moment, but Jaron’s mind raced with questions.

“So what are you going to do now?” Mark questioned.

“Well obviously, they’re a little skeptical, so I’ve taken some precautions. We’re not being recorded right now. This house is lined with a special material that blocks radio signals of every bandwidth from getting in or out. You’ll notice that regular cell phones won’t work here,” Jones mentioned.

“Yeah, about these phones,” Jaron began, “Won’t they tap your line or monitor your phone calls? They could trace it back to us!”

“No, they can’t. These phones cannot be monitored. Just trust me on that. These phones are rather special,” Jones answered, holding his hand up to stop any further ranting.

This explanation made no sense to the others, but they simply accepted it as part of some weird technology that Jones had access to as a federal agent.

“I don’t see how you can make an untraceable phone, but whatever. How the hell did Jaron’s car get back to his house?” Mark asked, leaning forward and looking Jones dead in the eye.

“I carried it in what’s called a containment card,” Jones said simply.

“What?” Jaron questioned with confusion.

“A containment card. Whatever is stored inside it is put into a pocket dimension for easy transport. It’s no bigger than a GameBoy,” Jones answered.

This prompted even more curiosity on everyone’s part.

“I’ve never heard of that kind of technology. How’d you do it?” Nicole asked with interest.

“With this,” Jones said as he pulled a black device out of his back pocket.

“What is that?” asked Mark.

“It’s the Fire Morpher,” Jones said darkly.

Jaron then got off the sofa, angered beyond reasoning and prepared to punch Arden Jones in the face.

“Hold on, you're the Fire Ranger?! So it’s your fault! You killed all those people! You’re the reason my father is dead!” Jaron raged.

“Hold on!” Jones said in a very authoritative tone as he stood up, revealing that he had at least three inches on Jaron.

“First of all, I was the Fire Ranger. The SPD morphers need the Delta Base to work. All I can do is make containment cards now. Now I’m sorry for your loss, but I wasn’t responsible for that. I’m the second Fire Ranger. I entered the picture in Arizona and West Virginia. The first one was a psychotic American Sergeant who had a grudge against the Red SPD Ranger,” Jones explained calmly.

“Don’t insult the American army,” Mark said coldly.

Jones took a peculiar look at Mark, before speaking very clearly and at a slow pace.

“I’m not insulting our country’s soldiers, just that soldier. His name was Eric Daylon. He was killed by the Shadow Ranger during the Battle of Saudi Arabia. He was psychotic, power hungry, and unstable. It was he who was responsible for several events all over the world,” Jones rebutted.

This appeared to sedate Mark, but he still displayed a displeased expression.

“So then you know the first Power Rangers? You know the SPD guys?” asked Jaron.

Jones seemed hesitant to answer.

“It’s too late to be keeping secrets now. Come on, cough it up,” Jaron urged.

“I was one of them. I helped them in a lot of ways. I used my position as a federal agent to give them information and I put together a large group of people who believed in their mission. I was the only non-Ranger with a position of authority. Later on, they trusted me enough to become the Fire Ranger. After Saudi Arabia, the Case Holder came back and took the morphers back. We have no idea why,” Jones elaborated.

“Hold on, if the Case Holder took the morphers back, then how do you have the Fire Morpher?” Jaron asked.

“The Case Holder never gave it out. We made the Fire Morpher on our own, so it was ours to keep,” Jaron responded.

“So who are the SPD Rangers?” Nicole asked in curiosity.

“To protect their identities, I can’t answer that question,” Jones said shortly.

Everyone else knew not to push it beyond that, and there was an awkward silence.

“So what are supposed to do now?” asked Nicole, while keeping her eye on Mark with curiosity.

“We have to find the Case Holder and return those morphers. The sooner the better,” Jones answered.

“I don’t think we can do that just yet,” Jaron answered.

“Why?” Jones asked while eying Jaron.

“Some guy who started referring to himself as Zeltrax appeared last night. He’s using Invisiportals, and he seems to have a specific interest in you,” Jaron answered.

“Hold on, wasn’t Zeltrax a villain in the television show? You’re telling me he’s here?” Jones questioned urgently.

“No. It’s not the Zeltrax, he just wants us to call him that. He wears the same armor. What does he want with you? And how the hell do Invisiportals exist?” Jaron questioned.

Jones didn’t seem sure on how to respond.

“I don’t know what this guy wants with me. As for the Invisiportals, I would guess they exist the same way that the Universal Morphing Grid does. If what you’re saying is true, then this is bad,” Jones answered.

“Morphing Grid? What’s that supposed to be?” asked Mark.

Jaron and Nicole seemed interested in the answer as well.

Jones paused as he gathered his thoughts.

“The Universal Morphing Grid isn’t really understood. I don’t know how it works really. It wasn’t even completely fleshed out in the television show. From what I know, the Universal Morphing Grid is some kind of unlimited energy source. It’s where every Power Ranger gets their powers from. It also stores all of your equipment and anything else that’s put in it,” Jones explained.

“But the Morphing Grid isn’t real. So how are we tapping into it? Who could have possibly made it?” Nicole chimed in.

“Miss Olmen, by now you should get that a lot of things that weren’t real suddenly are. The Morphing Grid wasn’t real, but now it’s as real as your Dino powers,” Jones countered.

“Won’t the government eventually start using the Morphing Grid for themselves? They did have your Fire Morpher at one point,” Jaron offered.

“No. You can’t use something when you don’t know how to access it. They gained more from one of the SPD Rangers’ megazords than they ever did from the Fire Morpher. They don’t understand the technology involved. They can’t tap the Morphing Grid. It’s beyond them. Only one person knows how to tap the Morphing Grid, and he’s a former Ranger,” Jones answered vaguely.

“Who is the Case Holder. Wait, what is the Case Holder?” Mark asked directly.

Jones was visibly disturbed by this question; apparently slightly irritated and disappointed.

“I have my theories, but I don’t know. No one does. Those who know about him only know that he’s capable of some extraordinary things. I can’t say if it’s some kind of incredible technology or something else. He brought the Power Rangers into our world, and we don’t even know what his real name is or if he even has a name,” Jones explained in a resigned tone.

“That’s scary. Some creepy old man goes around giving people things that don’t exist and we don’t even know a single thing about him,” Nicole mused.

“Or if he’s on our side. That’s why we need to return the Dino morphers. There’s no telling what he’s trying to accomplish by giving them to you,” Jones answered.

“I don’t think he’s bad,” Jones cut in.

Everyone else looked at him.

“What makes you so sure?” Mark questioned.

“He gave us our powers, and he gave the last Rangers their powers and megazords. So far there hasn’t been anything this guy couldn’t do. I mean he could’ve given the powers to Osama Bin Laden if he wanted to. I think if this guy was into some sort of shenanigans, he’d have done it already,” Jaron explained.

“He’s right,” Nicole agreed.

“This is exactly what concerns me. We don’t know his motives, how or why he does what he does. The best solution is to wait for him to reappear, and return the morphers,” Jones insisted.

“What about Zeltrax?” Mark spoke up.

“Well, we can keep looking for the Case Holder, and deal with Zeltrax as needed. It would help if we could find out who he is,” Jones replied.

“This is all so complicated,” Jaron ranted in frustration.

“Look, you want the morphers returned; that’s fine by me. I don’t want in on this, and I don’t like fighting,” Mark asserted, before standing up to leave.

“Mark,” called Jaron as he stood up, “What’s your deal with fighting? You used to be the first person to knock someone’s jaw off in my defense.”

“Times have changed,” Mark said simply.

“What about Zeltrax? You’re just going to let him keep killing? You saw what he did last night. We need you. You’re seriously going to just walk away? Some things are worth fighting for. This is worth fighting for,” Jaron rebuked in return.

Jones said nothing; Nicole also remaining silent given the history between the two boys. Mark stood still, apparently contemplating the argument, before turning his head to look at his friend.

“I’ll fight for this, but after Zeltrax, this needs to end,” Mark responded quietly.

Jaron’s lip curled in a slight smile, before Mark then sat back down on the sofa.

“Look, you kids don’t even need to be involved. If necessary, I can hold onto the case, since I can return it faster as opposed to having to track you all down before going after the Case Holder if he appears again,” Jones suggested.

“Sure, I don’t want it anymore. We’ll return our morphers after Zeltrax is dealt with. It might help if we knew who Zeltrax was,” Jaron answered.

Jaron then relinquished the case to Jones, who then took it and carefully set it inside an in-wall safe behind a portrait above his chair. A cell phone then rang, and everyone reached for a phone. Jones’ phone was ringing, and he quickly picked up.

“Yeah,” Jones answered over the phone before listening further, “Alright, I’ve got it. Talk to you soon.”

Jones then abruptly stood up as he shut his phone closed. Much to the others’ confusion, he then walked over to his television screen and turned it on. After skipping a few channels, they were all treated to a news broadcast on an attack taking place in Arizona. Jones knew very well what this place was, because it was where the HybridBot had been deployed. Jones remembered that battle all too well. Using helicopters to record the event, Zeltrax was being seen leaving the old facility that had housed it prior to its activation. The cameras zoomed in and they all noticed that he was carrying several large binders.

“What’s he doing?” Nicole asked to herself.

“I don’t know, but he’s attacking the military police trying to stop his intrusion,” Mark observed.

From the camera view they were seeing, Zeltrax then looked up directly at the camera. He then thrust his blue sword toward it and a series of blue lightning bolts came forth. When it struck what was apparently the helicopter, the screen went static. After that, the screen then switched to a news anchor who looked rather concerned but tried to explain it away as a technical difficulty. Jones switched to another channel, which showed another news helicopter’s view, and they all watched with horror as the other helicopter fell to the earth in a tailspin. Apparently, getting a good story was more important than evacuation.

“He’s going to kill everyone if we don’t stop him. Whatever he’s after, we need to do something,” Mark declared.

“How are we supposed to get there? He’s halfway across the country and we’re stuck in the middle of Northeastern Pennsylvania!” Nicole argued.

“If we had access to the Invisiportal Network like him, then maybe we could get there quickly,” Jaron added.

“We can,” Jones said firmly.

That got everyone else’s attention.

“How?” Jaron asked intently.

“The invisiportal he used last night. I know a few people who managed to pinpoint its exact location. If you give off a little bit of energy in your Ranger forms, it will trigger the invisiportal to open. After that, you use your energy signature to ‘steer’ yourself to the exit you want. Not all the invisiportals are connected, so we’ll have to hope that this one comes out where he is,” Jones explained.

“Alright, let’s get this done. Arden, are you coming?” asked Mark, knowing full well that he knew the exact location of the invisiportal.

“I can’t be seen with Power Rangers right now. I’ll send the exact location to your phones. When you get there, I want you to focus on your Dino energy, and make it grow. The energy spike will trigger the invisiportal. You’ll know what to do,” Jones instructed.

Jaron nodded before heading out of Jones’ house with the others, quickly shuffling into his car and heading back toward the bank where Zeltrax appeared. Every second wasted, Jaron just imagined that another life was being taken. He couldn’t drive fast enough, and it felt like he was hitting every red light on the way there. It took a few minutes, but he indeed managed to make it there. Once they were at the proper location as their cell phones indicated, Jaron took a look around and noticed various people going about their day.

“So uh, what about all the people?” asked Mark.

“Let’s go over there,” Nicole indicated toward the very alleyway they were led to the previous night.

“Alright, let’s go then,” said Jaron.

They promptly made their way across the street and into the alleyway. Mark and Nicole walked over and stood next to Jaron. After holding up their arms, their bracelets began the Dino morphers. They all then pressed the lever to make the mouths open up and the eyes to flash green.

“Ready?” asked Jaron.

“Ready,” the other two responded.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!” the three yelled as they synchronized their arm movements.

At the press of a button, their bodies glowed white as their insignia formed on their chest. Thrown into an involuntary somersault as pieces of their suit flew onto them, they landed just as their suits had finished forming. Upon landing, they all severely cracked the sidewalk they had stood on. Once standing up straight, their helmets appeared on their heads in order to complete the transformation.

“Wow, I’m still not used to how amazing this feels,” Jaron commented.

“Definitely,” Nicole agreed.

“Let’s make a break for it,” Mark suggested.

Jaron then nodded, before taking off full sprint along with the others. The various pedestrians shouted and pointed in shock as three Power Rangers came running out of an alleyway to a spot across the street. As they closed in on the invisiportal’s location, Jaron began to focus inward innately knew how to draw more power from his Dino gem. Unaware that it was a side effect of being a Ranger, Jaron used his newfound knowledge and began to semi-consciously draw more power out of his Dino gem. The other two did the same, and the insignia on their suits glowed slightly. As passerby civilians observed the sight, they witnessed the Dino Thunder Power Rangers suddenly get sucked up into a tiny green fissure which closed as soon as it opened. Being tossed around in a maelstrom of green energy, the Rangers felt their inertia dramatically increase. All of them were screaming in alarm as they tried to gain their bearings, before they began to push their energy out once again, which seemed to stabilize them.

Having no idea where the invisiportal was headed, they were relieved when they finally saw an opening to the real world and tumbled out of it. Once they fell out, they managed to land on their feet and found themselves inside a building. Outside they heard explosions, yelling, and large crashes. This must have been the place. The invisiportal had taken them into the interior of the building.

“Alright guys, let’s get outside and finish off Zeltrax,” Jaron said to the others, who nodded their approval.

The Rangers ran out of the room, following the sound as they made their way through various hallways and rooms. The sounds were getting closer, and with Jaron leading the way, the Rangers turned down the longest hallway yet and pushed a door open on the side of it. Light shined through brightly as they were now outside. Zeltrax was firing bolts of electricity at numerous oncoming authority vehicles and at least two media helicopters had been downed. It was a horrible sight.

“That’s it!” Jaron shouted in frustration.

Zeltrax then realized that the Rangers were there, and turned around in order to face them. It was too late for him to respond however, as the Yellow and Blue Ranger had already drawn their Thundermax Blasters and opened fire. Upon striking his armor, the blasts exploded into a shower of sparks and knocked Zeltrax back. The Red Ranger then ran forward and jumped into the air with his Thundermax Saber out. He landed just in front of Zeltrax and swung his saber down, which Zeltrax blocked by holding his sword out over his head. The military police were slowly advancing, with their M4 rifles aimed at Zeltrax. They seemed to be holding their fire however, as they did not have a clear shot at him with the Red Ranger battling him. The Yellow Ranger then brought out her Thundermax Saber as well, not particularly versed in swordsmanship. She’d have no chance at blocking a sword strike, but she could still attack. Entering the fray, Zeltrax now had to contend with two Rangers, but he handled himself well and continued to block and parry sword strikes. The Blue Ranger then turned his own blaster into saber mode and joined with the other two.

Zeltrax was a capable fighter. The Yellow Ranger swung out with her saber which Zeltrax stopped with his own sword, before ramming her with his shoulder. Stumbling back from the move, Zeltrax then balled his free fist and backhanded her helmet with it. The force of the blow was powerful enough that she was knocked back while her body spun swiftly.

“Nicole!” Mark called out in concern.

Mark managed to pull off a repost when Zeltrax attacked him, but Zeltrax countered it by sidestepping the Blue Ranger’s retaliatory jab and delivering a spinning rear kick into the Blue Ranger’s chest. The blow was powerful enough to generate collision sparks, and Mark was sent hurtling to the ground. Jaron was left, being the more capable fighter out of all three given his martial arts background, but he couldn’t penetrate Zeltrax’s defenses.

“You fight well Red Ranger, but you’re not a match for me!” Zeltrax taunted in his deep, monstrous voice.

Eager to make some progress, the Red Ranger began to perform a series of moves with his saber that was basically a modified version of his kata that he had learned at his dojo. He had done the kata so many times, he performed it with perfect timing and precision. Zeltrax defended himself against Jaron’s combination of slashes, jabs, and kicks, as the Red Ranger continued going through his choreography. He wasn’t getting through, but he had finally reached the end of his kata which was what he wanted. The final slash got the two into a saber lock, after which Jaron grabbed Zeltrax’s sword wrist and driving his kneed into his stomach. The powerful attack generated attack sparks and Zeltrax stumbled back a bit. Apparently irritated, Zeltrax thrust his sword forward and fire blue lighting from it, which knocked the Red Ranger back and caused many sparks to come out.

Jaron clutched his chest at the incredible pain. While he suffered no injury, he still had to feel the pain of it and wasn’t yet used to it. Mark and Nicole were already back up, and they both sent an overhead saber slash down onto Zeltrax’s shoulders. Barely avoiding it, Zeltrax turned his body so that the sabers harmlessly sailed over his chest and back. With the danger negated, he jumped into the air, performing a helix flip before slashing out and striking both the Yellow and Blue Ranger at the same time. The two cried out in pain as they flew back and landed next to Jaron. Now having a clear shot, the military who were present opened fire with their weapons. Almost every bullet hit the target, striking Zeltrax over and over. His armor was strong enough that they did not penetrate, instead being deflected in favor of sparks spewing out of his armor. His body recoiled and jerked accordingly, but he still stood as dozens of bullets were shot at him. After a short period, they all ran out of bullets and needed to change their magazine. His armor smoking, Zeltrax got his bearing and looked at the soldiers. With a low growl, he fired tons of blue lightning at them, causing a series of explosions wherever they struck. They all fell to the ground, some of them having lost their lives. The Humvees nearby them were set ablaze.

Another team of soldiers who had not been attacked came from around the side of the building, complete with rocket propelled grenades and carbine rifles. As the Rangers got to their feet, they prepared to fight once more in order to stop the mindless killing. The military did something the Rangers didn’t expect however and began firing their RPGs at both Zeltrax AND the Rangers. All four were sent flying as sparks blasted from their body and pained racked through them.

“I didn’t see that coming. What the hell are they doing? We’re on their side!” Jaron ranted.

“I guess they’re still a little sore over the last bunch of Power Rangers,” Mark commented.

“What are we supposed to do?” asked Nicole.

“I don’t know,” Jaron responded, as he got to his feet while holding onto his shoulder with one of his hands.

“You can all die!” Zeltrax shouted angrily.

As the soldiers began to reload their RPGs, something began to happen. The leader soldier who was reloading, suddenly lost his RPG launcher. It suddenly jumped out of his hand, before swinging around and knocking him over. The launcher then dropped to the ground before the confused and alarmed soldiers began to recoil and fall down as if some force was attacking them. Zeltrax looked on, interested in what was going on. Unable to defend against whatever it was that was knocking these soldiers unconscious, they were swiftly dispatched.

“What the hell just happened?” Jaron asked in abject confusion.

Footsteps could be seen depressing into the Arizona dirt, approaching the three of them. Suddenly a person began to fade into view, revealing what had been there. It was Jones, who had somehow gained the ability to become invisible. The soldiers were now unconscious, so there was no risk of them seeing who he was. The news helicopters were also too high up to get any kind of facial clarity, as they had increased their altitude in order to avoid being shot down by Zeltrax.

“Arden!” Zeltrax called out with complete enmity.

“You seem to know who I am, but I have no idea who you are,” Jones replied.

“What’s going on?” Nicole asked to no one.

“Thanks for showing up. Now I can take great pleasure in killing you,” Zeltrax said scathingly.

“I don’t know what your problem is, but now you’re my problem,” Jones shot back.

“You’ll have to get through us!” Jaron declared defiantly, as he ran in front of Jones and stood defensively along with Mark and Nicole.

“I don’t have time to waste on you kids,” Zeltrax responded, before revealing a containment card.

Jones looked shocked that Zeltrax had one, but quickly shook off his astonishment. After pressing the release button it, Zeltrax tossed the containment card into the air before it released about a dozen old SARCOS armors. These were the same exoskeletons that were used back against the SPD Power Rangers, but there were no soldiers in them. They were operating autonomously.

Jones then stepped past Jaron, standing in front.

“You guys deal with the exoskeletons, I’ll handle Zeltrax,” Jones said with determination, before rolling his sleeve and revealing a Dino bracelet with the black Dino gem on it.

No one was given a chance to respond, as the bracelet turned into the Brachio Dino Morpher, and Jones revealed a key in his right hand. He then began to perform a very familiar set of arm movements.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up!” Jones yelled, before inserting the key into the morpher.

Once he turned the key, he held his arm up as the morpher filled with his energy. His body was covered in white light as the Dino Thunder insignia appeared on his chest, before he was thrown into a backward somersault as black fragments flew onto his body. Once he landed, the force of the landing caused a crater under his feet. Once he stood up straight, his helmet appeared on his head. Filled with the strength of a Power Ranger for the first time in a long time, Jones assumed a fighting stance.

“So you’re a Dino Ranger now?” Zeltrax commented.

“Say hello to the Black Ranger,” Jones responded with clear confidence in his voice.

“Alright then, I can deal with this,” Jaron commented.

“Come on kids, let’s do this,” said the Black Ranger as he drew the weapon hanging from his belt, “Brachio Staff! Bring it on Zeltrax, whoever you are,”

“Attack!” Zeltrax yelled, forcing the SARCOS automatons to start moving forward on their own.

The Red, Blue, and Yellow Ranger all charged into the oncoming crowd of metal attackers, as the Black Ranger leapt over all of them in order to land in front of Zeltrax. With his Brachio Staff at the ready, the Black Ranger began to engage Zeltrax. The two participated in a highly competitive swordfight that displayed rather impressive swordsmanship. Jaron caught a glimpse and recognized that Jones was a far more capable fighter than he had been up to this point. The Dino Rangers dealing with the SARCOS exoskeletons fought swiftly, dodging the noticeably nimble SARCOS exoskeletons before striking out with their Thundermax Sabers and severing metallic limb and battery alike. These SARCOS suits looked rather old, but the Rangers had no issues dispatching them as they moved through the crowd using their fists, legs, and sabers to cut their numbers down.

Jones managed to snatch an opening and sent the tip of his Brachio Staff into Zeltrax’s chest. Sparks emerged, but Zeltrax instantly responded by throwing several punches toward him. Jones blocked them all, before tilting his torso back to dodge an oncoming punch aimed for his helmet. Grabbing Zeltrax’s outstretched arm, the Black Ranger swung him around before throwing him into the air. As soon as he became airborne, Jones began to prepare his next attack. Slowly drawing a circle with his weapon, a ball of pure energy began to form.

“Energy Orb!” Jones yelled, before slashing the orb and propelling it toward Zeltrax.

Upon striking him, the energy orb exploded into a ball of fire that engulfed Zeltrax, who fell from the scene of explosion and smashed into the ground as his charred armor steamed and smoked. He was quick to get up, and used his blue sword to prop help lift himself.

“Black Ranger or not, you will die by my doing Arden. I’ll make sure of it!” Zeltrax threatened.

Reaching up with his sword, Zeltrax disappeared into an invisiportal as the other Rangers finished off the last SARCOS exoskeletons.

“What was that all about?” Jaron asked as he jogged up to the newest member of their team.

“I don’t know, but I’m definitely going to find out,” Jones remarked, before looking to the soldiers he had earlier dispatched.

“We need to go,” Jones said, before running off and leading the other Rangers toward the invisiportal they arrived in.

In short order, they had all returned home. Meeting at Jones’ house, they watched on the news as the media tried to spin the attack as the fault of the Ranger’s somehow. Even the anchors were smart enough to notice that they had HELPED defeat Zeltrax, and various television personalities verbally duked it out. Of greater interest was real footage of a Ranger being seen morphing. Too high up to make out Jones’ face, they still saw a Power Ranger transforming and now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that these news Rangers also meant business.

“So what do we do now?” Nicole asked as she sipped some ice tea while sitting on Jones’ sofa.

“We wait for Zeltrax to reappear. But in the meantime, we need to map out the invisiportal network so we can use it ourselves,” Jones replied.

“And just how are we supposed to do that?” asked Mark.

The doorbell then rang, and Jones was quick to answer it. An average looking man with glasses and a serious expression stood before them.

“Guys, meet Hank. He’s going to help us map the invisiportal network,” Jones said proudly.

“Hello Rangers, I’ll look forward to assisting you,” said Hank with a large smile and a gleam in his eye.

Jaron, Mark, and Nicole all looked with concern at this new person who knew that they were Power Rangers.

[Kali_WolfChilde]

oh, ****. Beckoner you totally freaking RULE!!!! as for Zeltrax, the only person i can guess that would have containment cards is the old Fire Ranger, Sergeant Daylon. other than that, u have got me sitting on the edge of my seat, man! KIU (keep it up)!

[Philip]

Wow, this is really good. I liked how Agent Jones turned into the Black Dino Ranger. I wasn't expecting that one.

[dragomuseveni]

dude that was awsome man, i really liked it...i agree with kali...about halfway through this chapter it hit me, because i commented when dylon died that i could see a zeltraxish return...and here is zeltrax...idk lol but great work dude, i get a very tommy vibe from jones and its not cuz he is the black ranger haha

[Einsider]

Nice one man - still going good! I thought jones might be morphin some point soon! keep going, this is getting so interesting!

[roc da mic]

sweet . and i am nowvery eager to see how you bring in the drago ranger. also will ther ver be a cross over of some kind in the future.

[Red Evolution Ranger]

Wow.... lol, Jones kicked some ass :p. Once again, awesome job man! I think I have an idea who the whie ranger might be, but hey, I have no doubt you'll probably prove me wrong.

[SnoopsWarner]

It's funny because "Bender" is slang for "Gay".

[Beckoner]

It's funny because "Bender" is slang for "Gay".

Lol World Gay. Yes in European nomenclature it means that. But in this it refers to what's happening. Something that is supposed to be impossible is happening in the world, bending the very laws of reality since Power Rangers are fictional and the Ranger's presence is changing the world. Hence the name "World Bender".


oh, ****. Beckoner you totally freaking RULE!!!! as for Zeltrax, the only person i can guess that would have containment cards is the old Fire Ranger, Sergeant Daylon. other than that, u have got me sitting on the edge of my seat, man! KIU (keep it up)!

I'll definitely keep doing my best! Thanks a lot man!

dude that was awsome man, i really liked it...i agree with kali...about halfway through this chapter it hit me, because i commented when dylon died that i could see a zeltraxish return...and here is zeltrax...idk lol but great work dude, i get a very tommy vibe from jones and its not cuz he is the black ranger haha

Lol man you have made a series of good calls in the past. Mark my words, I'll manage to slip a few things past you. As for Zeltrax, well we'll have to see. Heh.

Nice one man - still going good! I thought jones might be morphin some point soon! keep going, this is getting so interesting!

Yuppers! Got a little experience on the team to even it out.

sweet . and i am nowvery eager to see how you bring in the drago ranger. also will ther ver be a cross over of some kind in the future.

I'm looking forward to introducing the White Ranger as well. As for future story points, well you know I like to keep it under wraps until the right time; heh.

Wow.... lol, Jones kicked some ass :p. Once again, awesome job man! I think I have an idea who the whie ranger might be, but hey, I have no doubt you'll probably prove me wrong.

Thanks a lot man. The White Ranger will be a tough one. Either you'll see it coming a mile away, or you'll be completely caught off guard. Lol.

---------------

And now, time for episode four!

World Bender Season 2
Episode 4: A Cerebral Enemy


Almost two weeks after Hank had arrived to assist the Rangers as the technical consultant for the Rangers, they had dozens of invisiportal links mapped that traveled all over North America, with some going to Korea, Canada, and China. After the events in Arizona, there hadn’t been another appearance of Zeltrax. It took a lot of investigation, but it had turned out that Zeltrax had stolen a copy of the HybridBot schematics for himself, as well as stealing that facility’s complement of SARCOS exoskeletons. Now running autonomously, they were easier to mass produce without the need for actual soldiers wearing them. As Hank typed away on his blazingly fast laptop while going over some technical data in Jones’ living room, Jaron had come over to watch the tv and see if there was any more trouble.

In the political world, it wasn’t getting any better. Even though it was plainly obvious to some that the Rangers were not a menace to society, the government was convinced otherwise. They wanted both Zeltrax and the Power Rangers gone. In the public eye, the new Power Rangers were more or less neutral and hadn’t hurt anyone in particular. It was a controversial topic, but the President was using the Arizona incident as an excuse to begun funding military projects in order to combat them. While watching the coverage on CNN, Jaron suddenly got an idea.

“Hank!” Jaron called out as he stood up and walked over to Hank who was heavily engrossed in his work.

“What is it?” Hank responded.

“There’s something that’s been bothering me. How did Zeltrax get that containment card? Not just anyone can get their hands on those SARCOS suits. I remember the Army was using them against the last Power Rangers. Zeltrax obviously knows things about the Army, so maybe that could narrow down our search,” Jaron explained at length.

“Believe me, that occurred to me,” said Jones as he entered the room and sat down on an armchair.

“So who do you think Zeltrax is?” Jaron asked.

“I’m pretty sure he’s someone who has been in the military before. The problem comes once you add me to the equation. I can’t think of anyone who would have a grudge with me. As for the SARCOS suits, they were old suits. I’m guessing he’s stealing them from a warehouse somewhere. Hank’s already checked warehouse and cargo manifests. There are only about 30 remaining containment cards under Army ownership, so we’re figuring it out,” Jones responded.

“I’m picking something up on the invisiportal network,” Hank suddenly piped up.

“What’s going on?” Jones asked as he walked up behind Hank and looked at the laptop screen.

“There’s something moving through the network. It just headed toward North Korea. That’s the third time this week,” said Hank.

“Can you narrow it down to a precise exit point?” asked Jones.

“Not on a laptop. I need better equipment. I’m going to have to monitor this from headquarters,” Hank said simply.

Jaron was bothered once again, as he didn’t like being kept out of the loop. Jones’ contacts all seemed to know more and he wasn’t being told anything. He was particular disapproving of Jones giving out their identity. Hank was an example of that. He decided to butt in.

“Headquarters? Just what exactly are you into Hank?” Jaron asked.

Hank looked at Jaron dismissively, before closing his laptop and preparing to leave.

“Not your business Jaron,” Jones said with finality.

“I’ll relay the information I get once I triangulate his position. See you later Arden,” said Hank, before walking out of the house.

With Hank gone, Jaron decided to pick a bone with Jones.

“Arden, don’t be a dick. I’m just as involved in this as you are. The morphers were given to me. I'm the Red Ranger, and anything that has to do with this is my business. You’ve been doing shit behind our backs and not telling us anything. This guy Hank has been sitting quietly with his face buried in his computer like a drone for two weeks and I don’t even know who he is. I want in,” Jaron asserted himself.

“Kid, I’ve got about 15 years on you. I served in the military, as a police officer, and then I spent the last 5 years in the FBI. I was being considered for a spot in the Central Intelligence Agency before you guys recklessly morphed and I had to leave my job to cover it up. I have extensive knowledge of national security protocols and I was good at what I did. I know what I’m doing. You’ve got the morphers, but I can’t allow a trio of teenagers with powers beyond their imagination doing whatever they want. Just trust me; I’m the only thing standing between you and a ticket to federal prison,” Jones rebuked.

“Fine. You want to be Mr. Big Shot? Fine. Do this on your own. I’m done playing the superhero,” Jaron snapped back before taking his cell phone out of his pocket and dropping it on the floor.

With no further dialogue, Jaron stormed out of Jones’ house. Jones simply watched him leave and let him go. He had a lot to do without needing to chase after a kid. Jaron drove around randomly until he passed by a basketball court where he saw Mark shooting some hoops while Nicole sat on a bench watching. Apparently they had been hanging out. Jaron circled the block and parallel parked nearby before walking over to them. Mark was playing three on three with some guys he didn’t know, while Nicole was reading a magazine of some kind. Jaron walked over and sat next to Nicole.

“Hey,” said Jaron.

“Hey!” Nicole replied brightly.

“What are you doing here?” Jaron asked conversationally.

“Mark wanted to hang out, but I’m not much of a basketball person. Those guys would kill me,” Nicole responded.

“You could always morph and then kick all their asses,” Jaron joked.

Nicole giggled before looking back at the guys playing basketball.

“Some of these guys are kinda cute,” Nicole remarked.

Jaron scoffed, before looking at Mark play. While Mark was pretty good at shooting and covering, he was getting tossed around by a guy in a tank top who was playing very aggressively. He had light skin, a fairly muscular build for a lean guy, and he was just a little taller than Mark, suggesting he was about as tall as Jaron. From the get go, Jaron didn’t like the guy. He kept pushing into Mark when he covered him and nearly knocked him off his feet. Perhaps it was a defensive response for his friend, but Jaron was considering telling the guy to back off a little.

“So what’s up?” asked Nicole.

“Well, I’m done being Arden’s errand boy. The guy’s a total prick. He’s got all these backroom deals going on, telling people who we are and getting them involved without even consulting us. He wants to play captain when we barely know him,” Jaron ranted.

“So you’re not going to be a Power Ranger anymore?” asked Nicole.

“I’ll keep the morpher, and I’ll do what I have to, but Jones is on his own for a while. Rather than act like part of a team, he wants to throw his resume at me and have me shut up like a good little teenager. Fuck that,” Jaron responded bitterly.

“I’ll tell you what: I’ll back you up. If you don’t fight, I don’t fight,” Nicole said supportively while resting her hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks,” Jaron replied sincerely.

Jaron looked back at the basketball game and saw a shorter guy with wild eyes trying to cover someone who was on the same team as the guy with the tank top. The guy in the tank top saw the short guy on Mark’s team trying to block the left side of the court, and quickly walked into him and bumped him over using his chest. The short boy toppled straight over.

“Whoa whoa, chill out bro,” said Mark as he walked up to the guy in the tank top.

“I don’t need to ‘chill’ out. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the fire ‘homie’,” the guy shot back.

The clearly racist comeback, an offended Mark approached the guy but then restrained himself.

“Chill out,” said one of his teammate, who had blond hair and a very American looking chin.

“Butt out, Jerry,” said the guy.

Mark let out a restrained sigh, apparently trying to cool down.

“What, you gonna try something? Go ahead and throw,” the guy said as he got into Mark’s face.

“Chill the fuck out Sergio,” said Jerry.

“You want a piece, come and take it,” Sergio said, still in Mark’s face.

Jaron tensed up and was halfway out of his seat; ready to run in if things got out of hand.

“Don’t let Sergio get to you man. He’s not racist, he’s just trying to get a rise out of you. Now step off Keldon,” the blond boy said as he referred to Sergio by his last name.

Mark backed away before walking over to Jaron and Nicole.

“Uh huh, walk away,” Sergio taunted.

“That guy’s an asshole,” Mark commented.

“Dude, you could’ve laid him out. I seriously feel like knocking his jaw off for you,” said Jaron.

“Don’t worry about it. So what’s up?” asked Mark.

“Nothing,” Jaron answered.

“Jaron’s a little peeved at Arden. We’re going on strike,” Nicole said with a laugh.

“What, he being too controlling or elitist?” Mark said knowingly.

“Got to you too huh?” Jaron answered.

“Let’s just say I’m not too fond of it,” Mark answered.

The special cell phone that Jones had given to Mark began to ring. Drawing it out of his pocket and checking the caller ID, they all noticed that it was Jones. Having already made a mutual agreement, they all just let the phone ring. After Mark missed his call, Nicole’s phone rang shortly after. When it became apparent that she too was not going to answer, the ringing stopped.

“Wanna make a soda run?” Nicole suggested.

“Shotgun,” Mark called out.

Back at Jones’ house, he flipped his phone shut in irritation.

“Kids these days,” Jones remarked, before his phone rang.

When he picked up, it was Hank.

“Talk to me,” Jones said shortly.

“I’ve narrowed it down. Your phone is now receiving the invisiportal path. He’s definitely there,” Hank answered on the other end of the line.

Jones ended the call, checking the screen and seeing a topographical view of a small portion of the invisiportal network, with a small green blip indicating his destination. If the data was correct, it was indicating that an invisiportal leyline overlaid his house. Saving himself a little bit of time, Jones’ will turned the Dino bracelet into the Brachio morpher, his right hand receiving a key.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up!” Jones called out as he performed the proper arm movements, before inserting the key.

Twisting the key and activating the morpher, his body was instantly covered in the Ranger suit of the Black Dino Ranger. Jones noticed that he had morphed differently this time, with no idea as to why. It was all for the better, as if he had morphed the usual way, he would’ve broken the floor of his house. Reaching his hand up and exerting his Dino gem, the Black Ranger got sucked out of his living room and into the invisiportal network. Carefully regulating his Dino gem’s energy levels semi-consciously, he navigated through it as though it were second nature. Having been a Power Ranger before helped, although the suits felt vastly different. The Dino powers had a completely different yet familiar feel to them. A primary difference between the two that he had noticed was that the Dino powers seemed more embedded with his own physiology, whereas the Fire Ranger powers were completely independent of it. It all took only a few seconds before the Black Ranger was ejected from the invisiportal network and had landed inside an office.

Wherever he was, it was definitely in Korea. There were open manila folders on a mahogany desk written and printed in what was evidently Korean. A meeting of some sort took place here, and Jones was anxious to figure it out. Fortunately for him, he didn’t have to look. A Korean man in military garb of some apparent stature came walking in with a briefcase and following just behind him into the room was Zeltrax. A few steps into the room, the man noticed the Black Ranger and shouted something in Korean, after which Zeltrax pushed him aside and drew his sword and shield.

“Arden!” Zeltrax yelled with enmity.

“Who is this?” the Korean man asked with a medium accent.

“Just an enemy who has come to his own execution!” Zeltrax shot back.

“That’s my line,” Jones responded, drawing his Brachio Staff.

The two opponents slowly circled the room while aiming their weapons toward eachother, with the Korean man pressing himself against the wall, having dropped his briefcase with the contents spilled on the floor.

“This is a Power Ranger!” the Korean man realized.

Taking a glance at the forms on the floor, he saw what appeared to diagrams. They were building something.

“So, you’re selling American technology to the Koreans eh? Is that was you were aiming for when you stole the HybridBot plans in Arizona?” said Jones with an air of disgust.

“I’m not selling anything. I don’t need money. I get what I want. Thanks to the invisiportals, I can be anywhere I want whenever I want,” Zeltrax replied.

The Korean man looked emboldened.

“You did not tell us of this. If you want the Type 100, I want access to your ‘invisiportals’ as well!” the Korean officer answered.

“You will get nothing! And now that you’ve built what I wanted, I don’t need you anymore!” Zeltrax viciously responded, before firing a beam of blue lightning from his sword at the man.

The burst of lightning completely penetrated the man’s chest as ancillary lightning breaking off from the main beam struck him on various parts of the body. One of them even struck the man’s eyeball and popped it. When it was over, a heavily charred and bloodied man fell to the ground. The wall behind him was heavily burned with some blood slowly leaking down. It was a painful and gruesome death for the man. Zeltrax then aimed his sword back at the Black Ranger. Jones wasn’t particularly upset at this man’s death given who his allegiances were, but it was a gratuitous murder never the less.

“I want to know who you are, right now,” Jones said firmly.

“Who I am doesn’t matter,” Zeltrax responded.

“How do you know me?” Jones questioned.

“You ruined my life. Well, a past life that is,” Zeltrax responded.

“I’ve taken down, arrested, or led to the arrest of hundreds of people. Last time I checked none of them were able to come back and bite me in the ass,” Jones spat back.

“None of them were me!” Zeltrax yelled as he charged the Black Ranger.

Closing the distance between the two, Zeltrax pushed his shield into the Black Ranger, forcing him back against the wall. While holding him there, Zeltrax lifted his sword aloft with his other arm, drawing into it. Jones was not one to be beaten here, and he managed to force his way from under Zeltrax’s shield and rolled against the wall to his right. Zeltrax ended up slicing into the wall when he finally brought his sword down where the Black Ranger used to be. With Zeltrax’s sword stuck in the wall, the Black Ranger took advantage and started delivering powerful kicks into Zeltrax’s back. Recoiling from the kicks, Zeltrax could do little more than take the blows as he tried to unwedge his sword. Jones then thrust the tip of his Brachio Staff straight toward Zeltrax, who quickly held his shield in the way, blocking the blow. A little fizzle of collision sparks burst from his shield before the feedback shock traveled back up his arm, and made the Black Ranger stumble backward. Zeltrax yanked the sword out of the wall before swinging it at the Black Ranger. Using a fierce combination of would-be killer moves, Zeltrax tried to connect his blade with the Black Ranger’s suit, who managed to recover from his stumble and use defensive blocking maneuvers with his Brachio Staff.

The two used their swords in an exchange of parries, thrusts, slashes, and power slices, neither landing a hit. Jones had a slight advantage, but Zeltrax’s use of his shield effectively negated that. As their weapons banged against each other, rattling the air, the more aggressive Zeltrax forced the Black Ranger to maintain his footwork and move backwards. They fought until they had moved out of the office, entering a long corridor with glass for walls. The hallway was effectively a sky bridge linking the office to a larger building. Jones didn’t have time to look at it, though he did see enough to it to be mindful of his surroundings. As the two moved down the hallway, the Black Ranger saw another opening, and tried to drive his Brachio Staff into Zeltrax’s armpit in order to force him to drop his weapon, but he blocked with his shield and then pushed it against the side glass wall, pinning the Brachio Staff down.

Zeltrax used this advantage and tried to strike the Black Ranger’s neck with a lateral swing of his sword. Jones ducked underneath it, and Zeltrax’s sword hit the glass instead, making the durable glass crack severely from the point of impact. In order to avoid losing his weapon, the Black Ranger let go of the Brachio Staff’s handle, and swooped down before kicking out Zeltrax’s right leg. Stumbling to one knee, Zeltrax could no longer pin Jones’ weapon, and the Black Ranger quickly snatched it as it fell through the air. Still crouching down, the Black Ranger couldn’t stop the oncoming kick Zeltrax sent out since he had gotten to his feet first. Jones managed to move his left forearm in the way, but the kick simply forced his arm into his chest and his whole body flew back several feet down the hall. Zeltrax was quick to pursue, and the Black Ranger blocked an oncoming sword slash with his own weapon, before pushing Zeltrax’s sword away and twirling to his right, before swinging out with his Brachio Staff which of course was in his right arm. Zeltrax saw the move coming, and ducked below it, before going on the offensive again.

Jones had a plan in mind, and kept up his defense as their weapons danced through the air as the two tried to destroy one another. The Black Ranger started to become more aggressive, but still continued to move backwards in tandem with Zeltrax’s own footwork. After a quick skirmish that felt like it was going on forever; the two made their way pretty close to the opposite exit. Jones now decided to go through with his strategy. Zeltrax performed a generic lateral strike, which the Black Ranger blocked exactly as he had earlier. He then pushed Zeltrax’s weapon away once more in the exact same manner, before twirling toward his right again. Zeltrax recognized this attack as Jones had used it earlier, and knew exactly how he was going to dodge it. As the Black Ranger spun 360 degrees, he switched the Brachio Staff from his right hand to his left during the split second that his back was facing Zeltrax. He swung his right arm out again, but there was no weapon in it, so Zeltrax ended up ducking under Jones’ fist. When Zeltrax stood back up to his full height, he hadn’t seen it coming, and the Black Ranger followed up with a swing the Brachio Staff in his left hand. It connected directly with Zeltrax’s shield which was being held in his own left hand. The force of the move sent the shield flying and it broke through the side window that the walls consisted of.

As Zeltrax watched his shield fall away along with shattered glass, the split second he wasted looking at it allowed Jones’ trick to reach its full conclusion. The Black Ranger sent a powerful punch into Zeltrax’s abdomen, forcing him to bend forward in pain. The Black Ranger seamlessly pushed himself into Zeltrax, before rolling over him using his back as a support surface. Now on other side, the Black Ranger planted his foot and sent his heel crashing into Zeltrax’s back. He crashed through the metal, double doors and onto a metal catwalk. When Jones ran into the room to follow up his offensive, he noticed that the catwalk they were standing on overlooked a giant machine.

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It was what appeared to be a chassis for a massive robot. Korea must have been plunging their economy into near poverty trying to build this thing. From what had been completed however, it possessed large claws and a massive machine gun. Jones’ second to size the machine up proved to be an opening for Zeltrax, who swept his leg out and knocked the Black Ranger down. Jones got up quickly, as did Zeltrax. Both of them aimed their weapons at each other, and the Black Ranger was first to attack.

He swung his Brachio Staff straight from above, which Zeltrax sidestepped. The Brachio Staff ended up colliding with the metal guard rail, which bent it horribly as friction sparks burst from it. Zeltax tried to throw his leg out in order to kick Jones, who lifted up his leg and blocked with his knee. Zeltrax pressed his attack by trying to perform a stabbing move into Jones’ chest; who blocked with the Brachio Staff and entered into a saber lock. Zeltrax tried to force his advantage by pushing the Brachio Staff down but the Black Ranger managed to overpower him and reverse the push, forcing Zeltrax’s sword until the tips of their weapons touched the floor. An angered Zeltrax then yanked his sword free from the saber lock and grabbed Jones by the neck before pushing him against the guard rail. The Black Ranger then lifted up his knee and wedged his leg in between the two, before shoving him off with his leg and pushing Zeltrax against the opposing rail. Zeltrax growled angrily and ran straight into the Black Ranger, causing them both to fall off the catwalk. The two continued to duel in mid air, punching each other and grabbing at the other’s necks before they finally crashed through a catwalk causing the two to separate. They tumbled down three more levels before hitting the bottom floor which was made from concrete. All of the noise and the visual confirmation of the two combatants alerted the various workers who were fleeing the two super powered opponents.


“Activate the walker!” Zeltrax yelled to a worker in a construction cap who was standing near a console.

“Not ready!” the cowering man responded in broken English.

“Activate it!” Zeltrax shouted.

“I won’t let you!” the Black Ranger declared, springing to his feet assuming a battle stance.

“Brachio Staff!” the Black Ranger yelled as he moved his weapon in a circle motion, “Energy Orb!”

Zeltrax, who was still on the floor, quickly rolled aside as the Energy Orb cut a path through the concrete flooring and smacked into the control console in front of the walker before it exploded. A brilliant display of sparks and fire resulted which ended up accidentally triggering the activation sequence. Large rotors could be heard somewhere inside the walker as it began to power up.

“Looks like you did me a favor,” Zeltrax taunted, before firing a lightning burst from his sword.

The bolts struck the Black Ranger’s chest and sent him flying straight back into a rack of maintenance apparatus. Zeltrax then suddenly brandished a containment card, before pressing the release button and throwing it onto the floor. A horde of automated, second generation SARCOS suits materialized out of the screen of the containment card and began their combat subroutines. Zeltrax was enough of a handful let alone a handful of SARCOS units. Jones knew he was at a serious disadvantage, and he was going to need the help of the other Rangers. The problem was they refused to answer earlier, which did vex him to a degree. Never the less, he was going to need their assistance. Holding his morpher to the mouthpiece of his helmet, he opened up the comm line to the other morphers. Back in Pennsylvania, the three other Rangers were at Nicole’s house playing Rock Band on her Playstation.

“You really suck for having this and I don’t,” Jaron joked.

“My cousin got it for me, I don’t really play,” Nicole answered as she scrolled the menu for the next song.

All three of their morphers started to beep, and Jones’ voice came through.

“I need some help!” Jones said with effort, with the sound of a crash coming through.

“Don’t answer,” Jaron ordered sternly.

In North Korea; the Black Ranger was just kicking a SARCOS unit away and slashing one behind him with the Brachio Staff, managing to severely damage it.

“Look, you’ve made your point Jaron! I won’t cut you out anymore!” Jones yelled into his morpher just as a SARCOS unit came up behind him and slashed his back with a diamond tipped blade.

“We’re on our way,” a victorious Jaron answered through the morphers.

The Black Ranger sprung to his feet, narrowly avoiding a diamond tipped blade that was crashing down onto the concrete. In one smooth movement, Jones leapt over the group of SARCOS units in order to land just in front of Zeltrax who was trying to flee into the walker.

“Out of my way!” Zeltrax demanded.

“I thought you wanted to kill me. Now is as any good a time as any other,” Jones said briskly.

“So be it,” said Zeltrax as he drew his sword and held it aimed at the Black Ranger.

All of the SARCOS units suddenly stopped moving. Both Jones and Zeltrax knew that the only way the SARCOS units would completely stop is if they encountered someone who wasn’t designated as either friend or foe. The others were here, and turned to see Jaron, Mark, and Nicole running up to them as the SARCOS units remained still.

“Let’s do this,” said Jaron with enthusiasm.

“Ready?!” Jaron shouted.

“Ready!” Mark and Nicole responded.

Jones couldn’t help but compare Jaron to Brendan, as both seemed to always take the initiative when it came time to suit up.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!” the three yelled as they performed their morphing call.

Upon touching the button on their Dino Morphers, the three were tossed into a backward somersault as their suit began to form on them. Upon landing, the concrete crumbled under their feet. As soon as they stood upright from the landing, their helmets quickly formed on their heads and the Dino Rangers were ready for combat. The SARCOS units had a context based programming, so they could tell that the Rangers were enemies.

“Initiate attack!” Zeltrax yelled to the SARCOS units, who instantly began charging the Rangers.

With the Red Ranger taking the lead, the three ran into the ground of SARCOS units. Mark and Nicole drew their Thundermax Blasters and began firing into the metallic opponents which caused jets of sparks and flame upon impact. Jaron had another idea, and he converted his Thundermax Blaster into saber mode, and instantly blocked an oncoming SARCOS blade. Immediately following the block, the Red Ranger spun on his heel and ducked down as he performed a powerful slash across the midsection spine of the SARCOS exoskeleton, which cut it clear in half. While the Black Ranger dueled Zeltrax, the other Rangers were busy laying waste to the SARCOS exoskeletons. Nicole was blending her melee fighting with her Thundermax Blaster; firing at one unit while kick another and utilizing the occasional punch-kick combo. Mark had his Thundermax Blaster in his right hand, and his Tricerashield in the other. Fighting a defensive battle, the Blue Ranger stopped oncoming attacks with his Tricerashield while firing lasers from behind it; kicking away any SARCOS unit that got too close.

The Black Ranger was fighting a stalemate with Zeltrax, who was trying to back away until he got close enough to the walker’s. Its chest was open and the sensor light on its head had activated. It was ready to go, and cooling steam was ejecting from the joints. Zeltrax had full intent on fleeing the scene in the robot, but could not get past the Black Ranger. Nicole put her Thundermax Blaster away and summoned her Ptera Grips from her belt, before engaging in an offensive flurry of slashes to anything that tried to move in on her. Mark was plowing through SARCOS units as he shot them down while blocking oncoming fire from the SARCOS arm-mounted cannons with the Tricerashield. Jaron cut down another one, and then noticed that Zeltrax was standing nearby an electricity transformer with his back almost pressed against it while the Black Ranger hammered down upon him with punches and kicks. Zeltrax could hardly block anything, though he made sure to keep blocking any attempted strikes with the Brachio Staff. Jones wanted to end the fight, and he kicked Zeltrax but did not put his leg down. Forcing Zeltrax against the transformer as he aligned the tip of his Brachio Staff with his head, the Black Ranger sent his weapon sailing toward his enemy. Just before the tip of the Brachio Staff could connect with Zeltrax’s head, he tilted it to the side. The Brachio Staff slid along the side of the Zeltrax’s face, creating a scratch all the way down the side until it plunged into the transformer.

As soon as the Brachio Staff penetrated the transformer, a powerful electric current traveled up the weapon and electrocuted the Black Ranger, resulting in sparks flying out of random parts of his suit. Yelling in pain, the Black Ranger fell back with his Brachio Staff still in the transformer which was beginning to fry. Capitalizing on his advantage, Zeltrax yanked the Brachio Staff out of the transformer, dual wielding his own sword along with Jones’ weapon. Raising both weapons above his head, Zeltrax braced his muscles for the killing blow of his life. Jaron jumped toward the two as Zeltrax heaved and brought the two weapons down as hard as he could. At the last possible second, the Red Ranger managed to land just beside them both with his arms outstretched. Holding his Thundermax Saber in the way, the Red Ranger blocked Zeltrax’s attack. Zeltrax was surprised at the intrusion, and the moment of hesitance allowed Jaron the time he needed to kick the Brachio Staff out of his hand. In a surprisingly graceful move, the Black Ranger flipped to his feet and caught his weapon. Both the Red and Black Ranger simultaneously slashed Zeltrax down his chest.

The resulting jet of sparks was enough to force him back and knock him to the floor. Nicole and Mark had just finished dispatching their last SARCOS opponents, and then proceeded to join up with the other two. All four Rangers assumed a threatening stance against Zeltrax.

“I’m not done yet!” Zeltrax shouted.

Firing a burst of lightning from his sword which exploded in front of the Rangers, they were forced to shield their visors from the flash in order to let the explosion to clear. When they looked back, Zeltrax was gone. Mark looked up and saw Zeltrax getting into the cockpit of the walker.

“He’s up there!” Mark shouted as he pointed.

It was too late, the chest compartment had closed and Zeltrax had successfully finished activating it. Before the Rangers could intervene, the Walker began wildly thrash its massive arms about and tear its way through the scaffolding and robotic maintenance arms.

“We need to get out of here!” Jones shouted.

The Dino Ranger high tailed it out of there, running toward an exit door as the Walker’s cannon began to rotate and fire. The massive munitions blasted a hole in the wall, which the claw of the robot then started with tear open until it was large enough for it to step out of. For a first generation machine, it was far more capable than the United States’ first giant machine. This was no doubt due to Zeltrax’s assistance. There was no telling how long he had been consulting them, as these things took months to build.

The Walker was free to run rampant, and was already preparing to level the entire building.

“Where’s he gonna go? The thing can’t fly!” Mark pointed out.

“He doesn’t want to run, he wants to kill us,” Jones said simply.

“Then we need to break out the big guns,” said Jaron.

“I’m on it. Brachiozord!” Jones yelled into his morpher.

The Rangers’ ear drums vibrated wildly at the sound of a roar coming from somewhere outside the building. Running out of the giant hole the Walker had made, they laid their eyes on the Brachiozord for the first time. It was a wholly intimidating and amazing sight. How it managed to suddenly pop in was beyond their understanding, but its massive stature even put Zeltrax off. Fortunately for him, the Brachiozord was not for combat. Two side compartments and a front compartment of the massive zord opened and the Tyrannozord, Tricerazord, and Pterazord emerged from them.

“This is going to kick ass,” Jaron said with anxiousness.

“How do we get inside?” asked Nicole.

“Didn’t you watch the episodes? Just go to it,” said Jones.

The others were a bit skeptical, but at this point they weren’t about to debate the possibility of such a notion. Putting a good deal of effort into the act; Jaron, Mark and Nicole jumped as high as they could toward their zords’ heads. As they closed in, it seemed like they were going to simply bounce off the exterior. What caught them off guard was when an outside force suddenly grabbed hold of them and began to pull them into the zords like a tractor beam. Their bodies sunk into the interior of their zords and they felt their bodies travel through space and time as a very organic cockpit formed around them. There was no windshield or view screen, just a small space to stand in with an orb in front of them. They knew from the show that they were supposed to hold their hands over it. Jaron was the first to do so, and the second his hand hovered over the orb before him he suddenly felt his consciousness extend to the zord. He knew due to his connection to it that he could use his mind to control it as if it were his own body while still retaining control of his actual body. It was a very strange sensation. Mark eased into the experience, while Nicole initially felt a little scared as her consciousness merged with the Pterazord’s movement.

“I guess we’re supposed to bring them together,” Jaron spoke.

The message was instantly transmitted to the other Rangers, and they all concentrated on forming a megazord. Their zords obeyed, and the Tyrannozord roared as its torso rotated and its tail became the left arm. A head rose from it as the Tricerazord attached to become the right arm while the Pterazord formed armor and a helmet. The Thundersaurus Megazord had been formed. Once again, they felt their bodies suddenly move through nothingness as everything around them disappeared. Suddenly Jaron saw a world of orbs appear around him, as the Mark and Nicole appeared at his sides. Three orbs then popped into existence in front of each of them.

“This is some very weird shit,” Jaron commented.

With all three Rangers linked to their specific control orbs, they saw through the megazord’s eyes as if it were their own despite the lack of a view screen. They didn’t think everything would be so organic. Although they didn’t understand how, they were linked together in perfect synergy. They were individually controlling the megazord, and yet all of them were. It was a concept that Nicole wasn’t about to wrap her mind around as Mark tried to shrug off the strange sensation. The Thundersaurus Megazord assumed a fighting stance with its drill pointing toward the Walker. Zeltrax was not one to be outdone, and the rotary cannon on his Walker’s left arm began to spin and unloaded its munitions onto the Thundersaurus Megazord. While the huge shells did not penetrate, a helping of large sized collision sparks burst from the megazord’s armor anywhere they struck. Zeltrax did not relent, and the cannon continued firing as the Rangers inside were shook around as it was like being in a small earthquake due to the force of the collisions.

Unfortunately for Zeltrax, North Korean craftsmanship hadn’t been refined to the level of the Americans and thus their robot while a worthy entry into the pantheon of giant robots had many flaws of its own. The cannon overheated and the barrels were superheated to the point that they lost their shape and welded themselves shut.

“Damn it!” Zeltrax yelled in frustration as he repeatedly tried to pull the trigger as he internally cursed his carelessness.

The Rangers in the megazord got their bearings once again, and stood straight as they saw the Walker began to test its claws by opening and closing the large fingers as if to make a fist.

“Let’s finish that thing off,” Jaron encouraged his friends.

The Thundersaurus Megazord strode forward and punched the robot with its right arm, which was simply the head of the Tricerazord. The blow did knock the robot back, but it had a suspension system that prevented it from falling over. Zeltrax responded by having his own robot swipe the Thundersaurus Megazord’s chest where the Tyrannozord’s head protruded from. Its large claws scratched deeply and made even more collision sparks burst from the megazord, which caused it to stumble back a little. On the inside, the Rangers were thrown around just a bit.

“Doesn’t this thing have a finishing move?” asked Mark.

“I remember! This thing’s left arm punches through things!” Nicole recalled.

“Then let’s use it. Dino Drill!” Jaron yelled.

The Thundersaurus Megazord’s left drilling arm then began to rotate until it spun at a very high rate. Zeltrax knew he was going to lose, and he punched the cockpit of his robot open and jumped out. He managed to land just nearby where the Black Ranger had knocked out his shield, and picked it up before disappearing via invisiportal. The North Korean robot however, was not going to be so lucky. The Thundersaurus Megazord leapt forward with its drill facing forward and it successfully bored a hole straight through it. There wasn’t much left of the chest, and the megazord pulled its drill out of the robot’s torso before standing back. The power source inside it was severely damaged, with sparks inside the exposed innards began to light various pieces on fire. The robot slowly fell back until it picked up enough speed to slam into the ground with huge force. The sudden impact destabilized the power source further and the entire thing went up in flames.

It was a good day for the Rangers. They had earned their first victory in a large scale setting…

Hours later in Pennsylvania, Jones had a clearly bothered look on his face as he walked into his living room demorphed along with the others.

“We almost had him,” Jones lamented.

“We’ll get him next time,” said Nicole.

“Next time there might be more lives at stake. We were in an industrial complex. There was no risk. You guys did win in the megazord, but you have a lot to learn about fighting in the city and how to fight conservatively. Trust me, at some point I’ll bet anything Zeltrax will take the fight to where civilians are,” Jones responded.

“Well Arden since we’re supposed to be a team, we’ll do it together,” Mark said with an assertive tone.

Jones’ mouth clamped shut as he eyed Jaron, who approached him with a cautious look.

“So did you mean what you said at the factory or are we back to square one? I don’t know about you, but we’re supposed to be a team. No one asked you to become the Black Ranger. As long as you wear that morpher, you’re one of us. Are you going to cut us out or what?” Jaron asked with as much confidence as he could muster.

Jones did recognize Jaron’s point, but he was still just a kid. It was then that he remembered something he knew about the Dino Gems: they choose their wielder. If Jaron was chosen to be the Red Ranger, then he might be the kind of person worth having on his side. He had a lot to learn, but he had a good head on his shoulders as far as Jones had reasons. Whatever his reservations were about the boy’s experience, he decided to toss caution to the wind. Offering his hand, a slight smirk formed on his lips.

“We’re a team,” said Jones.

Jaron quickly took Jones’ hand and shook it, enthused. They resolved there and then to be a real team, because they had to be able to trust each other with their lives. In an old abandoned military command center from World War II in Hawaii, Zeltrax was setting up stolen equipment. Some of it was new, and some of it was old. He looked over his shoulder and noticed that a file cabinet full of old containment cards was still open. He walked over and pushed it shut before walking to an open door that led to a garage meant to hold tanks and light utility vehicles. There were tons of old SARCOS gear and spare parts in rows on the floor. Zeltrax flipped a switch off that turned off the hanging lights in the garage before pulling the aluminum shutter down closed with a subdued grumble.

[Kali_WolfChilde]

holy ****! dude, you flipping rock=:D
I was glued to my seat reading this ep. and that robot, yikes! I'd rather meet a vampire in a dark alley in full darkness than meet that thing in broad daylight! lol, KIU, Beckoner. your works have helped inspire me to write my own DT-in-real-life fic. I hope that when i finish it, you will like it maybe half as much as i love yours. eagerly awaiting next ep.

[Red Evolution Ranger]

F***ing gold dude. I loved this chapter ten times as much as I loved the other ones. Loved how the rangers left Arden to get owned. I just wanted to point out how ridiculosly awesome your fight descriptions are. Seriously, I was visualizing the fights in my mind as I read.

Anyway, great job, keep it up!

[Einsider]

nice ep man , really enjoying it :) it HAS to be Daylon! lol

[dragomuseveni]

dude that was awsome!!! keep up the good work, the only thing i have to say is watch out how many times u use the same word consecutivly

[Beckoner]

holy ****! dude, you flipping rock=:D
I was glued to my seat reading this ep. and that robot, yikes! I'd rather meet a vampire in a dark alley in full darkness than meet that thing in broad daylight! lol, KIU, Beckoner. your works have helped inspire me to write my own DT-in-real-life fic. I hope that when i finish it, you will like it maybe half as much as i love yours. eagerly awaiting next ep.

Heh heh. Wait until you see what I've got planned! Dude, definitely go for it. I always encourage writing and creativity. Sorry it was a bit of a wait, but here's episode 5!

F***ing gold dude. I loved this chapter ten times as much as I loved the other ones. Loved how the rangers left Arden to get owned. I just wanted to point out how ridiculosly awesome your fight descriptions are. Seriously, I was visualizing the fights in my mind as I read.

Anyway, great job, keep it up!

Excellent; I've accomplished what I set out to do! I always make it a point to explain the scenes so that you can imagine it in your head, sort of like an internal movie.

nice ep man , really enjoying it :) it HAS to be Daylon! lol

I'm glad you like it. As for Zeltrax, everything will fall into place in due time! Heh.

dude that was awsome!!! keep up the good work, the only thing i have to say is watch out how many times u use the same word consecutivly

Thanks man. Yeah I'm trying to watch using a word too many times in a row. It's a point of frustration for me sometimes, lol.


World Bender Season 2
Episode 5: Bad Climate


The British were not happy. With the United States ignoring the rest of NATO and openly acknowledging that they were developing counters to the Power Rangers as a matter of national security, the Europeans looked foolish and useless. The Koreans were not happy. An already tense situation was elevated when it was revealed that North Korea was putting in most of its military budget toward weaponry to combat the Rangers. With NATO putting sanctions against them for developing such weapons of mass destruction, it was destabilizing the economy and the Russians were not able to sell as much of their weaponry to third world countries under the table to avoid global outburst. The Russians were not happy. Their economy was losing serious ground to China, who although used Russian technology, they were no longer outsourcing their military equipment. China was trying to become a real military power in case the situation in Korean escalated. The Chinese were not happy. Being right next door to China, the Japanese were feeling threatened as one of their oldest enemies was geared to become more aggressive. All of this because of one of their most recognizable entertainment franchise. The Japanese were not happy.

The political arena was not doing much better, but one overall message was clear: the Dino Rangers were not welcome. All Jones could do was watch events unfold on television as Mark lounged on the couch sending text messages from his cell phone to Nicole; who was at school. Jaron was at home surfing the internet, when suddenly his phone started ringing. It was the phone Jones had given him.

“Hello?” said Jaron as he held the phone to his ear.

“Is this the Red Tyranno Ranger?” asked a smooth, young, male voice.

“Who is this?” Jaron asked defensively, as no one else but Jones and Hank should’ve known.

“I’m on your side. I have a favor to ask of you,” said the male.

“Did Arden give you this number?” Jaron questioned.

“There’s an entertainment convention going on right now in your state. All relevant information will be sent to your phone. I’m going to need you to go as the Red Ranger to question a person of interest who might be able to help you figure out who Zeltrax might be,” the guy answered.

“Are you nuts? I can’t just go walking into some convention while morphed!” Jaron contested.

“There are going to be thousands of people dressed up costumes. You’ll fit right in. Go there, find who we’re looking for, and don’t involve the other Rangers just yet,” the guy rebutted before hanging up.

“What. The. Hell,” Jaron said to himself.

He had no idea what the hell just happened, and as he languished in his confusion, his phone beeped as he received data. A picture of an apparent military figure popped up along with some nicely detailed text messages. Apparently, every time there was a convention that involves intricate costumes, a military officer along with a hidden contingent of security personnel was behind the scene to check if anyone in those costumes were the real thing. If anything looked funny, the cosplayer would be taken into a back room, checked, and then sent on his way. It was subtle, and quite frankly ingenious. Jaron didn’t like it, but the man on the other line was right: he’d fit in just fine.

Back at Jones’ house, he grew increasingly concerned as militaries all over the world seemed to be rebuilding. While the United States didn’t publicly announce the fact that they were continuing to develop better robots and reconstruct every base that had been destroyed during Operation Unity, anyone who lived nearby one could see the constant detour signs as construction crews flooded them. Apparently, the United States was still one country that was not going to acknowledge their inferiority to the Ranger’s without a fight. Jones pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation, knowing full well that the Dino Rangers had no interest in world affairs. Their only concern was to find the Case Holder.

Sitting at the kitchen counter with his laptop, Hank started snapping his finger repeatedly.

“I’ve found something!” Hank shouted enthusiastically.

Jones and Mark quickly made their way over to Hank, standing behind him as he brought up a topographical map with a location highlighted.

“What did you find?” Jones asked in a low octave.

“I’ve just caught a report of a hospital in Indiana calling their equipment manufacturers about some kind of phenomena. Apparently, their EEG machines are completely going spastic. You know what that means,” explained the computer guru.

“The Case Holder,” Jones finished for him.

“What about Nicole?” asked Mark.

“We don’t have time to wait for her. She doesn’t get out of school for another hour. I’ll head out first, you contact Jaron,” Jones directed as he walked to his living room.

Holding his arm up, he used his own willpower to control his Dino Gem to trigger an Invisiportal without morphing. He vanished in a flash of green light. Mark opened his cell phone and tried to call Jaron, but there was no answer. After a few rings, it went straight to voice mail.

“Dammit Jaron, why aren’t you picking up?” Mark muttered to himself.

“I’ll try to locate him, you better catch up with Arden,” Hank advised.

“Alright,” Mark responded, before walking into the living room.

Although it took him a split second longer, he too entered an Invisiportal while still in civilian form. Traversing the network with amateurish skill, Mark made his way to the other end and exited the Invisiportal just behind Jones. Getting his bearings as he took in his surroundings, Mark noticed that they were in a limestone quarry, not a hospital.

“Where are we?” asked Mark as he came up to Jones’ side.

“I think we’re in the Indiana Limestone Quarry. This was the closest Invisiportal exit point to the hospital. It’s not far from here,” Jones responded as he surveyed their surroundings.

Mark couldn’t help but notice that something was off.

“Okay, so we’re in the wrong place. If that’s true, and this is a quarry, then where are all the miners and workers?” Mark asked as he pointed out abandoned equipment and various tools and jackhammers that had apparently been dropped in a hurry.

“You’re right,” Jones commented as he began to walk around, “I guess they’re on break?”

“You should not have come here,” said a familiar voice.

Jones and Mark turned around and saw the Case Holder standing there. As always, he stood hunched over in a large raincoat with the hood drooped over his head. Only his nose was visible as it poked out from underneath the hood.

“So you’re here?” Mark obviously pointed out.

“Once I knew you were here, I had to advise you to stay away,” the Case Holder answered in his always tranquil tone.

“So we meet at last,” said Jones.

“Ah yes, former agent Arden Jones? I suppose you are satisfied now that your search for me has resulted in our meeting? I’m afraid I must apologize for keeping you waiting for so long, but we have no business with each other,” the Case Holder addressed Jones politely.

“I’m afraid we do. Your actions, whether you acknowledge it or not, have indirectly resulted in catastrophe. We’re not your play things. This isn’t a game where you give people this sort of technology and expect everything to be alright. I’m here to demand that you take back the morphers and go back to wherever the hell you came from,” Jones asserted.

The Case Holder’s head suddenly jerked to the right, as if he were listening to something in the manner of a cat. The sound of rocks rolling around on the ground seemed to trigger a sense of alertness as Jones and Mark turned to the source of the noise. They saw nothing.

“I’m afraid I must go. Please, leave now. I fear that you may be in grave danger should you stay any longer,” the Case Holder warned with noticeably concern in his tone.

An Invisiportal opened and Zeltrax appeared. He seemed to be surprised by the presence of Mark and Jones.

“Arden!” Mark yelled as he pointed to the recent arrival.

“I expected to find the old man, and here I find someone else I’ve been wanting to see!” Zeltrax declared triumphantly.

“You know the Case Holder?” Mark asked as he assumed a defensive fighting stance.

“Know him? He’s the one who gave me the very armor you see before you,” Zeltrax sneered.

“You gave him that armor?!” Jones yelled in outrage.

“I’m sorry. I had no choice,” the Case Holder said almost sheepishly.

“Now you’re going to give me more power!” Zeltrax asserted with sword in front of him.

“I will do no such thing,” the Case Holder responded.

“We’ll see. Maybe my wrath will persuade you otherwise!” Zeltrax threatened.

Zeltrax immediately ran toward the Case Holder with a cry of aggression.

“Look out!” Jones warned as Zeltrax pushed both him and Mark aside into order to make it straight to the Case Holder.

The Case Holder didn’t move, and let Zeltrax come up to him. With no thought to what harm he could have done, Zeltrax thrust his sword straight toward the Case Holder’s abdomen. In a burst of speed unheard of for an elderly man, the Case Holder quickly turned his body, allowing the blade to sail past him harmlessly. Zeltrax hesitated for a moment, a bit taken with the maneuver, before sending his leg out for a kick. The Case Holder amazingly jumped over the move and then stepped into Zeltrax before touching his armored chest.

“What?” Zeltrax uttered as the Case Holder casually rested his palm on his chest.

Before Zeltrax had a chance to do anything else, some unseen force somehow propelled Zeltrax backwards a clear 10 feet from his palm. Zeltrax’s boots skid across the gravel and dirt as he stuck his sword into the ground to stop himself.

“What is he?” asked Mark, completely mystified by the Case Holder.

An angered Zeltrax balled his fist as he charged once again, this time using both a series of sword slashes and punches to try to strike the old man. The Case Holder avoided every hit by simply swaying from side to side and contorting his body to avoid being struck. It appeared almost effortlessly. It didn’t look like Zeltrax stood a chance, and after avoiding a combination of attacks, the Case Holder performed an upward somersault, kicking Zeltrax in the face as he flew almost 7 feet into the air. Zeltrax was knocked down and the Case Holder landed on his feet before assuming his usual posture.

“Whatever obligations I may have had to fulfill in giving you that armor, do not think for a moment that I will be doing you any favors,” the Case Holder said in his trademark tone of tranquility.

“You’re some kind of mutant!” Zeltrax spat as an insult.

The Case Holder then looked around again, this time more alert than last time.

“I cannot stay. Leave while you can Rangers, for I fear the consequences of staying,” the Case Holder said once more with concern.

Before anyone could protest, the Case Holder reached up and vanished into an Invisiportal. Now it was Jones and Mark left to contend with Zeltrax.

“Don’t think you’ll be so lucky as to escape me a third time,” Zeltrax growled as he began to approach them.

An assortment of rocks and stone began rolling down a part of the quarry that was up higher than they were, almost like a hill. Everyone looked to the hill, and something came walking over it in a slow and deliberate fashion. It was a large and metallic figure. A single eye adorned its head, with a flowing cape attached to a metal formation on its back. While it must’ve stood at least 8 feet tall, it had a sleek and slender shape to it. It’s waist was so thin that no man could’ve possibly been wearing it. The fact that it was covered in armor wasn’t the only alarming thing; it was holding a massive axe in its left hand that was as long as he was tall.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/Zatenks2/TheButcher.jpg

Crushing a rock under its foot as it took one final step forward, the thing began to look around at both Zeltrax and the others.

“You have been in contact with the Case Holder. Where has he gone?” the metal figure asked in a loud and booming voice that seemed to emanate from its entire body.

“Just what the hell is this?” Mark whispered to Jones.

“I don’t know,” Jones answered sincerely.

“I will ask again, where has the Case Holder gone? It is imperative that I find him,” it asked again.

“Who are you? And just what are you going to do if we knew?” Jones asked cautiously.

“I am the Butcher. The Case Holder must be struck down. I only require that you tell me where I may find him,” it responded.

“Not if I find him first. The Case Holder is mine to find. I need him so that I can gain more power!” Zeltrax shouted defiantly.

“Yours is a mission that will result in failure,” the Butcher answered.

“Not if I get rid of you so that you can’t interfere,” Zeltrax replied before running toward the Butcher will full intent on attacking it.

The Butcher’s lone eye focused on Zeltrax, and it stood still as Zeltrax closed in and raised his sword high. Zeltrax’s guttural roar was converted to a groan of pain when he got too close, as it twirled its axe as if it were as light as a twig; before slamming the bottom of the handle into Zeltrax’s chest. The force of it was so powerful that Zeltrax’s armor had visibly caved in as he flew back an amazing 30 feet. Upon hitting the ground, Zeltrax did not immediately get up. Jones and Mark watched in horror at the Butcher’s display of power, and immediately recognized the threat level. Now they knew what the Case Holder had been talking about.

“Mark, I think that we really need to morph right about now,” Jones said with a level of seriousness he hadn’t shown before.

“Definitely,” Mark replied in an intimidating tone as he observed the Butcher.

“Do you oppose me as well?” the Butcher asked as it now turned its eye to Jones and Mark.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up!” the two performed their morphing calls in perfect synchronization.

Both Jones and Mark were covered in a white light as they flew into a backwards flip, allowing their suit to form on them before landing on the ground. The force of their landing cracked the earth, and when they stood up straight their helmets formed shortly after. Power Rangers once more, the two assumed a fighting stance. Zeltrax on the other hand, had just struggled to his feet. The Butcher’s stance seemed to change into one of intrigue as it watched the Black and Blue Ranger stand their ground.

“So you are the Case Holder’s recipients. You are not to be harmed, but I shall be forced to strike you both down if you side with your benefactor. Choose quickly,” the Butcher said as it gripped its massive battle axe.

“What do we do about Zeltrax? He looks like he’s really hurt. Now would be the best time to get him,” asked Mark, who looked over to see Zeltrax stumbling about.

“I don’t think we can really afford to worry about him right now. We need Nicole and Jaron for this,” Jones responded.

“We can split up. You take Zeltrax, I’ll hold off this thing,” Mark offered.

“No,” Jones said with a solid tone, “I’m not having you fight that thing alone. You saw what it did to Zeltrax. We don’t know what it’s capable of. We have to leave Zeltrax alone right now.”

“Based on your stance, you are electing to oppose me by force. I regret that I must kill you both. Let us begin and be done with it,” the Butcher said with a somber tone.

Mark summoned his Tricerashield, while Jones drew his Brachio Staff out of its holster. The Butcher then held its battle axe offensively, and began to charge forward at speeds that belied its size and bulkiness. The ground vibrated with every foot step, and once it closed in, it held its battle axe horizontally out in front of it while holding the handle at the center. The Blue Ranger held his Tricershield defensively, while the Black Ranger assumed a similarly defensive position. The Butcher rammed into the two with his axe; the Black Ranger being struck by the long handle, with the Blue Ranger being knocked away by the broad side of the huge blade. The two were sent flying almost as far as Zeltrax had been; who was now trying to limp away and hide.

Now that the Rangers were separated, the Butcher turned its attention to Mark, and brought the axe upward in order to bring it down upon the Blue Ranger. All Mark could do was block with the Tricerashield, but the blade cut into the Tricerashield and lodged itself within it.

“Impossible!” Mark remarked.

The Butcher didn’t miss a beat, and it yanked its axe out before swinging it about and striking the Tricerashield again. Mark’s weapon was shattered by the axe, and he was sent flying into a pile of rubble. As for the Tricerashield itself, it dissipated into a cloud of energy and returned to the Blue Ranger’s belt. The Black Ranger was now running as quickly as he could toward the Butcher while it had its back turned, and pointed the Brachio Staff at its back before firing bolts of energy from it. The energy bolts struck the Butcher’s shoulder to no effect. There wasn’t even a single collision spark. The Butcher still hadn’t turned around, and remained focused on the Blue Ranger who was trying to get to his feet. Jones jumped into the air with the Brachio Staff at the ready, and he almost reached the Butcher but was knocked away with the Butcher suddenly turned around and smacked him with its large arm. The Black Ranger crashed into the ground clutching his stomach, as Mark drew his Thundermax Blaster and aimed for the Butcher’s head. Before he could even pull the trigger, the Butcher turned back around and grabbed him by his wrist. Due to the size of its hand, his entire arm was being grasped, and the Butcher wasted no time in slamming Mark into the ground and then pinning him down with the bottom of its battle axe’s handle. From here, the Butcher began to press down hard onto the Blue Ranger, who cried out in pain. Zeltrax had managed to make it a decent distance away, before turning around and seeing the Butcher’s handiwork. He was not about to involve himself with this enemy, and knew that it was time to retreat. Jones was now back on his feet and watched with frustration as Zeltrax sluggishly took an Invisiportal out of the area.

“Damn it,” Jones cursed to himself, before turning back around to look at the Butcher.

“We’re not going to survive this thing,” Jones said with resignation.

Far away in Philadelphia, Jaron was walking around in a massive convention center while morphed as the Red Ranger. There were hundreds of people all around dressed up from various television shows and cartoons that Jaron hadn’t even seen before. He noticed that there was an outlet filled with Power Ranger paraphernalia and dozens of fans dressed up in Power Ranger costumes. Upon seeing him, they cheered and waved hello. A person in a pretty accurate Blue Overdrive Ranger costume approached him with a chuckle.

“Nice, man! Your suit is friggin perfect. Where’d you get it?” he asked as other Ranger cosplayers approached him and began to inspect his suit.

“My old uncle made it for me,” Jaron said with a sense of irony.

“Yeah we have to wait in this section until some manager or something checks us out. Something about some crap about making sure we can take our suits off or something,” said someone dressed up as Red Zeo Ranger.

“Yeah it’s something about making sure our suits meet safety regulations. It wasn’t like this two years ago,” remarked a girl dressed up as the Yellow Space Ranger.

“So do we have to go in a certain order or what?” asked Jaron, keen for information.

“Um, not really. They just grab whoever they feel like. Hey, I just noticed that your voice comes in real clear through that helmet. Mind if I take a look at it? Mine’s a piece of crap compared to yours,” said a guy dressed up as the original White Ranger.

Jaron swallowed a lump in his throat. He hadn’t thought about having to remove his helmet. He wasn’t even sure that he could. With clear hesitance, Jaron reached around onto his helmet, and pulled while hoping that something would give. Lucky, the helmet just came off by slightly expanding open. He was safe, and Jaron looked on as the cosplayers removed their own helmets.

The guy in White Tiger Ranger garb then took Jaron’s helmet and began inspecting it.

“Damn, this thing is pretty lightweight. Is it durable?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Jaron answered passively as he spotted a convention attendant walking toward their area from afar.

“Oh dude! You got a Thundermax prop, nice!” said the person dressed as Zeo Red before snatching it out of his holster.

Jaron tried not to freak out while reaching out for it.

“Look that’s not a toy, it’s very delicate!” Jaron pleaded as the Zeo Red cosplayer started aiming it around.

“I just wanna see it for a second, it feels pretty sturdy,” Zeo Red responded.

The cosplayer accidently pressed the large red circle button on the side and it instantly snapped into the Thundermax Saber. The cosplayers all released a collective “Oooh” as they started passing it around.

“This thing is seriously awesome. I think the blade is real. Look it’s sharp! Did you make this?” asked the girl dressed as Yellow Space Ranger while she held it.

“Yeah, it’s real fragile so I need it back,” Jaron tried to say as patiently as possible.

He managed to snatch it back, much to everyone’s disappointment as he returned it to his holster. The convention attendant now had come up to them, and asked Jaron to come with her. The cosplayers gave him back his helmet, and he followed the woman while securing the helmet back on his head. Cautiously following her into a door behind some drapes, the woman gestured for him to walk into a door down the end of a small hallway. The Red Ranger was quick to enter the room, where there was a table with a man who was dressed as a manager with a name tag that said ‘Bob’, but Jaron remembered from the picture that it was the military officer. He motioned for Jaron to sit down, but Jaron had found his mark and thus wasn’t going to waste time. Before the man could even see it coming, Jaron had run up to the man and grabbed him from the scruff of his shirt before pinning him down to the table.

“What is this?” the disguised officer said as he tried to pull Jaron’s hand off to no avail.

“Congratulations, you just netted yourself a real live Power Ranger. Now you’re going to answer some questions. The guy who calls himself Zeltrax is using military grade equipment, how is he getting it?!” Jaron questioned aggressively.

‘Bob’ now had a look of enmity in his eyes, and he calmly stopped trying to resist, knowing full well that he was not going to outmuscle the Red Ranger.

“You’ve just gotten yourself into a lot of trouble, son. I don’t need to answer any questions. As for this ‘Zeltrax’; that’s a matter of national security,” replied ‘Bob’.

“Don’t play with me. I’ll make this real simple: you can’t handle Zeltrax. We are the only ones standing between you and complete annihilation. So he’s our problem. You’ve got information. You know about what happened in Korea. Yeah, that was Zeltrax in that robot. He’s using the SARCOS suits that you guys control so whoever he is was one of you. Whether you like it or not, you guys need us,” Jaron retorted.

“Oh believe me, we don’t need you. We now have developed weaponry you’ve never seen. We can do this ourselves. But if you want to take care of Zeltrax for us, that’s fine. It saves us the trouble. I don’t know who he is. You might want to start checking into a man named Ivan Lauer. He escaped federal prison three months ago and hasn’t been seen since. He was court martialled and was supposed to serve a life sentence. There you go, but doesn’t change anything as far as I’m concerned. Those suits are a matter of national security and before this is all over, you’ll be in a federal prison and that technology is going to be United States property,” ‘Bob’ responded.

“Oh give me a break,” Jaron said with irritation as he drew his Thundermax Blaster and knocked the man on the side of the head with the handle, knocking him out.

Holstering his sidearm, the Red Ranger cracked the door open and peeked out. No one was waiting, so he considered the mission accomplished. It was then that he heard someone knocking on a hidden door to the side of the table in the room where ‘Bob the manager’ had been.

“Power down,” Jaron commanded as his suit broke away from his body and disappeared.

Casually walking down the hallway and taking a side door rather than the main exit, he passed through a storage room that held a bunch of folded chairs and tables. Luckily, there was another door on the other end, and he walked across and went through it. He was now back out on the main floor, and walked as casually as possible around the large convention center. Before he realized it, he was now back in the area where the people dressed in Power Rangers costumes were. The guy in the Blue Overdrive suit recognized his face, and the rest of the cosplayers; almost 20 in all, came walking over to him.

“Hey man, what happened to your suit?” asked the guy wearing Overdrive Blue.

“I had to take it off,” Jaron responded with a laugh.

“That sucks, you had the best suit yet,” a guy wearing a cardboard Predazord suit said.

“Whoa,” the girl wearing Space Yellow sounded as she motioned toward some incoming men wearing very strange suits. There were 3 of them.

They looked like the interior of the human body with black muscles of some sort of fiber, with metal-lined hands with sharp finger tips and faces covered by five circular sensors.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/Zatenks2/Trojan2.jpg

Whatever they were, they were military grade and they were approaching the group of cosplayers. They walked with a fiery stride and people naturally moved out of their way.

“This doesn’t look good,” said a guy dressed as the Green Turbo Ranger.

“Guys, I’m going to need your help,” Jaron said as he tried to stay hidden in the group of cosplayers.

“What’s going on?” said the girl in Space Yellow.

“They’re after me. Can you act as a distraction?” asked Jaron.

The others had no idea what was going on, but they quickly were forced to understand when Jaron’s Dino bracelet turned into a Dino Morpher.

“Holy shit!” said the guy wearing Overdrive Blue.

The Ranger cosplayers made some room for him as they looked on in curiosity and confusion.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!” Jaron yelled as his arms moved in tandem with his words.

His body covered in white light, Jaron’s chest became adorned with the Dino Thunder emblem as he was tossed into a somersault while his suit formed on him. Upon landing, he unfortunately cracked the linoleum floor, before standing up properly and his helmet forming on him. While Jaron had been irresponsible in morphing in public, there were no cameras where they were and the Ranger cosplayers were not going to remember his face.

“It’s the real Red Dino Ranger!” exclaimed a girl wearing the Pink Ranger suit from Lost Galaxy.

The other cosplayers were amazed and shocked, and they all let Jaron step forward as he stood in front of the group of people dressed in Ranger costumes.

“Looking for me? So just who are you guys anyway?” Jaron asked with confidence.

“Step away from the others and power down,” the center man ordered through his suit in an electronic voice distorter.

“I’m not afraid of you,” Jaron snapped back.

“We are TROJAN-2 soldiers. We are far superior to anything you’ve ever dealt with before. If we have to use force, we will,” the lead TROJAN-2 soldier threatened.

The Ranger cosplayers were highly interested in what was happening, as the presence of a real Ranger was about as much as they could handle at the moment.

“We’ll help you!” said the guy wearing Overdrive Blue.

“No,” Jaron said as he held his hand up. “You’ll just get yourselves hurt and in trouble. Let me handle this.”

Jaron then ran toward the TROJAN-2 soldiers, throwing a punch at the center soldier, who amazingly CAUGHT the punch. He then pulled Jaron’s arm back before delivering a kick into his abdomen which sent him skidding back a few feet.

“Okay, I’m impressed,” Jaron remarked.

Drawing his Thundermax Blaster, the Red Ranger opened fire on the TROJAN-2 that had hit him, causing sparks and electric blots to jump out of the left bicep where it struck. The TROJAN-2 suit short circuited and various bolts of electricity fizzed out all over him, before the man fell over. The guy dressed in the Red Zeo suit had a sheepish look under his helmet, realizing that he had been playing with a real weapon earlier.

Other people at the convention began to approach and spectate in confusion. Jaron knew that he couldn’t fight here, and he needed to go now that he had the information he wanted. Finding out what this man Ivan’s connection was to Jones was top priority. Jumping back into the crowd of Ranger cosplayers, Jaron amusedly found himself amidst a group of people wearing the Red Dino Ranger suit.

“We got your back,” said one of them, while the rest chuckled.

The remaining 2 TROJAN-2 suits brushed past the group of Ranger cosplayers at the front and stopped in frustrated confusion at the six duplicate Rangers.

“Which one of you is the genuine article?” asked one of the TROJAN-2s.

All of the Red Dino Rangers held their hands up and tilted their heads with feigned confusion.

“See ya,” Jaron taunted, revealing himself amongst the other Dino Rangers.

Reaching up with his left arm, Jaron disappeared into an Invisiportal much to everyone else’s amazement. The other cosplayers began to clap in approval of the rather entertaining show they had witnessed.

“That was a cool show, I can’t believe you guys planned it just for us!” said the girl in the Space Yellow suit, pretending to be ignorant.

The other cosplayers similarly agreed, and they all pretended that they thought it was just a staged show. Unable to press the matter and in the face of plausible deniability, the TROJAN-2 soldiers retreated to their commander and left the main floor.

Jaron came out on the other side of the Invisiportal back at Jones’ house, and found that no one was there. At that precise moment that he had looked around the living room, someone knocked on the front door.

“Come in!” Jaron yelled as he powered down.

Nicole entered the house carrying her book bag. She had just gotten out of school.

“Hey Jaron, what’s up?” Nicole asked for the sake of conversation.

Their morphers bleeped before Jaron could respond. The strained voice of Jones came through.

“Guys, we seriously need help! Take the Invisiportal network to Indiana. You’ll know where to go,” said Jones before the comm line was cut.

Nicole and Jaron gave each other a knowing look before reaching up and entering an Invisiportal. The two made their way to where Jones and Mark were, and when they came out they saw a massive metallic figure choking both the Black and Blue Ranger side by side by pushing the long handle of its battle axe against their necks.

“Oh my God,” Nicole said in shock.

Jaron used his superspeed and quickly ran up to it, tapping it on the arm.

“Hey, look over here!” Jaron yelled, getting its attention.

The Butcher turned to look at him, but then looked up as Jaron ducked down. Nicole then screamed as loud as she could, with the soundwaves being converted to supersonic energy. Her sonic scream slammed right into the Butcher and enveloped it; continuing straight through and striking the rocky hill beside it which blew away from rocks. The Butcher didn’t budge from its spot, although it did sway a tiny bit in the direction of her sonic scream.

“What the hell are you?” Jaron asked.

“I am the Butcher. Do you too oppose me?” it asked in its booming voice.

“Damn right I do,” Jaron said in a cocky tone.

The Butcher tried to smack Jaron away, but he used his superspeed to dash back next to where Nicole had been standing. The Butcher hit nothing but air. The split second reprieve from the neck pressure allowed Jones and Mark to force themselves out from underneath the axe and back away while coughing.

“Are you ready for this?” asked Jaron.

“Yup,” Nicole replied in an anxious tone, her long blonde hair fluttering in the wind; catching her breath from the sonic scream

“Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!” the two yelled in sync with their arm movements.

Upon pressing the red button on their Dino Morphers, their bodies flew into a somersault in a white colored light while their suits formed. Once landing, their helmets formed and they quickly drew their Thundermax Blasters. The Red and Yellow Ranger fired upon the Butcher which did nothing but fizzle out upon striking its reflective armor. The Black and Blue Ranger ran up to Jaron and Mark, visibly winded and in pain.

“Let’s put them together!” Jaron commanded, summoning his Tyrannostaff in the process.

Mark summoned his Tricerashield again, which was thankfully in one piece, as Nicole summoned her Ptera Grips. Quickly assembling their weapons into the Z-Rex Blaster, the Rangers wasted no time in firing it. The enormous blast of energy ripped through the air straight toward the Butcher and there was no time to avoid it. The Butcher picked its axe off the ground and held it at its side, planting the large handle into the ground. It then held out its left hand, and caught the blast which stopped it dead in its tracks. From there, the Butcher pushed the energy blast off to its left, which struck the hill the Butcher had come from and completely destroyed it. This caused tons of rocks and stones to come rolling down in the aftermath.

“No. Fucking. Way!” Jaron shouted in fearful shock.

“Guys, we have leave now,” Jones ordered.

He didn’t have to tell them twice, and all four Rangers reached for the sky and disappeared into an Invisiportal…

It had been only twenty minutes since the Rangers confronted the Butcher, and they all were sitting down in Jones’ living room in civilian form once again. They all silent, and Jones contemplated deeply.

“We can’t do this,” Jaron finally spoke.

“What are you talking about?” Nicole asked in response.

“We’ve got Zeltrax running amok and trying to find the Case Holder as well, and then there’s this Butcher guy who’s hunting the Case Holder. This has gotten really complicated. I don’t think we can just give the morphers back anymore, not without going through everyone else first,” Jaron explained.

“Jaron, you were only there for five minutes. Arden and I had to hold that thing off. We’re outclassed. Nothing we did even fazed it. How are we supposed to challenge something like that?” Mark argued.

“We’ll figure it out! Stop it! Just stop it! God, you guys always try to find something discouraging every step of the way! We’re still alive aren’t we? It actually took the time to fight us, so that means we can hurt it! And we still have the zords, did you ever think about that?” Nicole scolded the boys.

Jaron and Mark were disarmed by this, and had nothing else to say.

“Jaron, where were you earlier?” Jones finally asked.

“I had to go to Philly. Someone called me on the phone you gave me and gave me a lead,” Jaron answered.

“What?” Jones asked.

“It’s not important. Right now you guys need to know that they came out with new TROJAN suits. I didn’t get a chance to fight them for long, but they’re pretty tough,” Jaron responded.

“Great…” Mark remarked bitterly.

“Arden, does the name Ivan Lauer mean anything to you?” Jaron asked outright.

Jones froze, and locked eyes with Jaron while standing up.

“How do you know that name?” Jones questioned suspiciously.

“I managed to get the name out of a guy who was working behind the scenes at a convention in Philly. I think it might be Zeltrax’s real identity. Who is he?” Jaron presented plainly.

“He was a red herring terrorist operative who was facilitating illegal weapon sale profits into a Taliban slush fund years ago, but it was all classified. I tracked him to Brazil where he was apprehended. Why?” Jones replied.

“Because he escaped from federal prison not too long ago,” Jaron revealed.

All eyes were on Jones, who seemed to lose some of the color in his face just then. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and speed dialed on it.

“Hank?” Jones asked as the other end of the line was answered, “I need you over here right now.”

[Red Evolution Ranger]

Fucking awesome, once again! Lmfao, The Case Holder used the Force. I'm in a bit of a hurry, but let's just say I loved every bit of it (which I did), and leave it at that. Keep it up!

[Kali_WolfChilde]

Good Lord, Virgin Mary, and a grilled cheese sandwich - quoting Larry the Cable Guy from one of his movies - YOU FLIPPING ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[roc da mic]

Dude this is the number one fic i have read since Unholy confessions. you rock!

[dragomuseveni]

to quote zach from white light "awsome, simply awsome!!!"

[Einsider]

nice one dude - like how the case holder's story is becoming more involved! and where do u get these pics from?! they're sweet dude!

[roc da mic]

these pics look like finalfantasy 12

[akamaru13]

.... not really....

[Beckoner]

Hey there everyone. I'm SO sorry for taking so long to put out the next chapter. I had to be out of the town for the 4th of July and had to get a lot done. But no worries, I'm back on track! And guess what, I've brought episode 6 with me! I hope I haven't lost your interest or anything. Thanks to everyone who has waited patiently and enjoys this story.

As for where I get these pictures.....trade secrets! Lol.


World Bender Season 2
Episode 6: Complications


It was a trying time for the Rangers, who had found that they were being faced with quite formidable opponents. Hank later found out that just like with the Case Holder, the Butcher’s presence seemed to throw off the EEG machines in nearby hospitals; which was the only way they knew how to track them.

Nicole had a day off of school due to an in-service while Mark and Jaron spent time with their respective parents. Being that she had nothing else to do, Nicole was at Jones’ house who was spending a lot of time on the phone talking to someone while Hank continuously hammered away at his laptop’s keyboard. Sitting on a much older man’s couch while he ignored you was not Nicole’s idea of fun, as she was simply there in case anything came up. After enough time had passed that Jones was on the phone, Nicole had decided that her time was better spent elsewhere. Abruptly getting to her feet as she approached the front door, Nicole turned her head to face Jones who was pacing about the room while he talked.

“Arden, if it’s all the same to you, I’m going to go home,” Nicole specified.

Jones simply held up his hand and gestured the number “one” as though to tell her to wait a moment to speak. Nicole rolled her and eyes and clasped the door knob before Hank called out to her.

“Hey Nikki, come over here,” Hank said as he referred to her informally.

This got her attention, and Nicole went over to Hank with a shrug.

“What’s up?” asked Nicole.

“I’ve been doing all sorts of research trying to solve our little problems lately, and the only answer in regards to Zeltrax is that we need more power,” Hank explained.

“I don’t get it. We have the Fire Morpher. Isn’t there some way we can use it? The Fire Ranger gave the SPD Rangers all sorts of trouble. And didn’t you say that the Fire Powers have an upgraded boost of power? That would definitely make things a lot easier,” Nicole suggested.

“It’s funny you should mention that,” said Hank with a smile on his face as he brought up a browsing window on his screen, “Even though we can’t bring back the Fire Ranger powers yet, we might be able to use a little boost of our own.”

Hank typed furiously, and brought up some footage of the Dino Thunder television show. It depicted her fictional counterpart gaining wings and spikes protruding from the decals on her suit.

“What is that?” asked Nicole as she watched the television Yellow Dino Ranger take out hordes of enemies on her own.

“That, is the next step in your Dino powers. Didn’t you guys see the episodes?” asked Hank.

“We never watched it that far,” Nicole responded, as her eyes remained transfixed on the screen.

“There aren’t too many Ranger powers that allow for upgrades, making the Dino Powers arguably among the strongest in all of Power Ranger lore. Don’t quote me on that, but that’s the idea I’ve gotten from it. If you could tap into that, you’d reach an entirely different level of strength. And right now, we need everything we can get. You guys haven’t had a lot of time to bond with your Dino Gems. I think you really explore that now,” said Hank.

“So what do I do?” asked Nicole.

“Well, I couldn’t tell you for sure. I think that you really need to find some kind of motivation that will allow you to achieve a closer connection to your Dino Gem. Only you can figure out what that is,” Hank offered.

Nicole took the advice in stride, although she wasn’t quite sure what it would take. She was concerned at the presence of so many opponents. Becoming a Power Ranger was a supremely empowering experience, but to be so outclassed even with such power was very disconcerting. She had resolved then to find a way to access that ability. She wanted to be more useful to the others. It had been Jaron after all who trusted her to be the Yellow Ranger after just meeting her once.

“So what now? Arden has been on that phone for ages now. Do we have any leads about Ivan Lauer?” asked Nicole.

Hank pulled out a tiny notepad and started scribbling something on it before ripping the page out and handing it to her along with a small key.

“That’s the address to a PO box registered in Ivan’s name. He had automatic payments set up to maintain it. I want you to go to his PO box and see if anything has been received,” said Hank.

“Isn’t that a federal offense?” Nicole questioned incredulously.

“That it is. That’s a copy of a postal service master key. It works for any PO box,” said Hank as Nicole tucked it into her pocket.

“Alright, the post office you need to get to is in the D.C. area. Be very careful. Post offices that close to the White House tend to have a little more security to go around. If you absolutely have to, morph,” said Hank.

“Okay,” Nicole affirmed.

Just then, Jones got off his phone and looked to Hank and Nicole. He didn’t look particularly pleased.

“Zeltrax is on the move. I just got word from a contact in Kazakhstan. The Russians have constructed a giant robot of their own in order to catch up with the rest of the world. It’s a first generation model, but based on what I’ve been told, it’s been designed to be superior to both the NATO Bot and better than the first generation Korean model. It was designed in honor of Mikhail Kalashnikov. They call it ‘Kalashnikov’s Throne’. Someone has broken into the facility that constructed it. It’s happening as we speak. It must be Zeltrax. He’s the only one who’s been after a personal giant robot of his own,” Jones explained.

Hank’s face dropped at the news, before standing up out of his seat.

“Arden, if there was ever a time; now would be it,” Hank urged.

“I know, but it hasn’t been perfected. Just be careful. It’ll only last for thirty minutes,” said Jones, before handing Hank the Fire Morpher.

“What’s going on?” asked Nicole.

“It’s only temporary, but some friends of ours have managed to create a temporary line to the morphing grid. Conventional technology can’t support the kind of power it takes to qualify as morphing energy. You got your wish: the Fire Ranger will be helping us today, but the powers won’t last long,” explained Hank, before slipping the morpher into his pocket.

“What friends?” Nicole wanted to know.

“I’ll tell you all about it later Nicole, right now you need to take the Invisiportal to D.C. The rest of us will be headed to Kazakhstan to see if Zeltrax is there,” said Jones.

Hank’s phone then rang, and he was quick to pick it up.

“Hello?” said Hank, as he looked Jones in the eye as a male voice on the other end spoke at length.

After a moment, the call was over and Hank hung up with a look of urgency in his face.

“We’ve got a hospital out in Seattle calling their manufacturers about their EEG machines. Apparently they’re going haywire,” said Hank.

“The Case Holder,” Jones said in a grim tone.

“Or the Butcher,” Hank added.

“Shit. Alright, we’re fine. Nicole, get to D.C. Hank and I will head to Seattle. I’ll have Jaron and Mark go to deal with the Russian problem. Let’s go,” Jones instructed.

Everyone nodded before walking into the living room and reaching up. In a green flash, they all vanished into the Invisiportal.

Nicole popped out in a parking garage in D.C. just behind an SUV. Her eyes swiftly darting around in order to scan her surroundings; making sure no one had seen her. Thankfully, no one had.

Nicole speed walked out of the parking lot as she hastily made her way through the busy streets of the United States’ capitol. Reading from the paper that Hank had given her, she asked random pedestrians to point her in the right direction. It was a tedious walk, but she made the three block trek to the post office which was unlike any post office she had ever seen. It was quite impressive compared to the one she was used to in her home town. There were security guards standing around, along with numerous cameras point in every direction. Keeping her composure, she searched the myriad walls of PO boxes until she found the right number. It was the very last one in a corner, and with her falsified master key, it opened without a problem. Inside was tons of mail. She began to sort through it all, with some of it initially being junk advertisements. After setting it down, she saw a couple of bills which didn’t seem particularly useful. There was one letter however that had been post marked just a week ago. Ivan Lauer posted a bill for hospital fees. He had been under medical care for numerous stitches and reconstructive surgery at a Geisinger hospital in her home state of Pennsylvania.

Tucking the bill into her pocket, Nicole stuffed the rest of the mail back into the PO box and closed it before turning to leave. There were two police officers standing directly behind her. Nicole resisted the urge to flinch, and looked at the two as casually as she could muster.

“Can I help you?” asked Nicole innocently.

“I’m going to ask you to turn around and place your hands against the wall,” said one of the police officers who was bald and a bit older.

“What for?” Nicole questioned.

“This PO box belongs to a wanted fugitive of the United States government. We’ve been instructed to arrest anyone accessing it. Now turn around,” the man responded.

“No. You can’t connect me to whoever owns it. I’m not going anywhere,” said Nicole.

The other police officer, who was busy chewing gum placed his hand on his gun before unbuttoning the piece of leather that strapped it down.

“Don’t make us use force,” the bald cop threatened.

Nicole couldn’t be arrested. She was scared to death and needed a way out. The others were counting on her. The Dino Gem on her wrist flickered with light as Nicole’s mind prepared itself for conflict. Taking in a deep breath, Nicole released a powerful scream that nearly ruptured the police officers’ ear drums as they flew back and smacked into the PO boxes on the opposite wall. She wasted no time in running as fast as she could out of the post office much to the alarm of others. Recovering from the impact, the bald police officer rolled over and took out his radio in order to call for help. Nicole wasn’t a natural athlete, but she knew how to run when she was scared. She needed to make it back to the parking garage as quickly as possible so that she could use the Invisiportal. Before she had even made it to the end of the block, two SUVs came to a screeching halt just in front of her as TROJAN-2 soldiers emerged from them with weapons drawn.

“Hold it right there!” the lead TROJAN-2 shouted.

“Oh my God,” Nicole said as her fright began to take over.

She quickly ducked down and held her arms over her head defensively. The TROJAN-2 soldiers began to approach her with their weapons trained on her. One of the TROJAN-2s noticed the bracelet on her wrist, before being shocked as her Dino morpher suddenly appeared in its place.

“I’ve got something!” the man yelled to the others.

The other TROJAN-2s turned their attention to their comrade, which gave Nicole enough time to press the button on her morpher.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up!” she yelled.

In an instant, Nicole had become the Yellow Ranger. This severely alarmed the TROJAN-2 soldiers, who quickly opened fire with their special machine guns. The bullets struck noticeably hard, but her suit protected her as sparks burst from her chest. Nicole fell back before gracefully springing back to her feet as she summoned her Ptera Grips. Street pedestrians halted and looked on as the Yellow Ranger defended herself against the TROJAN-2s. They were faster than any normal human, and Nicole could see their synthetic, black muscles on their suits flex with every move. They tossed their weapons to the ground in an attempt to engage her in melee combat. While Nicole was the superior combatant, their numbers made up for the difference. The Yellow Ranger managed to dispatch one of them by slashing the TROJAN-2 across the chest which completely severed the suit muscles on the front, terminating his upper body strength. Before she could gain the upper hand however, they all began to rush her and try to restrain her as more TROJAN-2s from the other SUV came out to join the fray. Nicole was now more worried than ever.

Across the world in Kazakhstan, Jaron and Mark had emerged from Invisiportals and were now inside a construction complex that looked worse for the wear. Fallen Russian soldiers lay dead on the ground as the building complex itself had several burn marks. Gunfire from AK-47s could be heard somewhere inside the complex along with screaming and the sound of explosions.

“This has to be Zeltrax,” Mark pointed out.

“Let’s go,” Jaron urged, before the two ran toward a huge building that was toward the rear of the complex.

A troop transport could be seen turned over on its side as flames charred its paintjob at whatever had struck it. A lone survivor sitting up against the engine block with his AK clutched tightly to his chest saw the two boys approaching. Jaron ran up to the man before kneeling in front of him.

“Where?!” Jaron tried to ask.

The soldier didn’t understand, and simply looked at the two with a weathered look in his eyes as his nose bled. All he did was look off to the side before pointing at the smaller building next to the construction building itself.

Jaron and Mark nodded their heads before getting up and running into the smaller building; whose door was knocked off the hinges. It looked like a utility housing warehouse which stored various machines that appeared to serve some purpose. The gunfire could be heard closer now, as the two ran into a large room with a massive wrap-around console on the far side. There were six soldiers firing full spray into the shield of Zeltrax, who was pulling his sword out of the neck of a fallen soldier.

“Zeltrax!” Jaron yelled out.

This got his attention, and he quickly fired a blast of blue lightning at the Russian soldiers, who all had to jump out of the way to avoid being killed.

“Coming to help the Commies are you?” Zeltrax taunted.

The Russians were now reloading their weapons, while simultaneously looking at Jaron and Mark with confusion.

“How pathetic do you have to be in order to slaughter people who can’t defend themselves against you?” Mark spat.

“They chose to get in my way. I don’t need to justify myself to the likes of you. If you’d like to add to the body count, then so be it!” Zeltrax responded with a fiery tone.

“Ready?!” Jaron yelled as he held up his arm so that his morpher could appear.

“Ready!” Mark responded.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up!” the two yelled as their performed their morphing calls.

As soon as they had pressed the button on their morphers, they became the Dino Rangers once again. The Russians were now locked and loaded, and before opening fire on all of them. Sparks burst from all three of their bodies as a result.

“We’re on your side!” Mark yelled in frustration.

“I don’t think they understand you!” Jaron answered as he ran toward Zeltrax.

Mark followed suit, and they attacked Zeltrax with everything they had. The Russian soldiers had no other options except to retreat, which they were quick to do out the very door that Jaron and Mark had arrived in. Zeltrax as always was a fierce opponent, and he defended himself well against the two Rangers, before striking back with vicious kicks that knocked them both into the large console center. Mark’s back hit something, and alarms started going off as the ground began to vibrate from something.

“Thanks for turning on my new toy. Now stay down!” said Zeltrax, before running out of the room and headed in the direction of the largest building in the complex.

“Shit. He’s going for the robot!” Jaron shouted as he helped Mark off the console.

The two ran as fast as they could out the door and toward the main facility. They weren’t fast enough, as Zeltrax had already gotten a head start.

“Let’s break out the hardware!” Jaron suggested.

Mark was quick to respond, and drew his Thundermax Blaster along with Jaron. They were not trained marksmen, thus firing their laser blasts at the same time they were running caused them to miss Zeltrax. Having seen the laser blasts bolt past him, Zeltrax came to an abrupt halt in order to fire a blue lightning burst out of his sword at them. The lightning bolts split off and struck both the Red and Blue Ranger squarely on the chest. They were both knocked back several feet before hitting the ground. That was all Zeltrax needed, as he turned on his heel and ran into the building as the large facility proved to be built in several pieces. The building began to fall apart in a controlled manner to reveal a crouching, green, giant robot with modular armor, on-board weaponry, and a massive gun in a scaffold next to it.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/Zatenks2/KalashnikovsThrone.jpg

By the time Jaron and Mark could get up, Zeltrax had already entered a hatch in the chest and secured it.

“We need the zords, big time,” Jaron said as he caught his breath.

“But Nicole isn’t here!” Mark objected.

“You’re right, but our zords make up almost the entire thing, it should work!” Jaron contested.

“Yeah I know, but her zord makes the helmet and armor; and it still adds power to the megazord!” Mark argued.

“Well we don’t have any other choice do we? It’s the best shot we have!” Jaron shouted back.

“I guess not,” Mark conceded.

Just as the Kalashnikov’s Throne began to stand to its full height, Jaron and Mark summoned the Tyrannozord and Tricerazord respectively. The two zords appeared from seemingly nowhere as the two Rangers leapt into their zords. The Tyrannozord rotated its torso while running and lowering its tail to become an arm as its head fixed itself in the center of the chest. The Tricerazord then attached to the other side in order to form the right arm as the head emerged from the top of the chest which formed an incomplete Thundersaurus Megazord. Possessing no helmet, no chest armor, and lacking the completeness of its total power output, the Thundersaurus Megazord was not in top form. Zeltrax recognized this and brought the giant robot to maximum power output. Grabbing its giant gun from its scaffold, the Kalashnikov’s Throne was in full fighting condition. Aiming its hefty cannon at the Thundersaurus Megazord, the Throne fired a massive shell which struck the megazord right on the chest just to the left of the Tyrannozord’s mouth. The damage could not be avoided, and a wealth of sparks and flame burst from the point of impact as the Red and Blue Ranger shook inside the cockpit.

“If he keeps hitting us like that, I don’t know how long we’re gonna last,” Mark commented.

“He’s in a military robot and we’re in a megazord, we should be able to take this guy no problem!” Jaron replied.

“Yeah we’re in a megazord with no armor and using a portion of its full power!” Mark angrily answered.

“Then let’s press our advantage. Let’s get in close and drill that sucker to death!” Jaron boldly ordered.

The Thundersaurus megazord began to take a step forward, onto one of the buildings in the complex which was crushed under its giant foot. Inside the Throne’s waist compartments were ammunition shells. The Throne reached for a shell in its right compartment with its left hand, but the Thundersaurus Megazord began to charge forward. Inside the cockpit, a confident Zeltrax pulled a lever followed by flipping three switches. On his view screen, several targeting reticles locked onto to locations all over the Thundersaurus Megazord’s body. His hand firmly holding a joystick, Zeltrax squeezed the trigger enthusiastically. From yellow-painted cannons embedded in the front of the Throne’s torso, high speed shots in rapid succession were fired at the Thundersaurus Megazord’s joints and head. This stopped the Rangers dead in their tracks, as the megazord visibly recoiled from the attack. Zeltrax capitalized on the opportunity, and began firing much more powerful shells out of dual-barrel compartments in the shoulders which struck the megazord everywhere to a devastating chorus of explosions.

This time, the Thundersaurus Megazord fell down and crashed onto the facility.

“This is not looking good,” Jaron spat in irritation.

In the United States, Hank was surveying the area nearby Seattle’s Ballard Community Hospital. Service technicians were leaving the building looking confounded. Hank straightened his glasses as he approached the east side of the building where the outdoor parking lot was. Jones on the other hand, was using his power of invisibility and was purposely outputting a lot of excess energy from his Dino Gem in order to possibly draw the Case Holder’s attention. Jones almost aggressively responded to a man that bumped into him, but realized that he couldn’t be seen. The man that he had bumped into him looked very confused but continued walking. Suddenly a familiar presence could be felt, and Jones stopped on the sidewalk across the street from the hospital on the west north end not far from where Hank was. Turning around expectantly, Jones saw the Case Holder standing there panting. Whatever he had been doing had apparently tired him, and the sky began to darken as rain clouds began to set in. It had been previously clear so the sudden change in weather caused Hank to look up. No rain drops had fallen, although thunder could be heard in the distance.

“Case Holder!” Jones snarled.

“Arden Jones. Your persistence, while admirable, is unfit for the situation at hand. I have not changed my position regarding the return of those morphers. The world at large will benefit from their existence,” the Case Holder responded, somehow clearly able to see through Jones’ invisibility.

Deciding to drop the invisibility since the Case Holder was seemingly unaffected by it, Jones ceased the exertion of his Dino Gem.

“What’s going on? This has to stop. I need to know who or what you are. I need to know where these morphers came from and what the fuck that Butcher thing is,” Jones angrily ranted.

“You were not chosen to be involved in this Arden. You inserted yourself from the outside in. I regret that I cannot provide you with the answers you seek, but you must stop looking for me. The time is not right. You endanger yourself every time we encounter one another,” the Case Holder answered.

“In danger by whom; the Butcher?” Jones asked aggressively.

“That is correct. As long as I must contend with the Butcher, you and the Power Rangers must stay away from me,” the Case Holder warned.

“Then we’ll take care of the Butcher; problem solved,” Jones replied emphatically.

“I’m afraid I must protest. The Butcher cannot be stopped by your powers alone. I must leave now. I would ask you to flee as quickly as is reasonably possible, for he is already here,” the Case Holder answered darkly.

The Case Holder looked up and disappeared into an Invisiportal, and Jones cursed in frustration. Hank was making his way through the parking lot when he heard a massive thump behind him. The sound of metal being crushed nearly made his ears hurt, and he turned to see the Butcher standing on the remains of a blue Prius with his large axe in his hand. He slowly approached with its single eye looking around.

“Do not be alarmed, you shall forget my appearance the moment I leave,” the Butcher said in its mighty voice.

Hank knew what he was looking at, and an intense fear swept over his senses as the hulking figure approached. Although he was nearly petrified, Hank managed to draw the Fire Morpher from his pocket.

“God I hope this works,” Hank said to himself as he straightened his glasses.

“Emergency, Fire Ranger!” Hank yelled at the top of his lungs as he held his arm out and pressed the button on the morpher.

Tendrils of energy burst from the Fire Morpher and enveloped Hank’s body, forming a wire frame grid around him. With a bright flash, the Fire Ranger’s suit appeared on his body, before his helmet assembled itself on his head while exposing his eyes. For the final part of the transformation, the visor slid down and completed the helmet. Assuming an offensive stance, Hank stood his ground as the Fire Ranger. He was amazed at the feeling. He felt in top physical form. Passively, he knew that he could lift a truck if he wanted, and he enjoyed the surge of energy that the morphing process provided.

“I can’t let you go after the Case Holder,” Hank said in an emboldened voice.

“You oppose me?” the Butcher asked as it brought its axe to the ready, “Then I must eliminate your presence.”

Before either of them made a move; gunshots could be heard somewhere close by. Hank looked behind himself and saw Jones running up to him with a pistol aimed at the Butcher. The bullets harmlessly bounced off with tiny friction sparks which did nothing to the Butcher.

“Sorry I’m late. New plan: we have to get rid of this guy permanently,” Jones revealed.

“Alright. Let’s get a move on, because I can’t stay like this for long,” Hank warned.

Jones didn’t waste any further time, and his Brachio Morpher appeared on his wrist as the key appeared in his right hand. Performing his usual hand choreography, Jones began to assume his own Ranger form.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up!” Jones yelled as he inserted the key into his Brachio Morpher and turned it.

Raising his fist as his body was enveloped by a suit of white light, before being thrust into a backward somersault while the suit formed on his body. As usual, when he landed on the pavement, it cracked beneath his feet. His helmet quickly formed on his head once he stood up straight, becoming the Black Brachio Ranger. Standing alongside the Fire Ranger the Butcher took the time to scope out its two opponents.

Jones drew his Brachio Staff while Hank drew both Delta Magnums before turning them both into the Magnum Sabers. The Butcher started to charge the two Rangers with its axe held forward. The fact that there were three rows of cars between the two was irrelevant as the Butcher used its right hand to manhandle any vehicular obstacle off to the side. Jones flinched as the first car was tossed aside like a Tonka truck before bracing himself to bear witness to a subcompact being pushed over on its side. Now it was just one car away, and the Butcher came up to the Jeep Wrangler that was in front of the two Rangers before pushing it forward in order to flip it on top of them. Both Hank and Jones rolled aside. The Butcher was too quick, and it tried to backhand the Fire Ranger. Holding both Magnum Sabers in front of his body like prison bars, he blocked the Butcher’s blow. As the sharp and magnificently durable blades contacted the top of the Butcher’s huge hand, friction sparks came out while the metal of the blasts slid over the metal on the Butcher’s hand. It took a remarkable amount of strength to keep his arms steady throughout the blow, although the sheer force of it still sent the Fire Ranger tumbling through the air like he weighed nothing.

Hank cried out as he flew through the air, before crashing into the windshield of a station wagon. The Black Ranger decided to be aggressive despite the fear of facing such a powerful opponent. Sending the tip of his Brachio Staff toward the Butcher’s midsection, Jones’ brazen maneuver was rewarded with pain. The handle of his axe was far longer than Jones’ arm length and Brachio Staff combined, and the bottom of it was sent forcefully into his stomach and he flew into the side of a motorcycle and knocked it down as he became tangled with it. The Fire Ranger was already back up, and leapt onto the Butcher’s back atop the metal construction that held the mantle of its cape. Alarmed by this, the Butcher tried to reach up and remove him, but he could not bring his arm around properly. Slamming the Magnum Sabers onto its back with as much force as he could, the sound of metal clanging against metal filled the air as Hank tried to injure the Butcher in some manner.

“Brachio Staff!” Jones yelled as he got to his feet and drew a circle, “ENERGY ORB!”

Launching the ball of energy at the Butcher, Hank jumped safely away as the Energy Orb crashed into the Butcher’s body and exploded. The force of the blast rocked the surrounding vehicles as a circle of flames formed around where the Butcher had been standing. The Black Ranger cautiously approached the cloud of smoke and flames with his Brachio Staff at the ready as did the Fire Ranger. From within the plumes of smoke emerged the Butcher’s outstretched arm, which grabbed Jones by his neck before tossing him into another car and severely ruining its door. The smoke cleared quickly and the Butcher remained unharmed. Hank knew of the Fire Ranger’s special techniques, but was concerned that performing any of them would drain the rest of his limited morphing energy. He was limited to any technique that he could normally perform, and Hank groaned in frustration. Turning his Magnum Sabers back into the Delta Magnum, the Fire Ranger let loose with as many laser blasts as he could within the time it took him to repeatedly pull the trigger.

The blasts struck the Butcher on various parts of his body and exploded on impact, seemingly disturbing the Butcher and drawing its attention.

“Oh shit,” Hank muttered as the Butcher charged through the torrent of laser blasts toward him.

In Washington D.C. Nicole fought with all of her ability trying to fend off the TROJAN-2s who were proving to be tougher than she would have ever thought. There were simply too many of them. Although she managed to take out three TROJAN-2s, they were wearing her down and she was getting tired. Pedestrians had been evacuated from the area to allow the TROJAN-2s more room to use any methods they had at their disposal. The Yellow Ranger was now surrounded by 10 TROJAN-2 soldiers wielding their diamond blades, and assaulting her ferociously. Sparks burst from almost every part of the suit as she was struck. She simply could not fight them all off, and she dropped her Ptera Grips before falling to the ground. A TROJAN-2 then kneeled on her back to pin her down and tried to restrain her wrists as another TROJAN-2 brought a special handcuff bracket to secure her arms. Nicole screamed in resistance and frustration as she tried to move to no avail.

Nicole needed to help the others. They trusted her. She was a Ranger; she couldn’t allow this to happen. She needed to win. She needed to use all the power she had. She needed to tap into her Dino Gem. Nicole felt a churning in her gut. She could feel her Dino Gem’s power better than she ever had. She focused on that feeling. She thought about her determination to survive this. She felt a torrent of power waiting on the other side of a wall that she seemed to have no control over. She needed to penetrate that block and let her Ranger powers take the next step. Her morpher was telling her how. All she needed was to say a few words to let it loose. They were on the tip of her tongue, she just needed to say them and the wall blocking her ability would be knocked down.

“Super Dino Mode!” Nicole screamed.

The TROJAN-2s pinning her down were thrown off of her body from her raw Dino energy as the white decals on her suit began to gain spikes that protruded directly from them. A thin membrane acting as wings also connected her arms to her sides. The TROJAN-2s stood back in confusion and astonishment as the Yellow Ranger quickly picked up her Ptera Grips and assumed a fighting stance. She felt a greater rush now than she did the first time she morphed. She felt incredible. That power bred confidence.

“Care to try that again?” Nicole said in a taunting voice.

The TROJAN-2s did what they were ordered to do and charged her with their diamond blades. He tried to slash her at the neck, but the Yellow Ranger easily ducked under it and slashed across his waist with a Ptera Grip. It severed the artificial muscle connecting his abdomen together which completely caused the torso portion of his suit to tear under its own effort.

“Next?” Nicole said arrogantly.

This seemed to galvanize the remaining TROJAN-2s, and they all tried to engage her simultaneously. Nicole smiled underneath her helmet and jumped up as high as she could. Spreading her arms, and by extension her ‘wings’, Nicole became airborne and realized what the fin like protrusion on her helmet was for: guiding her flight. Taking a nose dive straight back down and leveling out to enter what appeared to be a strafing run. Nicole had no need for her ranged weapons, and she zipped past the group of TROJAN-2s with her Ptera Grips in hand, effectively cutting through the lot of them and completely disabling them. After passing them, Nicole pulled her arms up and landed on her legs in the crouched position. When the Yellow Ranger turned around she noticed that the TROJAN-2 suits had short circuited and they all fell down.

“Thanks for playing boys!” Nicole shouted before running away at top speed.

She made her way back to the parking garage and found the Invisiportal before reaching up and disappearing into it. Her friends were not fairing nearly as well. In Kazakhstan, the Throne was reloading its giant gun as the Thundersaurus Megazord ran close to it before slamming its right arm into it. Upon coming into contact with the Tricerazord’s head, the Throne was forced to stabilize itself before launching another volley of its weaponry that was inside its shoulders. Unable to withstand the attack, the megazord was forced to back away and try to shield itself with its arms. Zeltrax was becoming increasingly secure in his victory, and began to prepare the firing sequence for its main gun.

“The time of the Power Rangers has ended, now die!” Zeltrax yelled to himself.

The Throne lifted its gun and aimed straight at the Thundersaurus Megazord. Steam began to jet from the side of the massive barrel as it prepared to launch another devastating shell, before the Pterazord came ripping through the sky and flew past the Throne. It had moved so quickly as it passed that one of its wings sliced the barrel off.

“Nicole!” Mark cheered.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t get here sooner!” Nicole responded through her zord, which the others heard.

Zeltrax cursed himself and punched the control console inside the Throne as he tried to fire the gun, which wouldn’t as a safeguard. The Pterazord then split into two pieces, before zipping to the Thundersaurus Megazord and forming the helmet and chest armor. Now complete, the megazord was at full strength once more. Nicole joined the others inside the cockpit, having dropped out of Super Dino Mode on the way over.

“It’s good to see ya,” Jaron declared warmly.

“Looks like you boys were getting your asses kicked without me. Ugh, boys,” Nicole muttered playfully.

“Well, since you’re here, let’s finish this,” Jaron said enthusiastically.

All three Rangers then turned their attention to Zeltrax inside the Throne.

“If he doesn’t want us getting close to him in that robot, then we’ll just have to finish him from here. Pterarang!” Jaron said mischievously.

The Thundersaurus Megazord using its right arm then clasped the part of the Pterazord that was serving as the chest armor and removed it. It then began to shine a bright gold color as the megazord then threw it in the manner of a boomerang straight at the Throne. Zeltrax saw it coming, and knew that the Throne was not equipped to handle the attack.

“Goddammit!” Zeltrax yelled in frustration as he cut his way out of the cockpit and jumped safely away.

The Pterarang effortlessly cut through the Throne and severed the chest portion into two, rendering it useless as the system shut down and allowing it to topple over. The Pterarang returned to the Thundersaurus Megazord and took its place as the armor once again.

“Damn, he got away again,” Mark lamented.

“Yeah he got away, but we stopped him from stealing that thing. He’s a lot less dangerous on the ground than in a robot,” Jaron answered.

“And we’re one step closer to finding out who he is,” Nicole added.

As the megazord powered down, another battle was occurring in Seattle and it was not in the Rangers’ favor. The Black Ranger was running through the parking lot weaving through cars as the Butcher followed behind him simply tossing the cars aside. The Fire Ranger was running toward the Black Ranger with his Delta Magnums ready as fast as he could. Just before the two Rangers collided with each other, the Fire Ranger jumped straight up as the Black Ranger provided an additional boost by pushing his feet upward and he passed overhead. Aiming both Delta Magnums, the Fire Ranger let loose with another volley of laser fire. The Black Ranger then turned around himself and aimed his Brachio Staff straight at the Butcher and fired an energy blast straight from the tip of it. Every blast hit their marks, but the Butcher stood there with little reaction as they exploded on impact. As the Fire Ranger flew over the Butcher, he kicked off of its head in order to flip himself upside down and fire straight down onto the opening around the Butcher’s head. This time it seemed to bother him, and he groaned a bit while stumbling forward.

Jones decided to use this opening, and ran toward the Butcher in order to attempt to impale it with his Brachio Staff just as Hank landed on the ground behind it. The Fire Ranger converted his Delta Magnums into the Magnum Sabers as the Black Ranger closed in. Both Rangers sent the tips of their weapons toward the Butcher’s midsection. The Butcher made some sort of strained noise similar to an irritated growl, and it slammed the bottom of its axe handle into the ground. A transparent, green dome of energy expanded from the point where the handle touched the asphalt and grew in size until it formed a dome shield around the Butcher, which knocked both the Fire and Black Ranger away upon contact. The Black Ranger flew through the side window of a car and ended up in the backseat while the Fire Ranger hit the ground and dropped his Magnum Sabers.

“Alright, that one hurt,” Jones mused as he kicked the back door open and got out of the car.

Hank punched the ground, accidentally sending his fist through it.

“That’s it,” Hank said as he balled his fist in anger.

Picking up both Magnum Sabers with hostile intensity, the Fire Ranger connected the Magnum Saber handles from the bottom so they clicked and locked into place. A tiny compartment then slid open to reveal a red button. Hank needed to end this. There were risks, but he had to try. Pressing and holding the button down, Hank yelled out loudly.

“Fire Mode!” Hank yelled.

A high pitched whirring sound came forth from the Fire Ranger’s entire body, but then the suit suddenly vanished as he powered down involuntarily. The Fire Morpher then fizzed as tiny sparks came from it. Hank already knew that he couldn’t morph again.

“What the hell did you do?” Jones yelled over to Hank.

“I fried my morphing energy trying to use Fire Mode!” Hank answered.

“Why would you do that? You only had enough morphing energy for 30 minutes as it was!” Jones protested.

“I needed to finish this fight!” Hank yelled back.

The Butcher adjusted the angle of its axe and lifted it high before turning its attention to Hank. Defenseless and unable to avoid it; Hank’s facial expression turned to one of fear as the Butcher prepared to cleave him in two. Jones knew that he couldn’t let Hank die, and he sprung to action as he jumped as hard he could over the Butcher as it swung the axe down. The Black Ranger kicked the side of the axe with all of his strength and managed to misdirect it. The blade sunk into the ground and split the asphalt as tiny clumps of concrete flew in all directions. The Black Ranger landed harmlessly on top of a car next to where the axe hit, but he was rewarded with a strong punch in the chest from the Butcher. Jones had fallen next to where Hank was, and Hank ran over to help him up.

“This isn’t working out Arden,” Hank said in a winded voice.

“Your time is over, now please perish peacefully,” the Butcher said as it yanked its axe out of the ground.

The Black Ranger shielded Hank and stood defiantly in the way, resigned to whatever followed. Suddenly then, a large blast of energy from their left struck the Butcher’s side before resulting in an explosion easily as dangerous as one from Jones’ Energy Orb. Since he did not see it coming, the Butcher didn’t block it and suffered the full damage. Covered in thick plumes of black smoke, the Butcher’s form was obscured from view. It was Jaron, Mark, and Nicole. Morphed and holding their combined weapon, they had obviously fired the Z-Rex Blaster at the Butcher. The three ran over to the Black Ranger and Hank, who were quite relieved to have the help.

“You guys are almost too late,” Jones remarked.

“We’re here now,” said Jaron before turning to the Butcher.

“I don’t think that finished him,” Mark commented.

“What’s Hank doing here?” asked Nicole.

“I got to play Mr. Fire Ranger for a bit. It was only temporary. I can’t fight with the rest of you guys,” said Hank, before straightening his glasses which had nearly fallen off.

“Take cover Hank. We four will handle him,” said Jones as the Butcher slowly walked out of the smoke.

“I was hoping you’d say that. Let’s do this,” said Jaron as he summoned his Tyranno Staff.

Mark and Nicole summoned the Tricerashield and Ptera Grips respectively.

“Super Dino Mode!” Nicole screamed as her white decals grew into spikes and wings formed under her arms.

Jaron and Mark stepped away in shock at the sudden change in the Yellow Ranger, who stood in a very confident stance as she looked straight at the Butcher.

“Nicole? How did you-” Mark began to say.

“No time for that. Let’s put this guy away! Grab onto my legs!” Nicole interrupted.

Jaron and Mark obeyed, and crouched down to hold onto the leg closest to them. With a strong jump, the Yellow Ranger launched herself into flight with the Red and Blue Ranger being held up by her legs. The Butcher then held its axe defensively, preparing for what was to come.

“Now!” Nicole yelled as they closed in just above the Butcher.

Jaron and Mark let go of Nicole’s legs, dropping down just in front of the Butcher between himself and his axe. The Red Ranger sent a powerful jab with his Tyrannostaff straight into the Butcher’s midsection, which had little effect. The Blue Ranger performed the same maneuver with his Tricerashield and it seemed to stun the Butcher for a moment. The Yellow Ranger then came down and forced both Ptera Grips at the Butcher’s head, resulting in a successful hit which disoriented the Butcher enough to make it take a single step back. The other Rangers then cleared out of the way as the Black Ranger fired his Energy Orb at the Butcher. The explosion enveloped the Butcher and actually seemed to disturb it somewhat. Jones then ran up to the others and they all quickly assembled the Z-Rex Blaster except with the Brachio Staff added. Wasting no time, the Power Rangers shoved it straight against the Butcher’s stomach area, and fired. With the added boost of power due to the Brachio Staff, the blast carried the Butcher away and slammed him through three cars before it finally exploded.

The Rangers kept a watchful eye as the Butcher emerged from the remains of the car he had hit before the explosion. While parts of his body were in flames, the Butcher appeared unharmed but shaken.

“This is not a fight that we can win here,” said Jones.

The Butcher picked its axe off the ground and began to walk toward them, but then it abruptly stopped and looked up. The others looked on with confusion, before the Butcher then looked back at the Rangers before turning around.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Jaron yelled after it.

“My priorities are not with you,” the Butcher said simply, before suddenly imploding into itself until it formed a solid ball of metal.

The metal ball then quickly flew off and disappeared beyond the clouds.

“That was crazy,” said Mark.

“Come on guys, fire trucks and police cars are on their way,” said Jones.

Hank held onto the Black Ranger’s shoulder pad; who looked up and got pulled into an Invisiportal along with the other Rangers. It took them some time to regroup mentally so that they could inform each other of what had happened.

“We stopped Zeltrax from getting his hands on a robot, but I’m not sure how we’re going to track him now that he’s disappeared again,” said Mark.

“So what happened with you Nicole?” asked Jaron.

“I sent her to D.C.” Hank answered for her.

“I got this. It’s a medical bill addressed to Ivan Lauer. Apparently, he had been to hospital recently so that might help us somehow,” Nicole explained.

“Our focus isn’t going to be Zeltrax anymore,” said Jones.

“Why not?” asked Mark.

“I spoke to the Case Holder. If he’s going to even listen to us, we’re going to have to take out the Butcher. Apparently he’s on the run and as long as he’s evading that thing, there’s not much he’s going to do for us,” Jones explained.

“It’s going to take more than just the four of us to take that beast out,” Mark replied.

“Well now that Nicole has that crazy Super Dino Mode, we’re going to be doing a lot better now,” Jaron answered optimistically.

Nicole smiled.

“It’ll take a lot more than that. We all need to be getting better at this if we’re going to take that thing down. I’ve got some friends. I’ll be calling in a few favors. We might possibly be able to repair the Fire Morpher again. With Hank as the Fire Ranger, it would go a long way,” Jones cut in.

“Well then; let’s get to work. I don’t know about you, but I’m really starting to feel good about this group. We know we can hurt the Butcher, we just need a little more ‘oomph’. I think we need to start thinking about the Drago Morpher,” Jaron suggested.

“Who do we know that can take it?” asked Mark.

“We don’t. We’ll have to start screening people. It can’t be given to just anyone,” Jones interjected.

“Well then, let’s get started!” Jaron said loudly.

Everyone else looked to Jaron with a smirk, as the White Dino Gem inside the case in Jones’ room flickered with light.

[Kali_WolfChilde]

HALLEJUAH (sp?), you're back! i though something had happened 2 u. i JUST finished reading the latest ep, and i gotta say, as always...... YOU TOTALLY ROCK!!!!!!!! I was glued 2 my seat *ouch, lol!* while i read the entire thing. AMAZING work, Beckoner. AMAZING. KIU!

[dragomuseveni]

duuuuuuuddddeeeee im so glad ur back....i was sad when world bender left page one lol

[Einsider]

sweet and awesome as usual Beckoner! Your characters are amazing! i thought season 1 would be hard to beat but that last chapter was so cool! i can just imagine hank thinking "oh shit" as he demorphs in front of the butcher! awesome character dude! KIU!

[Beckoner]

Thank you so much for everyone's support and patience. I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. It seems I haven't lost my touch yet! You know, you guys waited so long for episode 6, I think I ought to surprise you with EPISODE 7! Normally I put out about one episode a week, but I think I can make some exceptions. If I'm lucky, I'll keep putting them out a little quicker.

Enjoy episode 7!


World Bender Season 2
Episode 7: Finding The Will


Hank tinkered with the Fire Morpher, having opened it and shoving a screwdriver into its innards. Jones spent countless hours on his phone, and Nicole went about the business of living a double life as a student and Power Ranger. Jaron and Mark on the other hand, both spent their time remaining solitary with their single parents. Jaron was more bothered by this than anyone. It felt like the only thing holding everyone was together was the fact that they were the Power Rangers. He hadn’t really hung out with Nicole much, and Mark was rather distant despite the fact that they used to be best friends. Things just didn’t seem right.

“Jaron!” Jaron’s mother yelled up the stairs.

Jaron, who had been staring out of his window, quickly got up and made his way downstairs to greet his mother who was on her way out to the office.

“Babe, I know you and your friends like to have a good time, but I really need you home early tonight. If you can be back by 9 o’clock that’d be great. I want us to have dinner together tonight. We haven’t sat down for a family dinner since…” she trailed off.

“I know. I’ll be around,” said Jaron with a slight smile.

Jaron’s mom gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before pulling her keys out of her purse and heading out the door. It was early in the morning, and Jaron wasn’t quite sure what to do. His thoughts turned to Nicole and her ability to use Super Dino Mode. With it, she was stronger than both himself and Mark. He was very anxious to figure out how to access it, for it would be a great boon against both the Butcher and Zeltrax. If Nicole could do it, then so could he. The only way to get stronger was to hone your skills and increase your strength, so perhaps some training was in order. Perhaps that would push him to the next tier? Looking out of the window to see his mother driving away, Jaron then went across the street and knocked on Mark’s front door. His father was already at work, so Jaron had to knock quite loudly for a good while. When the door was finally opened, a very tired Mark answered. His hair was very nappy and compressed on one side which indicated was side of his head was on the pillow.

“Dude,” Mark said in a very groggy voice, “It’s like…early. What do you want?”

“I was thinking maybe we could spar a little bit,” Jaron hesitated, “Morphed.”

This seemed to wake Mark up, as his eyes widened a little.

“You want us to fight in Ranger form? Why?” Mark inquired.

“I was thinking: Nicole reached Super Dino Mode. Why haven’t we? If we fought, maybe we could push each other to achieve it. Then we can take the Butcher no problem,” Jaron explained optimistically.

Mark had a resistant look on his face, although his fatigue made it look a little silly as he shielded his eyes from the sun.

“Whatever man. I’ll do it, but don’t come banging on the door at frikkin 9 in the morning. I’m tired as hell,” Mark answered.

Jaron laughed before patting Mark on the shoulder.

“Don’t be a little bitch; come on man we gotta make it to the park before anyone else gets there. Plenty of space,” said Jaron as he clapped his hands together.

“Yeah yeah,” Mark muttered as he walked away.

It took Mark a good while to get dressed, as he moved very slowly in his lethargic state, but by the time he was dressed Jaron had already started his car and was in Mark’s driveway. Mark just shook his head before getting in as the two drove to the local city park. As expected, no one had yet come to the park. Jaron and Mark both got out of the car before walking over to the basketball court. Both Jaron and Mark instinctively took a look around to see if anyone was around before allowing their Dino bracelets to turn into the Dino Morphers.

“Let’s get this over with,” said Mark as he pressed the lever on the Triceramorpher which opened the mouth and caused the eye to flash green.

“I’ll take it easy on ya,” Jaron said with a chuckle as he followed suit.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!” the two yelled in unison as they carried out the proper arm movements.

Both pressed the button on their morphers simultaneously, and in a brief flash of light the two were turned in Power Rangers. Both quickly assumed their personal fighting stances; Jaron’s being clearly influenced by his Tai Kwan Do background and Mark’s being more akin to street fighting. Jaron let out a kiai as he ran toward Mark, before sending a flurry of fists toward him. The Blue Ranger blocked the Red Ranger’s attacks to the best of his ability, before stepping into him and driving an elbow toward his chest. The Red Ranger saw the move coming and blocking the elbow along with clamping his entire arm down with his own elbows. Lodging his foot behind the Blue Ranger, the Red Ranger simply pushed him down to the ground. Mark slowly got to his feet.

“Come on man, you gotta really come at me,” Jaron complained.

Mark didn’t say anything, and responded with attacks of his own. The Red Ranger dodged what he could, and blocked the rest, before finally seeing a well placed right hook on its way. Jaron caught the punch with one hand, and then grabbed Mark’s triceps with the other, and then hoisted him over his head and threw him onto the ground.

The force of impact caused the concrete to crack a bit. Jaron let out an exasperated sigh as he helped Mark up.

“Come on man, you gotta take this seriously. You’re half-assing it. What’s the deal?” Jaron criticized.

“Nothing. I just haven’t hit my stride,” Mark responded in a dismissive tone.

Jaron then took this opportunity to bring up something that had been bothering him for some time.

“Mark, don’t bullshit me. Back in the day you’d not only kick my ass but any other idiots who got on your bad side…at the same time. You’ve been like this ever since we got back into contact. All of a sudden you’ve got this pacifistic bullshit as an excuse to hardly try when its time to fight. What is with you?” Jaron asked aggressively.

“Don’t start getting in my face Jaron! I’ve been fighting alongside you guys ever since this little circus of spandex started. What the hell do you think I’ve been doing this entire time?!” Mark came back with similar aggression.

“You’ve been dragging ass, that’s what! I’ve seen you fight. You go through the motions but there’s no follow through. No passion. We’re fighting to save lives and it looks like you’re just going through rehearsed punches and kicks. Do you even care?” Jaron snapped back.

“You don’t even know what you’re talking about. You don’t know what I’ve been through or what’s in my head,” Mark said in a barely restrained tone of anger.

“Well maybe if you told me I’d know what was going on! Instead of being straight about what’s going on with you, you avoid every question. Grow some balls! Since when were you such a pussy? What happened to the Mark I knew years ago?” Jaron asked fiercely.

“Don’t you dare go there. I’m not the same person anymore Jaron! I never was! You should know better than anyone ever since my mom died!” Mark shouted.

“Oh for God’s sake Mark! Don’t try to pin this on your mom. She had been dead for a year when I met you and you said you were coming to terms with it. It’s been ten years Mark; since when was it a problem all of a sudden? What does it have to do with you holding back all the time>! Take that Sergio kid for example: he gets all obnoxious and you back down!” Jaron shouted back.

“Shut your goddamn mouth about my mother!” Mark yelled as he walked up to Jaron and pushed him before suddenly realizing what he did and taking a step back. “You don’t know shit! You don’t know what it’s like to lose a parent; you with your perfect little family-”

Jaron then punched Mark right in the chest, causing sparks to burst from the decal on his suit. Mark flew back a few good feet before landing on his back. Jaron felt no remorse at all.

“You shut your goddamn mouth! My family isn’t perfect. If you took the time to step outside your little bubble, you’d know that my dad died last year when the first Fire Ranger attacked China. He was on a business trip like always and died in a building that got blown up. I have to take care of my mom and deal with the fact that now I really don’t have a dad!” Jaron screamed as his voice trembled slightly.

Mark got to his feet slowly.

“I’m sorry about your dad; I didn’t know-” Mark started to say.

“No shit you didn’t know! You haven’t been around even since you moved here. You don’t see me acting like a pussy just because I lost a parent too! Boo hoo your mother died. At least you lost your mother knowing she gave a damn!” Jaron rebutted.

“Don’t go talking shit about my mom like it’s supposed to be easy for me! And since when is your life my responsibility? I’ve got my own shit to deal with!” Mark bellowed loudly.

“You know what? Forget this. Fuck you Mark! Fuck you and your emo bullshit!” Jaron spat.

Mark just waved his hand dismissively at Jaron before turning around and walking out of the park.

“Yeah, walk away! That’s how you do things Mark; you just back down all the time! Come back when you learn how to be a man!” Jaron shouted after him.

Mark kept going in a huff, paying no mind to anyone that would notice him. Jaron then powered down with an angry look and tears streaming down his face. Mark completely forgot he was in Blue Ranger form as he kept going before disappearing around the corner.

In an office building perched in the center of business in the Wyoming Valley of Northeast Pennsylvania, Jones sat in a lavish chair in front of a mahogany desk speaking to someone of high stature. The office itself was at least 10 stories up, and a large window displayed a magnificent view behind the desk.

“It’s going to take a lot of expense to come up with an alternative power source,” a youthful male said as he sat back in his own chair.

“Is the government going to need to inspect it when it’s done? No corporation has ever before utilized its own proprietary power plant,” Jones answered.

“Let me worry about that, Arden. We have a lot of influence now, and we are closing deals that are getting us entrenched in Washington now. Once the new President takes office after the elections, we’ll have a solid foothold in political affairs. They need us at this point,” the young man responded.

“I don’t want to ask for something like this, but would you mind expanding your plans a bit?” Jones asked as he tidied up his shirt.

“Arden, we’ve known each other for a while now. You’re every much a part of this as I am. Whatever you need; whether it’s a new identity or a new car, let me know,” the man answered warmly.

“That replacement supply? I think you should increase its capacity; more than what we need,” Jones said with a gleam in his eye.

“By how much exactly? I need to be able to calculate the costs involved,” the man questioned.

“By orders of magnitude,” Jones said with a serious demeanor.

The young man smiled mischievously.

“I’ll get right on it,” the man said in return.

Nicole was arriving at Jones’ house with her bag pack slung over her shoulder and rang the doorbell once. When there was no answer, she rang it again. This time, Hank opened the door.

“Hank? What are you doing here by yourself?” asked Nicole.

Hank straightened his glasses.

“Jones had to go to some meeting. I’ve been following leads based on the information you got from the post office.

Nicole entered the house and closed the door as Hank led her over to his laptop.

“Have you found anything?” Nicole asked.

“Get this: Ivan Lauer went to the hospital just a few weeks after he had broken out of prison. A nurse reported overhearing him talking to himself about how he had an old score to settle,” Hank explained.

“Arden,” Nicole concluded.

“Exactly. He checks into the hospital as a John Doe for a gunshot wound he received while escaping. Once he’s treated, he leaves the hospital without filling out any paper work. Then; he pops up three weeks later at a gun shop and uses his old girlfriend’s credit card to buy a handgun. On that same credit card, he rents a car. Two days later, it pops up totaled on highway 81 at the Maryland/Pennsylvania border. He checks into ANOTHER hospital for a broken arm. Now here’s where it gets good: that’s the same hospital where we detected signs of the Case Holder for the first time since the Chicago Incident,” Hank revealed in an animated fashion.

“And that’s when he gets the Zeltrax armor!” Nicole finished the thought.

“It all makes perfect sense, so now all that’s left is where he’s been hiding out,” Hank began, “I ran the serial numbers off of the SARCOS units that Zeltrax sent against you guys thanks to a friend of mine who’s in with the Department of Defense. Every piece of military equipment is registered to a specific warehouse or base. I should be getting the results within the hour,” Hank explained happily.

“Awesome,” Nicole said in an uplifting tone.

“Arden is going to love this. I know we’re supposed to be focusing on the Butcher, but if we use the element of surprise, we can put Zeltrax away and have one less thing to think about,” Hank added.

“I’m going to go tell the boys,” Nicole declared as she grabbed her bag pack and headed out the door.

After going back home to drop off her things and let her parents know she was going to be out for a while, Nicole headed straight for Mark’s house. Just to make sure that he was at home, Nicole whipped out her special phone to text him. Not long after sending a very silly looking text message with workarounds such as replacing ‘you’ with ‘U’, she got a prompt response. Mark was home, and so Nicole continued to head there. Once she arrived, she found Mark sitting on his front stood with a peculiar look on his face that wasn’t normal.

“Hey there Mark, what’s going on?” Nicole asked sympathetically.

“Nothing. Just bullshit,” Mark answered shortly.

Nicole saw through the ruse.

“Come on, that crap might work with Jaron but it doesn’t work with girls,” Nicole responded in jest.

“Jaron is the problem,” Mark answered abruptly.

Nicole changed her tone and dropped the smile on her face to reflect the seriousness of the situation.

“Talk to me. What’s going on between you two?” Nicole asked in a solid tone.

“Jaron and I had a big blowout today. He thinks I’m ‘too soft’ when it comes to fighting, and I think he’s a major league asshole. I think that about does it,” Mark explained.

Nicole slapped Mark across the face quite hard. Mark’s face recoiled from it and when he focused his vision back on Jaron, he looked confused and slightly appalled.

“That’s not how you talk about your best friend. What’s this all about? I’m willing to listen, but let’s cut through the drama right now. Seriously, you guys are supposed to be the more logical sex,” Nicole said seriously.

Mark’s expression dropped into one of resignation and sadness. Nicole didn’t stop being firm as she held rested her hands on her hips and looked at him expectantly. Hesitating for a moment, Mark looked up and met Nicole’s gaze.

“My mom died about ten years ago. Breast cancer. Jaron was my best friend. We lived in an area that had a lot of racist people, and Jaron was one of the people who saw past the color of my skin. I used to be the tough guy type, you know?” Mark began as Nicole sat down next to him.

“Any time Jaron would get his ass whipped or picked on; I’d be there to set the bully straight. We even went tag team sometimes. It was almost like therapy when you beat the shit out of people to make them feel outside what you feel inside. Any time someone slighted me I’d throw a fit and then beat them up. Go figure; an angry black guy? I sure as hell fit the stereotype back then. Well, Jaron moved away one year and I didn’t have anyone else,” Mark’s words became more deliberate and his speaking became slower as he recounted things and maintained an almost introspective demeanor.

“One day, some asshole I used to get into it with came up and insulted my dead mom,” Mark continued.

“Oh God, I’m sorry,” Nicole said as Mark continued talking as if she hadn’t spoken.

“I flipped out on the guy. I hit him, and I only meant to hit him once but before I figured out what had happened he was on the ground. His face was disfigured and I broke three of his ribs. I went ended up being sent to Juvie for two years. It embarrassed my dad and broke his heart, and it didn’t make me feel better at all. I felt like my mom would’ve turned the other way. When I got out, I decided that I wasn’t gonna let my mom down like that again. That’s when I decided not to fight or hit anyone anymore. That’s why I can’t bring myself to get so into it the way you guys do. Then Jaron comes up saying I’m being a bitch, and then drops the ball that his dad died last year because of the Fire Ranger. It got out of hand,” Mark finished, before letting out a deep breath.

Nicole put her hand on Mark’s back and rubbed in a circular motion, empathizing fully with him. Looking up for a moment, Nicole tried to find the right words to say.

“I don’t know you and Jaron the way you know each other, but I don’t think that you guys should be fighting over this. You should be coming together. I mean, god, you guys have something in common that’s both terrible and rare. You should be depending on each other. I know you don’t like to fight, but I know you wouldn’t let either of us get seriously hurt either,” Nicole paused, “I think that letting bad things happen is as bad as doing it yourself. I didn’t know your mother, but you seem to have a lot of respect for her. She must have been a good person. A good person would be proud of someone who fights for the right reason.”

Mark continued looking straight ahead with an expressionless appearance, before turning to Nicole and making eye contact. He then looked down in shame before nodding his head.

“I’ve been such an idiot. Figures you had to be the one to point it out,” said Mark.

Nicole sniggered before standing up along with Mark.

“Well, while we’re doing this whole moment of realization thing; maybe you should talk to Jaron,” Nicole suggested.

“I don’t even know what to say to him. He was seriously pissed off earlier,” Mark countered.

“I’ll slap him silly like I did to you if he doesn’t listen,” Nicole answered with a smile.

Their Dino bracelets then beeped. Mark was the first to answer.

“Guys, it’s Arden. Hank’s figured out where to find Zeltrax’s stockpile. Zeltrax will most likely be there so we need to be at our full strength. All four of us will take him. Meet me at my house and we’ll go from there,” said Jones through the bracelets.

Nicole and Mark gave a look of agreement to one another before running as fast as they could to Jones’ house. It was a pretty tiring run, but they had eventually made it to Jones’ house. Wasting no time, the two entered the house and saw Hank, Jaron, and Jones all sitting on the big couch in the living room. Sitting on the loveseat across from them was a heavily disheveled brunette man with a sling around his left arm, and a gun in his right hand. It was aimed directly at Jones.

“What’s going on?” asked Nicole with concern.

“Get over here! You there, in front of those three. Sit!” the man ordered.

Mark and Nicole were quick to comply, as the man kept his weapon trained on all five of them.

“Any funny movements and I’ll blow your fucking brains out,” the man threatened.

“Who is this guy?” asked Mark, very much concerned and afraid for everyone’s lives.

“Guys, meet Ivan Lauer,” Jones said with enmity.

Nicole’s eyes widened at the implications.

“It wasn’t hard to track you. You’ve cost me quite a big chunk out of my life. So now you and these witnesses get to all suffer for it. Word on the street is, you’re not an agent anymore. And the law is horribly outdated around here. The way I see it is that I can shoot all of you and no one will be any the wiser,” said Ivan with a crazed look in his eyes.

“So then you’re not Zeltrax,” Mark said plainly.

“What the hell are you talking about? Who’s Zeltrax?” Ivan asked in irritation.

The front door to the house then flew off its hinges and crashed onto the floor as Zeltrax came barging in. He wasted no time, and he aimed his left hand at Ivan before firing a blue blast of lightning straight through him. The energy traveled straight through Ivan’s chest and struck the wall on the opposite side which blew a portion off of it.

“If you’re not Ivan Lauer, then who the hell has a grudge against Arden?” said Jaron as he got to his feet along with everyone else.

“You know, I would have thought you would have figured it out. If you want answers, I suppose I don’t mind telling you who your killer is.” Zeltrax answered bitterly.

“With you whelps under the Case Holder’s protection, I couldn’t get close enough to find out where any of you lived. If I had, this would have over a long time ago as you would have been killed in your sleep. But once that metal monstrosity started chasing him, I saw an opportunity. How convenient for me that an old collar of Arden Jones’ came back for revenge. It was even more convenient that you wasted your time in looking for him thinking it was me. With the Case Holder busy, I followed Ivan knowing he would lead me right to you. Blocking the Invisiportal entrance to this house from every non-Ranger energy signature was very clever Arden, but not clever enough,” Zeltrax announced.

“You still haven’t explained who the hell you are,” said Nicole.

Jones remained silent. He seemed to know where this was going. Zeltrax then pointed straight at him.

“He took something that belonged to me. I was the perfect soldier: I did what was needed to get the job done. Then this little bureaucrat has me put under investigation along with every other suspected case of misconduct. I got off, but my reputation was tarnished. I’d never see foreign duty again, that is until the SPD Rangers came along. I am the Fire Ranger. I am the original Fire Ranger before it was taken from me. The one you call ‘Shadow Ranger’ gravely wounded me, but I was kept in critical condition at a hospital in Saudi Arabia. I was barely alive, and they estimated I had only a month to live before my lungs gave out. With my death sentence spelled out for me, I discovered that someone who had been sent from the Ranger’s organization was keeping tabs on my condition. With no life left to live, I offered him every last dollar I had to tell me how the SPD Rangers pulled off their grand operation. That's when I found out about how Arden betrayed his country by consorting with the enemy and giving the Power Rangers the tools and keys needed to carry out their idiotic mission. Without Arden’s resources, they would have been stopped early on. If it wasn’t for Arden’s interference and help, they never would have gotten so far. And I would still be the Fire Ranger. My name is Eric Daylon!” Zeltrax paused and paced around the room.

“I should’ve known,” Jones said simply.

“How lucky for me was it that this Case Holder, the very same person who gave the Power Rangers their morphers, came creeping into my hospital room and fed me this story about he had no choice but to preserve balance. That’s when he told me he was going to make sure I lived, and that I would become something else. I became Zeltrax. This armor sustains me. Nothing else would save me from my wounds except this. I’ll never live a human life again. No matter what the Power Rangers did; you are the one who is ultimately responsible for their success as well as my plight Arden!” Zeltrax shouted.

Jaron was balling both fists so hard that his nails pierced his skin and blood was dripping to the hardwood floor that he stood upon.

“So you're the one! You're the one that killed my father! He was in China when you brought that four legged robot to raise hell!” Jaron raged.

“Collateral damage. Get over it,” Zeltrax said simply.

Jaron snapped.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!” Jaron screamed as he performed his morphing call.

Jaron instantly became the Red Ranger, as his anger continued to fill his body until he was blinded with a blood lust. He needed to hurt Zeltrax. Crouching over in a heavily aggressive stance, Jaron couldn’t control it when the white decals on his suit grew into spikes and the visor on his helmet roared. He had assumed Super Dino Mode.

“Not without me Jaron!” Mark shouted, before both him and Nicole performed their own morphing call, “Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!”

The Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger entered the scene, and Mark now wanted to finally release all of the pent up aggression he had been suppressing for years. Now he was willing to give everything and fight as hard as he could to right the wrongs caused by Zeltrax. This time he wasn’t afraid.

“Super Dino Mode!” Mark yelled involuntarily as his fighting instinct kicked in.

The blue decals on his own suit grew into spikes, notably very large ones on his shoulders.

“Super Dino Mode!” Nicole yelled as she also entered her powered up state.

“They’ve done it,” Hank said in amazement.

“Eric Daylon, your ass is mine!” Jaron said with a horridly violent tone.

All three Rangers ran to Zeltrax before delivering a punch into his chest simultaneously. Zeltrax cried out as a massive burst of spokes flew from his chest. He was knocked straight through the wall and onto Jones’ bed in the master bedroom. The Red Ranger ran into the room and grabbed both of Zeltrax’s legs, before lifting him up by them and slamming him into the ceiling. Before he could come back down, Nicole had flown through the hole in the wall and reoriented her body in such a way that she was able to kick Zeltrax in the abdomen which knocked him through the opposite wall and into Jones’ office. He fell down onto the desk and broke it in two under his own weight. Zeltrax got to his feet, but could only watch the inevitable as the Blue Ranger sprinted up to him before ramming into him with his large shoulder spikes. Zeltrax helplessly flew through yet another wall and out of the house into the backyard. Although his body racked with pain, Zeltrax sprung to his feet before firing the most powerful energy blast he could out of his sword. Jones’ house went up in flames as the entire place was reduced to rubble. Jaron, Mark and Nicole had made it out before it happened.

Jaron turned around realizing that both Hank and Jones were in there, but before his fears could coalesce, the Black Ranger came landing down from what was apparently a high jump. He was carrying Hank. Mark nodded as Hank was put down and ran away from the scene. The Black Ranger ran up to the other three and drew his Brachio Staff.

“Let’s end this for good!” Jones shouted.

“You took the words out of my mouth,” Nicole responded.

They didn’t let a single second go to waste as they constructed the Z-Rex Blaster. Zeltrax could only hold his shield out in front of him as the heavily destructive blast of Dino energy was launched from the weapon and headed straight for him. Upon touching his shield, Zeltrax was enveloped in a large explosion that rocked the surrounding houses and put a huge crater in Jones’ otherwise nondescript backyard. Zeltrax stumbled from the smoldering flame and smoke before falling to his knees.

“This isn’t over yet; not in the slightest,” Zeltrax spat as he drew a containment card and tossed it onto the street.

From the containment card sprung a massive, black and white robot that had vague similiarities with the unfinished robot they had faced in North Korea.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/Zatenks2/Type200SuperWalker.jpg

“Say hello the Type 200 Super Walker; courtesy of Kim Jong-il. Thanks for destroying the first one, because this one is even better!” Zeltrax yelled before jumping into the already-opened chest compartment and closing it as he entered.

“Let’s rip this asshole a new mouth to spew his shit from!” said Jaron.

In short order, the Thundersaurus Megazord was on the scene and stood in opposition to the Super Walker.

“Listen, we’re in the middle of suburbia. We need to end this quickly and carefully or he’ll start hurting innocent people,” said Jaron.

“The first Korean robot wasn’t too tough, we just have to get past its guns,” Mark added.

“We need something that will hurt more than anything else we’ve dished out,” Nicole entered her two cents.

“Guys,” said Jones through their morphers, “I’m trying something new. Get ready for a new combo. Anklozord!”

As the Black Ranger had hoped, the Anklozord came barreling down the street and jumped up as the Tricerazord detached from the Thundersaurus Megazord and became the new right arm. The Super Walker began to rotate both of its gatling cannons which struck the megazord quite hard. It had to regain its footing and almost fell over, but the megazord stayed on its feet and managed not to step on any houses. People were looking out of their windows at the two massive robots and cowering in fear. The Rangers could see from their rather high vantage point that ambulances and fire trucks were on their way to the area. A pair of cannons on each of the Super Walker’s arms then began to fire. When this struck, their incendiary warheads began to seriously penetrate the megazord and caused it to topple over onto the streets. To the denizens hiding in their homes, a violent earthquake had just shaken the ground. The Super Walker had some kind of special feeder that the blasts were not stopping. Inside, the Rangers were struggling to hold on as their cockpit shook from the shockwaves.

“We’re not going to get anywhere if we can’t get through its weapons!” Mark shouted.

“What about using the right arm? It’s got a big shield on it!” Nicole quickly remembered.

“You’re right. Let’s put more power into this and end it!” Jaron said with determination.

The Rangers held their hands steady over their control orbs, and channeled the power from their Super Dino Mode into the Thundersaurus Megazord. Boosted to previously unseen power levels, the megazord got to its feet with more offensive and defensive output than it had ever before possessed. A slight aura surrounded the megazord before fading as the power increase was completed.

“What’s going on?” Zeltrax asked in frustration as he prepared the gatling cannons once more.

The Super Walker began to fire all of its weapons simultaneously, to which the Thundersaurus Megazord turned its torso so that the large circular shield on the Anklozord was facing forward as it spun and deflected oncoming fire into the sky. The megazord continued moving forward, and Zeltrax knew that the game was up as it reached melee range. A tunnel leading from the cockpit to the top of the Super Walker’s head opened, and the seat was propelled upward as it ejected Zeltrax into the air. Kicking off of his seat, Zeltrax reached up as he flew through the air before entering an Invisiportal.

“Double Drill!” all three Rangers yelled knowingly.

The Thundersaurus Megazord spun both of its drills at high speed before first driving the right drill into the Super Walker, completely boring through its torso before the left drill came tearing through the abdomen. With both drills impaling the Super Walker, the Thundersaurus Megazord made the drills speed their rotations up before ripping its arm out from the side. The Super Walker was reduced to shards and debris. Making up for the Ranger’s carelessness, the Black Ranger blasted the falling debris that would have landed on houses with his Brachio Staff. For now, the crisis was averted. The sound of sirens blared as ambulances and fire trucks came pouring into the area. As they always had to, the Rangers left the area as quick as they could, with their zords vanishing without a trace.

Hours later, as the city was in lockdown, the Rangers and Hank gathered in a hotel room. Jones had to pay for it using cash.

“So what will you do?” asked Nicole.

“My home has been destroyed, but I think this might be a good thing,” Jones said thoughtfully.

“How do you figure that?” asked Jaron.

“Now that my home has been destroyed, I’m dead as far as anyone including the government is concerned. I was on the government watch list after I resigned. This might be the opportunity for a fresh start,” Jones answered.

“Your new identity will take about a week to set up,” Hank pointed out.

“I know,” Jones responded.

“How are you supposed to get a new identity just like that?” Mark questioned.

“I know powerful people in high places that can do just about anything at this point. Don’t worry, they’re not mafia,” Jones said reassuringly.

“Well remind me to stay out of their way,” Jaron mused.

Both Jones and Hank laughed.

Mark got to his feet and decided to step outside the hotel room. Nicole then grabbed Jaron by the scruff of his collar and almost dragged him out to follow Mark. Jaron was fine with this, as he wanted to talk to Mark anyway albeit less forcefully.. The two remained in an awkward silence for a good while before finally turning to each other.

“My bad, man,” Jaron said while avoiding eye contact.

“I’ve got a piece of that too. We cool?” asked Mark.

“We’re cool,” Jaron confirmed.

The two friends smirked and clasped their hands together before pulling each other in for a one-handed hug. Nicole rolled her eyes and looked almost incredulous at the two.

“That was it?” Nicole questioned annoyingly.

Both Jaron and Mark looked confused.

“What? Was there supposed to be something else? Oh wait, I'm supposed to meet my mom for dinner in less than hour!” Jaron asked with genuine confusion.

“I could slap the both of you, you know that?” Nicole answered while shaking her head.

All three friends then got into a group hug and laughed together, with Nicole slapping Jaron and Mark upside the head for good measure. Thousands of miles away on the very top of Mount Everest, stood the Butcher. His cape fluttered strongly in the powerful winds as his lone eye made slight changes in the direction it was facing.

“It appears that I must now take the initiative against the Recipients,” the Butcher said to no one.

Without a further word, the Butcher leapt from the top of Mount Everest and plummeted toward the ground thousands of feet below.

[dragomuseveni]

YYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! i knew it!!!! i knew it!!!! haha im so glad zeltrax was dylon i was gonna very sad if he wasnt hehe good work man....i love how u write these the way power rangers should have been....like it has the same feel in terms of natural progression of story in an ep, but at the same time it actually follows a continuous story whereas every ep of dino thunder was pretty much stand alone...

[Kali_WolfChilde]

YEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!! I just finished reading this latest ep. I KNEW Daylon was Zeltrax! Beckoner, u FREAKING ROCK! I cannot WAIT, 4 the next ep, man. KIU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rangerfan99]

this has to be one of the best series on rangerboard, i can't wait to read the next episode

[Einsider]

YEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!! I just finished reading this latest ep. I KNEW Daylon was Zeltrax! Beckoner, u FREAKING ROCK! I cannot WAIT, 4 the next ep, man. KIU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Totally agree! who else could it have been?! awesome chapter yet again Beck!

[Beckoner]

Thank you everyone for your interest and support! This episode was a little slow in coming, but I hope it was worth it! We've got two major introductions this time around. Let's just say this is something of an action oriented episode so the pacing is very quick. Enjoy!

World Bender Season 2
Episode 8: Zero Sum Gain


The Butcher delivered a powerful punch into the Red Ranger’s chest. Jaron had the wind knocked out of him as the pain flowed through his body. Collision sparks were the only proof of his injury, and he flew back so far that his body embedded itself into the concrete guard wall of the Carey Avenue bridge not far from where they lived. All three core Rangers were in Super Dino Mode, but it did not seem to make much of a difference in their performance against the Butcher. All it seemed to do was protect them from more harm being done. Jones had been driving them all to a safe house where they could store the case with the Drago Morpher and White Dino Gem since it had almost been accidentally taken by a cleaning maid at Jones’ hotel. Before they could even get there however, the Butcher had appeared on the bridge in order to intercept them. They had been fighting ever since as the massive traffic stoppage and fleeing pedestrians made for quite a spectacle.

“Why is this guy attacking us now?” Mark complained.

“He’s never hunted us before!” Jaron agreed.

“Keeps your heads on straight!” Jones yelled, “It doesn’t matter why he’s after us. Now is the time to defend ourselves and minimize casualties!”

“I will not be harming any passing people, only you Recipients,” the Butcher suddenly spoke up as it elbowed Nicole away to where she almost flew over the bridge, but caught onto the metal guard rail and hung there.

“What are you talking about?!” Jaron asked angrily as he drew his Thundermax Blaster and fired unrelentingly at the Butcher, who simply walked through the laser blasts like it was a water gun.

“You are the ones who received the Case Holder’s gift. As you have become a palpable threat, I must regrettably take your lives to prevent further harm,” the Butcher responded as it kicked the Red Ranger right in the chest, sending him through the concrete partition that he had been embedded in.

“Harm to what?” Mark shouted.

The Butcher grumbled, before lifting its axe and charging the Yellow Ranger who was just pulling herself up over the rail. The Black Ranger got in the way with his Brachio Staff in hand. Jones could do nothing as the Butcher slashed him across the abdomen with its axe for the first time. The pain was unimaginable. Never before had so many sparks flown out of the Black Ranger’s body. Jones’ scream echoed through the air as Nicole came to catch him as he fell to the ground completely limp. Jones demorphed the moment he was caught in the Yellow Rangers arms.

“Oh my God. Arden!” Nicole tried to shake the unconscious Jones awake.

“Get him out of here Nicole! Don’t get hit by that axe!” Jaron instructed as he summoned his Tyrannostaff.

Up until now, the Butcher had never managed to land a solid hit with the business end of its axe. Jones now knew just how damaging it was. Mark summoned his Tricerashield, and the two Rangers ran toward the Butcher while the Yellow Ranger leapt away while carrying Jones. Setting him down inside the backseat of his car, Nicole had noticed that the case was open, and its contents were missing. She frantically looked around, as someone had stolen the Drago Morpher along with the Dino Gem. Her eyes fixed on two familiar faces. One was the cute yet obnoxious kid who got in Mark’s face at the basketball court a while back, and the other was his much more reasonable friend. After racking her brain, she remembered their names: Sergio and Jerry. They were hiding behind a car watching the events unfold, and Jerry was holding the contraband items. Of all the people to be here, it had to be them.

The Yellow Ranger spread her wings and flew over to the two, causing Sergio to look up at her with an impressed look. She landed atop the hood of the car they hid behind. Jerry fastened his grip on the morpher and gem.

“You guys need to get out of here. It’s dangerous,” Nicole said in a firm tone.

Sergio and Jerry were about to run, but Nicole wasn’t done.

“You need to give those back to me,” she said while pointing at Jerry’s hands.

“What are they?” Jerry asked with a raised eyebrow.

An explosion sounded off behind her. The Yellow Ranger looked back and saw that the Butcher had used his dome shaped energy field to knock Jaron and Mark away.

“There’s no time for this! It doesn’t belong to you, so give it!” Nicole shouted.

“Look out!” Jerry yelled.

Nicole turned around and saw a green colored burst of energy rush toward her. Her vision extending to the Butcher, she had seen that he had launched it from the blade of his axe. When the burst struck her, everything went black…

Some time later, Nicole woke up in Jones’ hotel room on his bed. Jones was sitting in a chair with a long cloth wrapped around his belly in order to hold a pack of ice to it, and Mark was tilting her head forward so that Jaron could switch out a towel that it had been resting on.

“What happened?” Nicole asked groggily.

“We got our asses kicked,” Jaron answered spitefully.

“The Butcher was trying to kill us. How did we end up here?” asked Nicole.

“Jaron and I got a lucky shot in. Just before a very pissed off Butcher could finish us, the Case Holder suddenly showed up and told us that he would buy us time. They started going at it, and we escaped through an Invisiportal. You demorphed when you got hit and your head hit the ground. You’ve got a minor concussion. It took a while to stop the bleeding,” Mark explained.

“The Case Holder fought the Butcher? Just what exactly can that old man do?” Nicole asked in shock.

“I don’t know, but I’ve never seen anyone move so fast,” Mark responded.

Jones let out a slightly audible groan as he rubbed his stomach.

“Are you okay Arden?” Nicole asked as she watched him wince in pain.

“Yeah I’m fine. Getting hit by that axe of his was no joke though. He’s got a really strong swing,” Jones answered.

“Damn it!” Jaron shouted as he slammed his fist into the wall.

“What’s wrong?” asked Nicole.

“Even with Super Dino Mode, we still can’t beat that guy,” Jaron bemoaned.

“Yeah well Arden hasn’t gone Super Dino Mode yet. Once he gets it, we’ll be much better off,” Nicole offered.

“I doubt it’ll make that much of a difference,” Jones answered as he struggled to his feet.

“Where you going?” asked Mark.

“I need to go walk this off,” Jones replied before leaving the hotel room.

Jones walked down the end of the hallway past many hotel rooms before coming to the emergency staircase. He knew how serious the matter was now that the Butcher was specifically hunting them. After being hit with its axe, he knew that even with Super Dino Mode, none of them would last long before he picked them off one by one. He was about to pull out his cell phone when a voice sounded behind him.

“It seems you now realize how grave the situation is,” said the familiar voice of the Case Holder.

Jones turned around to see him there.

“You,” Jones said simply.

“The Butcher will surely defeat you all, but there may be something I can do,” the Case Holder answered.

“We don’t stand a chance against that kind of power. Just what the hell have you brought on us? The Butcher could find us at any minute and kill us before we even have a chance to fight back!” Jones responded.

“The Butcher is drawn to your Dino Gems. The more energy you put out, the better he can smell you,” the Case Holder answered.

“We all have been minimizing our Dino Gem energy. We only bring it out when we morph or use our abilities,” Jones argued.

“Indeed. But an unbound Dino Gem will continue to call out until it has found its master,” the Case Holder answered.

“The White Dino Gem,” Jones realized, “I’ll have to just give to Hank then. We can’t afford to wait.”

“I am afraid that the White Dino Gem is no longer in your possession,” the Case Holder said simply.

“What?!” Jones shouted.

The Case Holder held up his hand, urging Jones to be silent.

“Even if it were, the Dino Gem cannot be assigned to a person. They choose their master. Rest assured that it is harmless until its true master is found. In the meantime, I may be able to help you attain more power to better contend with the Butcher now that he has set his sights on you,” the Case Holder explained.

“And what is that?” Jones growled.

The Case Holder then shivered and almost collapsed, before finally stabilizing his footing and looking up at Jones.

“Are you alright?” Jones asked.

“Do not be concerned about me. You must find the Shield of Triumph. It will help you a good deal,” the Case Holder answered.

“It exists?” asked Jones.

“Why suggest the impossible? But of course. You will find that it has been safely hidden within the Invisiportal network. It is always moving so you must move quickly. I cannot say how long it will take before it falls out of the network. After that, you will hard pressed to find it,” the Case Holder explained.

“Will you at least tell me where to start?” Jones asked almost hopelessly.

“It is currently in the part of the network that passes over your country’s largest strip mine,” the Case Holder replied.

“I’ve got to tell the others,” Jones said aloud, before rushing back to his hotel room.

“Be quick! Once the Shield of Triumph falls out of the Invisiportal network, it will be impossible to retrieve!” the Case Holder called after him.

Jones barged back into the hotel room to everyone else’s surprise.

“You alright?” asked Jaron.

“We need the find the Shield of Triumph,” said Jones.

“What’s that?” asked Mark.

“It’s an artifact that will make the Red Ranger stronger than all four of us,” Jones said while looking at Jaron.

“I didn’t watch that far. You think it’ll work?” said Jaron.

“The Case Holder was just here. He told me. Now, what happened to the Drago Morpher?” Jones questioned.

Nicole swallowed a gulp.

“Some guys from the park took them when I tried to get Arden to safety,” Nicole said warily.

“What?” Jaron asked, outraged.

“It was those two guys from a while back. Remember that kid Jerry, and that other guy Sergio?” Nicole asked.

“Those assholes?” Mark asked in uncharacteristic irritation.

“We need to find them before they get themselves into trouble,” said Jones.

“Oh I’ll be more than happy to find them,” Jaron said with malice in his tone.

“No. The White Dino Gem is useless to anyone it doesn’t want. We need to find the Shield of Triumph before it disappears permanently,” Jones answered.

“Now?” asked Nicole.

“Yes now!” Jones urged.

Nicole got her feet, and noticed that the back of her head was quite sore, before lining up with the others. They held their wrists up into the air, and put out enough Dino Gem energy to energy the Invisiportal network. In an instant, they were being tossed through energetic, green tunnels that intertwined with one another as they led to different points all over the Earth. The four of them remained suspended in space as they zipped through the tunnels, allowing Jones to lead the way. They moved throughout the network to no avail, before Jaron suddenly saw the image of a person donning a special suit in his mind’s eye. It made him dizzy, but it got stronger the more they traveled. Suddenly, the voice of someone yelling out with glee could be heard echoing throughout the network’s vast wormholes. Jones caught a glimpse of a figure zipping past their faces as it continued on elsewhere throughout the network.

“What was that?” Mark asked in a distorted voice.

“Someone who is not supposed to be here!” Jones said in his own warped voice.

“You guys follow that guy, I’ll get the shield!” Jaron spoke up.

The others raised their Dino Gems, and with a slight flicker of light from them, they were ripped away and down the tunnel that the unknown intruder had been moving through. Jaron continued forward, allowing the sensation to guide him as he felt something calling out to him. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew he needed to follow it. The Shield of Triumph could wait. Suddenly then, he saw Zeltrax moving forward in a tunnel parallel to his own. Zeltrax saw him, and a now very angry Jaron wanted him dead. There was nothing he could do while tumbling through wormholes, but it was made much easier as Zeltrax began to follow him while he passed through. Jaron got a very vivid image again of something very similar to the Red Ranger, and he quickly moved through a tunnel that was leading to Utah. It was then that Jaron saw it: a white object with many edged protruding from it. It was fairly large. Large enough to be a…shield. Was this it? Zeltrax was not going to let it go, and he poured more energy into the Invisiportal network in order to boost himself.

Both Jaron and Zeltrax were moving alongside one another toward the Shield which was picking up speed and slowly moving away from them.

“No!” Jaron said aloud as his voice was warped by being in the network.

“That thing is mine!” Zeltrax shouted, before reaching forward to grab it.

Jaron reached out also, with both of their hands falling just short of it. The Shield was getting farther away, heading toward an exit point. Jaron was desperate now. Zeltrax then put out more of his own energy and zipped past Jaron in order to catch the shield. There was only so much Dino Gem energy Jaron could use now, and he quickly called upon as much energy he could muster in order to trigger his superspeed ability. He moved past Zeltrax and managed to grasp the shield just as it left the Invisiportal network. Upon exiting, Jaron was tossed onto gravel, and just barely missed being run over by a massive dump truck along with Zeltrax. After taking a look around, Jaron realized that he was in the humongous copper mind in Utah. It could even be seen from space. As crews moved about, they took notice of both Jaron and Zeltrax.

“What are you doing down here?” a foreman yelled as he began running over.

“Go to hell,” Zeltrax said bitterly before firing an energy blast from his hand.

Jaron couldn’t let the man die, and using his superspeed ability once more, he intercepted the attack and held the shield in front of himself. The blast was instantly dispersed upon contact.

“Ok, so this thing is decent,” Jaron commented aloud.

He wasn’t particularly impressed by it. It looked like it had been carved out of some sort of cheap rock, and it didn’t make him feel any stronger. Meanwhile the miners began to flee at the new threat.

“That shield is mine. I intend to use it to increase my strength,” Zeltrax said as he circled Jaron with his sword drawn.

“Well it’s mine. Besides, I don’t think it’ll be much use to you. It’s just a piece of rock,” said Jaron in an angry tone, still vengeful for his father.

“You have no idea what you’re holding, so allow me to educate you!” Zeltrax threatened.

Just as he was about to rush forward; Jones, Mark and Nicole emerged from an Invisiportal with them and ran to Jaron’s side.

“What the hell is he doing here?” asked Mark.

“He wants this,” said Jaron before holding up the shield.

“You found it. Alright, we need to do this quickly guys. We all need donate our energy into that shield in order to activate it,” Jones explained.

“Did you find that guy in the network?” asked Jaron.

“We lost him. Right now we have bigger things to worry about!” Nicole shouted back.

Jaron placed the shield on the ground as his morpher appeared on his wrist along with everyone else’s.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up!” they all yelled.

At the press of a button, and the turn of a key, the Power Rangers returned. Zeltrax grumbled, but gave no indication that he was going to back down. The Red Ranger quickly picked up the shield, before the others held up their hands and began to transfer their energies into the shield. Zeltrax maintained a safe distance, allowing them to power up the shield so that he could take it from them later. Eric Daylon’s pale lips smiled from within his suit of armor.

Everyone felt exhausted as they continued to give their Dino Gem energy to the shield, before it abruptly stopped accepting the Dino Gem energy. The shield remained unchanged.

“What the? I thought you said this would activate it!” Jaron complained.

“What’s the deal?” Mark voiced his own displeasure.

“Damn. I forgot that the shield needs energy from ALL of the Dino Gems,” Jones said with a disappointed voice.

“You idiots should pay more attention. Now that you’ve done your part, you can all die until I find the white one,” Zeltrax remarked as he began to approach the four.

“Your existence must end here!” said the booming voice of the Butcher, who came running into the scene.

Jones expected this, knowing that their efforts would surely draw the Butcher out. He cursed himself silently for his oversight.

“What do we do?” Nicole asked with worry.

“Guys, power up right now,” Jones instructed.

“Super Dino Mode!” the other three shouted without missing a beat.

With two opponents to contend with, the Rangers summoned their weapons and stood in a defensive circle as an opportunistic Zeltrax kept a safe distance away from the Butcher who in turn was slowly approaching all of them.

“I’m no threat to you,” said Zeltrax, gesturing toward the Butcher.

“You do not oppose me? But you are a Recipient,” the Butcher asked.

“I need this armor to survive. I have no problem with you. Let me live, and I will help you get rid of the Power Rangers,” Zeltrax replied.

“Sneaky fucking bastard,” Jaron said with pure hatred.

Zeltrax chuckled.

“No. You will leave this place. The Recipients must be slayed by my hand. Go in peace,” the Butcher said to Zeltrax.

Zeltrax didn’t argue, and simply stood back to watch.

“He’s going to let the Butcher do his dirty work for him!” Mark commented.

“Shut up,” Jones said quickly, “This is good. It means we only have one guy to deal with for now. It gives us slightly better odds.”

Zeltrax then waved his fingers in a very child-like manner of waving goodbye, clearly pleased with himself.

“Holy crap you guys are into some fucked up shit!” said a voice that the core Rangers had heard before.

It was Sergio, he was walking toward the scene in a tank top and cargo pants with clear interest as Zeltrax quickly turned to see them.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Mark asked angrily.

“Listen, you need to tell your friend that he can’t keep what he took,” said Nicole, refraining from using Jerry’s name in order to tip Sergio off.

“How did you get through the Invisiportal network?” asked Jones.

“I saw that guy,” Sergio pointed at Zeltrax, “He went into some weird portal, and I jumped in before it closed to see the kind of shit you guys get into.”

Sergio laughed and clapped. He was going to get himself killed as far as Jones was concerned.

“You must not be here. This is a matter no one shall witness,” the Butcher said before turning its attention back to the Power Rangers.

“Whoa, what the hell is that thing?” asked Sergio in an impressed tone.

“I’ve had enough. You’re slowing down the proceedings!” Zeltrax yelled in irritation.

Without wasting any further time, Zeltrax fired an energy blast out of both his sword and his hand. To make sure he didn’t move out of the way, he directed the blasts to travel in an arc so that they hit him other either side. Jaron didn’t like Sergio, but the fact that he was about to witness another death disturbed him. Sergio’s eyes flashed with interest, and a Dino Bracelet suddenly appeared on his wrist, followed by the Drago Morpher taking its place on his left hand. Before the blasts connected with his body, Sergio raised the morpher close to his face.

“White Ranger, Dino Power,” Sergio said loud enough for the others to hear it while pressing the button on his morpher.

Sergio’s body was instantly covered in a white light except for his head. At the last possible moment, he twirled upward into the air as the blasts collided with each other and redirected elsewhere in order to explode harmlessly on the ground. Pieces of a suit began to fly up to his body and form on him. Sergio then came back down and landed in an intentionally stylish pose, a smile on his face. A helmet then formed on his face, allowing him to stand up completely. The White Drago Ranger now stood before them.

“He's the White Ranger?” Mark yelled in outrage.

“How did this happen?” Jones asked intently.

“Another one!” Zeltrax spat.

“Later. Right now, it looks like you guys are about to get your asses kicked. I’m feeling generous today, so I’ll handle this,” Sergio said in a very cocky tone.

“Another Recipient? Very well, you must die also,” said the Butcher.

Sergio didn’t appear afraid. He then looked at Zeltrax.

“I’ll kick your ass later,” Sergio said before pulling the Drago Sword out of his holster.

The Butcher then began running toward the White Ranger, and Sergio stood in place. It then began to raise its axe high, prepared to finish the fight quickly, and began to bring the axe down. The White Ranger then aimed the pen section of the Drago Sword right at the Butcher’s lone eye, firing a yellow blast of lightning-like energy straight into it. Once it struck, the Butcher groaned in clear discomfort as its head cocked back, before swinging the axe down a bit carelessly. The White Ranger then somersaulted over the Butcher who was temporarily blinded, allowing the axe to sink into the ground harmlessly. Now behind the Butcher and amongst the other Rangers, Sergio began to rapidly swing the pen of his Drago Sword throughout the air, which caused arrows made of pure energy to form in midair. Dozens had been drawn before the White Ranger stopped. By pointing the feather-like blade of the Drago Sword at the Butcher, the arrows then rushed toward their target, striking him and causing a series of small explosions.

“No friggin way,” Nicole remarked.

Jones saw this as an opportunity.

“He’s distracted! Look, Sergio or whoever you are, I need you to hold your hand up to that white thing that the Red Ranger is holding,” Jones instructed.

“Why?” Sergio asked in defiance.

“Because in about ten seconds, that thing you just pissed off is going to kill us!” Jones urged.

“Whatever,” Sergio dismissed Jones, before lazily holding his hand up.

The Black Ranger then grasped his wrist to Sergio’s surprise, and used his own Dino Gem to trigger the donation process of the White Dino Gem. A stream of energy began to flow to the shield, and within moments the Shield of Triump activated as the white exterior peeled away to reveal a black, gold, and red weapon. After breaking the connection, the White Ranger stumbled back at the sensation of having some of his strength temporarily leave him.

“It worked!” Jaron remarked.

The Butcher was now gaining its bearing and turned around to face the others. Zeltrax was not looking pleased, and his holstered his weapon as he backed away.

“I’ll deal with you guys later! Thanks for activating the shield for me!” Zeltrax taunted before disappearing into an Invisiportal.

“So what now?” Sergio asked in feigned interest.

“Mark, Nicole, you need to donate more energy to the shield. You’ll be demorphed, but Jaron will be get a lot stronger!” Jones explained.

“Demorph? In front of this guy?” Mark objected while pointing at the White Ranger.

“There’s no time for that! Do it now!” Jones yelled as the Butcher pulled its axe out of the ground.

The Yellow and Blue Ranger took up positions on either side of the Red Ranger, before giving more energy to the Shield of Triumph as he held it out. Just as it had called out to him, Jaron called out to it in turn.

“Shield of Triumph!” he yelled.

The shield then glowed a bright golden hue as golden helmet ornaments formed on his visor, along with his chest decal gained additional marks. The white decals lining the suit then became blue with a golden outer lining. He had become the Red Triassic Ranger. Jaron had never felt so confident, as the massive influx of power and knowledge went straight to his head. For the first time, he wasn’t entirely fearful of the Butcher.

“Oh ho ho!” Jaron chuckled in amazement at his own power. “Now you’re really gonna get it!”

Getting a good look at Mark and Nicole, the White Ranger recoiled.

“Wait a minute; you guys are the Power Rangers?” Sergio said in shock.

Everyone turned their attention to Jaron who began to slowly walk toward the Butcher. Releasing a sound of contemplation, the Butcher hesitated before running toward the Triassic Ranger. In turn, the Triassic Ranger began to charge forward. The Butcher prepared a horizontal slash as it pulled its axe back, while Jaron held the Shield of Triumph out in front of him, causing a long blade to pop out from the top of it. He then pulled his own weapon back, preparing a strike of his own. Once the two came within inches of each other, they both swung out their weapons which caused their respective blades to collide. The ground shook at the collision as tiny lightning bolts jutted out from the point of impact along with collision sparks. Neither of them were knocked back, although the Triassic Ranger did strain more to hold his footing than the Butcher did with all its strength and leverage. Pushing up with the shield to swat away the axe, the Triassic Ranger then used the new opening to land two solid slashes across the Butcher’s midsection. The metal there was cut and sparks burst from there. For the first time, the Butcher made a pained sound.

Before anything further could happen, the Butcher sent its knee heading straight for Jaron, who held the shield in front of him to absorb the blow. The force of it sent him skidding backward on his feet through the dirt for at least ten feet before he stopped.

“You must be stopped,” the Butcher said as it touched its midsection which caused the inflicted wounds to instantly heal.

Jaron noted the regeneration before looking back up at the Butcher’s eye.

“Likewise; but now it looks like I can hurt you,” Jaron responded.

The Butcher then looked up into the sky, before looking back at the Triassic Ranger.

“I must away, but I shall return and you all shall be eliminated by design,” the Butcher warned, before compressing itself into a ball of solid metal and then flying off.

Mark and Nicole cheered as the Triassic Ranger walked back toward them. The blade portion of the Shield of Triumph receded back into it on his approach.

“Power down,” said Jaron, causing his suit to vanish.

“Power down,” Jones said in turn.

The only person who remained morphed was Sergio, who did not rush to them. Holstering the Drago Sword, he simply observed the others.

“That shield was definitely worth it!” Mark commented.

“Good job Jaron,” Jones said in a subdued tone.

Jaron then turned his attention to the White Ranger, before walked up to him.

“I can’t figure out why the Dino Gem chose you, but it looks like we’re stuck with you now. If you’re gonna be in on this, you do things our way or we’ve got a problem,” Jaron asserted.

“In on this? I’m not one of you, and I didn’t help you out of the kindness of my heart. I only came for the fun. Now that it’s over, I’m doing whatever the hell I want. I don’t care about your little upgrade there. Fuck with me, and we do have a problem. I’m out,” Sergio said before abruptly disappearing into an Invisiportal.

Jaron reached out instinctively, but to no avail. He then looked back at a disapproving Jones.

“There’s a lot we need to figure out, like how he got that morpher and how he knows how to use it. This is completely out of nowhere and I need all the facts. I’ll find out where he lives soon enough, but right now we need to leave before law enforcement makes it down here,” Jones warned.

The others had no argument, and disappeared in the same manner as Sergio. A much shorter trip this time around, everyone had eventually made it back to Jones’ hotel. They all remained silent for several minutes as Jones thought things through. Nicole tapped her fingers against the side table next to the bed, while Mark rocked back and forth on the edge of the bed. Jaron and Jones stood on opposite ends of the room leaning against the wall.

“There’s no way that asshole can be the White Ranger. He’s out of control. He’ll use it to do whatever the hell he wants,” Jaron finally spoke.

“Which is why we’ll bring him into our fold in order to control him,” Jones answered.

“No you don’t get it,” Mark began, “This guy is as much a danger to us as anyone else. Whatever friends you have Arden, now would be a good time to call in a favor.”

Jones gave a peculiar look, before shuffling his feet and looking at his special cell phone.

“Guys, go home and get some rest. It was a hell of a rushed day. Tomorrow, we’ve got a trip to make,” Jones asserted.

“Where to?” asked Nicole.

“To GridFire Industries,” Jones replied.

[dragomuseveni]

wow that was really good i like the intro for the sheild, i was wondering who the white ranger was gonna be....i like ur choice...i love how they dont understand y the gem chose sergio, when it should be obvious the gem would make a choice to be in line with what the show had...as the gems had already done like with jones...he is a tommy figure, lol and since the gem isnt "bad" in our world it would choose a bad boy heh i like it....good job man keep it up!!!

[..Red X..]

I just read all of these chapters in one sitting. This story is insane...

Good friggin work.

[Einsider]

story is still sweet dude - you're characters are just getting more and more interesting!

[Kali_WolfChilde]

SERGIO? You chose SERGIO as the White Ranger?! Beckoner, amigo, I NEVER saw that coming. AMAZING work once more, my friend. KIU!!!!!!!!!!!

[Beckoner]

Thank you everyone! Well here comes an episode I've been waiting to get out to you. I was going to wait before posting it, but what the hell?

wow that was really good i like the intro for the sheild, i was wondering who the white ranger was gonna be....i like ur choice...i love how they dont understand y the gem chose sergio, when it should be obvious the gem would make a choice to be in line with what the show had...as the gems had already done like with jones...he is a tommy figure, lol and since the gem isnt "bad" in our world it would choose a bad boy heh i like it....good job man keep it up!!!

Thanks man. You've got it exactly right. The White Dino gem definitely didn't choose Sergio based on his nobility, that's for sure.

I just read all of these chapters in one sitting. This story is insane...

Good friggin work.

I'm thrilled you're enjoying this story. I'm always happy to get a new reader! If you haven't read season one, you definitely should. It might make these episodes better especially after what I have planned for you guys. ;)

story is still sweet dude - you're characters are just getting more and more interesting!

Thanks so much man. I've been putting quite a bit of effort into these characters. You all spent so much time being used to the SPD Rangers, I wanted to really get you guys engrossed and out-do myself.

SERGIO? You chose SERGIO as the White Ranger?! Beckoner, amigo, I NEVER saw that coming. AMAZING work once more, my friend. KIU!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm glad you're pleased at the introduction of the White Ranger. I figured I'd throw you a curveball with that one, lol.

-------

With no further delay, here's chapter 9.

World Bender Season 2
Episode 9: Entrepreneur


Sergio lifted his 20th arm curl before stopping with a breath and setting the weight down. His attention was drawn to the Dino Bracelet on his wrist. He smirked as he laid his eyes on the white Dino Gem, feeling a sense of superiority he had never before felt. With power like this, he could do anything. The world was his personal playground. As the White Ranger, he knew he could handle anything those freaks would throw at him, in addition to the other Rangers. Today he was going to have a little fun. Picking a few fights might be a good way to start his day. He slid off the end of his bed and got to his feet. Within minutes he was fully dressed in clothing intended for sunny weather and was headed out of the door. As soon as he opened the door however, a familiar face was there about to knock on the previously closed door. It was the girl from the park who had turned out to be the Yellow Ranger.

“What do you want?” Sergio asked in a more curious tone than anything else.

The girl shuffled her feet.

“Well, for one thing, I’d like to introduce myself. I figure you can’t keep referring to me as the Yellow Ranger every time we meet; so call me Nicole,” she said.

“Alright. And you’re here, why?” Sergio questioned.

“Well, the rest of us-” Nicole started.

“You mean the other Power Rangers?” Sergio interrupted.

“The rest of us,” Nicole continued without response, “We were headed to GridFire Industries today. It’s really important,” said Nicole in a disarming tone.

“What do you need to tell me that for? What, you’re redeeming a warranty on one of their cell phones?” Sergio answered sarcastically.

“Not exactly. I wanted to know if you’d come with us. The guy you saw who was the Black Ranger, Arden, he’s taking us there. Apparently he knows some friends there who might be able to help us against those things you saw yesterday,” Nicole answered.

“What do I care about that? And why you guys hang around some older man trying to play a Power Ranger is beyond me. Thanks, but no thanks,” Sergio said finally before pushing the door closed.

Nicole’s hand stopped the door from closing fully, and she forcefully pushed it back open with an annoyed look on her face. She was feisty. Sergio could appreciate that.

“First of all, that ‘older man’ is a former FBI agent. He helps us out a lot. And that giant metal thing you fought yesterday is called the Butcher. The smaller one is called Zeltrax. He was the original Fire Ranger that rained hell everywhere he went. Those two are your problem just like us. They both want ALL of us dead. Whether you like it or not, every second you wear that bracelet you’re one of us. Now unless you’d like to die alone instead of having some backup, come with us,” Nicole argued.

Sergio didn’t like being talked down to, and he took a step closer to Nicole in an intimidating fashion.

“Listen little girl, I don’t need any of you idiots to tell me what I should do with my power. It’s mine now, and I’ll do what I want. So why don’t you go take a walk and don’t bother me again?” Sergio said in a firm tone while waving his finger in front of Nicole’s nose.

“Get that finger out of my face,” Nicole said with an assertive glare.

Sergio found it fascinating at how Nicole flagrantly disregarded him.

“You’re not scared of me are you?” Sergio asked, bemused.

“Why should I be?” Nicole asked back sassily.

Sergio had no response. He promptly moved his finger out of Nicole’s face.

“So what’s the big idea behind this trip anyway? What do I get out of it anyway?” Sergio asked.

“A free phone,” Nicole responded shortly before grabbing Sergio’s previously rude hand and sticking one of their special, GridFire Industries cell phones into his hand.

“What’s this for?” asked Sergio.

“So we can contact you when we need it. Think of it as your own little Bat-Signal. When there’s big trouble, you get a call and you come to help. When the Butcher goes after you, and he will, we’ve got your back,” Nicole explained, still in a firm tone.

“You scratch my back, I scratch yours?” Sergio metaphorically asked.

“Something like that. So, you coming?” Nicole asked expectantly as she crossed her arms.

Sergio lazily nodded his head, before leading Nicole to his motorcycle. It was an old Ninja that he had found in a junkyard and fixed up. For someone of his limited income level, the cost of operating a motorcycle was far cheaper than a car. Once the two mounted the bike, Sergio quite recklessly rode off to the hotel. When they arrived, the other three Rangers were just getting into Jones’ car. Jaron and Mark looked surprised to see him, and rather angry at that. After shutting down his bike, the two walked over to Jones’ car.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Mark asked with unveiled hostility.

“Wait, I thought-” Sergio began.

“I asked him to come. I talked to Arden about it and he gave me an extra phone. Drop it,” Nicole said with uncharacteristic finality.

Jaron and Mark didn’t argue, and Jones’ expression also seemed to reinforce the idea that they should shut up. Jaron was quick to take shotgun, leaving Mark, Nicole and Sergio in the back seat. Mark did not want to sit next to Sergio, forcing Nicole to sit right in the middle of the backseat in order to separate the two. Not a word was spoken throughout the entire trip. Jones drove for what seemed to be ages. They drove outside of the city limits and eventually exited the city of Wilkes Barre. The place they headed to was an adjacent town called Pittston. None of them, except obviously Jones, had been to Pittston in a long while. The area had been completely industrialized. The streets were new, brand new buildings were being erected while old buildings were being redone. They drove right past the factory that constructed the very cell phones they had been given. GridFire Industries was smack dab in the middle of the town. It was easily recognizable as it was the ONLY skyscraper in the area.

“What the hell happened here?” asked Sergio, who was a lifelong resident of the Wyoming Valley.

“GridFire Industries has created a lot of local jobs and is bolstering the regional economy. It won’t be long before you see the other towns start to flourish,” Jones explained.

After pulling the large parking lot, Jones led everyone into the building. After entering the main lobby, the other Rangers looked around with amazement. The building was brand new, with modern edges and chrome accents on the floor. There was a water fountain in the center of the lobby, with a wide hallway possessing 6 sets of elevators. To the left and right were glass door that led to other wings of the building. In the middle of the room just behind the fountain was a circular kiosk where an African American man in his mid 50s with white scruff on his cheeks sat. After spot ting them, he motioned for them to check in.

“Hey there Arden,” the security officer said in a friendly voice that indicated familiarity.

“We’re here to see Mr. Lineer,” Jones said with a cordial smile.

“Gotcha,” the security officer said.

Jaron and Mark looked at each other suspiciously; their confusion plain as day. The security officer dialed a number on his phone, waiting only a few short moments before he got an answer.

“Mr. Lineer? Yes. Arden is here to see you,” the security officer began.

Sergio was interested as well in what this was all about. What did a cell phone company with ties to charity have to do with the Power Rangers?

“Alright I’ll send them right up,” the security officer finally said before hanging up.

“Go right on up fellas,” the security officer uttered after writing something on his clipboard.

“Take care,” Jones said before leading the others to an elevator.

“Will do,” the security officer called after them before sitting back in his rather comfortable leather chair.

After the others got into the elevator, which in itself was rather ornate in its modern design, they simply waited as it shot up several dozen stories in short order. Just before the elevator reached the top floor, Jaron finally spoke up.

“Arden, what’s going on? Why are we here?” Jaron questioned.

“You’ll know soon enough,” Jones responded simply.

The elevator door opened; and a younger man with fair skin, brown eyes, light brown hair, and no taller than Jaron wearing an expensive suit stood before them. The guy couldn’t have been that much older than the younger Rangers if at all. He had a bright smile on his face. After allowing them to step off the elevator, Arden shook his hand before giving him a short, one handed hug. The other noticed that there was some history between the two.

“Hey Arden, it’s good to see you. Are these the guys?” the suited young man asked as he approached Jaron.

“Yup, it’s them,” Jones answered with a smile.

“Wow. It’s nice to meet you guys,” the young man said as he shook their hands one by one; including Sergio.

“This is Jaron, Mark, Nicole, and Sergio,” Jones introduced them all while pointing at each of them in turn.

“I’m the CEO, Founder, and Chairman of GridFire Industries. It’s nice to finally meet the faces behind the helmets,” the man said with a knowing smile.

Mark’s eye twitched.

“I’m sorry, but how do you own this company? Aren’t we the same age?” Jaron inquired.

Nicole elbowed Jaron in the side for his rudeness.

The young man laughed. Jones laughed as well.

“I guess I’ve got a lot to explain,” the man replied.

“Guys, this is the Omega Ranger,” Jones revealed.

Everyone’s mouth dropped. Even Sergio’s lips parted to express his surprise.

“I think it’d be better to say that I was the Omega Ranger. The SPD Rangers lost their powers a while back after the Case Holder took the morphers and megazords. My name is Curtis Lineer,” the young man explained.

Hank then walked out of a side office and noticed the others.

“Oh, you’re here,” Hank said pleasantly before walking up to them.

“Hank? You work here?” Nicole asked in continued surprise.

“Let’s take a walk. I’ll explain everything,” said Curtis before leading them all back into the elevator along with Hank.

After pressing the floor level button, Curtis pressed the button for the first, second, and third floor in that order before pressing the basement button. The elevator then shuddered, before plummeting down and the elevator doors opening as a glass shield took its place. The others marveled at the occurrence, before the elevator eventually shot below the first floor and revealed a huge underground warehouse with some kind of massive device the size of a house sitting in the middle of it with dozens of floor workers scuttling about their business.

“The SPD Rangers got their powers the same way you did,” said Curtis.

“You know the Case Holder?” asked Mark.

Curtis nodded his head.

“That wasn’t all he gave me. As a favor, I asked him for every piece of technical information there was on the SPD equipment. After the Battle of Chicago and the Arizona Incident, the Case Holder took the morphers and megazords back. The Fire Morpher was an original creation that Operation Unity constructed. It didn’t fall under something the Case Holder gave me, so I got to keep it,” Curtis began to explain.

The others remained silent, allowing the knowledge to sink in as well as for Curtis to continue explaining things.

“The problem is the SPD powers are routed through the Delta Base to the Morphing Grid. The Delta Base was that giant robot that served as our headquarters. With the megazords and morphers gone, the Fire Ranger powers were useless. It takes massive amounts of power to connect a Ranger to the Morphing Grid. That technology doesn’t exist yet. Even with the documents, we can’t replicate it without huge expenses,” Curtis continued.

The elevator then reached the bottom, before the glass slides moved out of the way and allowed them to follow Curtis through the massive underground warehouse and toward the giant, dome shaped metal device in the center.

“What I was able to do however, was create a link to the morphing grid. This machine you see here is our primary conduit. It connects the phones we sell to the morphing grid. We all watched Power Rangers as children; remember how Zordon used the wrist communicators no matter how far the Rangers were?” asked Curtis.

Everyone nodded their head with a nostalgic grin, excluding Sergio who rolled his eyes.

“I adapted the same principle. Those cell phones you have use the Morphing Grid to transmit instead of paying to use phone towers. That’s what makes them untraceable. This very building is powered by the Morphing Grid. That’s how we offer our cell phone services at much lower prices. Everything is pure profit. This keeps our operating costs very low. That’s why this company has become so huge in such a short period of time. Everyone who helped us during Operation Unity is now an employee of GridFire Industries at pay rates most people who kill for. It was my way of repaying them for their help,” Curtis explained with pride.

“So how do you get around the problem of hiding this from the feds? Aren’t there legal standards you have to follow and report to have a company?” Mark inquired.

Curtis’ eyes met Marks, before he chuckled at the question.

“That’s where Arden came in. Back when Operation Unity first started, Arden provided me with loads of people who were on our side. We have people everywhere: news reporters, garbage men, congressmen, and even law enforcement. I found ways to exploit loopholes and falsify documents,” Curtis replied.

“So if you can use the Morphing Grid or whatever, then why don’t the Fire Ranger powers work?” asked Nicole.

“I’ll explain that,” Hank interjected.

The others then turned to look at Hank, who pinched the bridge of his nose before straightening his glasses.

“A Power Ranger can’t access the Morphing Grid without some sort of huge energy source keeping the connection open. Every fictional team had something that allowed them to tap the Morphing Grid. There’s more than enough energy in the Grid to power this entire planet, but getting to it is the problem. Right now we’ve developed our little in-house power plant that allows us to use the Grid for our cell phones which aren’t nearly demanding as a morpher,” Hank offered in his technical jargon.

“Fortunately for us, we’ve created a fund in order to research better power generation. We’ve written it off as something for the feds to eat up, but it’ll be operational verysoon. Once that’s done, our friend Hank here will be able to become the Fire Ranger and access its full abilities,” said Curtis as he clapped Hank on the back.

Jaron wasn’t looking particularly pleased. Even Sergio noted the hostility in his face, and Jones was quick to point it out.

“Something wrong?” Jones asked.

“So if you made the Fire Morpher. Then everything that happened because of Eric Daylon is your fault?” Jaron asked scathingly.

Curtis’ expression changed to a very serious one.

“Eric Daylon didn’t work for us. The Fire Morpher was stolen by the government and they gave it to him,” Curtis responded.

This eased Jaron for now; although his mood didn’t immediately change.

Nicole felt very uncomfortable at the tension, and moved away from Jaron which resulted in her bumping into Sergio just slightly.

“I think it’s important to note that the Fire Morpher won’t be a full time thing. If everything goes as plan, then we’ll get to use it but only for a limited time,” Hank explained irrespective of the earlier awkward moment.

“So why are we here?” Sergio asked, getting straight to the point.

“We’re here because of the Butcher,” Jones answered.

“I don’t know much more about the Case Holder than you guys do. I couldn’t really tell you who or what he is. This Butcher seems to be in the same boat as him. They both use titles to refer to themselves, they both know each other, and they both have the nasty habit of popping up in random places and doing things that shouldn’t be possible,” Curtis lamented.

“So basically, we’ve got nothing?” Jaron questioned.

“Not quite. The Case Holder is on our side so far. If we can get rid of the Butcher, maybe he’ll answer our questions as pay back,” Curtis replied.

“I don’t see how we’re supposed to take out the Butcher. The Case Holder considers the Butcher a personal threat. What exactly are we supposed to be able to do about him? That thing is ridiculously tough,” asked Mark.

“Yeah but Jaron can use Triassic power now,” Nicole was quick to point out.

Curtis’ eyes quickly darted to Jaron.

“You can use Triassic?” Curtis asked with fervent interest.

“Yeah, but not without their help. They’ve got to donate their power in order for me to use it,” Jaron explained.

Curtis’ pleased expression then dropped. He was disappointed.

“Then you’re not strong enough yet,” Curtis began, “If everything I’ve heard about the Butcher is true, it’s going to take a lot more than the Black, White, Fire, and Triassic Ranger to actually beat him.”

“I don’t think it’ll matter anyway,” Jaron said quickly.

“What do you mean?” asked Hank.

“I injured the Butcher. I know I did. I saw the cut. The damn thing healed itself,” Jaron said in frustration.

“Then we’ll have to kill it before it heals,” Sergio said simply.

Curtis smiled.

“Well, it turns out there’s more. You guys are here because I was hoping you could help us with something. In return, this company will devote its available resources to helping you guys out,” Curtis propositioned.

“We’re listening,” Mark cut in.

“This is bigger than just the Case Holder and the Butcher. The rest of world isn’t going to just sit and watch. Some of my contacts in the military say that they’re building another hybrid robot to deal with Zeltrax; who keeps trying to steal a robot of his own,” Curtis explained.

“This wouldn’t be a problem if you guys had killed Daylon when you had the chance,” Jaron snapped.

Curtis raised an eyebrow.

“What are you talking about?” asked Curtis.

“Zeltrax is Eric Daylon. He survived,” Jones put in.

“You didn’t tell me about this,” Curtis answered.

“We were ambushed by the Butcher before I could tell you,” Jones answered almost regretfully.

Curtis brought his hand to his mouth and rested his chin on his index finger and thumb.

“This makes him even more dangerous. If he gets his hands on the hybrid robot, I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of people able to challenge him,” Curtis noted.

“What’s this hybrid robot?” asked Nicole.

“Daylon had stolen our S.W.A.T. Megazord and turned it into the government. They were able to copy certain things about it and make a giant robot that was a lot worse than any other robot that the world’s militaries have created. I’ve recently found out that they’re making a new version. They call it the HybridBot 2 simply enough,” Curtis revealed.

Sergio snorted at the name. Curtis didn’t pay him any mind.

“Although I’m not in the business of interfering with military affairs anymore, the HybridBot 2 is better off relocated than in Zeltrax’s hands. We’ve been following his movements the best we can, and we know that he’s been stealing all types of military equipment. He’s on the move again. It won’t be long before he snags himself the HybridBot 2. If I give you guys its location, could you use one of our containment cards to capture it?” asked Curtis.

Jaron, Mark and Nicole began to look uncomfortable.

“I’d rather not. The government is already after us as it is,” Jaron spoke up.

“We don’t know for sure if Zeltrax even knows it exists. Even if he did, there’s no way he could take it by himself. It’s probably got security like you wouldn’t believe.” Mark added.

A cell phone then rang. Everyone reached for their own phone, but it turned out to be Curtis’. He quickly flipped it open.

“Hello?” Curtis spoke.

Whoever was on the other line, was speaking quite hastily, as it did not take long for Curtis to receive enough information in order to display a concerned face. After the other person spoke, Curtis flipped the phone closed.

“It looks like Daylon’s knowledge of military installations is working out for him. He’s just shown up in eastern Virginia with some kind of giant robot. It’s marking clearly show that it’s Korean. It’s headed straight for D.C. He must have used a containment card to sneak it in,” Curtis said with concern in his voice.

“When are they going to do something about Korea? That’s the thirdrobot they’ve built for him!” Jaron complained.

“You guys should probably get going eh?” Curtis encouraged, “Sergio, if you could stay behind a little bit. I’d like to talk to you.”

Nicole looked confused, as did Sergio. Jaron and Mark did not seem particularly disappointed that Sergio would not be coming along.

“Alright, fine,” Sergio responded simply.

“You guys ready?” asked Jaron, before holding his wrist.

“Ready!” Nicole and Mark responded.

All three of them stood side by side, with Jones bringing up the rear. Their morphers instantly appeared on their Dino Bracelets as their willingness to fight became substantial. Curtis watched with interest.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up!” they all yelled.

Upon pressing the button on their Dino Morphers, and Jones turning his key, the three of them became the Dino Rangers once again much to the amazement of all the surrounding workers who had up until this point ignored them in favor of their own tasks. When the bright flashes of light faded in the aftermath of the morph, Curtis found himself quite intrigued.

“Those suits look a lot better in real life,” Curtis commented.

Jaron simply nodded, before reaching up and causing the Rangers to all enter an Invisiportal. In mere fractions of a second, they exited an Invisiportal on Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C. There were already M1A1 Abrams tanks, several dozen soldiers, and Apache helicopters surrounding the area near the White House. Gunfire and large munitions could be heard firing in the distance not far from the IRS building several city blocks further away.

“It looks like Zeltrax already made it here in that robot. Damn that was fast,” Jaron remarked.

Upon noticing the Power Rangers, the soldiers ran up to them and aimed their weaponry at them.

“Hold it right there!” one of the infantry yelled.

“Look, we’re here to help!” Nicole quickly shouted.

The infantry did not seem deterred.

“Get down on the ground right now!” the same soldier yelled as six soldiers circled the Rangers.

“Look boys, we’ve got bigger problems,” Jones started to say as he took a step toward the lead corporal.

The soldier instinctively fired a three round burst from his rifle, all of them striking the Black Ranger’s chest. The bullets harmlessly bounced away leaving nothing more than a few sparks to show for it. Seeing the Black Ranger still standing afterwards shook the otherwise hardened soldier, who had never before seen such a thing.

Jones brazenly walked up to the corporal and grabbed the nozzle of the rifle, before bending it downward and then yanking it out of his hand before tossing the gun to the ground.

“Would you put those damn things down before you hurt someone!” Jones irritably demanded.

The soldiers did nothing else besides look to each other in confusion.

“We need you to pull back from that robot and start evacuating civilians. Move them toward the western blocks,” Jones instructed.

“We can handle this from here,” Jaron added.

The opportunity here was not lost on them. They were all aware that they could show themselves to not be enemies of the state during this battle. The soldier who had just lost his rifle simply eyed the Rangers before pulling out his radio. Just as he began barking instructions in army gibberish, the Rangers took off running. Countless citizens ran in the opposite direction, brushing past them without even realizing who they were looking at. The nation’s capitol was quickly beginning to turn into a war zone. With their great running speed aiding the, the Rangers followed the sounds of the explosions and screams. Before long, they saw the top portion of a metallic green robot rotating on its wait, firing a large, three-barreled cannon out of its left arm. A live theater building was instantly missing its entire left wing after the fact. A scene of death lay before them. Countless wounded and bloodied civilians sprawled out all over the street as soldiers tried to hurry the remaining survivors away.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/Zatenks2/artillerybot.jpg

“You guys know what to do,” Jones urged, before calling the zords through his Brachio Morpher.

“It won’t be that easy! You’ll need to worry about the people on the ground if you value their lives!” Zeltrax’s voice boomed from the robot, which had some form of megaphones installed in hidden areas under its head.

A containment card that launched out a compartment so small it could not be seen from the ground, and when it released its contents into the world, what must have been 3 dozen autonomous SARCOS units deployed from them. The roar of the zords could be heard in the distance as they arrived. Jones became increasingly concerned.

“Can you handle these guys on your own? We have to stop that robot,” Jaron urged.

“Don’t worry about me. Just get going!” Jones shouted.

The other Rangers nodded before jumping into their respective zords. Within moments the Thundersaurus Megazord had been constructed.

“We need to end this fast, or Washington is going to be a wasteland by the end of it. DimetroZord! CephalaZord!” Jaron called.

The right and left arms of the Thundersaurus Megazord were replaced with the Cephalazord’s punching capability for the right arm and the Dimetrozord’s saw cutting ability for the left arm.

“You’ll need to get close to use that! My ArtilleryBot isn’t to be taken lightly,” Zeltrax shouted through the megaphones.

“I’m sick of him trying to exploit our lack of ranged attacks,” Mark lamented.

“Lemme try something,” Nicole suggested.

A pair of laser pulses then fired out of the Thundersaurus Megazord’s eyes and struck the ArtilleryBot on the chest. While it was a worthy tactic, the blasts did little more than scorch the surface of the chest armor.

“These robots get tougher every time. They’re really putting a lot of money into these things,” Mark pointed out.

“We’ve still gotta win. Let’s do this,” Jaron ordered.

The saw blade began spinning on the Thundersaurus Megazord which then began to charge forward. On the ground, the Black Ranger was fighting a very different battle. Hordes of automated SARCOS units marched down the street firing their shoulder-mounted cannons and cutting down stragglers with their diamond-tipped bladed. Several of them were challenging Jones. With his Brachio Staff in hand, Jones stabbed a SARCOS unit straight through the metallic spine portion which pierced the battery pack on the other side which resulted in a series of electric pops and explosions. Ripping his weapon out of the metal, the Black Ranger turned around and jumped into the air. Launching an airborne kick straight into one SARCOS unit, he used the momentum from the kick to push off of the previous unit and landed on the SARCOS unit behind it while stabbing it on its head sensor simultaneously. Jones looked up to see a SARCOS unit preparing to send its blade right onto his helmet, but quickly jumped straight up while performing a backwards somersault. The SARCOS unit ended up cutting through its own fallen brethren.

Once landing on the ground, Jones saw a woman trying to run away from an oncoming SARCOS unit that was trying to stab her across the street. Without hesitation, the Black Ranger threw his Brachio Staff with impressive accuracy and strength. As intended, the Brachio Staff impaled the unit from behind. Now weaponless, the Black Ranger sent the back of his fist crashing into the spine of a SARCOS unit on his leg, which dented the metal and ruined its mobility. A flying roundhouse kick finished it off. Another SARCOS unit coming up from down the street hoisted its blade high before bringing it down over Jones’ head. In response, the Black Ranger blocked it with his right forearm. Sparks did burst out of the contact point, but he was okay. Using the same arm, the Black Ranger smacked the blade away before spinning on his heel in order to build inertia. The sole of his boot collided with the SARCOS unit and rather than knock it away, it completely broke the unit in half and fell in a disassembled heap on his leg. After pulling his leg from the wreckage, the Black Ranger took a great leap across the street and as he came down, he used some of the SARCOS unit’s heads as stepping stone. He was now at the downed unit whom he had thrown his Brachio Staff at.

He was quick to pull his weapon from the debris. Jones did not take long to get his bearings, and he noticed that there was still a plethora of SARCOS units running amok; with several more on their way to him. Looking to his right, the Black Ranger saw at least a dozen SARCOS units marching in the direction that the military had been evacuating civilians. He needed to stop them, and he didn’t have time to deal with the immediate ones challenging him. The Black Ranger circled the air in front of him with his weapon.

“Brachio Staff! Energy Orb!” Jones prepared his attack, with a transparent ball of energy forming in front of him.

Waving his weapon through the orb sent it flying into the closest SARCOS unit, before carrying it away backward through the air. The orb plowed through the entire lot of them, carrying them into a white sedan parked on the other side of the street. Detonation occurred on impact, destroying both the cars and the remaining SARCOS units. Now it was time to deal with the larger group of units that were firing their shoulder cannons as they marched simply to raise hell. There wasn’t enough of a military presence here to properly stop them, which Jones noted silently. He began to run after them, but then a humanoid frame clad in metal landed on the street right in front of him. Its arrival resulted in a visible crack on the asphalt. What stood before him was easily as tall as he. It appeared to be a suit of bulky armor that was silver and blue in color. Sharp edges comprised its design and each of its forearms was encased in a bulky construct with openings on all four sides. A green light emanated from within these openings. It had a single green eye on the front of its helmet. Even Jones had never seen it before.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/Zatenks2/SuperTrojan.jpg

“Who are you? What are you?” asked Jones.

It showed itself to be human when it laughed.

“A friend of Eric Daylon’s. Not everyone believes him to be a monster. I happen to think he’s got the right idea,” the man in the suit answered.

“Identify yourself,” Jones ordered.

“Corporal Ryan Stevens. I served with former Sergeant Daylon back when you used to be on our side. This lovely piece of technology you see before you is called the Super TROJAN suit. The army scrapped it when it became too expensive to deploy on a large scale. It’s had some modifications made to it. Well, our mutual friend came to me and told me he was alive. In return for my service to the true patriots of this country, I get to use this to kill you along with the rest of your friends. When that's done, we'll get rid of the false patriots occupying this city,” said the Super TROJAN.

Without further warning, the Super TROJAN punched the Black Ranger right in the chest. As soon as his fist connected, the green openings then jetted a green burst of air that assisted in knocking the Black Ranger back several feet onto his back as sparks flew from the point of impact. Jones was sufficiently confused at this point, as Zeltrax now had another soldier on his side. It was then that he realized that the blow he had just taken actually hurt. The Super TROJAN assumed a fighting stance very similar to the fighting style taught to Navy SEALs which alerted Jones to the danger he faced. Pointing the Brachio Staff at his new adversary, the Black Ranger ran toward the Super TROJAN who was ready for him in turn.

The Thundersaurus Megazord had burn marks all over it. It had taken shots to numerous areas; meanwhile the ArtilleryBot had a large diagonal gash across its torso in addition to some area on its body that had been dented in. Both robots had caused significant damage to the other, although the Rangers couldn’t help but grasp how much of a challenge this fight had been.

“By the time is over, the entire area is going to be wiped out. We need more fire power!” Jaron groaned to the others.

“I don’t know how much more of this we can handle. The terrain is against us. We’re so busy trying not to damage anything we’re getting blasted to death,” Mark added.

“What about the Potomac river? If we go into the water, we can really let loose,” Nicole suggested

“It’ll slow us down too much. The water is too deep. We’ll be a sitting duck while he blasts us to bits,” Jaron countered.

“Then we’ll make it so that the water works in our favor!” Nicole argued.

She then spoke into her morpher.

“Arden, we need help. Are you there?” Nicole spoke.

On the ground, the Black Ranger landed a slashing strike across the Super TROJAN’s chest which only caused collision sparks and little else. He was then punched right in the helmet, and toppled over. Hearing Nicole’s plea, he brought his morpher up to the mouth area of his helmet.

“I’m in the middle of something Nicole, can this wait?” he shouted.

Springing to his feet, the Black Ranger was forced to deflect green bursts of energy that the Super TROJAN was firing from his left forearm using his Brachio Staff. The blasts were successfully directed away from him.

“We need you to use your Wave Strike. Can you manage it?” Nicole implored.

“Hold on, it’s on its way!” Jones affirmed.

The Super TROJAN jogged up to the Black Ranger before throwing slightly sluggish but powerful punches toward him. Being the faster of the two, Jones managed to avoid the hits, before slamming the hilt of his Brachio Staff into the Super TROJAN’s abdomen, forcing him to back off. A follow-up kick to the helmet knocked it right over. The ground shook as Ryan Stevens fell onto his back in his hefty armor. He wasn’t going to be getting up quickly.

“StegoZord!” Jones yelled into his morpher, causing it to come running down the street.

“Thanks Arden!” Jaron expressed his gratitude.

The Thundersaurus Megazord then jumped into the air before landing on the Stegozord’s back just as the ArtilleryBot fired a shot from its left cannons which blew the roof off of the building just next to the Black Ranger. The Thundersaurus rode the Stega Surfboard out onto the Potomac River while dodging oncoming fire from the ArtilleryBot.

“This is getting irritating,” Zeltrax noted to himself.

At his current range, Zeltrax knew that he would not be able to land a shot on the megazord, which would easily be able to dodge them. The ArtilleryBot then engaged its legs and followed them into the Potomac, its large legs wading through the deep water.

“Now!” Jaron shouted to Jones through his morpher.

Despite the debris raining from the sky, Jones turned his Brachio Staff upside down before driving it into the ground. The Potomac River inexplicably generated a tsunami that blotted out the sun. The Thundersaurus Megazord then surfed out onto the wave, gaining enough momentum that it quickly dashed toward the ArtilleryBot. Once it had closed in, the megazord turned on the Stega Surfboard which caused the spikes on the side to slash out pieces of metal from the thus-far rather sturdy ArtilleryBot. The megazord surfed out again, and rode along the wall of the tsunami as it engaged its Dimetro Saw. Zeltrax was ready, and aimed the right dual-cannons of the ArtilleryBot straight at them. Two large uranium-tipped shells blasted out. Combined with the Thundersaurus Megazord’s only speed, the resulting collision caused devastating amounts of harm to the megazord. The Rangers were thrown into the water as the megazord disassembled and vanished. The tsunami then quickly faded as the Ranger tried to swim as fast as they could to the streets which were ever so far away.

Jones watched in dismay as the megazord had been defeated, allowing the ArtilleryBot to walk back onto land unopposed.

“Damn it!” Jones cursed as the Super TROJAN kicked him in the back, knocking him onto his knees.

The Black Ranger turned and tried to retaliate with his Brachio Staff but it was kicked out of his hand easily. The Super TROJAN then jumped onto the Black Ranger’s back, pinning him down. Corporal Stevens did not stop there, and proceeded to keep pounding at the Black Ranger’s back repeatedly in order to force him to submit. Jones yelled out in pain with every punch. As he looked off into the distance, he saw the troop of SARCOS units continue down toward the survivors. He couldn’t get to them, and he cursed himself for his failure. He needed to find a way to get there quickly. Suddenly then, a white blur began zipping back and forth between the SARCOS units, causing pieces of them to somehow get severed as an unseen assailant destroyed them in the fraction of a few second. After the last SARCOS unit collapsed into a pile of useless metal and circuits, the fast-moving blur then stopped moving. It was the White Ranger standing there with his Drago Sword in hand.

“Sergio,” Jones managed to say.

“What was that?” Sergeant Stevens asked before grabbing the Black Ranger by the neck and turned him over to face him.

“Looks like you’ve got trouble,” Jones said in an airy voice as his neck continued to be choked.

Suddenly then, the White Ranger speed-dashed up to the Super TROJAN before slamming his fist into his chest. He was instantly knocked off of the Black Ranger, who got back to his feet and retrieved his Brachio Staff.

“So you’re helping us now?” Jones asked suspiciously.

“Your friend Curtis is good at making deals. Let’s just say I’m bailing you out of this one,” Sergio replied.

The White Ranger then held the Drago Sword like a pen, before dashing to the Super TROJAN and drawing an ‘X’ on his chest. Before Stevens could react, an explosion in the shape of an ‘X’ burst from his chest and sent him stumbling backwards.

“Shit, I didn’t account for this,” Sergeant Stevens griefed.

The other Rangers, who had finally swam back to shore, came running onto the scene looking a bit tired. Sergeant Stevens looked at all five of his opponents and weighed his options. He knew he needed to flee, which is exactly what he did. Reaching upward, he vanished into an Invisiportal.

“Sergio!” Nicole said in surprise.

“Happy to see me?” Sergio said in a cocky tone.

“No,” Mark said simply.

“That’s too bad, because I’m about to solve your problem,” said Sergio as he pointed up at the rampaging ArtilleryBot.

“DragoZord! Stegazord!” Sergio yelled into his morpher.

A powerful gust of wind came from the sky. Looking up, the Rangers saw the DragoZord flapping its massive wings as it flew onto the scene. The StegaZord returned as if it hadn’t suffered any damage at all.

“This is going to be great!” Sergio yelled in excitement.

The White Ranger then jumped into the air and entered the DragoZord by phasing through its head. Sergio watched in wonder as a dark cockpit with a single orb formed around him. Holding his hands over the orb, he was linked to the DragoZord and could now control it’s every move. The DragoZord fired a pair of laser blasts at the ArtilleryBot; forcing it to readjust its cannons in order to give himself time for his next move.

“Dino Stegazord! Online!” the White Ranger commanded.

In a hectic mess of a transformation, the DragoZord split into legs and arms for the StegoZord which served as the torso. The remainder of the Dragozord then became a polearm weapon known as the Stega Stinger. A new megazord had been formed, and Zeltrax growled at the continued irritation.

“The last bunch just ended up losing to me. What makes you think you’re any different?” Zeltrax taunted through the ArtilleryBot.

“They weren’t me,” Sergio responded to no one.

The Dino Stegazord then ran forward in a burst of speed that caught Zeltrax off guard. Using its unoccupied left talon, the Dino Stegazord reached into the gash that had been made earlier and ripped the front panel off the torso off before tossing it onto the roof of the nearest building. Zeltrax was completely exposed now.

“God damn it!” Zeltrax screamed in frustration.

The Dino Stegazord then pointed the Stega Stinger at the ArtilleryBot and released it. Amazingly, it remained hovering in the air. The Dino Stegazord then pulled its arms back, before quickly shoving the back of the Stega Stinger, launching it forward at high speed. Zeltrax jumped out of the ArtilleryBot just as the Stega Stinger began to plunge into his robot, bumping off of the side of it and falling into the Potomac River. After completely running the ArtilleryBot through, the Stega Stinger vanished into nothing.

“That was easy. I guess I should clean up the mess,” Sergio mused.

The Dino Stegazord then fired beams of energy out of its eyes just in front of itself, before slowly moving the beams forward which blazed a trail of fire on its way to the ArtilleryBot. What remained of the robot was reduced to charred rubble in the face of the Dino Stegazord’s attack. The only solid piece of the robot was the legs, which then tumbled onto the very same roof that the front panel had landed on. That entire side of the building came crashing down.

“He’s too careless,” Jones noted aloud.

The Dino Stegazord then vanished as the White Ranger jumped out and landed in front of the others. Jaron walked up to him before shoving him back.

“What the hell is your problem?” Sergio yelled in displeasure.

“You just leveled half a city block! People could’ve been in there!” Jaron shouted.

“I got the job done! No one should’ve been in there anyway!” Sergio argued.

This only served to anger Jaron, who then walked up to Sergio about to attack him. Nicole then ran up in between them and held them both at arms length.

“Stop it you two!” Nicole demanded.

They tried to force their way past her.

“Super Dino Mode!” Nicole shouted, gaining power and spikes on her suit.

She then forcibly pushed them back far enough to send the message.

“This bickering is done! Jaron, go back over there!” Nicole pointed to Jones, “Sergio come here!”

The Yellow Ranger then grabbed the White Ranger by the wrist and pulled him aside.

“Listen,” Nicole said in a much quieter voice, “You’re gonna piss everyone if you keep this up. Don’t be such a show off. Next time you’re in a megazord, try paying attention to your surroundings.”

Sergio looked away. Nicole was quick to grab him by the helmet and force him to look at her.

“Got it?” she insisted.

“Whatever,” Sergio said simply, before walking away.

Jaron slowed his breathing as he tried to calm down. Jones watched Sergio walk away as Mark approached Jaron along with Nicole.

“I don’t like him Arden. He’s just going to get people killed,” Jaron finally said.

“We’ll deal with him. He needs to get used to his power,” Jones said with finality.

“Come on, let’s go home,” Mark suggested.

The four of them vanished into an Invisiportal as Sergio watched them from around the corner. He shrugged them off before powering down and running down the street.

[Taioh No Kami]

just loved it x)

damn you, sergioooo!!!

[dragomuseveni]

wow man simply wow...I really should have put it together...grid fire...duh lol good one and clever too...the moment i heard lineer i was like oh shit son...thats awsome!!!

[Beckoner]

Hey all, I know I kind of posted episode 9 very quickly after episode 8, so you might not have noticed that there's a new episode up. Anyway, if you haven't read it, then go check out episode 9. Then stick around because here's EPISODE 10! I think you guys might like this one. The first two-parter of this season. I hope you enjoy.

-------------------

World Bender Season 2
Episode 10: Against Unspeakable Odds Part 1

Jaron clicked off the television set in frustration. Any brownie points that the Rangers had won in their defense of Washington D.C. was being mitigated by the reckless collateral damage that Sergio had caused in his first mega-sized battle; and this sentiment was being reflected in the news. Now they were no longer enemies of the state, they were simply a dangerous “external factor”. Jaron’s thoughts turned to going to bed, as it was beginning to get late. After the exhausting week he had gone through, he had no intentions of going out even though it was a Friday night. Across the street over in Mark’s house, he was having similar thoughts. What was disturbing him as he lay in bed was Nicole. Even though he and Jaron had only known her for a short period of time, he felt like he had known her for quite a while. She was very easy to get along with, and it bothered him even more that she was taking the time to seek out Sergio. The guy was an asshole as far as he was concerned; certainly not worthy of being the White Ranger. The very thought grated him. Whatever Curtis Lineer had said to him that got him to help him out, must have been worthwhile. Mark simply could not accept Sergio as a part of the team. His negative feelings for Sergio surpassed that of Jaron’s. Back across the street in Jaron’s room, he rolled over onto his side thinking about how he was going to be able to finish school. Being a Ranger and going to college simply did not mix. He had already cut down his classes as it were. If only the Case Holder hadn’t jumped in and ruined his life. But then it occurred to him that if he and his friends were not there to stop Zeltrax then who would be? Those were his last thoughts before drifing off to sleep.

A couple miles away at Nicole’s house, the girl waited on her front porch for a visitor. It was late, and no one would notice her company’s arrival, which was what she wanted. The person she was expecting was already late to begin with. Finally, a cautious Sergio came walking down the street and up to her porch where Nicole was waiting.

“You know I could be in bed right now if it wasn’t for you taking your sweet time?” Nicole said sarcastically.

“Whatever. I’m here, so what do you want?” Sergio asked grumpily.

Nicole motioned for Sergio to approach the porch while she sat on the front steps.

“The other guys are very suspicious of you. This just isn’t going to work if you keep up with the way you act. I don’t know who you’re trying to impress, but no one thinks you’re badass because of it,” Nicole remarked.

Sergio snorted at the comment.

“I’m not trying to impress anyone. I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks. I do what I want and I say what I want to say. Anything less is stupid. Why should I have to water myself down just because you people can’t handle it?” Sergio questioned.

Nicole then stood up.

“There’s a difference between being confident, and a douchebag,” Nicole responded simply.

“Oh so I’m a douchebag now? Fuck this, I’m out,” Sergio said before turning around.

“Now who can’t handle it when someone says what they think? Almost old enough to drink and I’m getting under your skin?” Nicole said with a smirk.

Sergio stopped dead in his tracks.

“Hypocritical are we?” Nicole taunted.

He gritted his teeth together.

“Now turn around. You’re lucky I’m even trying to help by talking to you. Show me some respect and look at me when I talk to you,” Nicole said firmly.

Sergio’s eyes widened and he turned around with complete confusion.

“You really are something, you know that? What are you, 17? You’re bossy, you’re cockier than I am, and you think you should just get away with it. Is this how you talk to everyone?” Sergio asked in sheer amazement.

“No, just you,” Nicole said while tilting her head.

“What do you want with me?” Sergio finally asked.

“I want you to get along with Jaron and Mark. Arden couldn’t care either way I don’t think, but you helped us so obviously you’re part of the team,” said Nicole.

“I helped because that Curtis guy offered to take care of me if I did,” Sergio answered blandly.

Nicole’s eyes narrowed at the statement.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nicole asked through her teeth.

“He said that all five of us needed to work together. Just like you, he said that the Butcher is everyone’s problem and that my power was needed. I told him I didn’t need a lecture from a guy who’s barely two years older than me. That’s when he said that if I helped you guys out until the Butcher was taken care of, then he’d pay my family’s rent for a year,” Sergio explained.

Nicole turned around in a huff and stormed back into her house. She made no attempt to soften how hard she slammed the door. Sergio stood there completely perplexed.

“What the hell did I do now?” Sergio said to no one.

Ignorant of the world around him, Jaron tossed and turned as he slept. He was having nightmares of the Butcher coming to get him in his sleep. Images of the giant axe rending his flesh filled his mind until he could sleep no longer. He woke up in a cold sweat. Jaron took a breath of relief as he looked out the window. Jaron tried to relax in order to go back to sleep until he heard something bustling in the bushes outside his house. Jaron’s Dino Bracelet turned into the Tyranno Morpher instinctively as he suspected someone was trying to break into the house. Jaron got out of bed and quickly snatched up his metal baseball bat from underneath the bed. He tip toed down the stairs before looking out of the peep hole of the front door. When no one showed, he opened the door and ran outside with a poorly attempted battle cry. Looking at the bushes, Jaron saw the Case Holder standing in front of them.

“You? What are you doing creeping around my house?” Jaron asked as he exhaled deeply from his moment of tension.

“I have come to deliver a warning,” the Case Holder said with a hint of anxiousness in his otherwise tranquil tone.

“What’s going on now?” Jaron asked, although he wasn’t sure he even wanted to know.

“The Butcher will soon learn of your residence. When he does, he will come for you when there is no risk of being spotted. True to his word; he will kill you,” the Case Holder explained.

Jaron felt a chill going up his spine.

“So what am I supposed to do?” Jaron asked in concern.

“That is not the worst of it. The one you call Zeltrax has formed an alliance with him as I am sure you are aware of. Zeltrax’s true aim is to obtain a power source that will increase his strength. He is also no doubt gaining followers who are of the same mind as him. They will hunt you if the Butcher does not get to you. You must make a stand. You must defeat them. Already this has become larger than I had ever hoped for you,” the Case Holder said at length.

“What’s going on? Who are you? What is all this? I need to know where you and the Butcher came from. I can’t go into this blindly!” Jaron urged.

The Case Holder then cocked his head upward, before looking all around.

“I must not be seen. Survive Red Ranger. Count on your friends as I have counted on you. When everything has unfolded in our favor, you will know the truth in due course,” the Case Holder answered once again in typical form.

Before Jaron could protest, the Case Holder quickly shuffled off past the side of the house.

“Why does he have to be so damn…cryptic,” Jaron ranted.

Without anything left to do, Jaron went back into his house and locked the door. He simply set the baseball bat down next to the door and went back up to his room. After getting back into bed in quite a frustrated state of mind, Jaron pulled up his sheets and lay on his side staring out of the window. He was not so quick to fall asleep this time, and remained gazing out into the nighttime sky through his window until he heard a noise on the roof. Jaron quickly jumped out of bed. Perhaps the Case Holder had returned! He needed to find out just what was going on. There were so many unanswered questions. While making as little noise as possible in order to not wake his mother, Jaron snuck back out of the house and looked around to find no one there. It was then that he remembered that the sound had come from the roof. He walked away from the front door in order to look straight up at the edge of the roof and instead of the Case Holder, he saw a girl’s head. He couldn’t see the rest of her, but her head was good enough. She was looking straight at him with eyes that were completely white. There was no iris or pupil. She had long white hair that dangled from the edge of the roof. It was a scary sight at first, as she almost looked like a ghost from a Japanese horror movie. Once he realized that she was young looking and simply looking at him, he felt a little more at ease. She then tilted her head as she watched him.

“Hey there. Who are you and what are you doing on my roof?” Jaron asked in a harmless tone.

“You can see me?” the girl asked in a high pitch and soft voice.

“Of course I can see you. Would you mind telling me what you’re doing up there?” Jaron insisted.

“I am the Observer,” the girl answered.

“The Observer? Wait, are you like the Case Holder and the Butcher? There’s three of you?” Jaron asked in near outrage.

The Observer simply blinked.

“Get down from there, seriously. I want to talk to you,” Jaron demanded in a semi-irritated tone.

The Observer then began to swiftly move off of the roof. Jaron soon found that there was much more to her than a head. A sizable form flew over his head as if it were swimming in midair, before twisting around and facing Jaron while hovering several feet in the air. Jaron’s eyes scanned what was before him. A large metal ring concealed her neck, and her torso was completely exposed. Her breasts lay bare before his eyes. Her arms were monstrous metal constructs five times as long as her torso, with three-fingered claws at the end. She had no legs; but rather a long metal construct that looked like a finless mermaid’s tail. She had two black wings of almost angelic quality coming from her back. Some sort of circular, metal scaffolding was behind her and attached to her. Upon further inspection, Jaron noticed that there was a metal face protruding not far below where her genitalia should have been.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/Zatenks2/TheObserver.jpg

It was a horrific sight, and it petrified Jaron to the bone.

“Oh my God,” Jaron could only manage to whisper.

She simply hovered in midair, moving very much like she was underwater as she watched him. After a moment to look at him, she tilted her head for a moment before straightening it upright.

“I’m so sorry, but it has come to my attention that you have to die,” the Observer said with a hauntingly childish quality.

That was all Jaron needed to hear, and he did the only thing he could think of in order to defend himself.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up! HA!” Jaron yelled as his arm movements coincided with his words.

In a flash, he was the Red Ranger once again. He drew his Thundermax Blaster and aimed it at her defensively, having no idea what this being was capable of. Her torso tilted forward as her long arms began to reach out for him, and the Red Ranger panicked and fired a laser blast straight at her face. She held her right arm in front of her face to shield herself, causing the laser to strike it and fizzle out. She was completely unharmed. Jaron had no idea what to do, as she simply continued to slowly hover toward him.

“Super Dino Mode!” yelled Mark’s voice.

Before Jaron could assess what was happening, the powered-up Blue Ranger came flying from above and kicked the Observer straight in the face. A horrible, screeching shriek blared from her lips and she quickly began to ‘swim’ straight up into the air at speeds no air jet could ever approach. The Red Ranger aimed his Thundermax Blaster in the air with a trembling hand. When it became apparent that she would not return, the two powered down as Mark yanked Jaron into the house.

“Just what in the hell was that thing?” Mark asked in a raspy voice.

“I don’t know. It called itself the Observer. I think it was sent to watch me,” Jaron answered chillingly.

“Wait…The Case Holder. The Butcher. The Observer? There were three of them and the Case Holder didn’t even tell us?” Mark tried to ‘yell’ while whispering.

That night, Mark and Jaron slept in the same room; if checking the window for strange apparitions until daybreak was their idea of sleeping. Nicole had gone to bed angry. Sergio had gone to bed completely indifferent. The following morning, a very exhausted Jaron was awakened by his GridFire phone ringing. He very groggily reached over onto his nightstand, knocking over several CDs adjacent to the phone in his attempt to pick it up just to stop the ringing. After flipping it open, Jaron managed to lethargically bring it to his ear.

“Hello?” Jaron asked in a scratchy voice, his eyes still closed.

“Jaron, it’s Arden. Can you round up the others and be at my hotel in an hour?” asked Jones on the other end of the line.

“Alright,” Jaron answered; barely conscious.

Jaron closed his phone after that in order to fall back asleep for another hour before rolling out of bed and nudging Mark with his foot, who was sleeping on the floor.

“Dude, get up. Arden wants us to go to his hotel room,” Jaron said in an almost whiny voice.

Mark just grumbled and clutched his pillow tighter to his head. Jaron didn’t press the matter, as he was more interested in going to the bathroom. Eventually, the pair did properly get up and get ready. Nicole had already been contacted prior, and was already with Jones in his hotel. As the two of them waited for the boys to arrive, the two discussed a few matters in order to pass the time.

“Things are going to be getting a lot tougher now that Zeltrax is gathering followers. I can’t believe that there’s anyone out there who buys into his nonsense, but it’s real. It’s going to get ugly, and it might come down to our lives or theirs. Do you think you’ll be up to it?” Jones asked carefully.

Nicole was deeply disturbed by the question.

“I don’t think we should have to kill people. That isn’t what we do,” Nicole responded.

“But it might have to come to that. I understand. You’re young. If it’s too much for you guys, then leave it to me. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but if our lives are at stake, I will use deadly force,” Jones answered.

“Okay. Just don’t ask that sort of stuff of me,” Nicole answered sheepishly.

An uncomfortable silence followed.

“So what’s the deal with you and Sergio?” Jones chimed.

“Oh, him. He’s an ass,” Nicole said dismissively.

“I thought you were the one trying to give that guy a chance,” Jones observed.

“Yeah well he only helped us for money. I’ve given up on the guy. If that’s the only way he’ll help us, then he’s a sorry excuse for a person,” Nicole expressed scathingly.

Jones gave a peculiar look, before leaving the issue alone. There was a knock on the door not long after. When Jones let them in, it had turned out to be Jaron and Mark who had noticeable bags under their eyes.

“You guys didn’t get much sleep last night did you?” Nicole mused as they situated themselves in the room.

“Not after what we saw last night,” Mark quickly said.

“What are you talking about?” Jones questioned as he eyed the two.

“This fucking creature tried to attack me last night. It’s been watching me, and after I found the thing on my roof it went after me,” Jaron explained anxiously.

“What, a raccoon?” Nicole asked curiously.

“No, another one of them. We’ve got the Case Holder who is already a handful. Then there’s the Butcher. Well it turns out there’s three of those things. This one called itself the Observer,” Jaron elaborated.

Jones had a serious look on his face.

“What did it look like? I need to know in case we spot it again,” Jones asked.

“It looked like a demon straight from the seventh circle of hell,” Mark said in dramatic fashion.

Nicole gasped while Jones continued to look serious.

“If this thing is a hostile, then we’ve got serious problems. We’ve got enough on our plate. Three opponents is just going to make it worse,” Jones expressed.

“If there was ever a time to call in a favor, we could really use the Fire Ranger right about now,” Mark added.

“That won’t be enough. Even if it was, the new power source won’t be ready in time. But don’t worry about it. I’ll try and figure it out. There’s an answer to this,” Jones said calmly.

“We need to go back to GridFire Industries. Maybe Curtis can think of something?” Nicole suggested, trying to be helpful.

“That’s probably a good idea. I’m going to call Hank and ask him to meet us halfway. We need to sort through the details on the way,” said Jones.

Whipping out his phone faster than anyone had noticed, Jones speed dialed Hank’s number and waited. It rang one, twice, then three times. The fourth time it went to voice mail.

“Dammit. Hank, whenever you get this, contact me. We’ve just come into some new information of a third threat. Write this down: it’s called The Observer. We’re on our way to the office. If we’re not there in twenty minutes, we’ll need your help,” Jones left his message. He then flipped the phone shut with a loud ‘click’.

“Hank’s not picking up. We’re going to need to get going. If this Observer knows where you live, it probably knows about the rest of us. The last thing we need is the Butcher ambushing us in our sleep,” Jones warned as he grabbed his jacket.

Everyone quickly shuffled out of the room and went down to the car so that they could get going. Everyone remained silent trying to think through the situation in their own way. The presence of an additional threat was beginning to change the face of their struggle. Jones took the quickest route toward GridFire Industries. Just as they pulled onto route 315 which would lead them straight there; something popped out of an Invisiportal and landed right on the hood of the car. It was so heavy that it crushed the engine block. Nicole, who had been riding in the front passenger seat screamed. Her Dino Gem boosted its strength and became her sonic scream which shattered the windshield and nudged what was on the hood backwards just a bit. Jones covered his face as glass flew around in the cabin as did Jaron and Mark. After moving his arm out of the way, Jones noticed that some kind of metallic, skeletal being was crouched on the hood as it peered into the car.

“Boo,” it said in an electronic, male voice.

It then pulled a large rifle up and aimed it straight into the cabin.

“Bail out!” Jones screamed as the high pitch whirring of the rifle began to get louder.

Everyone opened their doors and ducked out of the car just as the robotic skeleton fired some kind of energetic pulse that completely wiped out of the inside cabin of the car. Jones was the first to get to his feet. Mark got up next, before running over to Nicole and helping her to her own feet while Jaron stood up to see what had attacked them as it got off the hood of the car. It stood six feet tall, and appeared to be a robotic skeleton. It was clearly some kind of composite metal and it carried a large rifle. Built right onto its shoulders were two large arms that featured built in weapon on the end of them.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/Zatenks2/SkeletalTrojan.jpg

“What the hell are you?” Jones asked angrily.

“This is the Skeletal TROJAN armor. Petty Officer Tim Robinson; at your service. This bad boy you see me wearing is a custom made piece of art that my friend Zeltrax built for me. I hope you appreciate it. We went through a lot of trouble to make it tough enough to take on you guys,” replied the Skeletal TROJAN.

Another voice then came from behind them. It was the Super TROJAN.

“This is the end of the road for you folks,” said the Super TROJAN.

“Shit, more of Daylon’s loyalists,” Jaron spat.

The Super TROJAN then pulled out two containment cards and then pressed the release button before tossing them to the ground. 12 black SARCOS units appeared out of each one for a total of 24. Including the Super and Skeletal TROJAN, they had 26 enemies to worry about as traffic quickly came to a screeching halt as people tried to turn around. Apparently, enough people had watched the news to know that it was not a good situation to be in.

“Ready?” Jaron yelled as they all brought out their morphers.

“Ready!” replied the other three.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up!” all of them performed their morphing call.

In seconds, the four of them became the Power Rangers and brought out their weapons. The Red Ranger immediately began to twirl his Tyrannostaff around and began to attack the surrounding SARCOS units. The Blue Ranger used his Tricerashield to attack and defend simultaneously while using the spike at the end of it to impale the first SARCOS unit to attack him. The Yellow Ranger utilized her Pteragrips well, by unleashed a quick flurry of attacks while proceeding to move through the crowd of SARCOS units. The Black Ranger similarly fought off the SARCOS units with his Brachio Staff. They were doing well at first, as the SARCOS units were cannon fodder unless they were in large groups. Jaron was the first to notice: the SARCOS units were not going down after being struck. There were clear separations in their black coloring, which had proved to be some sort of additional armor plating for the SARCOS units.

“You guys! Look behind you! The SARCOS units you knocked over are still working!” Jaron yelled.

The others quickly stopped to look around. It was true. All 24 SARCOS units were fully operational. None of them had been defeated. This new armor they were wearing protected them from the Rangers’ initial attacks. It was then that the SARCOS units began to fire their shoulder cannons and land direct hits on the Rangers. Every one of them fell down. The Super TROJAN then stepped in to challenge the Black Ranger, while the Skeletal TROJAN walked into the fray in order to take on the other three.

“Come on guys, this only just started!” Jaron urged the others.

When they got to their feet, all of their enemies prepared to attack.

“Super Dino Mode!” yelled Jaron, Mark, and Nicole as they powered up.

In their stronger state, the Rangers began to attack the SARCOS units using just their fists and kicks. This time it seemed to affect the SARCOS units a little more, although they were still more difficult to take down as their armor plating was protecting most of the critical parts. The Skeletal TROJAN’s secondary arms then lifted up its right arm which had two large cannons on it including a smaller one further up the arm. A powerful blast of blue energy burst from it and struck the Yellow Ranger on her side which knocked her down quickly. The Blue Ranger ran up to him for retribution, but was blasted several times with the main rifle while the right secondary arm then aimed at the Red Ranger and fired at his back while he was dealing with a SARCOS unit. It was then that the Rangers knew that the Skeletal TROJAN’s secondary arms could be controlled independently of the man’s real arms. The Black Ranger was having no easier of a time as the Super TROJAN simply took Jones’ attacks in stride before retaliating with powerful punches. The fact that he was slower didn’t even matter as the Black Ranger was simply not causing enough damage to stop the onslaught. A SARCOS unit slashed him on the back resulting in collision sparks and made Jones yell in pain. He quickly turned around and cut it in half with his Brachio Staff in retaliation.

The Super TROJAN then took this chance to aim his arms at Jones and fire green energy bursts out of his forearm casing. It was powerful enough to knock the Black Ranger over. The battle was not going well for them, as Zeltrax then appeared from an Invisiportal in the middle of everything in order to join his cronies.

“What a lovely day for mass murder, eh Arden?” Zeltrax taunted before firing blue lightning bolts out of his sword.

The lightning bolts then separated in order to strike all four Rangers individually at the same time. They remained standing but it did not help when the SARCOS units also began firing, along with both of the TROJANs. All of them screamed in pain before falling to their knees.

“This won’t end this way,” Jones breathed.

“Jaron; use Triassic!” Mark urged.

“No! You guys will be defenseless!” Jaron shouted back.

Suddenly then, a rainstorm of red laser blasts came from the sky and struck several SARCOS units squarely in their battery pack. The TROJANs included, everyone started scanning the sky to find the source of the attack. Something then landed just outside the fight. It was the Pink SPD Ranger with her Deltamax Blaster out.

“What the hell!” Jaron shouted in surprise.

A loud battle cry sounded as two more new arrivals somersaulted into the horde of SARCOS units. It was the Yellow and Green SPD Rangers with their Patrol Batons out in order to physically engage the Super TROJAN and Skeletal TROJAN. Zeltrax growled in anger, before the Blue SPD Ranger came running into the crowd with his own Patrol Baton out and struck him across the chest with it, leaving a nice deep scratch across his armor and knocking him over. Suddenly, a torrent of swift and large red laser blasts came ripping through the SARCOS units that were surrounding Jaron, Mark, and Nicole. When they looked to the source, they saw the Red SPD Ranger slowly walking toward them with his Delta Blasters out aiming them straight forward.

“Hey there,” said SPD Red, before firing more blasts through the SARCOS units.

SPD Pink ran up to Jaron and rested her hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll handle this!” she said, before running into the fight and firing her Deltamax Blaster once again.

Jaron, Mark, Nicole, and Jones all huddled together while the SPD Rangers routinely began leaping through the air and unleashing hell upon the numerous SARCOS units.

“They’re back?” Mark questioned.

“I thought their powers were gone!” Jaron said in shock.

“I’m just glad they’re here,” Nicole said enthusiastically.

Zeltrax fought defensively against SPD Blue before jumping over him in order to evade an oncoming kick. From here,

“Enlisting the SPD Rangers was a smart move, but it only bought you time!” Zeltrax declared fiercely.

The Super TROJANs similarly moved away from their SPD opponents before reaching up and vanishing into an Invisiportal.

“The time of you people will be at an end soon enough. Before this is over, you’ll regret you ever ran into me,” Zeltrax threatened while pointing at the Dino Thunder team.

He then reached up into the air and vanished into an Invisiportal.

Jones then turned his attention to the SPD Rangers, who were cleaning up the last of the SARCOS units.

“R.I.C!” SPD Yellow shouted as she tossed some sort of metal bone into the air.

A robotic dog then leapt into the air and caught it in its mouth, before converting into a large weapon. The other SPD Rangers then quickly ran up to the Canine Cannon and held it up, aiming at the remaining group of SARCOS units. The Dino Thunder Rangers then moved out of the way, allowing the SPD Rangers to fire their Canine Cannon and obliterate the remainder of the SARCOS units. What remained were scattered mechanical parts and some sparking limbs trying to move to no avail. The SPD Rangers then fired another shot at the remains of Jones’ car in order to destroy any evidence linking the car to the Dino Thunder Rangers. The Canine Cannon then vanished into nothing, with the SPD Ranger then began to give each other high fives and release pleasant laughter.

“Feels just like before, eh?” said SPD Green.

“Yup. I almost missed it,” said SPD Yellow.

Ambulances and emergency personnel began to flood toward the area. Their sirens could be heard a mile away. The SPD Rangers then started to approach and surround the Dino Thunder Rangers. SPD Red came up to Jaron and offered to shake his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you,” said SPD Red.

“Yeah; you too. You guys really saved our asses back there,” Jaron remarked.

“Are you guys the SPD Rangers from Operation Unity?” asked Nicole.

“That’s us,” said SPD Blue with a chuckle.

The Black Ranger didn’t appear surprised at all as he stood there stoically.

“Did you know about this Arden?” asked Mark.

“Actually, I didn’t,” Jones said thoughtfully.

SPD Red then looked to the oncoming emergency vehicles before looking back at the Dino Thunder Rangers.

“We better get going before they swarm the place,” said SPD Red.

Everyone reached into the air before vanishing into an Invisiportal. The SPD Rangers guided their transit through the Invisiportal Network before they were all deposited into some sort of enclosed, room with completely white walls, a white floor, and a brightly lit ceiling. At the end of this room was a console with dozens of computer screens with all sorts of information and output scrolling up. A lone, circular door was on the far right of the room. The SPD Rangers then walked ahead of the Dino Thunder Rangers simultaneously while side by side. In unison, both the Dino Thunder and SPD Rangers declared:

“Power down!”

For the SPD Rangers, five people with light brunette hair were revealed before turning around to face Jaron, Mark, Nicole, and Arden. The Red Ranger was a somewhat masculine looking guy about the same age as Jaron and Mark with sharp eyes and hair that had grown down to his chin. The Blue Ranger had much shorter hair, looking like a skinner version of SPD Red and with a more level facial expression. SPD Green was clearly very young, with short hair that he had gelled up in order to stick straight up. His facial expression was clearly one of excitement. SPD Yellow was a charming girl whose straight hair was the darkest and went down to her shoulders. SPD Pink was a girl that Jaron knew. It was unmistakable. She had also had straight hair but it was longer hair than SPD Yellow’s, with dirty-blonde accents and clearly the more attractive of the two. All of them had something about them that made them similar to one another. Jaron’s eyes widened as he realized who SPD Pink was. She was smiling. It was the girl with whom he had helped thwart the bank robbery with during the spring he had first arrived in Pennsylvania.


“Chelsea?” Jaron’s jaw dropped.

“Jaron? You're Red Ranger?” she said in enthused surprise.

“You're the Pink Ranger?” Jaron responded.

Chelsea laughed gleefully before coming up to Jaron and giving him a hug. A strange warm sensation appeared in Jaron’s gut. When she pulled away, the other Rangers walked toward them and began shaking hands.

“I’m Brendan,” said the boy who was SPD Red.

“Ray,” said the boy who was SPD Blue.

“I’m Allison!” said the girl who was SPD Yellow.

“My name’s Josh,” said the boy who was SPD Green.

“How do you know people all know Curtis?” asked Mark.

“We’re all brothers and sisters. Curtis is the oldest,” Chelsea laughed.

Mark and Nicole looked at each other in surprise before shrugging.

The door on the side of the room then slid open, with Curtis Lineer entering the room in his trademark, expensive suit. He was beaming.

“Hey guys, good to see you again. We’ve got a lot to talk about,” Curtis said happily.

[BlackKnight Ranger]

Man oh man I loved this episode, so much suspense was built towards the end, and alot going on to keep the mind interested throughout. I'm starting to feel like Jarron, Mark and Nicole are actual people now rather then characters in a fan fic, I started groaning when they attacked the observer, due to the fact that the name implies that she/he/it won't be the one attacking. Keep the episodes coming.

Secondary note: Loved how you brought back the connection made in the season before with Jarron and Chelsea.

[dragomuseveni]

part of me wants to believe that sergio and nichole will get together it seems weird now, because they seem nothing alike, but i just got this feeling...and i loved the SPD rangers returning thats awsome!!! I have been waiting a very long time for chelsea and jarron to be reunited, cuz i really wanted to see that blossom...also i forsee a love triangle...i wont say with who tho

[roc da mic]

Man im hoping for sergio to get his ass handed to him by one of the rangers.
I love the spd return MAn, the suspense was killing me. and i hope sergio and nichole don't get together, if they do then i can really see mark getting jelous.

[Einsider]

awesome eps man - both 9 and 10! great! i did wonder if Jaron was the same one from season 1!

[dragomuseveni]

well i would think that would be kind of the point, you can already see tinges of jelousy in Mark when he thinks about Nichole, and Sergio, so that could be a very interesting dynamic to explore. Also in the show dino yellow got with the drago ranger so idk just something to think about, because there are some parallels with this story to the show, thats the idea, like i said before about the dragon morpher not being bad in our world so it chose a bad boy...maybe im just reaching with my ideas, but yeah.

[Kali_WolfChilde]

i JUST got a chance 2 read this, and i gotta say, amigo, that u TOTALLY ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!! KIU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BlackKnight Ranger]

I hope your taking your time with this episode just to make it that more awsome, and not slacking off ( i hate to sound like some cliche teacher) the wait is making me anxious to see what you have cooked up.

[Kali_WolfChilde]

huh, wonder if Zeltrax figured out Beckoner revealed his identity and decided to go after him. j/k, Beckoner. am eagerly awaiting next ep, amigo.

[Beckoner]

Lol. Thank you everyone! I haven't disappeared. I've just been putting a lot of effort and time into this episode and I want it all shined up before delivering it. I hope to have it out by tonight or tomorrow so stick with me!

[Kali_WolfChilde]

no worries mate. we'll stick with ya like hot molasses to ya ribs! lol, jsut imagine an Australiean accent with that, amigo. CANT WAIT 4 NEXT EP!!!!!!!!

[Beckoner]

Thank everyone for their support. I unfortunately didn't get to push this episode out tonight, as it is the LONGEST EPISODE I HAVE EVER WRITTEN so I hope you can tolerate reading all of it, but it's 90% complete. I have to look it over and fix any typos and such. Sorry, I've been slacking this past week since this is the last week I'll get to spend with my girlfriend for a while since I'm starting a new job, so I was enjoying lots of quality time.

Not an excuse, just reality. No matter what, I should MOSTLY LIKELY have it posted by tomorrow night at the latest. You'll find I always deliver. I'm used to cranking out one episode per week, but unfortunately this episode is such an ambitious effort that I've worked on it for the past three weeks. Don't worry though, part 2 of the teamup episode is coming along nicely. It's long enough that I could reasonably split it into 3 parts, but it wouldn't be enough to justify it.

So if you don't mind, episode 11 is going to basically be like a double-episode in terms of length. There's a LOT of content in it. A BIG battle, and some story sequences in order to advance the plot. This is a big episode. Now I know what to expect the next time I write a teamup episode (yes there WILL be a teamup episode next season).

Oh yeah, and listen to Drago. He's got a pretty good sense of this story. You've got good instincts dude. Trust em. Lol. That's about all the spoilers I'm going to give out for now.

I'm absolutely LOVING the experience of writing this series, so never think I've disappeared. That's something I'll NEVER do, which a lot of fan fic writers do. I'm committed to this as though it was my own baby. Some episodes might take a while to crank out sometimes, but I hope you guys who enjoy my story stick around and see what I've got waiting for you.

Until next time, stay tuned for episode 11! Coming VERY soon!

[Einsider]

No worries Beck - i'm exactly the same with mine, just so busy with all otehr stuff that i don't get to write anywhere near as often as I would like! But uni again soon so should have more spare time (yeah i know it sounds weird that i have more free time at uni than during holidays - but i do! lol) We'll be waiting here dude so take as much time as you need and make it awesome!

[dragomuseveni]

hey thanks beck i really appriciate that man...cant wait to see the new chapter

[Beckoner]

Here it is folks. The second part of the team-up. I hope you've got a good chunk of time to spare cause this will take a while to read in full. Make sure you've got a good 20-30 minutes to set aside before taking this one on depending on your reading speed. To give you an idea, a long episode of World Bender takes up about 16 pages on size 12 font in MS Word with no double spacing. This chapter took 29. This is twice the length of any episode I've ever written, so I hope it makes up for the wait. There's a LOT of content here. So for people who may skim through to get to the good parts, you'll miss out on a lot. I hope you guys enjoy. This was an effort that I literally sweated over.

I'll stop rambling and deliver the goods. Thank everyone for their patience. I give you episode 11.

--------------------

World Bender Season 2
Against Unspeakable Odds Part 2


Both the SPD and Dino Thunder team sat in lavish conference chairs in the main board room for GridFire Industries as Curtis had brought them up at their request given events that had occurred that very day. After everyone had taken their seats, Jaron making sure to specifically sit next to Chelsea; Curtis took in a deep breath.

“I’m sure you guys are wondering how we restored the SPD powers?” Curtis asked.

“I’d sure as hell like to know. We could really use the backup at this point,” Jaron replied.

Joshua chortled.

“Well, we finally managed to create a power source large enough in order to power our morphers, including the Fire Morpher. I have backup documents of every blueprint and schematic that I ever got from the Case Holder. Using that, I rebuilt the SPD arsenal from scratch. I’ve had to go to some expense in order to construct it this quickly, but it works. There’s a catch though:” Curtis warned.

This was the point where Jones leaned in to listen, as he had apparently been unaware of Curtis’ progress also.

“Our reactor won’t provide a sustainable power source for the SPD powers,” said Curtis.

“Meaning what?” asked Mark.

“Meaning there’s a time limit to the SPD powers. Our company might have a lot of financial and political pull, but we can’t use a hugely renewable energy source like nuclear power. I’ve seen the output charts for our reactor, and after about 45 minutes of morphed time, the reactor will burn out. Once it burns out, it’s going to be very difficult to acquire the funds to build another one,” Curtis explained.

There was a somber mood emanating from the Dino Rangers. Jaron looked visibly disappointed.

“I guess that just means we’ll have to make it count,” said Brendan.

Curtis nodded.

“I think that we should focus our efforts into defeating the Butcher. Permanently,” Jones spoke up.

“I agree,” Curtis responded.

“How are we going to manage to coincidentally manage to take on the Butcher at the same time? From what you’ve said, the Butcher is hunting you so it’s not like he’s going to wait politely for us all to be together when the time comes,” Ray pointed out.

Nicole looked thoughtful, and Curtis was the first to notice it.

“Something on your mind?” Curtis asked.

“Well it has to do with the way the Butcher comes off to me. He doesn’t come off like a ruthless murderer. It’s almost as if he has some kind of ‘code’ or honor type thing. I don’t know. I’m not sure where I was going with that,” Nicole slumped back in her chair.

Curtis started wagging his finger while pointing at Nicole with widened eyes.

“Wait. That’s good! We can use that!” Curtis expressed enthusiastically.

“We can issue a challenge,” said Jones while looking straight ahead.

All eyes were on Jones, and Brendan had a gleam in his eye.

“How do we go about challenging him?” asked Ray.

“I can figure something out,” Curtis answered.

Everyone began to murmur in agreement, as Curtis had done a fine job of things thus far in their view.

“No. Let me. I think I know what to do,” Jaron asserted.

The room grew silent as Jaron’s voice was heard.

“What did you have in mind?” Curtis inquired.

“I don’t know if it’s just me, or all of us, but there’s another one of them involved in all this. It turns out that there are three: the Case Holder, the Butcher, and the Observer. It was watching me last night,” Jaron elaborated.

The SPD Rangers’ eyes all widened; Curtis included. Curtis then placed his hands on the conference table and leaned.

“You mean to tell me that there is another one?” Curtis questioned.

“Yes. Mark and I drove it off, but I don’t think it’s stopped watching me. Apparently it’s been keeping tabs on me. Maybe I could send a message through her,” said Jaron.

“Her?” asked Allison.

“Yeah, it’s a she. And if she’s anywhere near as dangerous as the Butcher, your timing with the morphers couldn’t be any more perfect,” Jaron commented.

Curtis stopped leaning on the table and straightened his suit as his brain clearly began racing to find a solution.

“I guess we have a lot of planning to do. Jaron, we’ll leave the Butcher up to you. Let us know what’s going on,” Curtis instructed as everyone moved to stand up.

Jones and Curtis were quick to leave the room together while speaking quietly as Mark slid Nicole’s seat back for her so that the two could get up and leave while the Lineer siblings began to scatter. Chelsea didn’t leave immediately, seemingly waiting for something. Jaron swallowed down a gulp as his eyes scanned over her pretty face. He didn’t hesitate.

“So Chelsea, I was thinking about taking a break from all this seriousness. Feel like going to the bookstore for coffee? My treat,” Jaron propositioned.

Chelsea smiled.

“Sure. I’d like that,” Chelsea answered.

It felt as though a weight had been lifted from Jaron’s stomach. Once they had found their way out of the building; Jaron, Mark, Nicole, and Chelsea had shuffled into Jaron’s car. Nicole was the first to get dropped off, followed by Mark. It was with anxiousness that Jaron drove to the local bookstore with the in-house coffee store. After ordering for the two of them, Jaron lead Chelsea to a table where they began sipping their coffee.

“So,” Jaron said nervously.

“So,” Chelsea repeated with a giggle, making Jaron a little more comfortable.

“I can’t believe that you’re the Pink Ranger,” Jaron said discreetly.

“It’s a crazy coincidence, especially since you’re the Red Ranger. How have you been?” Chelsea asked.

“I’ve been good. A little rough since I put on the suit, but I guess it’s no worse than you guys taking on the entire world,” Jaron mused.

Chelsea smiled.

“Enough about the Ranger stuff. What have you guys been doing since you ‘retired’?” asked Jaron.

“Well, I’ve been going to school for massage therapy. I want to work in a chiropractor’s office. Curtis has been taking care of us all ever since he started his company. My tuition is already paid for and he sent my car to a dealer to get it restored to factory condition,” Chelsea explained.

“Wow. Your brother makes all the money in the world now and so now you guys are just living it up, eh?” Jaron replied.

“No, not really. We still live the same way we used to. Curtis has his own place now but it’s a humble house over in Hanover not far from where you live. He fixed it up and has a cozy home now. He lives with his girlfriend. I guess he doesn’t want money to change us. Besides, his company invests a lot in outside things like charities and his little project with the reactor. We basically get to live like we always do, but without worries. Anything we need for school is taken care of, and our cars are covered. Dad wasn’t about to let him pay for his bills, so instead Curtis gave us cell phones. They’re his anyway, so it’s not like it costs him anything,” Chelsea went on at some length.

“We should exchange numbers. You know, for like- emergencies and stuff?” Jaron asked pitifully.

By the time he had finished his sentence, he realized how much he fudged it up. Chelsea gave him a peculiar look.

“If you want my number Jaron, you can just ask. It’s not like we’re total strangers,” Chelsea suggested knowingly.

“Oh, ok. Sorry, I guess I didn’t know how to put it,” Jaron admitted.

Jaron made eye contact with Chelsea and her very inviting smile allowed him to ease up a little. He didn’t want to appear like a fool, although he was tripping over his own words from time to time. Jaron took a breath before taking another sip of coffee. It was time for round 2. This time he’d be sure to be more casual.

Nicole was at home brushing her hair while checking her phone for text messages. She had gotten a text message from Mark, a couple of friends, and nothing else. She continued to brush her hair as it had become a little frizzy after the Skeletal TROJAN’s attack. The doorbell then rang, and the only person at home was herself and she wasn’t expecting company. Nicole walked out of her room and to her front door, before opening the door. Standing in the doorway was the Super TROJAN.

“Hello girly. Thanks for leading me to your house. You should check your tail more often. I wish you weren’t so young, but you have to go,” he said, before cocking his fist back and thrusting it forward.

Nicole released an impulsive sonic scream which slowed the bulking fist down to a stop a mere foot away from her face. As her super powered scream held the fist at bay, a concentrated jet of green gas burst from the openings in the forearm assembly. When added to the point of collision, a small kinetic explosion resulted and forced Nicole away while barely moving the Super TROJAN. Nicole fell to the ground on her back and watched in fear as the Super TROJAN aimed both of his arm cannons at her while the green openings began to glow brighter. Suddenly, the White Drago Ranger’s hand grabbed the Super TROJAN’s left shoulder from behind and pulled him out of the doorway. Nicole got to her feet and watched as the White Ranger tossed the Super TROJAN onto the front lawn as onlookers began to peek from their windows on her street.

“I’m going to give you one free hit, asshole. You can do anything you like, then after that I’m gonna hurt you,” said Sergio.

“Your funeral,” the Super TROJAN replied.

In an instant, the Super TROJAN aimed his arms at the ground and then fired the forearm cannons in order to boost himself back to his feet. Upon landing with a hefty thud, he then cocked his right arm back before slamming his large fist straight into the White Ranger’s chest armor. A burst of sparks flew from the collision point and Sergio stumbled back a couple steps before bending over slightly while holding his hand to his chest. After taking in a few visible breaths, the White Ranger looked up; his visor looking straight at the Super TROJAN.

“My turn,” Sergio said darkly.

Pulling his Drago Sword out of his belt holster, the White Ranger twisted the head on the pen portion which caused the blade to extend. In a move of incredible speed, the White Ranger dashed back and forth about the Super TROJAN, delivering a series of powerful strikes and slashes using his Drago Sword. The Super TROJAN was not fast enough to avoid or block any of the attacks, let alone follow Sergio’s movements. Electric sparks burst from various locations on the Super TROJAN suit, severing some of the circuitry and causing physical pain to the wearer. The final blow was a direct punch into the chest plate, knocking the Super TROJAN away.

After landing in the middle of the street, the Super TROJAN began groaning as his armor steamed slightly from the friction of the earlier attack. The White Ranger casually walked over to him before leaning over his fallen foe. He then held his Drago Sword out and aimed the tip of the blade straight at his head.

“You have a choice. I can kill you now, or we can wait until the big showdown with your friends to finish this,” Sergio said menacingly.

“When that time comes, you’ll be the one to die,” said the Super TROJAN, before reaching up and entering an Invisiportal.

“He knows where I live!” Nicole said in a shaken tone.

The White Ranger turned on his heel and speed-dashed to Nicole before grabbing her by the waist and then running off with her at high speed. With his heightened senses, he managed to close the front door behind him. Sergio carried her to the nearby children’s park before slowing down and setting her on her feet.

“What was that?” Nicole asked in outrage.

“Power down!” Sergio said as his Ranger suit faded away. “I came to talk to you, and I noticed that he was following you. I did what I needed to.”

“You let him get away, and now he knows where I live. Everyone on my block just saw the White Ranger come to my house! The government is going to be all over me if Zeltrax doesn’t first!” Nicole shouted while pounding on Sergio’s chest.

Sergio grabbed Nicole’s wrist in order to stop her from hitting him.

“Curtis has people in place by our houses to take care of that. No one’s going to report anything,” Sergio shot back.

Nicole’s expression changed to one of anger.

“Oh yeah that’s right; you and Curtis are chums. He pays you to do something you should be doing because it’s the right thing,” Nicole accused scathingly.

Sergio’s expression didn’t change.

“It didn’t happen that way,” Sergio responded.

“Yeah. Right. Well, thanks for the help but I don’t need your protection, especially when it’s paid for,” Nicole said irritably before walking away.

“Tomorrow at noon,” Sergio finally said.

Nicole stopped walking, but didn’t turn around.

“Jaron is supposed to set up a big meeting tomorrow at noon. I’ll be there,” said Sergio.

Nicole didn’t respond, and continued to walk away.

Jones and Curtis sat down in an office with a touch screen laptop going over a topographic map of Utah.

“Alright, so the head foreman is going to evacuate the area once I put in the call. We’ll have maybe an hour before they start pouring in, so we need to finish it within an hour,” Curtis explained.

“Is the power source really going to hold up for everyone?” asked Jones.

“Arden, I’ve put a lot of money into this. It’ll hold. Just make sure your boys do their part. We’re dealing with two of them now, so it’s going to take all of us. If they have robots, you guys are going to need to use your zords. I don’t have nearly the amount of money it would take to rebuild the SPD Megazords. Can your team handle it?”

Jones took a moment to think, before looking back to Curtis.

“They can handle it. They’re a lot stronger than we were when we first started out. They’ll do great,” Jones said confidently.

Curtis smiled.

Jaron was in his backyard watching the sun go down, reflecting on his outing with Chelsea. She had been so nice. After he had managed to take his foot out of his mouth, their conversation went far more smoothly. In addition to being a tough cookie, she was very sweet. Jaron was really beginning to like her. Being that they were both Rangers gave them a common thread, but outside of the suit was a cool girl who was as clever as she was pretty. A warm feeling tingled in Jaron’s chest when he thought about her. A cold chill travelled up his spine when he remembered what he needed to do. He wanted to issue a challenge to the Butcher. It was the only way they could pool their forces to deal with it once and for all. It was then that he remembered the Observer. If she was still watching him, then he’d be able to do it through her.

The sun disappeared over the horizon as darkness replaced the light that once filled the sky. Jaron stood up on his back porch and looked straight up into the azure blue infinity before becoming emboldened.

“Observer!” Jaron shouted into the sky.

Jaron kept his hand on his morpher should the Observer appear. He didn’t want to be defenseless. It was then that Jaron saw a piece of a cloud in the sky break off and began to tunnel downward toward him. Completely frozen in petrification, Jaron saw the tiny little string of cloud moved downward like a tiny tornado before making its way down into his very backyard. The little tornado was no wider than the trunk of a pine tree as it stopped mere feet away from him and continued to swirl as the Observer’s voice began to emanate from it.

“A Recipient should never call out to us,” said the Observer’s voice.

“How are you doing this?” Jaron asked the tornado in perplexed fear.

“You called to give a message, and I will listen,” said the Observer.

“This is impossible. You’re manipulating a cloud! What are you?” Jaron asked.

Nothing further came from the tornado. The lapse in communication allowed Jaron to snap out of his astonishment. He had a job to do, and he needed to get it done. Despite his feelings, he gathered his thoughts. His voice deepened as his eyes remained fixed on the stationary tornado.

“Tell the Butcher that he’ll get his chance to find the Case Holder,” Jaron lied. “We challenge him to a fight at noon tomorrow. He can bring whoever he likes. But if we win, he has to back off.”

“Where will it take place?” asked the Observer’s voice.

“At the place where we first met the Butcher,” said Jaron.

The tornado spun wildly before finally dissipating, leaving Jaron completely mystified. Between impossible abilities and the lack of explanation for any of it, Jaron was beginning to question the Ranger’s ability to defeat the Butcher. Tomorrow would not be an easy day. Without anything else left to do but think about the upcoming battle, Jaron went upstairs into his room and stared out of his window. Nicole was lying in her bed tossing and turning uncomfortably, annoyed at the prospect of a Power Ranger who fights for money. At Arden Jones’ apartment, he was reviewing battle plans that Curtis had drawn up with him. His mind was filled with various backup plans and decisions he was going to need to make should things take a turn for the worse. Everyone slept lightly that night…


The next morning, everyone woke up at exactly 9:00 AM sharp. No one moved lethargically. Faces were washed, teeth were brushed, and clothes were put on. Strangely enough; on this day everyone wore clothing that somehow incorporated the color of their suits. Never before had that happened to any of them. The clothes they were wearing were of summer attire as they needed to be able to move in case they were demorphed for any reason. Today even Sergio was wearing white cargo pants with a white tank top. Those who had a car went to pick up each other and when everything was said and done, four cars were filled. Jaron, Jones, Chelsea, and Curtis all carried an even distribution of everyone in their cars. Curtis was wearing clothing very similar to what he used to wear during the days of Operation Unity. He was wearing loose khaki pants and a white button down shirt except unlike back then it was tucked in.

No one spoke any words, their minds locked onto the task at hand. Jaron drove his teal Geo Metro, Chelsea drove her silver Jetta, Jones drove his black Crown Victoria, and Curtis drove his gunmetal RX350 all in a small convoy to seemingly nowhere. They eventually made their way onto a rural route that headed to the outer perimeter of the Wyoming Valley, before the convoy; led by Curtis, vanished into a large Invisiportal opening. All four cars were dropped on one end of the Bingham Canyon Mine where they had encountered the Butcher for the first time. As intended, it was cleared of workers. As everyone got out of the cars, Mark couldn’t help but look around at its emptiness.

“Where’s all the workers?” asked Mark.

“I put in a call. Some friends of mine work as quarry managers and agreed to delay the mining for about an hour or so. That’s how long we have to get this done,” Curtis explained.

“So where’s the trouble hiding?” asked Sergio.

“Let’s look over the hilly area past the place we met the Butcher,” Jones suggested as he pointed into the distance where the wind was kicking up some dust.

Everyone assumed a line and walked side by side, keeping pace with one another. The Lineer siblings formed the leftmost part of the line, with Hank on the very end. The Dino Thunder team made up the rightmost part of the line. Some noise further away led them to knowing that they were close. Mechanical sounds and voices saying inaudible things clued them in. They proceeded several dozen yards before passing over a slight incline, before coming to the summit and seeing quite a scene before them. Further down the hill nearly 40 yards away was an assembly of opponents. There was what must have been at least 200 of the Armored SARCOS units standing by with what appeared to be enhanced battery packs on them. Behind the Armored SARCOS units on the far left was the Super TROJAN, with the Skeletal TROJAN on the far right opposite of him. Behind that line standing dead center bringing up the rear was the Butcher. Standing at the Butcher’s right hand was Zeltrax, with the Observer floating at his left.

“He brought a lot of friends,” Curtis commented with concern.

“So that’s them? The Butcher and the Observer?” asked Joshua while pointing.

“Yeah,” Jaron answered.

“I do not recall encountering these others you bring with you,” the Butcher blared in its massive voice.

“What do you say we introduce ourselves?” Joshua suggested with a sparkle in his eye.

Ray rolled his eyes, and Brendan laughed.

“You’re not seriously thinking about doing that again are you?” asked Allison.

“Do what?” asked Nicole.

“A roll call. It’s this silly gimmick that our fictional counterparts use. I suppose it gets them into the mood,” Jones explained.

“We did it in Korea. Let’s do it again. The Butcher SO gave us the opening!” Joshua urged.

Mark looked at the army that amassed in their opposition before shaking his head.

“Is he always like this?” Sergio asked in irritation.

“I can’t remember the last time he took anything seriously,” Chelsea offered.

“I don’t think they’re going to wait. We should probably get this done,” Hank suggested.

“Let’s play along,” said Curtis with a smile. “If we’re going to die here, we might as well have some fun.”

“Pssh,” Sergio released.

“Alright, let’s do this. You guys ready?!” Jaron yelled.

Everyone then brandished their morphers.

“Ready!” everyone answered with a mighty yell.

“Dino Thunder, Power Up!” shouted Jaron, Mark, Nicole, and Jones.

“White Ranger, Dino Power!” yelled Sergio.

“SPD, Emergency!” shouted the Lineer siblings.

“Emergency, Fire Ranger!” shouted Hank.

Everyone pressed the button on their morphers at the end of their morphings calls simultaneously.

Jaron, Mark, Nicole, and Jones were bathed in white light as their emblems appeared on their chests before being sent into a somersault as their suits assembled on them. Upon landing with their completed suits and leaving a crater behind, they all stood up straight as their helmets appeared. Sergio was similarly bathed in a white light, except he flew straight up into a spin as his suit assembled before landing on the ground heavily so that his helmet could appear on him. Brendan, Ray, Joshua, Allison, and Chelsea held their morphers out in front of them so that they would project a blurry, holographic image of their suits. They then flew back slightly and performed a somersault as the images of their suits flew onto them and became the real thing. When they looked up, their helmets assembled quickly on them. Curtis’ morpher also projected the image of his suit in front of him, before he jumped into the air and remained hovering there. Curtis then balled his fists and spread his arms out so that the projection of his suit could fly onto him and transmute into the actual suit. He then lost his hovering ability and landed back on the ground with a loud crash, before looking forward and his helmet building on him. Hank’s morpher projected an image of the Fire Ranger before him, before the image got sucked back into the morpher and tendrils of red energy burst out of it and wrapped around his body. Once he was covered in it, it vanished to reveal his suit. His own helmet then appeared. All 12 Rangers had finished morphing.

“Tyranno!” yelled Jaron.

“Tricera!” yelled Mark.

“Ptera!” yelled Nicole.

“Brachio!” yelled Jones.

“Drago!” yelled Sergio.

“Dino Thunder!” they all yelled while assuming a threatening stance.

“SPD Red!” yelled Brendan.

“SPD Blue!” yelled Ray.

“SPD Green!” yelled Josh.

“SPD Yellow!” yelled Allison.

“SPD Pink!” yelled Chelsea.

“Omega!” yelled Curtis.

“SPD Fire Power!” yelled Hank.

“Space Patrol Delta!” they all shouted while getting into opposing stances of their own.

“More Recipients?” questioned the Butcher.

“This is not my purview,” said the Observer.

“Your powers are needed here,” the Butcher interjected.

The Observer said nothing.

“Remember Butcher, we’re on your side,” Zeltrax reminded in a clearly opportunistic tone.

“Let’s do this!” said Jaron.

“No one gets away!” Brendan shouted in turn.

“Attack!” yelled Zeltrax, directing a line of Armored SARCOS units to begin moving toward the Rangers.

Thousands of energetic feathers came fluttering down onto the line of Armored SARCOS units and exploded resulting in the armor plates falling off the units. A series of electric bolts then came from the same direction and blasted the vulnerable SARCOS units apart.

“Whoa,” Mark remarked.

All of the Power Rangers then looked to their far left and saw the Shadow Ranger, Nova Ranger, and Kat Ranger taking a casual walk toward them. Both the Kat and Nova Ranger were holding their hands forward as though they had just fired something, indicating the earlier attacks. The three of them then ran up to join the rest.

“You’re late dad,” said Curtis.

“Your guys had to make a few last minute adjustments to our morphers,” said the Nova Ranger.

“Let’s take them out before they take us out,” the Shadow Ranger said simply.

No more words needed to be said, and the Rangers charged forward toward the force that the Butcher and Zeltrax had amassed. Both Red Rangers: Jaron and Brendan, leapt over the Armored SARCOS units and landed before the Butcher on both of his sides.

“Congratulations,” said Jaron.

“You drew the short stick,” Brendan finished.

The Butcher adjusted his hold on his axe before lifting the bottom off of the ground.

“I trust you two will provide a valiant fight, but your time is now over,” the Butcher answered.

“Yah!” Jaron yelled as he jumped toward the Butcher with his fist cocked back along with Brendan.

The Black Ranger, Shadow Ranger, and Fire Ranger circled Zeltrax who slowly twirled his sword in his hand.

“How convenient that the three of you are my opponents,” Zeltrax lamented. “Here we have my enemy, my murderer, and my replacement. I’ll be happy to send you all to your graves!” Zeltrax yelled.

“And I'll be sure to finish what I started in Saudi Arabia,” said the Shadow Ranger.

Zeltrax yelled in anger before charging the Fire Ranger and swinging his sword down toward his head. The Black Ranger and Shadow Ranger ran on to either side of the Fire Ranger, before blocking the oncoming strike with their Brachio Staff and Shadow Saber. Their blades formed and ‘X’ over the Fire Ranger’s helmet, catching Zeltrax’s sword before it struck. The Fire Ranger then brought out his Magnum Sabers and swung upwards, pushing all three blades away and then attacking with the other Magnum Saber. The four of them then engaged in a vicious game of swordplay in which Zeltrax used his sword and his shield to the best of his ability.

Both Blue Rangers and the Green Ranger approached the Observer who remained floating in the air while looking at the three with a stoic face.

“It was not my intent to harm anyone. I am sorry we must fight,” said the Observer.

In a fiercely fast move, her right arm shot out in order to grab Mark, and her claws barely grazed his chest as the Blue Ranger avoided the hit. SPD Blue and Green then took out their Deltamax Blasters and fired at the Observer, who simply began waving her metallic tail around which caught the laser blasts without exploding. The laser blasts simply ‘stuck’ onto her tail, before she whipped her tail violently which caused the laser blasts to shoot out around her assailants. They avoided them, but the resulting explosions forced them to hold up their arms in defense.

SPD Pink, SPD Yellow, and the Yellow Dino Ranger were performing cartwheels and back flips in order to avoid the oncoming green blasts that the Super TROJAN was firing. SPD Pink pulled out her Deltamax Blaster and fired a shot straight into the Super TROJAN’s chest, which caused collision sparks and damaged his chest plate a bit. He then held up both arms as though he was flexing, as the openings on his forearm weapons began to glow bright. He then aimed his arms at the girls, before discharging all of the green blasts he could at once. All three girls were struck and flew back as a result of the blows while returning fire from their own weapons which hit the Super TROJAN right back.

The Nova and Kat Ranger performed a series of movements in order to punch the Skeletal TROJAN, who was parrying their moves while slowly moving backward. The Skeletal TROJAN managed to sidestep one of the Kat Ranger’s moves before the Nova Ranger moved in and caught one of his fists while he managed to catch the Nova Ranger’s other fist. They then wrestled with their arms before engaging in a crossed arm lock. The Nova Ranger had the advantage here, as her hand was right by her Nova Morpher. She quickly pulled the throttle down and revved it a couple times.

“Nova Morpher, Muscle Mode!” she shouted, before snapping the throttle back down and effortlessly throwing the Skeletal TROJAN backwards.

The Kat Ranger then quickly fired her energy feathers at the Skeletal TROJAN, causing a multitude of tiny explosions on his armor. His large secondary arm cannons then aimed at them and fired large blasts at the two of them, who were thrown back from the force of the explosions.

The White Ranger and Omega Ranger were lost in the army of Armored SARCOS units trying to finish them off, as trying to attack the other Rangers would endanger their masters; which was against their programming. The White Ranger had his Drago Sword out and was relentlessly slashing down units while he walked through them. One unit tried to slash down onto his chest armor, but he caught it and held it there before twisting behind its back and firing an energy burst out of his Drago Sword which knocked another unit down. He then saw another unit running up to him, and he quickly slashed across its chest to knock it away. He spun the unit he was holding around again while not letting go of its arm, and drew a straight line of energy on its leg with the pen portion of the Drago Sword. He then kicked at it which destabilized the energetic ‘drawing’ and caused it to explode which blew off its legs and caused it to fall on its back. Looking around him quickly, the White Ranger saw four units all running toward him with their cannons aimed at him. He jumped into the air while his body spinning and rained down laser arrows onto them, dispatching the automatons quickly. As gravity began to pull the White Ranger toward the ground again, he aimed his Drago Sword straight down so that when he landed, the SARCOS unit whose legs he had destroyed would be impaled. After successfully completing the act, he yanked his Drago Sword out of the fallen unit amidst a shower of sparks and electrical circuit pops.

The Omega Ranger was fully extending his arms and slamming his palms into the Armored SARCOS units with so much force behind the blows that the battery packs on their backs imploded. Eventually he made his way to the White Ranger who was ferociously slashing at his surrounding enemies. He then walked up to him and cocked his head.

“Admit it: Ranger business isn’t that bad,” Curtis taunted.

Without responding, the White Ranger fired a plethora of laser arrows which whizzed by the Omega Ranger’s helmet and struck several SARCOS units who were aiming their weapons at him. The arrows knocked their armor off, after which the White Ranger speed dashed between the armor-less SARCOS units and dismantled them piece by piece using the business end of his Drago Sword. Once he was finished, he zipped right back to standing in front of the Omega Ranger where he had been before.

“It has some perks,” Sergio said simply.

Without warning, the Omega Ranger pulled up his throttle and revved it two times.

“Omega Morpher, Electro Mode!” yelled Curtis.

He then punched the ground and a burst of electric energy travelled along the ground and exploded underneath even more SARCOS units that were coming up behind Sergio.

“I thought so,” said Curtis, while snapping the throttle back down.

The Red Rangers were having the fight of their lives, as Jaron lashed out with his Thundermax Saber to little effect as the Butcher effortlessly blocked using the massive handle of his axe before sending his hand crashing into the Red Tyranno Ranger’s chest which generated a massive amount of sparks and pain. It sent him flying to the ground. The Butcher then lifted its heavy axe high, before sending it tearing down toward him. Several red laser blasts then struck the broad side of the axe blade hard enough to knock it off course and land right next to the Red Tyranno Ranger. SPD Red had fired his Delta Blasters in order to do it, and then began to fire at the Butcher directly. The laser blasts seemed to do little else than fizzle out upon striking the Butcher’s armor. The Red Tyranno Ranger then rolled away from the axe and got to his feet before converting his Thundermax Saber into blaster mode, before firing some shots at the Butcher’s eye. Only a couple actually landed, but it managed to annoy him enough to make him back off.

“Let’s crank this up a little bit or we’re dead,” Brendan urged as he came up next to Jaron.

“Got it. Super Dino Mode!” Jaron shouted.

“SPD, SWAT Mode!” Brendan yelled in turn.

Both Rangers were upgraded, with SPD Red wielding his Delta Enforcer. The Red Tyranno Ranger then grabbed SPD Red and threw him toward the Butcher, which SPD Red letting his Delta Enforcer fire at full power as he zoomed toward and over the Butcher’s head. The blasts did explode on contact, but the Butcher did not flinch. He quickly swung his axe through the air in order to slice the Red Tyranno Ranger across the waist, who was quick enough to somersault over the weapon and kick off of the Butcher’s head in order to land next to SPD Red. The Butcher did not stop swinging, and allowed the momentum to spin itself completely around before slicing both Red Rangers across the chest to devastating effect. Both Rangers fell to the ground screaming in agony. The Butcher then drove the bottom of the axe’s handle into the ground, generating an expanding blue dome of energy from the point of impact which sent the Red Rangers tumbling away through the air like rag dolls.

SPD Pink, SPD Yellow, and the Yellow Ptera Ranger used their speed to flip over and around the Super TROJAN to avoid his attacks while landing some successful melee moves of their own. The Yellow Ptera Ranger used her Ptera Grips while both SPD Pink and SPD Yellow used their Patrol Batons. At this point, the Super TROJAN’s armor had many deep gashes and burns on his suit.

“Get over here!” the Super TROJAN yelled in frustration before reaching out and grabbing SPD Pink’s neck and tossing her into SPD Yellow which knocked the wind out of both of them.

The Yellow Ptera Ranger was not too pleased by this, and quickly began to tap into her Dino Gem.

“Super Dino Mode!” Nicole yelled as her suit became adorned in spikes.

Complete with her wings, the Yellow Ptera Ranger kicked off the ground and glided toward the Super TROJAN who began firing more green blasts at her. Using a series of barrel rolls and feints, she managed to avoid being struck by the blasts as she swooped down and snatched the Super TROJAN by his head using the shins of her legs before flying upward with him. They ascended nearly 40 yards as the Super TROJAN struggled to break free.

“Let me go you bitch!” the Super TROJAN demanded.

She immediately loosened her grip. Before gravity could claim him however, she quickly doubled over and delivered a powerful slash with her Ptera Grips that began at his left shoulder and traveled down to the right side of his waist. Circuits were blown as sparks flew out of the newly created wound. The Super TROJAN fell to the Earth screaming before hitting the ground with a horribly loud noise. Amazingly, he survived the fall due to his suit, but as he struggled to get to his feet, it became apparent that the fall severely loosened his armor and parts of it were slightly dangling or swaying from their original locations. His right leg was clearly injured as he leaned on the other leg. SPD Pink and SPD Yellow were quick to respond as they had gotten to their feet by this point.

“SPD SWAT Mode!” the two girls shouted as they held their Delta Morphers aloft and pressed the button.

Both Rangers gained their armor and Delta Enforcers before aiming their weapons at him. The Yellow Ptera Ranger landed in between them before drawing her Deltamax Blasters and got down on one knee in order to properly aim.

“Fire!” Allison shouted, prompting all three of them to discharge their weapons.

The Super TROJAN was a sitting duck as dozens of laser blasts ripped through both his armor and HIM before the job was done. Critically injured, the Super TROJAN froze up and fell onto his back like a statue.

The Kat Ranger and Nova Ranger were fighting the Skeletal TROJAN almost like a tag team in order to throw off the targeting logic installed in the suit so that they would not be shot at. Instead, his automatic arms randomly fired and generated numerous explosions around the area while he used his real arms to aim his rifle at the Nova Ranger who had just avoided a shot from one of his cannons.

“Say goodbye bitch,” the Skeletal TROJAN said simply as his rifle aimed straight at her chest.

The Nova Ranger was quick to pull up the throttle on her morpher.

“Nova Morpher, Hyper Mode!” she shouted as she revved it three times.

She snapped the throttle back down just as the Skeletal TROJAN fired his rifle. The Nova Ranger effortlessly swayed her body left and right to avoid the projectiles, moving faster than any human could possibly move. Once his rifle overheated, the Skeletal TROJAN was forced to stop firing.

“What the hell?” he asked rhetorically.

The Kat Ranger then ran toward him, before sending more energy feathers at him in order to misdirect her movements. While he was not struck, he found that the Kat Ranger was gone. Both automatic cannons then swiveled to aim at the Nova Ranger before discharging their powerful discharge. The Nova Ranger intentionally threw her legs forward in order to fall down. Her body leveled out in midair and barely avoided the blasts before she fell straight on her back. She quickly aimed her hand at the Skeletal TROJAN and fired an electric burst into his chest which caused him to stumble back. It was then that he noticed that the Kat Ranger was in the air above him beginning to twirl. A rainbow tornado of colors then form and swirled around his body, completely destroying his automatic arms and caused numerous burns on his armor.

The Nova Ranger then sprung to her feet before leaping toward him. She pulled up the throttle on her morpher in transit and revved it.

“Nova Morpher, Lightbeam Mode!” she shouted before putting the lever back down.

Sprinting as fast as she could while her left hand glowed a bright light, she came up to the disheveled Skeletal TROJAN and crouched down low before slamming her energy-infused fist straight into his waist. It was almost a delayed reaction as the Skeletal TROJAN bent forward without a sound, before the force the blow sent him hurtling backward and toward the sky. He screamed his last breath as the suit destabilized and the Skeletal TROJAN vanished in a fiery explosion that left only pieces of metallic debris behind.

Zeltrax was having sufficient difficulty fending off three Rangers as the Black Ranger, Shadow Ranger, and Fire Ranger used their advantage to keep Zeltrax on his toes. Zeltrax fired blue electricity from his sword toward the Fire Ranger, who held both Magnum Sabers out in front of him and caught the bolts on his blades, which caused the energy to wrap around them like a tesla coil. The Fire Ranger than swung his blades to his left, causing the blue electricity to ‘fall off’ and strike the ground somewhere behind him in an impressive explosion. The Fire Ranger then hoisted both Magnum Sabers high as he charged Zeltrax, who used the opening to quickly step forward and slam his shield into the Fire Ranger’s chest, knocking him down. The Black Ranger then sent a kick toward Zeltrax’s midsection; but his foot was caught in between the bottom of his shield and his right knee. Zeltrax then yanked the Black Ranger’s leg away to knock him off balance before jumping into the air and slamming his knee into his chest, knocking him down.

The Shadow Ranger then came up to Zeltrax before punching his shield out of his hand. The Fire Ranger was back up now, and he performed a sword sweep with both Magnum Sabers that started low and then slashed upward, striking Zeltrax hard and sending him flying straight up. The Shadow Ranger then jumped up into the air faster than Zeltrax was ascending, before slashing straight down onto his abdomen with his Shadow Saber which caused Zeltrax to come back down. Before Zeltrax could even hit the ground however, the Black Ranger had already prepared his Energy Orb and sent it crashing into Zeltrax which exploded on contact and sent him flying toward the Fire Ranger, who was dashing forward before delivering toward powerful sword swipes using his Delta Magnums and generating further collision sparks from Zeltrax’s armor. Only then was Zeltrax allowed to hit the ground. His armor smoking, and pain racking his every nerve; Zeltrax got to his feet and retrieved his shield. As he surveyed the battlefield, he saw that both of his TROJAN followers had fallen. Even if Armored SARCOS units were slowly being reduced in numbers thanks to the efforts of the Omega and White Ranger. He then turned to look at the Black, Shadow, and Fire Ranger who were taking up a formation next to each other.

“It looks like you get out of this one. With the Butcher gone I can focus my efforts on the Case Holder. Either way, I win. I’ll be seeing you,” Zeltrax spat before reaching up and entering an Invisiportal.

“Damn,” said Jones.

“You’ll get another shot at him later. Let’s clean up the SARCOS units,” said the Shadow Ranger.

“Lead the way Charles,” said Hank.

The three of them then ran into the army of Armored SARCOS units. All of the female Rangers had also joined in as well. The Yellow Ptera Ranger was kicking away a SARCOS unit while propelling herself to another part of the battle, before decapitating another SARCOS unit with her Ptera Grips. An unseen unit fired its cannon into her back, which knocked her onto her knees. Another SARCOS unit witnessed this, and took up a line with four other SARCOS units creating a total of five who were aiming their cannons at her. When she turned around, it was already too late. All five SARCOS units fired their heavy cannons at her. All she had time for was to shield herself with her arm. Suddenly, the White Ranger speed dashed into the path of the projectiles and acted as a human shield. Sparks burst from all over his body. The only noises he released were a couple of pained grunts. He growled and then aimed the pen tip of the Drago Sword at the ground below the middle SARCOS unit and fired a stream of golden energy. The resulting explosion decimated the five offending Armored SARCOS units. He turned around to see the Yellow Ranger get to her feet.

“I don’t need your help!” Nicole shouted in annoyance.

“I was going to tell you that I’m not the greedy bastard you make me out to be,” Sergio responded loud enough to be heard over the noisy battlefield while engaging another SARCOS unit in melee combat.

“Now is hardly the time to talk about this!” Nicole responded as she stabbed the heads of two adjacent SARCOS units with her Ptera Grips.

“We don’t have a lot of money! Curtis offered to pay off my dad’s mortgage so I wouldn’t have to worry about being homeless. I agreed to help before he said he’d do it!” Sergio shouted back.

The Yellow Ranger froze for a moment, before running up to the White Ranger and kicking away a SARCOS unit that was trying to slash him. Her visor locked with his, before she turned away.

“I guess I was wrong about you. Sorry,” Nicole responded almost too quietly to hear over the sounds of the battle.

The White Ranger didn’t respond, and merely proceeded to continue mowing down SARCOS units. The Blue Rangers and SPD Green were in their upgraded forms. The Blue Tricera Ranger was in Super Dino Mode with his Tricerashield out blocking the sharp tip of the Observer’s tail which was boring deep holes into it. SPD Blue and SPD Green were in SWAT mode, and began firing their Delta Enforcers straight at her torso. One laser blast struck her exposed hip and she released an echoing scream before turning her body. The rest of the laser blasts struck the metal assembly on her back, protecting her entirely. She then lifted both of her large arms above her head and clapped her claws together. Spinning around as she hovered, her body touched the ground for the first time as she impaled the ground with her tail before pressing her hands into the ground and clutching the dirt with her claws. A blue orb of energy then burst from her body and spread out, which knocked all three Rangers away while causing sparks to burst from their bodies for substantial damage.

SPD Blue groaned as he got to his feet.

“This thing is ridiculously tough. What the hell do we do?” asked Ray in frustration.

“We kick her ass!” Josh yelled recklessly while running toward her.

Before she had got a chance to pull her tail out of the ground and remove her claws, SPD Green leapt into the air and performed a typical flying kick which struck the Observer squarely in the face. She yelped in pain before violently pulling her tail out of the ground and flying upward.

“Let’s form a triangle before she comes back down!” Mark shouted while tossing aside his Tricerashield and pulled out of his Deltamax Blaster.

The Observer then began to fly back down and at the speed she was moving, it looked as though she was going to crash into the ground. SPD Blue, Green, and the Blue Tricera Ranger stood in a triangle formation around the place she would land prepared to fire. Just inches away from hitting the ground, the Observer suddenly halted all movement, and simply hovered there moving like a mermaid. Even her hair moved as though she was underwater. Her entire body suddenly than began spinning rapidly in a horizontal circle. Her torso was the point of rotation, with her tail moving so fast that she basically acted as a rotary saw parallel to the ground, which struck the three Rangers’ bodies several times per second. They were all sent flying a few feet away clutching their chests. The Blue Tricera Ranger did not have armor like SPD Blue and Green had, so he had felt a little more pain than they did and was not so quick to get to his feet. The Observer then ceased her spinning and darted up to SPD Green quicker than any eyes could follow. In her right claw, an orb of pure blue energy formed; which she then pushed into SPD Green’s chest. The suit appeared to absorb it to no effect, and he looked around in confusion.

“What the-” Joshua could not finish his sentence.

Copious amounts of damage sparks burst from every location on SPD Green’s body and he dropped his Delta Enforcer and fell to the ground. SPD Blue witnessed this attack and could only think of one more thing to do. Taking out a blank containment card, he loaded it into his Delta Enforcer and fired it just as the Observer whipped her body around to look at him. The energy blast encompassed her entire body and reduced her to containment card. Tired and panting, SPD Blue walked over to the Blue Tricera Ranger to help him up along with SPD Green.

“Is she gone?” asked Mark, looking at the containment card.

“She’s not getting out of there,” Ray answered in a weathered voice.

The Red Rangers’ battle was not going nearly as well. The Butcher was holding the Red Tyranno Ranger down using his foot, while SPD Red fired a barrage of blasts from his Delta Enforcer to little effect. The Butcher did not move, and moved his axe in the way to deflect the blasts back to their originator. SPD Red was struck in the chest by his own attack which knocked him down. The only hint that the Butcher had suffered any damage was that his cape was now tattered and torn.

“Relinquish your life willingly, Recipient. You only bring further suffering upon yourself,” the Butcher spoke.

The Red Tyranno Ranger could not move under the Butcher’s strength, but his desire to live far outweighed his fear of his massive opponent. Grabbing the Butcher’s foot, he then began to push with all of his might.

“I. Won’t. Let. You!” Jaron shouted with difficulty as he hoisted the Butcher’s foot off of him a little more with every word.

Finally pushing the Butcher off of him, the Red Tyranno Ranger got to his feet as SPD Red limped over to him.

“We need to pull out all the stops now,” said Brendan.

“Done. Shield of Triumph!” Jaron yelled as he summoned his weapon.

“SPD, Battlizer!” Brendan shouted.

R.I.C. then came running as it ejected a morpher very similar to the Omega morpher that attack to SPD Red’s wrist. Brendan pressed a button, Jaron held the shield out in front of him. Their transformations occurred at the same time. Golden accents and shoulder pads began to adorn the Red Tyranno Ranger’s suit in order to become the Red Triassic Ranger just as SPD Red began to gain pieces of armor on his body in addition to a Deltamax Saber.

“Cyber Mode!” Brendan yelled as his transformation completed alongside the Triassic Ranger’s.

Standing side by side, the two felt rejuvenated and far more powerful. The Butcher clutched his axe with both hands, ready to do battle. The Triassic Ranger ran up to him just as the Butcher swung his axe down. The Triassic Ranger used his shield to block the axe dead in its tracks, engaged in a weapon lock. Before anything else happened, a sword then emerged from the top of the Shield of Triumph. Using the blade as leverage, the Triassic Ranger then pushed as hard he could in order to force the axe to the ground in order to prevent the Butcher from moving it. During this moment, the Battlized SPD Red ran up to the Butcher before delivering a series of strikes to the Butcher’s midsection which caused it to release pained noises. Jumping into the air, Battlized SPD Red then swiped the Butcher across the head with his glowing blade weapon, causing a helping of sparks to burst from it and forcing the Butcher to stumble backward. The Butcher freed its axe, and then elbowed the Triassic Ranger in the chest and forcing him down in addition to generating sparks. It then swung out with its axe in order to strike Battlized SPD who barely managed to block with his Deltamax Saber. The Deltamax Saber was snapped in two as a result and he was sent crashing into the ground.

The other Rangers were just cleaning up the remainder of the Armored SARCOS force, when they saw the Butcher gaining the upper hand against both Red Rangers despite their power ups.

“Is that thing still winning?” asked Kat Ranger.

“Hank, get in there!” the Shadow Ranger demanded.

The Fire Ranger nodded his head and began running toward them. The Triassic Ranger punched the ground and cracked it with his strength.

“That’s it!” Jaron shouted.

Getting back to his feet, the Triassic Ranger held his shield forward. The Butcher noticed a surge in power, and turned to look at him just as lightning began to strike the surrounding area and suck them both into another dimension. The Butcher lost all sense of orientation and time as it observed an abstract world of darkness and colors.

“This is what I like to call a home court advantage!” Jaron shouted in anger.

The Triassic Ranger then suddenly began to dash in every direction quicker than anything had ever moved before, striking the Butcher with his blade every time and creating numerous incisions on the thick, shining armor. The Triassic Ranger performed nearly twenty attacks in less than 8 seconds. The Butcher could do nothing else besides float in the emptiness completely vulnerable to attack. The effect did wear off once the Triassic Ranger finished attacking, and the two were returned to the real world. The Butcher stood with its armor steaming from the amount of friction it had endured under the Triassic Ranger’s wrath. Both the Triassic Ranger and the Butcher then turned to see Battlized SPD Red standing there with large, white, chest armor on his shoulder with siren lights on the front. A massive, red sword with R.I.C’s head as the bottom hilt was held in his right hand. His boots had also gained armor attachments. Standing at his left was the Fire Ranger, who’s Magnum Sabers had been attached at the hilt to form a double bladed staff. Flames emerged from the base of the hilts and enveloped the blades for a fiery effect. The elbow and knee accents on the suit also became engulfed in flames at the same time the red and yellow stripes on the suit began to glow bright orange.

“Battlizer, Mode Two, Complete,” said Brendan in a very confident voice.

“Fire Mode, Complete,” said Hank in a similarly dark tone.

Jaron smiled inside his helmet as he moved away from the Butcher just as Battlized SPD Red began to swing his large sword, firing arcs of red energy straight into the Butcher. The energy clearly pounded into him, just as the Fire Ranger’s Magnum Saber Staff began to erupt with more intense from the blades. He then threw it at the Butcher and the Magnum Saber Staff spun like a boomerang as it began to zip to and from the Butcher, striking him many times as the weapon moved of its own volition. The Magnum Saber Staff then flew back to the Fire Ranger just as Battlized SPD Red jumped into the area. The robot dog head on his sword barked as Battlized SPD Red spun 360 degrees while swinging his sword. A much more powerful energy arc came from the sky and struck the Butcher violently. The Fire Ranger followed up this attack by suddenly dashing past the Butcher as a trail of flame was left in his wake. The Butcher was standing directly in the trail, and the flames then suddenly burst into an inferno with the Butcher inside. When the flame finally cleared, the Butcher now had significant markings and burns to show for it. The Butcher stood there holding its axe without movement.

“It wasn’t enough,” Jones said in disbelief.

“Wait,” Curtis simply said.

“It seems you have bested me. I must resort to my last measure. If I cannot slay you as I am, then I shall crush you under my feet in a manner befitting a Recipient,” the Butcher said.

The ground began to rumble and the sky started to darken as the Butcher suddenly held its axe over its head. Its entire body became engulfed in light, and it expanded until it became an enormous form. The light faded away and the Butcher was now a giant.

The Rangers looked up in fearful amazement.

“What the hell is this thing? This is impossible!” said Ray.

“This is your show now! I couldn’t rebuild the megazords, so you guys have to take him!” Curtis shouted to the Dino Thunder Rangers.

The Triassic Ranger could feel it in his gut. He knew what he had to do. The words were already there; he merely needed to say them.

“Our megazords don’t have enough power for that thing, but I know something that does!” said Jaron.

Without explaining, he held the Shield of Triumph up over his head.

“Mezodon Rover!” shouted Jaron.

Out of nowhere, a giant, mechanical Styracosaurus towing a chariot came onto the scene. The Bingham Canyon Mine was luckily just big enough to serve as an arena for the two giants. The other Rangers looked at it with wonder.

“What’s so special about that thing?” Sergio asked.

Mark and Nicole did not know the answer, as they too were amazed by it. Jones then approached.

“The thing is the most powerful weapon we have to use right now,” said Jones.

The Triassic Ranger then jumped into the chariot amidst a glowing gold light upon entrance. Becoming surrounded in a new cockpit, he saw a platform before him with a very specific shape. Wasting no time, the Triassic Ranger placed the Shield of Triumph in the podium and the Mezodon Rover began to transform. With the chariot acting as the bottom half, with attachments forming shoulder pieces, the Mezodon Megazord was formed.

“Mezodon Megazord! Full power!” commanded his new megazord.

With two golden axes in its hand, the Mezodon Megazord began to move forward. The Butcher cocked its head before moving forward to strike with its axe. Swinging overhead, the Mezodon Megazord crossed its axes together and caught the blade. Using the two axes as a pincer, the Mezodon Megazord forced the huge axe to the side of the mine. Stepping forward, the Mezodon Megazord struck the Butcher’s torso and continued walking past it, before turning around and striking again. The Butcher made a pained sound, and elbowed the Mezodon Megazord straight in the chest. The caused it to stumble back a bit, before being violently struck with the axe as the Butcher whipped it around. Massive sparks burst from the Mezodon Megazord which had suffered substantial damage with only one blow. This didn’t deter the Triassic Ranger, and he directed the Mezodon Megazord to ram the Butcher with its left shoulder piece, forcing the Butcher against the walls of the mine. Sending its fist toward the Butcher’s head was met with failure as the Butcher moved aside and caused the megazord to strike nothing but rock. The Butcher then pointed its finger at the Mezodon Megazord, causing a bright blue beam of light to fire from the tip of its finger and began drilling into whatever it struck, damaging the Mezodon Megazord further.

It became apparent that the Mezodon Megazord would not be able to do anything as long as it was being struck by the beam. The Triassic Ranger was tossed about as the cockpit shook from the act. Suddenly then, two more blue beams fired from the side and struck the Butcher, forcing it to disengage. It was the Dino Stegazord and the Thundersaurus Megazord coming in to assist with their respective pilots.

“Thanks a lot guys. Let’s put this thing down for good,” Jaron urged.

“Sounds good,” said Sergio slightly dismissively.

The three megazords then moved to surround the Butcher, who was stepping toward the center of the mine almost where the other Rangers were standing. Taking care not step on them, they decided to end the fight quickly. The Dino Stegazord then leapt into the air over to the Butcher before hovering just in front of it. Spinning forward and using its back spikes as a saw, the Dino Stegazord opened a considerable gash on the front of the Butcher exposing simply more metal and no flesh to be seen. The Mezodon Megazord then crossed the blades of its axes, causing a surge in golden electric bolts over them. It then held the axes in front of it, firing golden electricity that struck the Butcher in several places, causing sparks to explode everywhere. It then used these golden electric bolts to lift the Butcher into the air and hold it there. The Thundersaurus Megazord then jumped into the air toward the Butcher engaging its drill, and scored a hit. The tip of the drill penetrated the Butcher’s axe and snapped it in two, while the exterior of the drill fiercely grinded against the Butcher’s body before the Thundersaurus Megazord finally landed. The Mezodon Megazord was the last to act; before pushing a massive surge in its golden bolts for increased power which then blasted the Butcher with energy everywhere on its body, causing a huge explosion.

The Butcher was nowhere to be seen, and everyone began to cheer vehemently. The megazords then vanished as their respective pilots landed on the ground with the other Rangers, who were guffawing at the victory.

“I will not fail!” bellowed the Butcher’s voice, which was now walking toward them with many wounds on its armor and its axe destroyed.

“It’s still alive?” Chelsea asked in terror.

The containment card holding the Observer then suddenly burst open and freed it. Seeing the Butcher slowly approach, the Observer flew over to it and stayed at its side.

“She broke free! You can’t do that!” Joshua shouted in outrage.

“Apparently, they can,” Jones said in a grim tone.

“Don’t these things die?” Jaron asked in frustration.

“Everything dies. We’ve obviously hurt them, so let’s finish it!” Brendan rebuked the others.

“This is it; we need to hit them with everything!” Ray urged.

The Battlizer broke away from SPD Red in order to become a weapon.

“Canine Cannon!” the SPD Rangers shouted as they received their weapon and began charging it.

The Fire Ranger then held his Magnum Saber Staff out in front of him and then let go, after which it remained in midair and began spinning rapidly. It was spinning perpendicular to the ground so that that all that could be seen was a solid blur of swirling fire in front of the Fire Ranger who holding his hands out as if to direct it.

The Triassic Ranger powered down to Super Dino Mode and summoned his Tyrannostaff while the others summoned their own weapons. The Black and White Ranger added their weapons too, forming the Super Z-Rex Blaster now that all five weapons were being used for it.

“Z-Rex Blaster!” shouted the Dino Thunder team, activating their weapon.

“Gate of Inferno!” Hank called out.

“Fire!” everyone yelled.

The Observer shielded her body with her arms and held her tail out in front of her as though to shield herself.

The Canine Cannon fired two shots for both the Butcher and the Observer, along with the Super Z-Rex Blaster. A massive beam of red energy fired from the Fire Ranger’s weapon which combined with the other Ranger’s attacks, which engulfed both the Butcher and the Observer. They fired for nearly 20 seconds before they all had run out of energy. A gargantuan explosion ensued and when the Fire Ranger finally stopped firing his attack and allowed the dust to settle. The Rangers could not see the Observer; merely a pile of debris where she once floated. The Butcher was still standing, although its armor was beginning to implode in on itself as though an invisible force was crushing it. Its head violently thrashed about as loud choking noises came from it until the Butcher was rail-thin. What remained of the Butcher suddenly imploded dramatically into where its torso had been until there was nothing. It just vanished. Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind blew out in all direction where the Butcher had been which knocked all of the Rangers off their feet. Everyone drew their side arms and kept on alert. They stayed that way for nearly two minutes. The Butcher had truly been defeated. It was gone.

Everyone held their cheering. It became apparent that the flaming debris where the Observer had been was in fact its body. It hadn’t died the way the Butcher had, which could have only meant that it was still alive. Everyone ran up to where the Observer had fallen and what they saw shocked them. The large metallic pieces, including the arms and tail of the Observer were only attachments. The Observer was laying there unconscious, completely naked with all the same body parts as any other person. Her wings were also completely vaporized. She had apparently only been wearing the grotesque pieces she had previously owned.

“She survived,” said Allison.

“She wasn’t as injured as the Butcher was when it happened,” Ray pointed out.

“How could anything survive that?” asked Chelsea.

“We should kill her before she wakes up,” said Sergio as he aimed his Drago Sword at her.

“Wait!” Mark yelled.

Everyone stopped.

Mark looked at the Observer once more. Her naked body was relatively unharmed save for a few burns and scratches. It appeared as though she was minimally harmed. No one could deny however, that she was not conscious. She looked so innocent and harmless. Something spoke to him. Mark could not bring himself to kill her.

“We should take her with us. She doesn’t have all that stuff on anymore. Maybe she’s not a threat. We should save her!” Mark urged.

Jaron was taken aback along with Nicole.

“Why? She’s a liability,” said Jones.

“Maybe we could get some answers from her,” said Mark, not really meaning it but knowing full well the others would support the idea.

“It’s a risk, but we do need to know what we’re dealing with; and what the hell she is along with the Case Holder and the late Butcher,” Curtis agreed.

“I’ll take responsibility,” said Mark, before reaching down and picking her up.

“We’ll take her to one of my infirmaries where she’ll be watched carefully,”

“We should leave the mine. We’ve overstayed our welcome and our powers won’t hold out for long,” Hank addressed everyone.

Everyone nodded and took the nearest Invisiportal out of the Bingham Canyon Mine once they got to their cars. They arrived at GridFire Industries and went a personal infirmary that Curtis had apparently constructed to be some sort of way station for his employees if they had become injured doing something that had to be kept secret. The Observer was processed and place under care. The doctors on staff were told nothing, and simply kept the Observer on support. When it was done, the Rangers all left the infirmary and entered the underground parking garage. The SPD Rangers then abruptly de-morphed as some sparks fizzled out of their morphers. The entire Lineer family, including Curtis’ girlfriend Nara and Hank were civilians once again.

“Power down,” the Dino Thunder Rangers all said, shedding their suits.

Everyone looking tired, the Lineer siblings began giving each other hugs. Once the moment to appreciate being alive had passed, Curtis approached Jones.

“We’ll keep the Observer under constant surveillance. I’ll let you know if anything happens,” said Curtis.

“Maybe we should all debrief?” Jones suggested.

“It’s been a long afternoon. Let’s worry about that later. I just wanna go home,” Curtis admitted.

Without any further dialogue, everyone decided to head home, eat a hearty meal, and take the longest power naps they had ever had. Following Chelsea to her car, Jaron cracked his knuckles which were quite sore after all the punching he had done. Once Chelsea got to her door, she stopped and turned to Jaron.

“So do you think you’ll miss being the Pink Ranger?” asked Jaron.

“I’m sure Curtis will figure something out someday. After today though, I’m ready to live a normal life and do normal things for a while,” Chelsea answered with a smile.

“I hear ya. I guess I won’t be seeing you as much anymore then,” Jaron commented regretfully.

“That’s up to you,” said Chelsea.

“What do you mean?” Jaron asked cluelessly.

Chelsea then leaned in, with Jaron standing there like a deer caught in someone’s high beams. Her lips touched his for a brief moment, before she pulled away and eyed him expectantly. Jaron had no idea what to say.

“Call me sometime okay?” asked Chelsea.

“Uh-huh,” Jaron managed to blurt out.

Jaron turned on his heel and walked to his car with stiff legs as he processed what had just happened. He acted like an ass, but Chelsea liked him anyway. Finally, Jaron managed to smile as he watched her drive away. He was tired, hungry, thirsty, and still had a lot of serious issues to think about; but for this moment things were looking a little better.

In that moment, it seemed that things were going to be okay.

[dragomuseveni]

YOU HAVE TRULY OUTDONE YOURSELF MAN!!!! that was absolutly epic!!! i liked the kiss at the end it seemed like the end of an episode haha.....I honastly expected mark to say something to the affect of she is hot dont kill her lol, and i would laugh if he fell for the observer but that is me talkin out my ass. I really loved the moment between Nichole and Sergio where he explains what really happened when he talked to Curtis, also it was an interesting interaction when he told her about the meeting at noon, and that he planned on being there...trying to impress her no doubt...really sounded like he was askin her out....I = Nichole/Sergio fan haha

[BlackKnight Ranger]

OH MAN...that was AWSOME!!! well worth the wait man i just finished reading that and have to go to work but after work im gona come back and read that another 3 times amazing work.

[roc da mic]

I Give it ten BOOYAH"S!
That was asome man. I loved the whole role call thing. and the mager battle itself was intense. Im still voting for Mark to fight serigo over Nichole thow.

[Taioh No Kami]

this chapter makes me happy ^_^

[Einsider]

awesome chapter dude - lived up 2 all expectations! maybe we'll find out who the observer is and what she, the butcher and the caseholder have to do with everything. keep writing dude, keep writing :)

[Kali_WolfChilde]

I JUST got around 2day 2 finally have time 2 read it. and may i say.............DAMN! this ep totally rocked. LOVED that the Butcher FINALLY got his comeuppance. And the Observer being human was a really great touch. CAN'T WAIT 4 more!!!!!!!

[Beckoner]

Hey there folks. Got another chapter for ya. I had a LOT of fun writing it. I've actually been waiting a long time to write some the dialogue in this episode as I've really been gearing up for it as it serves as a bridge for some critical things later on. I'm already working earnestly on the next two chapters. After the big battle royale that the last chapter was, this one is more tame. Don't worry though: action junkies do get a nice fight scene here. And no I didn't just throw it in, it actually advances story points. All in all, this is a solid episode I hope you guys like. It's going to get crazier for the characters from here on out! I give you episode 12.

World Bender Season 2
Episode 12: Stranger than Strange


In a brightly lit room having been obviously styled after a hospital was a wealth of cutting edge medical equipment with a lone bed. Lying in it was the sleeping Observer wearing a hospital gown. She was under constant guard by security officers wielding weapons that looked like generic Deltamax Blasters. Four visitors were arriving: Jaron, Mark, Nicole and Jones. Security didn’t stop them, knowing full well who the new arrivals were. Each of them shuffled around the Observer as she remained apparently unconscious and in now perfect condition. The light injuries she had suffered before were completely gone; far faster than any normal person could possibly heal. A doctor who had been reviewing some sheets on his chart then approached Jones first while the other three continued to look at her.

“Anything we need to be concerned about?” Jones asked the doctor, who seemed somewhat young for someone with a Master’s degree.

“I really don’t know what to make of this. She’s healing at an exponential rate, or at least that’s what it looks like,” the doctor responded.

This caught Jaron’s attention, who then turned to look at the man.

“Don’t you know? If she’s supposedly fine, why doesn’t she wake up?” Jaron asked.

Mark couldn’t help but notice that there was no medical equipment or IV line hooked up to the Observer.

“Why is everything unplugged?” asked Mark, which got Nicole’s attention.

The doctor shrugged.

“Nothing we tried seemed to work. I took an ultrasound, MRI, and X-ray. Physically, she seems to be normal. However, nothing we did had any affect on her. I drew a blood sample, and everything about it seems to be normal blood but it doesn’t react to any treatment we can administer. It doesn’t react to fungus cultures, it doesn’t coagulate, and she has no blood type or DNA. Anything we do is useless. She’s just healing on her own. I can’t explain it. What the hell is this girl supposed to be?” the doctor said at length.

Everyone else in the room then eyed the Observer carefully, who seemed supremely tranquil as she slept.

“If the Observer is so wierd, then the Case Holder must be just like her. The Butcher wasn’t any less strange. If there are people like this, why haven’t they been discovered before?” Jaron asked rhetorically.

“If she’s okay, why doesn’t she just wake up?” asked Nicole.

“I want her awake then. I’ve got some questions,” said Jones.

“I’m not sure I can,” the doctor replied.

Mark then leaned over and started tapping the Observer on her shoulder.

“Hey. Hey! Wake up,” Mark demanded.

The Observer’s eyes then fluttered open to everyone’s surprise.

“I guess that worked,” Jaron mused.

The security guards at the door then began to inch forward, but Jones held his hand up in a motion for them to stay.

“Do you know where you are?” asked the doctor.

The Observer made eye contact with everyone one by one, before gaining a noticeably concerned expression.

“No,” she answered.

“Do you know why you are here?” Jones pressed.

“I’m diminished,” the Observer answered while curiously looking at random objects in the room.

“You should know: if you attempt to harm us in any way we will use force,” Jones warned.

“I’m no longer capable,” the Observer said absent mindedly while looking at her now exposed arms and running her fingers over her skin.

Nicole couldn’t help but think that the Observer somehow missed the horrible apparatus she had previously worn.

“What do you want with us?” Jaron asked.

“Nothing,” the Observer answered as though she were confused.

This seemed to annoy Jones, who moved closer.

“Who are you?” asked Jones.

“The Observer,” she answered in an airy, serene voice.

“What’s your name?” asked Mark.

“The Observer,” she repeated exactly the same way as before.

“What’s your job? What is it you’re supposed to do?” asked an increasingly irritated Jones.

“Don’t badger the patient!” the doctor protested as he approached Jones with an angry look.

“This person has answers that we need right now,” Jones argued.

“Regardless, she’s still my patient,” the doctor affirmed.

Everyone fell silent, with Jones taking in a controlled breath.

“This girl displayed abilities that are frankly impossible. We don’t know who or what we’re dealing with. Let us do this,” Jones said with deliberate calm.

The doctor looked unmoved.

“One step too far out of line, and you’re out of here,” the doctor warned before walking away.

“Observer, what is it you were supposed to do?” Nicole asked nicely.

“Observe the Recipients,” answered the Observer.

“What are Recipients?” asked Jaron.

“The ones who received the Case Holder’s gift,” the Observer revealed.

“Why don’t you have a name?” asked Mark.

“I do have a name,” said the Observer as though it were obvious.

“You have a title, not a name,” Jones pointed out.

“My name is my directive,” the Observer said in a serene tone.

“How old are you?” asked Nicole.

The Observer’s eyes locked on Nicole’s. She looked very curious and simultaneously boggled by the question.

“Before,” said the Observer finally.

“Before what?” asked Mark.

“I-I don’t understand,” said the Observer.

“What planet are you from?” asked Jaron, clearly interested.

Jones rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Planet?” the Observer asked while looking at Jaron.

“You don’t know what a planet is? It’s where we are. This entire world is a planet. Planet Earth doesn’t ring any bells?” Jaron questioned.

“This is the only world I know about,” the Observer sat up as she answered the question.

Jones stomped his food and groaned.

“Arden!” Nicole protested.

“This isn’t getting us anywhere. She’s toying with us,” Jones ranted.

“She just doesn’t understand,” Mark defended.

Jones moved in and locked his eyes with the Observer’s. He didn’t speak for a moment, merely glaring at the Observer who looked out of her element.

“He wants to kill me,” the Observer stated, “Is that a normal thing?”

Jones began to look slightly disturbed, and backed away.

“How did you do that?” asked Nicole.

“Do what?” asked the Observer.

“How do you know what he wants?” Nicole elaborated.

“Because it’s what he wants,” the Observer said, unsure of how to answer.

The interrogation only served to confuse them further. None of them could figure out why the Observer’s physiology didn’t match current medicine, or how something that had previously been so powerful could be so ignorant and seemingly primitive.

“Observer, who do you work for?” asked Mark.

“I do not have an occupation,” said the Observer.

At this point, even Nicole was growing a little frustrated.

“Stop playing stupid. We destroyed the Butcher, so that just leaves you. The Case Holder is the only one of you that seems to be friendly, so don’t assume we’ll spare you,” Jones threatened.

The Observer’s eyes then widened.

“The Butcher…killed…by a Recipient?” the Observer spoke in wonder and concern.

She then began to tremble, and held her hands to her head while murmuring something under her breath.

“What’s wrong?” asked Nicole, before placing her hand on the Observer’s shoulder.

The Observer recoiled, which alarmed the guards.

“Stay put!” Jones ordered them, “Stop your spastic behavior!”

The Observer looked to Jones, and then ceased her movements.

“You killed the Butcher. A Recipient was never supposed to use the content of the case against us. I need to return,” the Observer lamented.

“Return to where?” asked Jones.

“My body is no longer whole. I need to be brought to where I go when I am not observing. I cannot return as I am,” the Observer responded.

“You mean you can’t go home without your suit?” asked Jaron.

The Observer then looked at Jaron, seemingly regretful.

“That was not a suit. I am incomplete without it,” the Observer explained.

“So you’re stuck here then? Well, if you help us find the Case Holder, you can go back to wherever you came from when we find him. With the Butcher gone, it’s just you two. As long as you leave us alone, we can help,” Jones offered with his motives made clear.

“I will lead you to the Case Holder if I can. What will you do with me until then?” the Observer asked with an innocently passive voice.

Everyone began to exchange looks.

“I’ll take you to my place,” Nicole said.

“We can’t let her go free,” said Jones.

“She’s not going to go anywhere. She said so herself she can’t go back to where she came from. If anything happens, you’ll be the first to know. But she’s better off close to a Ranger than here,” Nicole argued.

The others had no argument, and the doctor approached the group seemingly in agreement.

“I can’t do anything more for her at the moment. If she feels fit to leave, she can,” said the doctor.

“Let’s get it done then,” Jones ordered.

“You’ve been out for two days. Are you hungry?” asked Nicole before she reached to grasp the Observer’s arm in order to help her out of bed.

The Observer jerked at the touch of Nicole and looked at the spot that Nicole had touched her. Everyone quickly brought their hand to their morphers in alarm.

“It’s okay, she’s fine,” Nicole urged as the Observer stood up on her own.

“Do that again,” the Observer asked.

“Do what?” Nicole questioned.

“What you just did,” the Observer responded.

Nicole was reticent, but slowly reached out and placed her hand on the Observer’s shoulder, who then looked curiously.

“What’s the big deal?” asked Mark.

“I am not accustomed to being touched. It’s…interesting,” the Observer answered.

“You’ve never been touched before?” Jaron asked incredulously.

The Observer shook her head slowly.

“Alright. Well, let’s get going. I’ll take her straight home and check in when I do,” Nicole informed.

Due to the fact that they were not in an actual hospital, everyone left without needing to sign out. After procuring a simple white dress, Nicole had to help the Observer put it on, who was mostly inept at the act. They left promptly after getting her dressed. Wary of the Observer, who’s head slowly looked in all directions as she was led out of the building and to the car. Jones walked them all to Jaron’s car before stopping.

“I’m going to stay here for a while. If there’s any trouble, call me,” said Jones.

They all simply nodded before getting into the car. At a loss for what to say, the Rangers remained silent as the Observer quietly looked out of the window as the buildings passed them by. Nicole was the first to be dropped off along with the Observer. A hesitant Jaron drove off with Mark as Nicole led the Observer into her home. Once they walked into the front door, Nicole stopped and began to take off her jacket.

“You’re not going to pull a disappearing act on me are you?” Nicole asked the Observer, who was simply following Nicole like a lost puppy.

“What is it that makes you think I can perform in such a way?” the Observer asked curiously.

“Because the Case Holder and the Butcher could do the same thing,” Nicole answered, “You’re the same thing as them, so I’d think you can do the same thing.”

“I won’t be doing any more of that,” the Observer said plainly.

Nicole raised an eyebrow at the Observer and continued to hang her jacket up on the coat rack. No one was home, and Nicole proceeded into the kitchen with the Observer close behind. Parched and hungry, Nicole opened her fridge in order to obtain a glass pitcher filled with bright juice. After snagging a glass from the adjacent cabinet, Nicole poured herself before taking another glass out of the cabinet and pouring a second glass. When she was done she placed both glasses on the table. The Observer tilted her head at Nicole’s actions, watching intently without a sound. Nicole then slid the second glass toward the Observer, who moved her head closer to the glass and scrutinized it visually.

“Aren’t you going to drink that?” asked Nicole.

The Observer then stood up straight and looked at Nicole with a look of curiosity.

“That is for me?” asked the Observer.

Nicole hesitated for a moment, amazed at how clueless this girl was.

“You spent two days in a hospital bed. I figured you were thirsty,” Nicole explained.

The Observer said nothing and simply before returning her face close to the glass again and watching the pulp sink to the bottom. Nicole shrugged and slid the glass closer in order to get the point across. The Observer reached for the glass, but stopped just shy of actually touching it. She then looked to Nicole for guidance.

“I’m not skilled at this,” the Observer said.

Nicole kept her amazement as bay, and turned her attention to her own glass. Picking it up and raising it to her mouth, Nicole maintained eye contact with the Observer.

“Look, you just hold it to your mouth, let the juice fall into your mouth, and swallow,” Nicole instructed, before taking a few sips of her own juice.

The Observer then picked up her own glass in exactly the same fashion as Nicole before bringing it to her lips, and then allowing orange juice to spill against her mouth. Nicole quickly tilted the glass away from her mouth as to not spill any more.

“No no no! Look, you have to open your mouth and swallow,” said Nicole, before assisting the Observer in tilting the glass in a controlled fashion.

After one gulp, the Observer’s eyes widened and she quickly shied away from it and held the glass at bay with her hand. Nicole was concerned she had choked her.

“What is that?” the Observer asked with the first hint of feeling she had displayed thus far.

“It’s just orange juice,” Nicole responded sheepishly.

“Orange…juice,” the Observer repeated.

After taking a second to stare at the glass, the Observer slowly took the glass out of Nicole’s hand and began to gulp the orange juice down so quick that Nicole was surprised she hadn’t gagged on it. She was done, she handed the glass back to Nicole.

“So…” Nicole said awkwardly.

“I saw it, but not with my eyes,” the Observer tried to articulate, “I wasn’t just observing it. It was not like the other times. I felt it. I desire…I desire- I desire to observe more of this orange juice, but not with my eyes. I desire to observe it the way you did.”

Nicole was a bit amused at the gibberish, and felt as though she had witnessed a first timer. Although the Observer was unskilled at saying much of anything, she believed she got the point.

“Observing is the wrong word. You tasted it. There’s more than just the sense of seeing you know. I think what you mean is that you like it,” Nicole said with a smile.

The Observer’s eyes widened and she picked up the glass.

“Yes. I…like it,” the Observer said in quasi-awe.

“More?” asked Nicole.

“What else can I taste?” the Observer asked, eyes now transfixed on the turkey sandwich Nicole had been preparing.

No longer was Mark the only person who did not consider the Observer a threat. Nicole agreed with him. It was hard for her to believe that someone so docile could be so potentially dangerous. Still, Nicole was a bit wary as to what the Observer actually was. Just a matter of months prior, the world was figured out and individuals like the Observer were things of fiction. How strange things had turned out to be. Nicole began to finish preparing the sandwiches in order to give the Observer something else to try.

Sergio was walking alongside train tracks not far from Cambridge in Massachusetts. Having taken an Invisiportal to a random location, he decided to go for a walk in order to pass the time. He was in charge of one of the most powerful weapons on the planet, and wasn’t sure what exactly he was supposed to do with it. He lived in poverty for the most part until Curtis had come along. Why should he put himself on the line when he had his own problems to deal with? Why did Nicole have to make him feel so guilty about looking out for himself? It then occurred to him: why should he care about what Nicole thinks? Why should he try to somehow meet her expectations of him? At the same time however; he couldn’t just ignore her entirely. For some reason, she had some sort of hold over him that Sergio couldn’t figure out. Somehow, her opinion mattered. Sergio nearly stumbled over his loosened shoelaces, and stopped while exhaling. A large train was speeding by him just as he reached down to tighten his shoe laces. When he stood back up, he saw remnants of Invisiportal energy vanishing into the air as Zeltrax stood before him. Sergio instantly recognized him, and assumed a fighting stance.

“I haven’t come here to kill you, I’ve come to offer you a job,” Zeltrax said simply.

Sergio lowered his arms and stood normally, his interest vaguely piqued by Zeltrax.

“What are you saying?” Sergio questioned.

Zeltrax chuckled a bit as a train passed the two of them by, the wind causing Sergio’s t-shirt to flutter.


“After our large encounter the other day, there are several other would-be followers of mine who are reluctant to actively join my side due to the fear that the Power Rangers invoke on their opponents,” Zeltrax explained, “If a Ranger were to come to my side, it would give a far greater incentive for them to join without me having to resort to threats. And of course I want my subordinates to serve me out of loyalty; not fear.”

Sergio cocked his head to the side while smirking.

“And you think I want to join you? You’re more fucked in the head than I thought,” Sergio mused.

Zeltrax grumbled, but remained composed.

“I’ve seen your relationship with your fellow Rangers. You’ve got better things to do than align yourself with them. Whether they want to admit it or not, the world won’t tolerate the Power Rangers’ existence. Every nation in the world considers them a hindrance. Whether it’s by my hand or otherwise, you all will be imprisoned or killed. Cons