Ryuranger
02-10-2004, 07:16 PM
---Ultimate Power Rangers
---Season 05
---Digital Task Force Astro Rangers
---Chapter Thirteen: Zhane
I raced on my speeder bike as fast as possible towards the factory. It was hidden in the barren terrain of the planet Roramiir.
Darkonda had laid a trap for the Rangers there. They had fallen for it. I knew I had to save them, despite my obvious weaknesses. Weaknesses the Kerovian scientists were more than happy to remind me of.
“Zhane,” one of said scientists called over my cycle’s speaker. “The Keitizer is not your property. Return at once. You will not be warned again.”
“Good,” I answered. “I’m getting sick of hearing it.”
The science team had gone as far as to threaten deactivation of the prototype Astro morpher. I knew that was beyond their power.
My cycle pulled up to the open warehouse of concrete and rock. Inside were the five Rangers. They were caught in some kind of energy net. I hopped off my bike and ran towards the warehouse entrance. A group of Craterites was kind enough to give me a greeting.
A Craterite swung its blade down diagonally towards my head. I blocked the blow with my left arm and leaned forward with a hook punch across the soldier’s face.
Another soldier charged at me, and I flipped the creature over my shoulder. It crashed against the ground behind me and I slammed a knifehand blow against its chest to discourage the Craterite from moving.
“Zhane!” I heard Astro Black call my name.
“Nice of you to show up, big guy,” Astro Blue said. His sense of humor escaped me.
“Any time,” I called back.
I slammed a front kick against a Craterite’s face and whacked the back of its neck with a knifehand chop. I turned to my left and grabbed the arm of another soldier and flipped it over my shoulder.
“Zhane!” Astro Red shouted to me. “Darkonda’s lab…you have to morph and destroy it.”
I knew all about Darkonda’s plans of course. His mutant alligator/lizard/slime things were being mass produced. Each was capable of spreading a nasty viral infection.
“I’m working on it,” I said while slamming my elbow against the gut of a Craterite that had tried to sneak up on me.
“Keitizer!” I shouted while flipping open my morpher. I input the code M-E-G-A-MEGA. “Install!”
I snapped into my signature fighting stance and shouted “Astro Silver!”
I activated my communicator to call for my vehicle.
“Auto Slider!”
The silver Cyber Slider shot through the air and throttled towards my location. I leapt forward and landed on the slider while entered the warehouse in a burst of speed.
One of the lizard mutants was on a catwalk above and fired an energy web to try and snare me like he had the Rangers. I wasn’t about to fall into its trap.
“Cycle mode,” I commanded.
My Slider transformed into its two-wheeled cycle mode and touched down. I leaned to the right and shot underneath the energy web before it could catch me.
“Nice…” I heard Astro Yellow say quietly.
I turned down a narrow corridor and opened my throttle to full when I saw another mutant lizard blocking my path.
“Coming through,” I shouted while leaning forward and smashing against the monster. The creature was thrown backwards while I approached a large cargo bay door.
My cycle’s pulse cannons blasted across the door’s armor enough for me to plow through on my cycle. Darkonda’s lab was behind the large door. Several glass spheres held little mutant embryos and several beakers held the base for the virus he created.
Darkonda himself turned to glare at me while I skid my cycle to a halt.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” the villain said in a screeching voice.
“What a shame,” I said while activating my cycle’s pulse cannons.
Lances of golden energy exploded across the lab in a series of sparks and flashes. Glass shattered and circuitry was fried as Darkonda fell back.
One of the mutants hissed while stalking towards me among the lab’s falling debris. I lunged forward and tackled into the creature.
We went crashing through the lab’s walls and burst out onto the ground outside the warehouse. We rolled forward several feet before I released the creature and let it stumble out of control.
I rose to my feet and fell into a fighting stance.
A massive beam of green light pierced the sky and struck something at the other end of the warehouse. I recognized it as Astronema’s enlarging beam. Another one of the mutants grew to giant size behind me. I assumed the Rangers had broken free and beaten the creature badly enough to warrant an enlarging beam. The Astro Megazord took shape to combat the monster.
The mutant charged towards me, snarling through a pair of grotesque nostrils.
“Silver Blazer!” I shouted, firing golden energy darts that exploded against the creature in a series of sparks.
The computer chip emblem on my helmet flashed, activating the countdown sequence on my visor.
ONE MINUTE THIRTY SECONDS
“I’ll have to make this quick,” I said while charging towards the creature.
The Astro DeltaMegazord took shape above and started slamming its fists against the giant-sized mutant. Its blows were as loud as thunder claps.
I switched my weapon to blade mode and lunged forward while running my saber diagonally across the mutant’s chest. I followed with a horizontal strike, then brought the blade down vertically. The mutant was taken aback by my speed and urgency while I pressed forward.
My blade lunged towards the creature’s chest like a spear and struck hard, sending the monster tumbling backwards.
The mutant slowly rose to its feet as the battle above continued to rage. The zord opened fire with gattling cannons that exploded against its opponent. The mutant returned fire, but the DeltaMegazord was well armored.
My count down neared zero as I pressed on for my final assault.
NINE
“Blazer impact!” I shouted while charging my rifle.
EIGHT
I charged forward while squeezing the trigger, firing rapid darts of golden energy.
SEVEN
The blasts sparked across the mutant’s chest as I continued my advance.
SIX
I heard the knuckles of the zord above crash forward through the giant creature above, punching through the monster and destroying it.
FIVE
The monster took several steps backwards in a desperate attempt to break away from the volley of energy blasts crashing into it.
FOUR
I switched my weapon to blade mode.
THREE
My saber charged as I leapt forward with an energized diagonal strike that thrashed through the creature.
TWO
I followed with a horizontal strike that ripped across the mutant’s midsection.
ONE
I flipped around and assumed a victory pose.
ZERO
My armor flashed off as the monster exploded behind me.
***
I went to find my shuttle after the battle only to find it missing. I couldn’t pick the craft up on my portable scanner either.
“This is crazy,” I said while trying to broaden my scanning range.
The planet’s natives were a primitive bunch of mole people who lived underground. They could never have stolen my shuttle.
My Keitizer suddenly toned. I flipped it open and held the device by my ear to open the comm line.
“Hey Zhane,” a voice said from the other end. I recognized it as Tommy’s. “Lose something?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I didn’t realize you Terrans were so proficient at hijackings.”
“We need to talk,” Tommy said, cutting to the chase. “I had to get your attention somehow.”
Touché. “What if I don’t like what I hear?”
“Then you’re free to go,” Tommy said.
“Agreed,” I said after a brief moment. “But I could use a lift.”
***
I sat around their situation room table, wearing a similar jumpsuit to theirs. Mine was black with a silver undershirt. I sat back in a relaxed posture while tapping my fingers against the table.
I recognized Cy right away from the time we spent together on the Astro Ranger project. Their proposal was to be expected, although their methods surprised me. They wanted me to join them on the Megaship.
“Just like that, huh?” I asked.
Ashley nodded. “You’ve been following us anyway.”
“Right,” Justin said. “At least around here you’ll have more space.”
“Why so interested?” I asked while leaning forward.
“It’s obvious,” Cy said. He never did have much patience for me. “You’ve been following us since leaving the Confederation.”
“I didn’t see you complaining back down on the surface a while ago,” I pointed out
“No one is complaining,” Kat said. “It just makes sense for us to work together.”
“Yeah,” Chris said. “We can drop this cloak and dagger stuff.”
“Look,” I said while leaning forward. “I’m not exactly supposed to have the silver morpher. I’m just…borrowing it.”
“You stole it?” Tommy asked.
I gave them my best smile and shrugged. “They weren’t using the morpher, so it’s not like they’ll miss it.”
The science team I worked with was reluctant to contribute the Silver armor to the fight against Astronema. KO-35 was a ghost world now for fighting against Sauron, they often warned. They didn’t want to follow in the planet’s footsteps.
I on the other hand wasn’t about to sit around and wait for the bad guys to come to me. I took the armor and I intended to use it.
“They’ll want it back,” Cy said.
“I know,” I answered. “But it’s not like they can just show up and take it from me. They’re scientists.”
“So are you,” Ashley pointed out. “So how could you not want to be here? This ship is cutting edge.”
Justin nodded. “Yeah. At least let us show you around…”
For reasons that escaped me at the time, I expected the Terrans to be much more disciplined and much less friendly. I knew Earthers were soft compared to Kerovians, but that knowledge didn’t prepare me for their unwarranted hospitality. They were offering a partnership, but also a friendship, even though I hardly knew them.
“I suppose a tour wouldn’t hurt…” I agreed after a moment of deliberation.
***
The Megaship corridors reminded me of my academy days. Even though those days were less than two years behind me, they seemed like a lifetime ago.
Ashley and Justin were leading me along the way, which Tommy seamed to silently object to for some reason. I found Justin to be an interesting individual. He was so full of life despite all the tragedy he’d seen. He had a unique way of looking at things and a sense of humor that seemingly couldn’t be dulled.
Ashley was strikingly beautiful. For a Terran at least. She had a curiosity and energy about her that I admired.
“Engineering is on this level,” she said while they led me forward. “I’ve made a few modifications.”
“Modifications?” I asked while raising my eyebrow with doubt. “I didn’t realize Earth’s public school systems taught subspace mechanics.”
Ashley raised an eyebrow while turning and smiling at me. “Am I supposed to be amused.”
I shrugged. “I’m just not familiar with your customs.”
“Right,” she said while turning back around. He entered the engine room shortly afterwards.
Her engine modifications were actually impressive. I could tell she picked up a few things from Dr. Cranston. She also seemed to have a natural understanding of machines and they way they worked. She also showed me her work on the ships holographic projectors. The disguises she cooked up for the Megaship were works of art.
My tour moved on to one of the Mega Laser ports. Justin seemed to have basic knowledge about their function, but Ashley was clearly the expert. She removed the outer paneling along the small chamber’s walls and let me catch a glimpse of the turrets power conduits.
“More modifications?” I asked. I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Ashley nodded while her eyes scanned her own handy work. She was gleaming with pride.
“I compressed the plasma stream using a modulator based on Rigelian design,” she explained to me. “It took some extra work to integrate the modulator with our ship’s power grid…but it was worth it.”
“Not bad,” I told her, hiding my awe. I never would have thought a Terran capable of such an act. The species hadn’t even escaped its own star system yet.
After the tour was finished, I told Ashley I needed some time to think. They set me up in temporary quarters. There was plenty of room to spare in a ship crewed by only six people.
I was only in my room for five minutes before the chime rang.
“Come on in,” I called as the door swung open. It was Cy.
“You still haven’t learned, have you?” Cy said. He was always one to cut to the chase.
Our differences were rooted in religion, strangely enough. I often took stabs at his spiritual beliefs during the brief time we were together on the Astro Ranger project. It was an attempt on my part to get Cy to admit to his true feelings about KO-35’s science team. He wasn’t a big fan of theirs.
“Learned what?” I asked.
“Always joking around,” Cy said while stepping further into my room. “Always playing games, whether its with people or nature.
“I’ve saved your butt three times now,” I said defensively.
Cy shook his head, and he seemed more disappointed than angry.
“Maybe you should just leave,” he said.
It was a surreal moment for me. There I was, a Kerovian scientist well versed in fighting arts, in possession of a stolen prototype morpher on board a Megaship. A Megaship constructed primarily by a Terran organization. On board was Cy, the spiritual nut who apparently hated me, the beautiful Ashley, kind and quiet Kat, loud mouth Justin, timid Chris, and Tommy. The infamous Dragon Ranger. All of whom apparently wanted me on board their ship.
I still struggled with why they wanted me. Why they thought they could trust me.
“Look,” I said, feeling agitated. “Life is a game, Cy. And we’re nothing more than game pieces.”
Cy wrinkled his brow at me. “What are you talking about?”
“I accept life for what it is,” I explained. “A game.”
“You sound just like them,” Cy said, referring to the scientists.
“I know, I know,” I said while waving my hands mockingly. “Tinkering with the laws of nature and its people. How evil am I…”
“Just go,” Cy said before turning and leaving.
I sat down on the bed in my quarters and stared at the door from where Cy had left. Despite our difference, he always had a way of making me think with only the fewest of words...
My mind flashed back to my first day on the Astro Ranger project. We were all in our lab, settled on a large grassy plain on KO-35.
I had left my standard lab trenchcoat at home, favoring my black jumpsuit instead. My superiors didn’t approve, but I didn’t care. I was a genius and I knew they needed me. I was too important to let go on account of improper dressing habits.
I remembered hunching over my desk, going over holographic displays of the prototype silver armor. Ranger technology fascinated me from the second I saw it.
On my first day at the job, I met Dr. Cranston. Even though he was only a Terran, he was the spearhead behind the Astro Ranger project. Many social circles called him The Shaper.
“What’s the status of Prototype Unit Silver One?” he asked from behind me without so much as an introduction. His eyes were fixated on the holographic monitor in front of us.
“Almost ready,” I said as I called up a more detailed report for Dr. Cranston to look at. After going over a few more technical details, I remember he told me to go meet Cy. Cy was the project’s field commander who was to deliver the Megaship and morphers to the Earth rangers at Zordon’s command.
---To be continued in part two. This thread. Watch for it...
---Season 05
---Digital Task Force Astro Rangers
---Chapter Thirteen: Zhane
I raced on my speeder bike as fast as possible towards the factory. It was hidden in the barren terrain of the planet Roramiir.
Darkonda had laid a trap for the Rangers there. They had fallen for it. I knew I had to save them, despite my obvious weaknesses. Weaknesses the Kerovian scientists were more than happy to remind me of.
“Zhane,” one of said scientists called over my cycle’s speaker. “The Keitizer is not your property. Return at once. You will not be warned again.”
“Good,” I answered. “I’m getting sick of hearing it.”
The science team had gone as far as to threaten deactivation of the prototype Astro morpher. I knew that was beyond their power.
My cycle pulled up to the open warehouse of concrete and rock. Inside were the five Rangers. They were caught in some kind of energy net. I hopped off my bike and ran towards the warehouse entrance. A group of Craterites was kind enough to give me a greeting.
A Craterite swung its blade down diagonally towards my head. I blocked the blow with my left arm and leaned forward with a hook punch across the soldier’s face.
Another soldier charged at me, and I flipped the creature over my shoulder. It crashed against the ground behind me and I slammed a knifehand blow against its chest to discourage the Craterite from moving.
“Zhane!” I heard Astro Black call my name.
“Nice of you to show up, big guy,” Astro Blue said. His sense of humor escaped me.
“Any time,” I called back.
I slammed a front kick against a Craterite’s face and whacked the back of its neck with a knifehand chop. I turned to my left and grabbed the arm of another soldier and flipped it over my shoulder.
“Zhane!” Astro Red shouted to me. “Darkonda’s lab…you have to morph and destroy it.”
I knew all about Darkonda’s plans of course. His mutant alligator/lizard/slime things were being mass produced. Each was capable of spreading a nasty viral infection.
“I’m working on it,” I said while slamming my elbow against the gut of a Craterite that had tried to sneak up on me.
“Keitizer!” I shouted while flipping open my morpher. I input the code M-E-G-A-MEGA. “Install!”
I snapped into my signature fighting stance and shouted “Astro Silver!”
I activated my communicator to call for my vehicle.
“Auto Slider!”
The silver Cyber Slider shot through the air and throttled towards my location. I leapt forward and landed on the slider while entered the warehouse in a burst of speed.
One of the lizard mutants was on a catwalk above and fired an energy web to try and snare me like he had the Rangers. I wasn’t about to fall into its trap.
“Cycle mode,” I commanded.
My Slider transformed into its two-wheeled cycle mode and touched down. I leaned to the right and shot underneath the energy web before it could catch me.
“Nice…” I heard Astro Yellow say quietly.
I turned down a narrow corridor and opened my throttle to full when I saw another mutant lizard blocking my path.
“Coming through,” I shouted while leaning forward and smashing against the monster. The creature was thrown backwards while I approached a large cargo bay door.
My cycle’s pulse cannons blasted across the door’s armor enough for me to plow through on my cycle. Darkonda’s lab was behind the large door. Several glass spheres held little mutant embryos and several beakers held the base for the virus he created.
Darkonda himself turned to glare at me while I skid my cycle to a halt.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” the villain said in a screeching voice.
“What a shame,” I said while activating my cycle’s pulse cannons.
Lances of golden energy exploded across the lab in a series of sparks and flashes. Glass shattered and circuitry was fried as Darkonda fell back.
One of the mutants hissed while stalking towards me among the lab’s falling debris. I lunged forward and tackled into the creature.
We went crashing through the lab’s walls and burst out onto the ground outside the warehouse. We rolled forward several feet before I released the creature and let it stumble out of control.
I rose to my feet and fell into a fighting stance.
A massive beam of green light pierced the sky and struck something at the other end of the warehouse. I recognized it as Astronema’s enlarging beam. Another one of the mutants grew to giant size behind me. I assumed the Rangers had broken free and beaten the creature badly enough to warrant an enlarging beam. The Astro Megazord took shape to combat the monster.
The mutant charged towards me, snarling through a pair of grotesque nostrils.
“Silver Blazer!” I shouted, firing golden energy darts that exploded against the creature in a series of sparks.
The computer chip emblem on my helmet flashed, activating the countdown sequence on my visor.
ONE MINUTE THIRTY SECONDS
“I’ll have to make this quick,” I said while charging towards the creature.
The Astro DeltaMegazord took shape above and started slamming its fists against the giant-sized mutant. Its blows were as loud as thunder claps.
I switched my weapon to blade mode and lunged forward while running my saber diagonally across the mutant’s chest. I followed with a horizontal strike, then brought the blade down vertically. The mutant was taken aback by my speed and urgency while I pressed forward.
My blade lunged towards the creature’s chest like a spear and struck hard, sending the monster tumbling backwards.
The mutant slowly rose to its feet as the battle above continued to rage. The zord opened fire with gattling cannons that exploded against its opponent. The mutant returned fire, but the DeltaMegazord was well armored.
My count down neared zero as I pressed on for my final assault.
NINE
“Blazer impact!” I shouted while charging my rifle.
EIGHT
I charged forward while squeezing the trigger, firing rapid darts of golden energy.
SEVEN
The blasts sparked across the mutant’s chest as I continued my advance.
SIX
I heard the knuckles of the zord above crash forward through the giant creature above, punching through the monster and destroying it.
FIVE
The monster took several steps backwards in a desperate attempt to break away from the volley of energy blasts crashing into it.
FOUR
I switched my weapon to blade mode.
THREE
My saber charged as I leapt forward with an energized diagonal strike that thrashed through the creature.
TWO
I followed with a horizontal strike that ripped across the mutant’s midsection.
ONE
I flipped around and assumed a victory pose.
ZERO
My armor flashed off as the monster exploded behind me.
***
I went to find my shuttle after the battle only to find it missing. I couldn’t pick the craft up on my portable scanner either.
“This is crazy,” I said while trying to broaden my scanning range.
The planet’s natives were a primitive bunch of mole people who lived underground. They could never have stolen my shuttle.
My Keitizer suddenly toned. I flipped it open and held the device by my ear to open the comm line.
“Hey Zhane,” a voice said from the other end. I recognized it as Tommy’s. “Lose something?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I didn’t realize you Terrans were so proficient at hijackings.”
“We need to talk,” Tommy said, cutting to the chase. “I had to get your attention somehow.”
Touché. “What if I don’t like what I hear?”
“Then you’re free to go,” Tommy said.
“Agreed,” I said after a brief moment. “But I could use a lift.”
***
I sat around their situation room table, wearing a similar jumpsuit to theirs. Mine was black with a silver undershirt. I sat back in a relaxed posture while tapping my fingers against the table.
I recognized Cy right away from the time we spent together on the Astro Ranger project. Their proposal was to be expected, although their methods surprised me. They wanted me to join them on the Megaship.
“Just like that, huh?” I asked.
Ashley nodded. “You’ve been following us anyway.”
“Right,” Justin said. “At least around here you’ll have more space.”
“Why so interested?” I asked while leaning forward.
“It’s obvious,” Cy said. He never did have much patience for me. “You’ve been following us since leaving the Confederation.”
“I didn’t see you complaining back down on the surface a while ago,” I pointed out
“No one is complaining,” Kat said. “It just makes sense for us to work together.”
“Yeah,” Chris said. “We can drop this cloak and dagger stuff.”
“Look,” I said while leaning forward. “I’m not exactly supposed to have the silver morpher. I’m just…borrowing it.”
“You stole it?” Tommy asked.
I gave them my best smile and shrugged. “They weren’t using the morpher, so it’s not like they’ll miss it.”
The science team I worked with was reluctant to contribute the Silver armor to the fight against Astronema. KO-35 was a ghost world now for fighting against Sauron, they often warned. They didn’t want to follow in the planet’s footsteps.
I on the other hand wasn’t about to sit around and wait for the bad guys to come to me. I took the armor and I intended to use it.
“They’ll want it back,” Cy said.
“I know,” I answered. “But it’s not like they can just show up and take it from me. They’re scientists.”
“So are you,” Ashley pointed out. “So how could you not want to be here? This ship is cutting edge.”
Justin nodded. “Yeah. At least let us show you around…”
For reasons that escaped me at the time, I expected the Terrans to be much more disciplined and much less friendly. I knew Earthers were soft compared to Kerovians, but that knowledge didn’t prepare me for their unwarranted hospitality. They were offering a partnership, but also a friendship, even though I hardly knew them.
“I suppose a tour wouldn’t hurt…” I agreed after a moment of deliberation.
***
The Megaship corridors reminded me of my academy days. Even though those days were less than two years behind me, they seemed like a lifetime ago.
Ashley and Justin were leading me along the way, which Tommy seamed to silently object to for some reason. I found Justin to be an interesting individual. He was so full of life despite all the tragedy he’d seen. He had a unique way of looking at things and a sense of humor that seemingly couldn’t be dulled.
Ashley was strikingly beautiful. For a Terran at least. She had a curiosity and energy about her that I admired.
“Engineering is on this level,” she said while they led me forward. “I’ve made a few modifications.”
“Modifications?” I asked while raising my eyebrow with doubt. “I didn’t realize Earth’s public school systems taught subspace mechanics.”
Ashley raised an eyebrow while turning and smiling at me. “Am I supposed to be amused.”
I shrugged. “I’m just not familiar with your customs.”
“Right,” she said while turning back around. He entered the engine room shortly afterwards.
Her engine modifications were actually impressive. I could tell she picked up a few things from Dr. Cranston. She also seemed to have a natural understanding of machines and they way they worked. She also showed me her work on the ships holographic projectors. The disguises she cooked up for the Megaship were works of art.
My tour moved on to one of the Mega Laser ports. Justin seemed to have basic knowledge about their function, but Ashley was clearly the expert. She removed the outer paneling along the small chamber’s walls and let me catch a glimpse of the turrets power conduits.
“More modifications?” I asked. I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Ashley nodded while her eyes scanned her own handy work. She was gleaming with pride.
“I compressed the plasma stream using a modulator based on Rigelian design,” she explained to me. “It took some extra work to integrate the modulator with our ship’s power grid…but it was worth it.”
“Not bad,” I told her, hiding my awe. I never would have thought a Terran capable of such an act. The species hadn’t even escaped its own star system yet.
After the tour was finished, I told Ashley I needed some time to think. They set me up in temporary quarters. There was plenty of room to spare in a ship crewed by only six people.
I was only in my room for five minutes before the chime rang.
“Come on in,” I called as the door swung open. It was Cy.
“You still haven’t learned, have you?” Cy said. He was always one to cut to the chase.
Our differences were rooted in religion, strangely enough. I often took stabs at his spiritual beliefs during the brief time we were together on the Astro Ranger project. It was an attempt on my part to get Cy to admit to his true feelings about KO-35’s science team. He wasn’t a big fan of theirs.
“Learned what?” I asked.
“Always joking around,” Cy said while stepping further into my room. “Always playing games, whether its with people or nature.
“I’ve saved your butt three times now,” I said defensively.
Cy shook his head, and he seemed more disappointed than angry.
“Maybe you should just leave,” he said.
It was a surreal moment for me. There I was, a Kerovian scientist well versed in fighting arts, in possession of a stolen prototype morpher on board a Megaship. A Megaship constructed primarily by a Terran organization. On board was Cy, the spiritual nut who apparently hated me, the beautiful Ashley, kind and quiet Kat, loud mouth Justin, timid Chris, and Tommy. The infamous Dragon Ranger. All of whom apparently wanted me on board their ship.
I still struggled with why they wanted me. Why they thought they could trust me.
“Look,” I said, feeling agitated. “Life is a game, Cy. And we’re nothing more than game pieces.”
Cy wrinkled his brow at me. “What are you talking about?”
“I accept life for what it is,” I explained. “A game.”
“You sound just like them,” Cy said, referring to the scientists.
“I know, I know,” I said while waving my hands mockingly. “Tinkering with the laws of nature and its people. How evil am I…”
“Just go,” Cy said before turning and leaving.
I sat down on the bed in my quarters and stared at the door from where Cy had left. Despite our difference, he always had a way of making me think with only the fewest of words...
My mind flashed back to my first day on the Astro Ranger project. We were all in our lab, settled on a large grassy plain on KO-35.
I had left my standard lab trenchcoat at home, favoring my black jumpsuit instead. My superiors didn’t approve, but I didn’t care. I was a genius and I knew they needed me. I was too important to let go on account of improper dressing habits.
I remembered hunching over my desk, going over holographic displays of the prototype silver armor. Ranger technology fascinated me from the second I saw it.
On my first day at the job, I met Dr. Cranston. Even though he was only a Terran, he was the spearhead behind the Astro Ranger project. Many social circles called him The Shaper.
“What’s the status of Prototype Unit Silver One?” he asked from behind me without so much as an introduction. His eyes were fixated on the holographic monitor in front of us.
“Almost ready,” I said as I called up a more detailed report for Dr. Cranston to look at. After going over a few more technical details, I remember he told me to go meet Cy. Cy was the project’s field commander who was to deliver the Megaship and morphers to the Earth rangers at Zordon’s command.
---To be continued in part two. This thread. Watch for it...