Power Rangers Spirit Strike [Archive]

jpurchase875

12-10-2006, 07:00 AM

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Hello once again, my loyal fans (that doesn't mean you until I post the first part of my new story 'Spirit Strike' which is a spin-off from my big SPD fic that deceased months ago on rangerboard but was kept alive on fanfiction.net (The Big Apple Takedown) (EDIT: Nope, it's dead there too). Hopefully y'all be able to help me out if you can with ideas, because I'm on chapter 9 now on the laptop at home here in merry ol' England (I still don't know why we're seen as tea-sipping posh people, but there you go). Before I divulge any more, here's a few things you need to know about the fic:

CHARACTERS:

Damien Lyonne
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Judging by the fangs and gothic goatee on this kid, you'd think he was a vampire. You'd be right, but he's no ordinary vampire... he's the prince. Cared for by his human carer Kevin Briggs on request by Vampire King Parametheus, Damien received a human education and made two friends in Marcus Adler & Heather Jackson. They fought through thick and thin together during their school days... and now, with the impending invasion of Lord Paradox and the Animizers, the trio must prepare to do battle together again, under the banner of Kevin Briggs' Spirit Strike organisation with the Spirit Amulets and Strike Brace Morphers. Recently, in the wake of his father's destruction at the Temple of Eternal Night, Damien seized the Sword of Eternal Night and became the Nightshift Ranger, complete with Battlizer. After an intense battle with the Project X Rangers on his home planet of Euphoria (where he discovered his race to have been eradicated), Damien returned to Earth and triumphed over Lord Paradox with the Soul Assault Megazord in revenge for his father's destruction. The existence of his race has come into question once again as Damien came into contact with his 'blood-bride' Annita, who told him some of the vampires are alive and well on Planet Onyx, waiting for their king to reunite them. He recently lost Annita when Karnage plunged a stake into her body.

Damien controls the Lion's Infernal Roar/Infernal Roar of the Eternal Night and commands the Red Lion Strikezord & Nightshift Batzord in battle. His personal Strike Weapon is the Blazing Liontail Saber and his heirloom to the vampire kingdom, the Sword of Eternal Night. One detriment for the Vampire King is that, to survive in sunlight and hold back his blood lust, he has to take a Blade approach and use blood vials. With the exception of Kevin, Marcus, Heather, Eddie & Emily no-one knows that Damien is a vampire.

Marcus Adler
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Marcus is a streetwise kid with the will to win. He plays championship basketball matches on the streets, which are broadcast on ESPN (he never tells any of his friends the games are on TV, just for the record.) After a reunion of fate with Damien during an ambush by Animizer general Rhynox, Marcus agrees to leave his city behind and move to Firestarter Gorge to help repel the Animizers' impending invasion. He also participated in a Blue Ranger reunion to stop the evil Psycho Blue and Cyclopsis.

Marcus harnesses the power of the Swordfish's Reckless Intent and commands the Blue Swordfish Strikezord. His personal weapon is the Ocean Sabershooter, which doubles as a swordfish-based gun and sword. His only fault is that his female fans can't get enough of him, and he's forced to run miles to escape.

Heather Jackson
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Heather is a Aussie-American skateboarding whizz from the city of Melbourne, having entered Tony Hawk's annual Aussie tournament every year at the behest of her family and friends, but always manages to come up short. When she is attacked on her way home after a tournament by the Sewer Rats (Animizer Foot Soldiers, if you can see their feet) and Rhynox, Damien & Marcus come to her rescue with the aid of Captain Kevin Briggs. Now, she's moved back to Firestarter Gorge, the place she grew up, she's focused her time on preventing more Animizers from causing havoc on Earth. She rekindled her relationship with Damien after finding out he wanted the relationship back.

Heather draws strength from the Bullethawk's Gliding Heart and commands the Yellow Bullethawk Strikezord in battle. Her personal weapon is the Glider Rifle. Its wings can be detached and used as a boomerang blade. Heather sometimes can't seem to help laughing at Marcus' small miseries.

Eddie Jameson
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Eddie is one of two twins that moved to Firestarter Gorge when they hit 16. He has to care for his ill sister Emily all the while battling a dark secret inside of him. He meets the Red & Blue Spirit Strike Rangers after asking them to save his sister from the psychopath Animizer Webhead. They came through on their promise to do so, but it still didn't stop Eddie from making a deal with Lord Paradox to save his sister, a deal Paradox had no intention of fulfilling on his end. In return, Eddie is ordered to steal the new Spirit Amulets that had been spotted and V-Brace Morphers that have been created, at the same time keeping his real allegiance secret. With a little help from his sister, he returned to the good side, but briefly fading away before deciding he wanted to go home to his warm bed. He was hit with an ancient curse by Rhynox, but Emily stole Rhynox's old axe, causing the curse to subside. Karnage brought it back, but he didn't bank on Eddie using it to commit apparent suicide. That theory was nixed when Eddie returned as the White Ranger and destroyed the evil Desolation & Lyger 14. He has been receiving packages from Max Chapman saying that Max 'knows the truth' and 'will make him pay'. He and Kevin departed to New Tech City to track the killer of Kevin's dead girlfriend with the help of Anubis 'Doggie' Cruger and Doctor Kat Manx. The killer was soon arrested after being left for dead by the Project X Rangers. He also found out that Nightstalker, not Ralph, was responsible for Karnage's mother's murder.

Eddie uses the power of the Wolf's Silent Assassination and the souls of all past White Rangers to become the White Venom Ranger. He pilots the Wolf Venomzord and uses the Edge of the Light as his personal Strike Weapon. He also brings the Bronze Rhinozord into action.

Emily Jameson
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Emily is one of two twins that moved to Firestarter Gorge when they hit 16. With nobody but her brother Eddie to care for her illness, Emily is easily kidnapped by the evil Webhead. The Power Rangers save her life, but it didn't stop Eddie making a deal with Paradox, one the warlord had no intention of fulfilling on his end. At the same time as Eddie proves his Mixed Martial Arts championship skills to Paradox, Emily is set in an Animizer incubator that doesn't do what Paradox promised Eddie it would do. Soon, Emily gained control of one of the new Spirit Amulets and a V-Brace Morpher to become the Green Ranger, helping her brother come to his senses and rejoin the side of good.

After being released from the stone tablet in which her lifeforce was used to power the evil Lyger 14, Emily's mystery illness has apparently disappeared.

Emily uses the power of the Cobra's Unseen Attack to become the Green Venom Ranger. She pilots the Green Cobra Venomzord and uses the Venom Drill as her personal Strike Weapon.

Kevin Trevor Briggs
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Kevin has been working secretly to make sure the vampire race don't come to Earth and feed on humans. Kevin chose to take care of the Vampire Prince during his time on Earth, where he would eventually take education and make new friends, all the while drinking artificial blood vials to keep his thirst down and sun protection up. Kevin soon hears that Damien was ambushed by the Animizers & Orgs and sets off to stop the vampire from doing something rash. In the end, Damien had killed off the last remaining Orgs on Earth, but made a new ally in the process. Under the recently-formed Spirit Strike banner, Kevin brings together vampire prince Damien, basketball ace Marcus and skateboard queen Heather to fight off an invasion by the evil Lord Paradox. After the fight alongside the original Power Rangers, Kevin gained the Wasp & Scorpion Amulets, becoming the Sting Ranger. He and Eddie departed to New Tech City to track the killer of Kevin's dead girlfriend with the help of Anubis 'Doggie' Cruger and Doctor Kat Manx. The killer was soon arrested after being left for dead by the Project X Rangers.

ALLIES

Sergeant Ralph Summers/Rextor The Horse Animizer
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The supposedly-dead Silver Guardian who created the Project X powers, and was then betrayed by Nightstalker for them. Formed a partnership with Moon Caller inside the Negative Zone and became Rextor. Returned to Earth to help the Spirit Strike Rangers destroy Paradox & Rhynox in a war-scale battle. He and Kevin, prior to his "death", had been best friends at the Silver Guardians. He has since been in the clear from Karnage's mother's murder after Eddie discovered that Nightstalker was the true killer.

Moon Caller (DECEASED)
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A werewolf sorceror that used to stalk Damien and held Eddie down to the classic Werewolf curse. After an intense battle with the Black Ranger, he becomes Paradox's partner. After the Negative Other Nightstalker supposedly usurped Moon Caller's position, the werewolf returned to his partnership with Ralph 'Rextor' Summers, the Horse Animizer and finally freed Eddie from the werewolf curse after helping the Spirit Strike Rangers upend Paradox in combat.

Recently, he sacrificed his life to save Emily from the binding grip of Lyger 14 & Desolation. Eddie, now the White Ranger, threw the Edge of the Light into the Negative Animizer's stone tablet, which cut off Lyger's power and killed Moon Caller in the process. Eddie remains forever grateful to the late werewolf.

Dangermouse
This highly-skilled technician is always ready for any situation or dangerous scenario, as his name suggests. He sends the alarm transmissions to the Strike Braces. On occasion, he helps demo the new weapons. He recently tried to contain Damien from his uncontrollable blood binge, albeit unsuccessfully.

The Original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Jason, Billy, Zack, Trini, Kimberly & Tommy were all ready to be reunited in Firestarter Gorge, but Tommy was sidetracked by Rhynox and turned into the evil Green Ranger. In the end, they all joined together with the Spirit Strike Rangers and defeated the Animizers in battle, even busting out the old Ultrazord.

Justin Stewart/Blue Turbo Ranger
Marcus' old basketball team came to town and Marcus was quickly reunited with his mentor. In the heat of battle against new enemy Nightstalker, Justin 'shifted into Turbo' and took up the mantle that he first used ten years ago. Marcus & Justin won their basketball game together, but had no time to celebrate as a battle spilled into their arena. Marcus & Justin were then recruited by Billy Cranston, the Original Blue Ranger, for a special mission.

Eternal Blue:
Billy/Original Blue Ranger
Cestro/Blue Alien Ranger
Rocky/Blue Zeo Ranger
Justin/Blue Turbo Ranger
TJ/Blue Space Ranger
Kai/Blue Galaxy Ranger
Chad/Blue Lightspeed Ranger
Lucas/Blue Time Force Ranger
Max/Blue Wild Force Ranger
Tori/Blue Wind Ranger
Blake/Navy Thunder Ranger
Ethan/Blue Dino Thunder Ranger
Sky/SPD Blue Ranger
Madison/Blue Mystic Ranger
Marcus/Blue Spirit Strike Ranger

VILLIANS

Lord Paradox (Deceased)
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The leader of the Animizer race is volatile by nature and very hard to please. He demands world domination and refuses to do anything else until the goal is obtained. He has an entire platoon of Sewer Rat foot soldiers at his disposal and they are led by his loyal general Rhynox. He has particular disdain for the vampire race for 'selling out' and agreeing to the humans' terms, which evolved into a hatred for the vampire prince Damien Lyonne. Killed by the Soul Assault Megazord.

Rhynox(Deceased)
Paradox's loyal general has made dealings with the Orgs and several vampires who despise the terms of the no-biting treaty set up on their home planet. He tried to kill Damien Lyonne when the Spirit Amulets were awakened, but it backfired when Damien retrieved his friends and broke off half of his horn. Rhynox is responsible for making Animizer monsters grow with his Sorceror Axe combined with the power of an Expansion Orb (Modified versions of what Lord Zedd used to use to grow his monsters). In appearance, Rhynox is disgustingly fat. Destroyed by the Black Ranger.

Max 'Karnage' Chapman
Damien came across Karnage while Karnage was working for Paradox as his only human subordinate. Determined by his hate for the Animizers, which stems from when an Animizer killed his mother, he took up Damien's offer to join Spirit Strike immediately. He created the weapons and tools for the Spirit Strike Rangers to use up until a dream about his mother's murderer's name (Rextor) caused him to attack Sergeant Ralph Summers (who Moon Caller refers to as Rextor) with Kevin's stolen Sting Ranger powers. After he lost that fight, Karnage revoked his friendship with the Spirit Strike Rangers and aligned himself with Nightstalker, gaining his own powers in the process. He recently discovered Nightstalker was the killer of his mother and tried to gain revenge, but ended up thrown out of the Animizer ship as a result with his Project X powers confiscated.

The Project X Rangers
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Project X was originally going to be used for good, only to be twisted for evil by Damien's Negative Other, Nightstalker, having escaped the Negative Zone after Damien took the Negative Evolution cards home with him. The X Powers consist of the X-Brace Emulator and the Emulator Belt. It was revealed from the late Lt. Ralph Summers' memoirs that only Negative Others can use these powers. Animizers would die instantly if they tried to morph. Nightstalker has recently regained posession of the Project X belts from the Silver Guardians. All but Nightstalker were destroyed, but Nightstalker regained control of the belts and gave them to a select group of NegaRats. It is unknown what he plans to do with the Reptile belt he confiscated from Karnage. Nightstalker was revealed to be the murderer of Karnage's mother.

As they have recently shown, the Project X Rangers can emulate past Rangers' powers, weapons & zords.
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Desolation & Lyger 14 (DECEASED)
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Desolation helped Nightstalker kidnap Emily by sealing her into a prison card created from the power of Damien's Negative Evolution cards, to further his plan of awakening Lyger 14, a brutal Negative Other-Animizer hybrid. Eddie, under his new mantle of the White Venom Ranger, foiled those plans and destroyed these two new adversaries in one fell strike.

ARSENAL

Strike Weapons
These sleek indestructible weapons use the elements of fire, water, lightning, purity, acid & poison, siphoning energy from the user's Spirit Amulet to deliver a crushing finisher. They can all combine to create the Soul Assault Cannon.

Spirit Amulets
These amulets, based on a certain species of animal, are used in conjunction with the Strike Brace Morphers to morph into the Spirit Strike Rangers with a call of either 'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!', 'Venom Strike, Charge Up!' or 'Spirit Sting, Charge Up!'. They are also modified to deliver an unarmed finishing attack using the element of the user amulet. Recently, Heather used her Amulet to send a shockwave throughout the battlefield to kill the Sewer Rats.

Nightshift Amulet
Created by Karnage for Damien to move into Nightshift mode or Battlized mode with a call of 'Night Strike, Charge Up!'.

Kingformer
While trained by the past White Rangers for his return, Eddie gained this new device created for him by Tommy's friend Hayley. It is required for his to transform into his King Mode with a call of 'King Form, Charged And Up!'

Zord Cycles
These modified motorcycles are based on the user's animal spirit, but they aren't just used for getting around. By inserting the user's amulet onto a hidden control, Zord Descent mode is activated and the Cycle slowly transforms into a Strikezord. The Cycles also have side-mounted gatling blasters. Similarly, the Bronze Rhino ATV can move into Zord Descent Form and become the Bronze Rhino Carrierzord.

Exceed Charge Mode
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Created by Karnage based on Billy Cranston's blueprints. This form allows the Rangers greater speed & strength, with sleeker black costumes. Also used to activate the Soul Charger Megazord.

ZORDS

Spirit Strike Megazord
Combination of the Lion, Swordfish and Bullethawk Strikezords. Finishing attack is the Soul Saber's Soul Release Slash.

Neon Striker Megazord
A combination of the Wolf & Cobra Venomzords. With its Neon Saber, the Neon Striker Megazord can execute the Crescent Soul Release Slash. Without it, the Neon Striker has access to powerful cannons inside the Wolf's mouth.

Scorpion Sting Megazord
A combination of the Wasp & Scorpion Strikezords. Withits high-powered rifle, the Scorpion Sting Megazord unleashes a barrage of blasts that reduces the enemy to dust.

Soul Charger Megazord
The combined form of the Spirit Strike & Neon Striker Megazords when the Soul Chargers are inserted onto the front console.

Nightstrike Battlezord
Damien gained the Nightshift Batzord from his Battlizer form, which combined with the Red Lion Strikezord to form the Nightstrike Battlezord. Using a gigantic Sword of Eternal Night as its weapon, the Zord's finisher is the Nightshift Soul Release Slash.

Soul Assault Megazord
The ultimate combination of all the Strikezords. It recently used its finishing attack known as the Eternal Soul Release to finally destroy Lord Paradox.

Spirit Strike Ultrazord
A combined assault machine created from the Soul Assault Megazord and the Bronze Rhino Carrierzord. It was used to help destroy Lyger 14 and Desolation.

jpurchase875

12-10-2006, 07:04 AM

Almost forgot. Here's some themes for the series:

Spirits Within...

UNITE!

Power Rangers
Spirit
Strike
Spirit
Strike
Go!

All the way in the face of danger
Call upon the Spirit Strike Rangers
Go, Power Rangers
Spirit Strike
Go, Power Rangers
Spirit Strike

Go!

All the way in the face of danger
Call upon the Spirit Strike Rangers
Go, Power Rangers
Spirit Strike
Go, Power Rangers
Spirit Strike

Power Rangers Spirit Strike!

I can't escape this hell
So many times I've tried
But i'm still caged inside
Somebody get me through this nightmare
I can't control myself

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
No one will ever change this animal I have become
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal
(This animal, this animal)

I can't escape myself
(I can't escape myself)
So many times i've lied
(So many times i've lied)
But there's still rage inside
Somebody get me through this nightmare
I can't control myself

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
No one will ever change this animal I have become
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal

Somebody help me through this nightmare
I can't control myself
Somebody wake me from this nightmare
I can't escape this hell

(This animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal)

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
No one will ever change this animal I have become
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal
(This animal I have become)

Venom Rangers, Spirit Power!
Venom Rangers, Spirit Power!
Go, Black Ranger
Go, Green Ranger
Go, Black Ranger
Go, Green Ranger
Venom Rangers, right now!

Black Wolf Power!
Green Cobra Power!
Neon Striker Megazord Power!
Slithering Spirits!
Shadow Spirits!
Venom Ranger Power!

Now!

Venom Rangers, Spirit Power!
Venom Rangers, Spirit Power!
Go, Black Ranger
Go, Green Ranger
Go, Black Ranger
Go, Green Ranger
Venom Rangers, right now!

Silent Assassination!
Unseen Attack!
Howl at the moon!
Cobra Power's back!
Venom Axe!
Venom Drill!
V-Saber!
Givin' the bad guys anthrax
Forcing 'em to meet their maker!

Now!

Venom Rangers, Spirit Power!
Venom Rangers, Spirit Power!
Go, Black Ranger
Go, Green Ranger
Go, Black Ranger
Go, Green Ranger
Venom Rangers, right now!

Venom Rangers, Spirit Power!
Venom Rangers, Spirit Power!
Go, Black Ranger
Go, Green Ranger
Go, Black Ranger
Go, Green Ranger
Venom Rangers, right now!

Alright: NOW I'm ready to post the story!:D

jpurchase875

12-10-2006, 07:05 AM

'Holy smokes! The Vampire Prince!'
'I have nothing against you, human. All I want is Rhynox. If you want to live beyond tonight, you'll be out of the city by tomorrow morning.'
'I heard that!'

Charlie ran out the filthy front door with fear as the bloody vampire Damien continued through the apartment building in downtown Los Angeles. Damien peered round a corner where three teenagers in hooded jumpers were sitting on a couch and laughing at the movie they were watching. Damien sneaked upon them and took a bite out of the middle one.

'Holy crap!' One of the teenagers retorted.
'It's a vampire!' Another yelled as he reached for his firearm. But he was instantly floored at a moment's notice when Damien leapt from his victim onto the gun-toting teen and bit the hell out of the teen's neck. There was only one teen left... who was trembling in a corner of the next room. Damien approached him slowly.

'Please don't!' The hooded teen pleaded.
'If you tell me what I want to hear, you might walk out of here unharmed. Where's Rhynox?' Damien asked.
'I can't tell you! He'll feed me to the Org first came to Earths!' Came the reply from the teen. Damien punched a hole in the nearest window with his fist.
'What makes you think I won't feed on you?' Damien threatened before grabbing the teen by the throat and bashing him against the window.
'I'll ask one more time: where the hell is Rhynox?!' Damien repeated.
'He's... he's at a warehouse up the street. He's got business with the only living Orgs on Earth.' The teen relented.
'Thanks for the info, kid. Do you have a name?' Damien asked.
'Max... Max Chapman. My friends call me Karnage with a 'k'. Why?' Max replied.
'Just wanted to know. You might be of use to me, Karnage and I'm giving you a by. Go to the Train Station uptown and wait for me there. I got some unfinished business with Rhynox!' Damien responded. Max nodded in acknowledgement and complied with Damien's advice while the black-&-red-clad vampire jumped through the window to another roof.
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'Catch you bastards at a bad time?' Damien taunted after breaking into the warehouse.

'The vampire!'
'Kill him!'

Damien fought off the entire platoon of Orgs with impressive martial arts skills. With only one more enemy vampire left, Damien shattered a table with his foot and grabbed a sharp part of the table's leg. It burned his hand like hell. As the Org ran towards him, Damien threw the makeshift stake into the air and executed a roundhouse kick in the air, sending the stake flying into his adversary's head, killing him. But there was someone missing.

'Rhynox.' Damien told himself. Whimpering came from the large blood tank at the back. Damien walked over and ripped a side panel off the tank, revealing a disgusting Rhino-humanoid monster armoured in gold. It was Rhynox.
'Nice to see you again, Rhynox. If they get you out of the tank in time after this grenade explodes...' Damien paused, showing the mortified Rhynox a grenade.
'...give my regards to Paradox.' Damien finished, taking the pin out of the grenade and and placing the bomb in the tank with a screaming Rhynox as Damien sealed the tank up and walked away.

KABOOM!

Then a man with black hair and a black trenchcoat with a golden badge bearing a silver lightning bolt on it walked in, carrying a pair of laser revolvers. He looked at the bloody Damien, who returned the look.
'I did what I had to do. They tried to stop me seeing my friends again because of those silly amulets!' Damien explained angrily.
'Damn it, Damien! How the hell am I supposed to keep you safe from the Animizers if you keep getting into fights with a bunch of Org psychos that are probably in cahoots with the Animizers anyway? And those amulets can save your life someday.' The man asked in a grumbled voice.
'Kevin... I desperately want to see Marcus & Heather. They raised me in high school as you did when I first came to Earth. I'm sorry for nothing at all. Rhynox had it coming to him.' Damien replied.
'I'm sorry to hear that. Hey, I hate that disgusting hornhead as much as you do, but if the Animizers respond, we are talking about one, big freakin' band aid! Let's get you home to clear you up... then you can go retrieve Marcus & Heather.' Kevin decided.
'First, I'm gonna' go get our newest ally from the train station. He despises the Animizers as well.' Damien explained.
'All I've got to say to that is be careful. It could be a trap.' Kevin concluded.
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'Max?' Damien wondered as he looked around the train station.
'I'm here, Damien.' Max replied as he walked around the corner.
'You did as I requested. I'm impressed.' Damien praised.
'I wasn't going back to Paradox. No chance in hell of that. He tortures me day & night because I was his only human soldier.' Max explained.
'You won't have to if you come with me and see my friend Kevin to our HQ. Give me your phone. You won't need it with us. Plus, it's a perfect way to keep Paradox off your back.' Damien responded. Max passed his cellphone to Damien, who threw it far away. Damien suddenly smelled something in the distance and turned to see a werewolf jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
'Maybe some other time then, moon-caller.' Damien muttered before he and Max walked away from the station.
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Firestarter Gorge, New Jersey. Damien's home on Earth. It was where he had gone to high school with Heather Jackson & Marcus Adler - the two friends who looked after him and kept him safe. And he was about to see them again after two years. Damien, with Max hooked up in a side-cart, drove through the Gorge on his custom motorcycle.

'You okay, kid?' Damien asked.

'I'm fine, Damien!' Max replied. The vampire was satisfied with the answer and continued driving. They passed the town centre and several industrial buildings before they reached the mountains. Damien stopped the bike and took off his helmet.

'We're here, my friend. Firestarter Mountain. Kevin should be here in the next couple of minutes.' Damien explained. Max exited the sidecart and removed his helmet as well. Max stared in awe at the gigantic mountain.

'And here I've come.' Kevin said, pulling up next to Damien's vehicle on his own gold, silver & black ATV. Briggs got off, and walked over.

'Damien, take this set of keys and leave for Manhattan in the jet immediately. Kid, we can go through the whole routine once we get inside.' Briggs explained in a nutshell, handing Damien keys. Damien used his vampire instincts to jump to the top of the mountain and flew away in a jet.
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Manhattan, New York. Damien's old high school friend Marcus Adler was playing a game of basketball with his neighborhood friends. Marcus scored a pair of hoops and played aggressively for the next 25 minutes. With one more ball in the hoop for Marcus, the game ended at 20-7 for Marcus' team. Marcus and his team grouped together.

'Okay, guys. I'm gonna' hit home. I'm beat.' Marcus proclaimed.

'Just make sure you're back when we need you. We're one step closer to that SBA Premiership title!' One friend requested.

'Yeah. I think we've got a better chance of beating the California Enforcers when we meet them on their turf!' Another added.

'I'll be there, guys. Now, let me go home and get some shut eye.' Marcus said as he parted from his friends. Marcus walked through the back alleyways until he ended up in Manhattan plaza.

Ambush.

The Animizer soldiers, the Sewer Rats, led by a distorted Rhynox, surrounded Marcus in a circle.

'Surrender now, teenager and save us the trouble of hurting you!' Rhynox threatened. Before Marcus could give his answer, a jet was lowering from the sky. Its pilot jumped out of the cockpit after a safe landing.

'Hey Rhynox,' Damien called out, 'is this a private party, or do you mind if I crash?'

Rhynox turned around at the voice: 'Ah, vampire. I was wondering when you were going to show up'.

'Tell me: do you have any other passtimes besides being an all year round annoyance?' Damien mocked.

'Why don’t you come closer and find out?' Rhynox dared.

Damien assumed a battle stance: 'Let’s do this!'

After the Sewer Rats fell at Damien's feet, the two opponents ran towards each other. Damien leapt into the air, executing a spinning kick, but Rhynox was quick to duck, and Damien flew right over his head. As he came back down, Damien turned around and moved in with a punch. Rhynox blocked the attack, then thrust out his foot. The kick to Damien’s chest caused him to stumble back, but he managed to remain largely unfazed. Jumping again, he moved into a flying kick and landed a direct hit. Marcus grimaced with pain as the kick landed.

'Is that all you’ve got?' Damien taunted his opponent.

Rhynox glared at him: 'You’ll regret you ever asked that question!'

The evil monstermaker ran up again and unleashed his own flurry of punches. Damien tried his best to block them, but eventually became caught out. Rhynox’s metal fist slammed into his chest, causing him to be knocked back. He landed on the ground but used the momentum to his advantage, rolling along the grass. Damien took aim and struck Rhynox with a few sweeping kicks that connected hard, but didn't take the monster down.

'You realise that your puny legs do little to hurt me?' mocked Rhynox.

'I know' Damien agreed as he got back on his feet. 'Stings like hell though, huh?'

'Oh I’ll show you hell, vampire. Mark my words!' Rhynox promised.

'Save it Rhynox!' Damien spat back.

'He may have been the one you saved today, vampire... but rest assured, the future and its people belongs to the Animizers!' Rhynox declared, pointing at Marcus before vanishing from the scene with a jolt of energy. The Sewer Rats' corpses soon followed. Damien was finally able to take a sigh of relief. Marcus walked over.

'That was freakin' awesome, dog. I didn't know you had learned the 360 technique while we had split!' Marcus said in amazement.

'And I didn't know you were playing championship basketball games since we split... but I shouldn't have put it past you. Anyway, I'm not here to talk about times gone by... our old friend Kevin Briggs needs you and Heather back in the Gorge.' Damien explained.

'If KB is telling us that we need to be back in Firestarter Gorge, then something is really wrong!' Marcus guessed.

'Do you know where Heather is?' Damien asked.

'Melbourne, Australia. She went home to compete in the Skateboarding championship.' Marcus responded.

'Then we have to hurry.' Damien warned. The two got in Damien's jet and zoomed off.

jpurchase875

12-11-2006, 04:43 AM

Melbourne, Australia. A very energetic day at the local arena where skateboarding legend Tony Hawk was holding the annual Quiksilver Flips 'n' Rails skateboarding tournament. The winner out of 16 entrants would go home with a gigantic trophy and a designer skateboard. Among the 16 boarders was 18-year-old Heather Jackson, who had attended the tournament every year. It was her first time competing. In a good showing of skill and control, Heather made it to the finals, but came up short to Bob Burnquist. As the trophy ceremony took place, Heather went back to the female dressing room, got changed and made a break for the outside. She was exhausted by the time-consuming competition.

'Maybe next year then.' She thought to herself. Heather tossed her skateboard in front of her and began riding... but only made it as far as the busy street because a couple of old friends.

'Damien?' Heather asked.

'In the flesh.' Damien replied before he hugged his friend (not to mention restraining his bloodthirst). Marcus then followed suit.

'How are you guys? What's it been... 2 years since high school?' Heather said excitedly.

'Yeah. Before you ask, Kevin has me covered on being able to survive in sunlight. He made it a benefit of my blood vials. Which reminds me...' Damien responded, before he took one of the vials from his belt, inserted it into a syringe and injected the blood into his neck.

'So, what're you here for then?' Heather wondered.

'Briggs wants us back in Firestarter Gorge. It's important. Back in Manhattan, Damien saved my ass from a bunch of oversized rodents and a rhino freak. We got here in Damien's jet.' Marcus explained.

'Well, if Kevin says it's really important, then it really is. When are we leaving?' Heather said.

'Never... if me and my buddies have anything to say about it!' A familiar gruff voice declared. Damien, Marcus & Heather turned their heads to see Rhynox standing by with a plethora of Sewer Rats.

'Oh crap. This is not good.' Marcus thought to himself. Damien thought otherwise as he instigated a brawl with a flying karate kick on a rifle-wielding Sewer Rat. Rhynox made his move, charging forward. Damien held his ground, standing still, making no movement but instead just letting his opponent come to him. At the last moment he spun sideways, twisting out of the way while at the same time rotating round in order to slam a solid kick into the monster’s back. Rhynox stumbled forward but recovered quickly. A quick swipe behind him successfully thumped into Damien’s chest, the sheer force of the impact causing him to fly back and land hard. He climbed back to his feet, shaking his head slightly. This monster had the muscles, no doubt about it, and he opted on a different tactic in the hopes it would have more effect. Damien took a running leap into the air, diving over Rhynox’s head and hacking a foot down on the top of it. Rhynox let out a small snarl, and that only spurred Damien on. He jumped up again to slam a hard kick into the disgusting grunt's chest. Rhynox swiped forward with one of his arms, but the enigmatic vampire was more than ready, grabbing hold of the arm before impressively vaulting over the top of it, and landing another kick to the side of the head as he did so, breaking off the monster's rhino horn.
'My horn! You shall pay for that, vampire!' Rhynox threatened.
'Bring it on!' Damien dared. Rhynox charged forward in fury. Damien flipped back across the street in order to put in some distance between him and his opponent. He realised he had the advantage now, knowing that Rhynox found it difficult to defend against attacks when his opponent was off the ground. And Rhynox knew it too: he roared his anger and annoyance at this irritation, and promised himself that he would not be caught so off-guard again. Damien made another move, leaping up and flying forward in a rapid corkscrew kick. Rhynox knew the move would be effective if it hit him, but he wasn’t going to let it happen this time. Rhynox raised his axe and fired off an energy beam. The blast stopped Damien in midair and forced him to the solid concrete floor, leaving him stunned. The Sewer Rats had already overpowered Marcus & Heather.

'Foolish vampire prince! When will you realise that the planet of Earth belongs to the Animizers?' Rhynox taunted. Damien coughed up a little blood... but he liked it. Damien licked his lips and stood up.

'Never... because it's not gonna' happen on my watch!' Damien promised. He winked to Heather. She returned it and swung her fist backwards towards the intimate areas of one of the Rats holding her and Marcus hostage. Then she threw a kick at another. Damien lunged at Rhynox and booted the axe out of his claw. Just then, a black helicopter bearing Kevin's lightning bolt logo closed in. Everyone noticed. Soon, the Animizer goons were floored by numerous shots from a gatling blaster hooked to the side of the vehicle. Damien took advantage of the distraction and sent Rhynox flying into his own associates with a devastating kick. Rhynox quickly got up and retrieved his axe.

'Fine. You are reunited with your friends... but it will make little difference when Paradox launches his attack!' Rhynox declared before disappearing again with the rest of his Sewer Rats. The black helicopter landed on a roof. Kevin & Max got out.

'Thanks, Kev'. I owe you another one.' Damien expressed his gratitude.

'Hold on... how did you know we were in trouble, Briggs?' Marcus asked.

'What, did you think I'd let Damien run loose without a chaperone?' Kevin joked. Damien showed Marcus a tiny radio transmitter in his ear.

'It's time to leave, guys. I'll meet you back at Firestarter Gorge. Max, flare her up for me.' said Kevin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Just outside of Earth, a huge spaceship hovered silently. Emerald Green in colour, the massive craft had an almost dragon-like appearance, with wings on each side, a tail at the rear, and a teethed front. It stared at the planet, on the lookout for its victims.

On the bridge of the ship, two monstrous figures currently stood. The larger figure was a tall caped creature, red in colour, clad only in black armour. Four horns stood on his head with a dark red visor located over his eyes.

The other figure was the most embarrassed Animizer general in the universe at that very moment, wielding an axe. It was Rhynox, missing half of his horn thanks to the vampire prince in their previous fight. They were flanked by dozens of hard-working Sewer Rats.
'Rhynox,' began the caped creature, 'can you explain why you have returned to my vessel without prisoners?'

'Uh well, my Lord,' Rhynox replied hesitantly, 'we all ambushed the vampire's human friends in two seperate locations, but he kept beating us to the punch. It is impossible to spread evil around that planet when the vampire kingdom and Spirit Strike are always in the way!'

'Tell me something I don't know, you fool!' the opposite monster cut in. 'No matter. Soon Spirit Strike will unveil their latest project to keep our kind off of the planet... and that's when we shall take what rightfully belongs to the Animizers.'

'Lord Paradox... what do you want me to do?' Rhynox asked. Paradox let himself smile.

'Awaken Panik. They refused to give up the Spirit Amulets, so Spirit Strike and the pathetic vampire race have left us no choice but to take the planet by force.' Paradox ordered.
'It shall be done, Lord Paradox! Earth shall be claimed in the name of the Animizers!' Rhynox proclaimed before preparing for another trip to Earth. Paradox turned to a window and stared at Earth once more.
'Yes.' Paradox confirmed.
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'While it is great to have you both back in Firestarter Gorge, the reason why you're back is not good at all. In fact, that very reason just ambushed you in Melbourne.' Kevin explained to Heather & Marcus as they walked around Kevin's mountainside HQ with Max & Damien.

'That fat rhino thing?' Heather wondered.

'Rhynox? Nah, he's a pushover. A hindrance, sure... but still a pushover.' Kevin replied.

'So what do you need us for?' Marcus asked.

'For the past 2 years since Damien's departure and return to Earth, Spirit Strike has been dealing with attempted invasions from a nation of aliens known as the Animizers. While not all of them are necessarily evil, there are insurgents... and those insurgents want to rule the universe. Our cutting-edge technology has protected Earth for a while now, but we are running out of allies. And it's all thanks to the rebel leader Lord Paradox. He wants to have ultimate power and control. To obtain it, he has to add Earth to his rapidly growing list of conquered worlds. He has a large army of Animizer soldiers at his disposal which can defeat our current protection forces with no effort at all. That's why I've spent the last 5 months travelling the world with Damien to find a little something, which I shall show you in a minute.' Kevin explained, taking a set of keys from his pocket.

'This is going to be interesting.' Marcus quipped. Kevin opened a door at the end of the corridor. There was a large steel box.

'I'm going to give you all one piece of advice when I open the box... grab whatever flies towards you.' Kevin said. The others all looked confused, but the advice became clear once Kevin lifted the lid on the case. A red ball of light flashed towards Damien, prompting the vampire to grab it. Damien opened his hand to reveal a red lion's head with green eyes and yellow mane. A blue ball of light zoomed into Marcus, and he repeated Damien's reaction. What he got was a small blue swordfish. Heather reached out for the yellow light and recieved the head of a yellow hawk with a silver beak.

'Say hello to the Spirit Amulets, my friends. Ancient artifacts that hold great powers inside them. Spirit Strike have worked for weeks on something that could harness their energies.' Kevin continued, before flipping the case around. Inside were three metallic devices strapped to red, blue & yellow wristbraces. Damien, Marcus & Heather stepped forward to take a closer look.

'These are the Strike Brace Morphers. Using them in conjunction with the Spirit Amulets will give you access to the elements of fire, water and lightning, defender weapons designed especially for long and close range combat and amplified strength.' Kevin finally finished.

'Morphers? Where have I heard that before... oh, yeah! I remember hearing about the Power Rangers from my second cousin Xander Bly in Briarwood a few months ago. They used morphers. My second cousin was the Green Ranger!' Heather remembered.

'Yes, these morphers will transform you into the Power Rangers. But the history of the Rangers didn't begin in Briarwood and it is a very long history - and future as is my understanding - which is another story for another time. Take your Strike Brace Morphers and feel free to look around the HQ. But be on your guard: you never know when Paradox might strike.' Kevin warned. As the trio took their respective colors, the alarms wailed. Max sighed.

'That didn't take long.' Max said, walking over to the LCD console on the wall. After pressing a few buttons, the LCD screen showed live feed from the city. It was under attack. Max passed Kevin a headset.

'Dangermouse, talk to me.' Kevin said.

'It's the Animizers, sir. I am recalibrating the signal so you can take a closer look.' Came the reply from the other side. The picture zoomed in on Firestarter Gorge's assailants. It was Rhynox, accompanied by a large dragon creature in samurai armour and a horde of Sewer Rats.

'Your Morphers have teleportation capability. The amulets will come to you again later. Use the teleport control and stop these freaks!' Kevin requested. Damien and his friends nodded, pushing a button on their morphers. In three flashes of coloured light, the trio disappeared.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The trio touched down from the teleportation and rounded a corner in the park before finding the enemy. The Sewer Rats were in clear view just a few feet away, still causing pain to the helpless innocents.

'I guess we’ve found what we were looking for!' began Marcus.

'The Bad Guys.' Heather said simply

'So,' spoke Damien, 'you guys ready?'

'I guess as much as can be expected.' replied Marcus.

'Me too.' Heather seconded.

'Okay, here we go… hey, dirteaters!' Damien yelled.

Just as Marcus expected, every Sewer Rat stopped what they were doing and turned their heads towards the trio. Immediately they let out a variety of hissing noises, indicating they identified intruders, as Rhynox & Panik appeared from behind a tree to see what the commotion was all about.

'Hey!' smiled Rhynox. 'In record time. I'm impressed!'

'Not when you find out what we've got in store for you losers!' Heather retorted.

'Sewer Rats, attack the humans!' ordered Panik.

The grunts obeyed, swiftly moving in. The trio instinctively snapped into defensive stances.

'Here they come!' Marcus warned.

'Should we morph?' asked Heather.

'Doing that would give them an opportunity to attack us, so there's no time!' Damien answered hastily

There was no chance for further discussion. The Sewer Rats had begun to attack, and the trio were forced to defend themselves. Marcus knocked two of the Rats back at the same time with a strong tornado kick. He followed with a quick 5-punch combo and a leg-sweep.

Heather had seen Marcus' moves and tried to top them with her own. However, she was no expert. Her spinning kick missed, but she managed to grab a Sewer Rat and flip it over her shoulder. Another one snuck up from behind, but Damien was there, coming in with a frontflip and sending a hard side kick into the Rat's stomach, before chopping another in the neck.

'Thanks!' Heather expressed her gratitude.

Damien flashed a fang-adorned smile: 'No problem!'
Marcus and Damien then joined forces against Rhynox, executing teamwork by watching each other’s backs and sending several punches and kicks into any part of the Animizer general that were in reach. One Sewer Rat momentarily managed to get the best of Marcus, charging into him and following with a kick, knocking him to the ground. Luckily he was quick to outstretch his own legs and make the grunt lose his balance. Another tried the same with Damien, but the vampire prince was more than ready, bringing out his sidearm and blasting it down. His unique marksmanship promptly brought down two more. Damien could fight the Sewer Rats easily, but there was something else he hadn’t counted on… a sneak attack from Panik in which his vampire instincts weren't given enough time to react. Panik's sword slashed into Damien's vampire clothing.
'Ouch!' Damien cried out. It wasn't splintering wood, but it still hurt like hell. Heather tried to cover Damien's back as a favour from earlier, but she was grabbed and thrown into Marcus. Panik moved in with his now blood-soaked sword, ready for the final blow. Damien looked at his friends and the pain they were suffering at the hands of Rhynox. It motivated him to shift his carcass off the ground and block the sword with his bare hands. Blood dripped from his hands as well, but the vampire wouldn't let go.
'What power is this?!' Panik growled as he looked on in disbelief. Damien's eyes glazed over as he broke the sword in two and kicked Panik backwards.
'The power of the heart, Animizer!' Damien declared. Marcus & Heather ran up to the vampire.
Marcus took a deep breath: 'Let’s morph.' The Animizers watched on as the trio readied their Strike Brace Morphers and caught their personal Spirit Amulet from the air. Then the trio crossed their arms, pushed them out in their seperate directions and finally into a circle to their right, inserting the Amulets onto the Morphers while pronouncing,
'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Damien left his right arm by the side of him and held the Morpher wrist up, fire emanating from the Strike Brace encased his body. On the edge of the fire, golden streaks of electricity began to crackle around Damien, causing his body to glow red. The glow transformed into the Ranger suit. The leader's golden lightning bolt appeared on his chest and golden Spirit Strike badge appeared to the side of it. Ending the transformation, the fire encased Damien's head inside a red lion helmet with the black visor sliding shut.
As Marcus left his right arm by the side of him and held the Morpher wrist up, water emanating from the Strike Brace encased his body. On the edge of the water, golden streaks of electricity began to crackle around Marcus, causing his body to glow blue. The glow transformed into the Ranger suit. The white lightning bolt appeared on his chest and golden Spirit Strike badge appeared to the side of it. Ending the transformation, the water encased Marcus' head inside a blue swordfish helmet with the black visor sliding shut.
As Heather left her right arm by the side of her and held the Morpher wrist up, lightning emanating from the Strike Brace encased her body. On the edge of the lightning, golden streaks of electricity began to crackle around Heather, causing her body to glow yellow. The glow transformed into the Ranger suit with a skirt. The white lightning bolt appeared on her chest and golden Spirit Strike badge appeared to the side of it. Ending the transformation, the lightning encased Heather's head inside a yellow hawk helmet with the black visor sliding shut.
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'So, Rangers huh?' asked Rhynox.

'That’s right hornhead, and we’re ready to take you down!' replied Marcus. 'Swordfish's Reckless Intent! Ocean Spirit: Blue Spirit Strike Ranger!'

'Let’s do this!' added Heather. 'Bullethawk's Gliding Heart! Lightning Spirit: Yellow Spirit Strike Ranger!'

'This is awesome!' Damien chimed in. 'Lion's Infernal Roar! Burning Spirit: Red Spirit Strike Ranger!'

'Sewer Rats, get them!'

The Sewer Rats obediently advanced. The Rangers immediately snapped into battle stances, deciding to leave any further discussion for later.

Heather was the first one to commence her fight, back-flipping amid a small group of the soldiers. As one Sewer Rat rushed in from the side, the Yellow Ranger knocked it back with a strong kick, then ducked down into a leg sweep to knock another off its feet. However, she failed to see two more rush her from behind. Caught off-guard, Heather was forced to the ground.

Marcus concentrated hard, performing a roundhouse kick to a Sewer Rat, before flipping it over his shoulder. He moved onto another, but this time was countered by a flying kick from the soldier. Marcus landed hard on his back.

Damien leapt up and flipped backwards, over an attempted leg-sweep from a Sewer Rat. He landed again, but was not allowed the time to regain verticality. A pair of Sewer Rats took advantage of this, rushing in and barging the vampire Red Ranger off his feet.

'Soul Blaster!' he called, reaching down to his belt holster and withdrawing a pistol weapon. Taking aim, Damien fired off several shots. The lasers literally ripped holes in the bodies of the Sewer Rats, thick brown ooze soon pouring from the wounds. They fell to the ground, allowing Damien the chance to get back up.

Frustrated by the failure of his foot-soldiers, Rhynox lumbered into the fight wielding his axe. Thinking quickly, Damien used a wheel kick to stop the advance. Rhynox angrily swung his axe at air, narrowly missing Damien's head. Damien dodged several more axe shots and punched Rhynox backwards, giving the general a taste of vampire fisticuffs. Infuriated, Rhynox backtracked towards Panik.

'Have fun, kid! I've had as much as I can take!' Rhynox said before teleporting away. Panik chuckled evilly, salvating at the prospect of having the Rangers to himself. Damien helped Marcus & Heather dispose with the last of the Sewer Rats before turning their attention to Panik himself.

'I've been itching for killing practice all day... so I'll try some with you and take your heads back with me as trophies!' Panik taunted.

'Our heads are staying attached to our necks, but I'm sure we can arrange for your head to come off!' Marcus shot back.

'Try me!' Panik dared.

'He's going to wish he hadn't asked that.' Came Kevin's voice from Damien's morpher.

'What would you suggest, Kev?' Damien asked.

'Max just got some new equipment operational. Call for your Strike Weapons.' Kevin said.

'Alright. Strike Weapons!' Damien called. On command, the Strike Weapons materialised in the Rangers' hands. Damien had a sword, Marcus had a weapon modelled on a swordfish and Heather had a rifle based on a hawk.

'Glider Rifle!' Heather called.

'Ocean Sabershooter!' Marcus called.

'Blazing Liontail Saber!' Damien finished. Without warning, Panik rushed in unarmed and paid the price as Damien slashed him in the arm while Marcus & Heather blasted him twice. Panik staggered around. Marcus and Heather put their weapons in an 'X' formation in front of them.

'Okay, Damien, you've got the money shot! Turn it into money in the bank!' Heather encouraged.

'Gladly!' Damien responded. The blade of the Liontail blazed with flames. Damien ran up behind his fellow Rangers, frontflipped in front of them and jumped off the 'X' formation of the weapons.

'Roaring Soul Release Slash!' Damien announced. Panik didn't have time to think about avoiding the blow, as Damien's blade slid through him vertically like a knife through butter. All he could do at the end of the day was scream loudly until he exploded.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'I guess that was money in the bank!' Marcus smiled.

'It really was!' Heather seconded.

'C'mon, guys, it was a team effort... you both deserve some of the credit, too.' Damien argued. Kevin walked into the lounge area with Max.

'Alright, that was a good battle against the Animizers, but there will be more challenges to conquer in the coming future. Lord Paradox now knows that he has serious competition and will be employing his most dangerous monsters, so this year will get harder for you.' Kevin explained.

'If today's anything to go by, then we should be able to handle it!' Damien said enthusiastically. Then he groaned and pulled out three blood vials, walking out of sight.

'How much blood did he lose today?' Kevin asked concerningly.

'Panik scarred him up pretty badly. I'd say a pint.' Heather guessed. Kevin nodded as Damien came back.

'Anyway, a new youth center called the Pepsi Plunge just opened up. Maybe you guys can go chill there for the rest of the day?' Kevin suggested.

'Pepsi Plunge? My dad works for them. Maybe it's his own center they put up!' Max wondered.

'Cool. That just means more free Pepsi for us!' Marcus joked.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Master, I apologise for today's failure and will take any punishment you deem necessary!' Rhynox growled.

'Forget it, Rhynox. It wasn't my true intention to win today anyway: my true intention was to draw our enemy out and study their movements so that when their true weaknesses are revealed to me, the better the invasion will be.' Paradox explained.

'No flaws in that plan, my lord.' Rhynox said.

'Enough with the praise, Rhynox. Go awaken one of my better monsters for the next attempt at defeating Spirit Strike... it's a better task than kissing my feet!' Paradox ordered.

'At once, my lord.' Rhynox obeyed before leaving. Paradox once again stared through the window.

'Power Rangers... the protectors of justice. Hmph! Let's see you protect justice when you are on your knees begging for your lives!' Paradox thought to himself.

jpurchase875

12-11-2006, 04:43 AM

Chapter 2 was posted here again mistakingly.

jpurchase875

12-11-2006, 04:43 AM

Chapter 2 was posted here again mistakingly.

bushwacka666

12-13-2006, 02:08 AM

jpurchase875

12-13-2006, 09:02 AM

Hey jpurchase, just wanted to let you know that I've read through the character bios and what have you, and it looks pretty interesting. Anyways, just in case you were wondering if I'd overlooked the fic, rest assured that as soon as I can find the time I'll be giving it a read. :)

I had faith you'd at least take a peek. Watching the Blade trilogy repeatedly was what gave me the idea for the first vampire Red Ranger. Damn Wesley Snipes.

P.S. I accidently posted the second chapter twice. That was an error on my part.

jpurchase875

12-14-2006, 04:58 AM

'Morning, champ.' Marcus said, yawning. Marcus & Damien were crashing at Kevin Briggs' second house in Firestarter Gorge.

'Morning, Marcus. Not a whole lot to read in the media except stories that babble on about the private lives of celebrities!' Damien pointed out.

'Always the same garbage! You seen Heather & Max? Or Captain Briggs for that matter?' Marcus wondered.

'They're all in Strike Ops, toughening the Strike Weapons up after our last fight.' Damien replied. His Strike Brace Morpher then began beeping. Damien hit the button.

'Damien here.' Began Damien.

'We'll need you guys back here to test the durability of the weapons.' Max explained.

'On our way.' Damien responded, closing the communication. But before he & Marcus could teleport back to the Spirit Strike Headquarters, Damien heard frantic knocking on his door. Marcus went to open it and there stood a teenage boy with long black hair dressed in a light blue shirt and acid jeans in a sweat.

'You okay, kid?' Marcus asked concerningly.

'A big monster-thing just kidnapped my sister! She's terminally ill and can't survive for long in sunlight in her condition! Please help me!' The teen cried. Then he looked at Damien in horror. The teenager had seen Damien somewhere before.

'Whoa, calm it down, kid. We'll get her back! Just wait here!' Damien advised.

'Thank you so much! This means a lot to me! Make sure she gets back safely!' The teen responded.

'We will... and you're welcome in advance!' Marcus assured him. The teenager watched as the Red & Blue Rangers teleported away.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They touched down in the town center, where a spider monster with six arms was terrorising the civilians while holding a teenaged girl with long black hair and a green shirt. Damien looked closer and realised the girl was really pale.

'Hey, webhead!' Marcus yelled. That got the attention of the monster in a hurry.

'Nice to hear that you know my name, Blue Ranger. It's also nice to know Rhynox has a bounty on your heads, which I'll be collecting!' Webhead promised.

'Why don't you put down the girl and try to win a fair fight for once in your life?' Damien asked, tauntingly.

'Nah. I think I'll keep hold of her as a reward for bringing Rhynox your heads!' Webhead yelled.

'We'll see about that!' A familiar voice proclaimed. Suddenly, Heather rode in on her skateboard, ollied into the air and slammed her foot into Webhead's gut, but the monster kept hold of the girl.

'You guys okay?' Heather asked.

'No need to worry about us. Let's just save that girl!' Marcus answered. The Lion, Bullethawk and Swordfish Spirit Amulets flew into their grasp from above.

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!'

The Rangers morphed and went after Webhead with their Soul Blasters, being extra careful not to hit the sick girl. Heather let Webhead have a few streaks of lightning from her blaster weapon, while Damien & Marcus tried unsuccessfully to snatch the girl from Webhead's grasp from behind. Enraged that the Rangers would try such a sneaky tactic, Webhead stretched out four of his claws and shot explosive webbing at the Rangers. Damien, Marcus & Heather were instantly down.

'Who says the bad guys don't watch TV?' Marcus quipped.

'You're telling jokes now?' Damien said in an annoyed tone. The Rangers returned to their feet, only to be floored again by another streak of explosive web. Webhead cackled with joy at the sight of the injured Rangers and disappeared with the ill girl.

'Damn it!' Damien cursed. His Strike Brace beeped.

'Rangers, return to base. There's nothing more for you to do up there.' Kevin ordered. Marcus pondered his thoughts for a minute.

'Captain, we're not pulling out. Locate that freak so we can nail him! He's got a sick teenager hostage that can't survive for long in these conditions! Her brother begged for us to bring her back safely and I'm not going to let him down!' Marcus refused before running off.

'Follow him, you two. I don't want to see any humans killed in this altercation!' Kevin concluded before signing off. Damien & Heather kept close distance to the determined Blue Ranger.
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'I am impressed, Rhynox. Webhead knows how to cause a ruckus and I liked what I've seen so far. Maybe it's time we give the spider's web a little extension!' Paradox suggested.

'What do you want done, my lord?' Rhynox grunted.

'Retrieve one of the expansion orbs. We're going to power up Webhead with it!' Paradox responded.

'At once, master!' Rhynox obeyed, leaving the room.
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It didn't take long for the Rangers to run into trouble, as Webhead had planted a group of Sewer Rats in their path. Marcus summoned his Ocean Sabershooter and wailed into the fray with the blaster firing off recklessly. Damien & Heather didn't move a muscle: Marcus had defeated all the soldiers in rapid succession in less than two minutes. Soon, the momentum was broken when Webhead appeared and showered Marcus with the explosive web.

'You Rangers will never learn that the Animizers are the most dominant species in the universe. But you will not live to attend that lesson at all!' Said a nearby Rhynox. The general raised his axe and attached something to the middle of the weapon.

'One expansion coming right up!' Rhynox yelled, encasing Webhead in dark energy. The spider monster flashed and then reappeared 300 times the size he used to be, will the ill teenage girl in his overgrown hand. Heather went for her Strike Brace Morpher.

'Captain, what do we do?' Heather requested.

'Max has just finished the final modifications to the new Zord Cycles. Call for them and then proceed into Zord Descent mode!' Kevin answered. The Rangers pressed a button on their Braces and Ranger-specific motorbikes materialised.

'Awesome!' Marcus said.

'No time for admiration. We've got a girl to save!' Damien pointed out before all three Rangers hopped onto their cycles and brought up a minicomputer. Using their Spirit Amulets, the Rangers called for Zord Descent mode. The cycles entered another dismension and proceeded to transform into animal-based assault machines. A Red Lion for Damien, a Blue Swordfish for Marcus and a Yellow Hawk with Gatling Blasters on each wing for Heather. The Rangers found themselves in the cockpits of their respective Zords when they returned to their dismension.

'Whoa, this is amazing!' Damien said.

'Seconded!' Marcus replied.

'Sweet!' Heather cheered. Getting back to the task at hand, the Rangers used their Zord-based weapons to attack Webhead. Damien opened the mouth of the Lionzord and let rip a strong burst of fire, stunning Webhead, but not for long. Webhead shot explosive webbing at the Lion Strikezord, but it was all cut up by the sharp end of the Swordfish Strikezord's blade. Heather soared in from the sky and shot a pair of lightning bolts.

'We got him! But we've got to get the girl away from him!' Marcus warned.

'I'll see what I can do, mate!' Heather offered. She took the Bullethawk Strikezord to low altitude and jumped out the cockpit with a rope keeping her from falling to the solid concrete floor. Heather's vehicle got close enough to Webhead that she pushed her arm down and grabbed the ill teenager in one fluid motion, foiling Webhead's plan. Heather lowered the girl to safety in a street far away from the battle. She soon rejoined the fight.

'Now that the rescue target is out of the way, I think it's safe to suggest that we do a number on this insect!' Damien taunted.

'Yes, Damien. Connect your Amulet to the transformation control on the right and prepare for Megazord Formation!' Came Kevin's voice from the Strike Brace. The Rangers followed the suggestion and pulled the transformation controls. The Lion Strikezord became the torso and legs. The Swordfish Strikezord adjusted its tail and became the right arm. The Bullethawk Strikezord's wings disconnected and formed a shield while the main body became the left arm. Finally, the head popped out from the Lion Strikezord to complete the formation.

'Spirit Strike Megazord, Charge Up!' The Rangers called together.

Standing opposite, Webhead chuckled heartily: 'So, you think that piece of scrap is enough to stop me?'

'Let’s find out!' replied Damien, activating his controls.

The Spirit Strike Megazord quickly began to advance. The two giant warriors exchanged a few blows, the Megazord slamming a few fists into Webhead’s chest.

'Alright, we’ve got the upper hand' said Marcus.

'Let’s hit him again!' added Heather.

Again the Megazord sent its metal fists forward, Webhead staggering backwards.

'Fire!' Heather commanded, ordering the Megazord to fire off several laser blasts from its forehead. Webhead let out a painful yell as he was struck.

'Soul Saber!' announced Damien, summoning the Megazord’s large sword.

'I’m not down yet, Rangers!' Webhead snarled. “Take this!”

Webhead fired an electrical beam forward, but the Megazord was ready for it. Raising up the Soul Saber, it absorbed the energy causing it to flow into the blade. Then with a quick swipe, the Megazord sent Webhead’s own energy right back at him. Unprepared for the reversal of his own power, Webhead was struck full force and severely weakened.

“Soul Saber, Soul Release Slash!” the Rangers declared in unison. The Megazord sent an energised slash using all three elements straight into Webhead. Death beckoned, and Webhead embraced it in an explosion.

While the Rangers cheered, the Megazord raised the Soul Saber to the sky in victory.
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The Rangers picked up the ill teenager and delivered her unhurt to her worried brother. He hugged her immediately.

'Emily! Thank god you're okay!' The boy cried with joy.

'We made sure she wasn't harmed at all. Then we left the ass-kicking of the large spider-dude to the Power Rangers!' Marcus explained, remembering that he had to keep his identity secret at all costs.

'Thank you guys for everything. Now I must get her home.' The boy said.

'Wait: if you want to be friends with us, we hang out at the Pepsi Plunge. What's your name?' Damien asked.

'Eddie. Eddie Jameson. She's my twin sister Emily Jameson. We'd love to hang out, but I've got to get her condition sorted first.' Eddie explained.

'No problem. We're just letting you know that the door is always open, mate.' Heather said.

'Thanks.' Eddie said back softly as he left with his sister.

'They're good people. We won't get any trouble from them anytime soon.' Marcus hoped.
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'No trouble anytime soon, Blue Ranger? I'll be the judge of that!' Paradox barked from the safety of his cruiser.

'Master, I have obtained the items you wished for me to retrieve while the battle was going on!' Rhynox announced, walking in carrying a large steel box with him.

'The Rangers' job is about to get a lot harder!' Paradox laughed evilly at the sight of the steel box.

bushwacka666

12-15-2006, 03:57 AM

"Ooooh" is the first thought that comes to mind! :D It's a really decent start m8, with top-notch action and some interesting characters. Damien's vampire-ness is an interesting approach to take for a Ranger, and it's surprising yet refreshing to see a Ranger with such a mean streak (ie. actually biting humans in the opening chapter - guess a vampire can't fight his nature, no matter who he is!)

I can definitely see the resemblance to Blade there, as well as maybe a hint of Angel as well. And the Rangers actually getting their powers just screamed of Dino Thunder! ;) What I'm really interested in is finding out more about the history of all the characters, like exactly how Damien, Marcus and Heather met, how people like Kevin and Max got involved in the ways they are, the origins of Spirit Strike etc. At the moment most of these things are still a mystery, which is always a good thing. But I trust that you've probably got plans to reveal more of the backstory as the fic progresses, and I'm looking forward to finding out.

An interesting and solid start jpurchase. Keep up the good work, and best of luck with it. :)

jpurchase875

12-15-2006, 06:35 AM

jpurchase875

12-15-2006, 06:35 AM

Damien, Heather & Marcus were all enjoying cooked breakfast at the Pepsi Plunge, mulling over what Paradox's next move would be until Eddie Jameson, the teenager they met from the other day, walked into the establishment.

'Hey, guys.' He called.

'Eddie... what's up?' Marcus asked. Eddie took a seat next to his friends.

'Nothing much besides the fact that Emily literally begged me to come out and enjoy myself.' Eddie replied.

'I'd have to agree with her on that, mate. It's her way of saying thanks for what you've done for her.' Heather chimed in.

'Yeah, but I still worry about her. I'd like to think all I've been is a loving brother.' Eddie said.

'Don't speak like that, man. If she thought any less of you, she wouldn't accept your help.' Damien pointed out.

'I guess you're right, Damien. Check out the news.' Eddie noticed. The group all turned towards the TV screen in the corner of the room.

About a week ago, Earth was invaded once again by alien intruders. But, as history has shown, there has been a select few who have risen up against this threat before in other cities across America: the Power Rangers. What was born in Angel Grove has now spread to Firestarter Gorge, against the evil attacks that these monsters have forced. Most recently, the Rangers rescued a terminally ill teenage girl named Emily Jameson from the six-armed monster Webhead with the help of an awesome assault machine known as the Spirit Strike Megazord! With the coming attacks of the invading aliens, we can only hope that the Rangers are truly up to the challenge of defending our great city. This has been Tony Garcia on Gorge News, live!

'Man, I wish I knew who the Power Rangers were so I could thank them for getting my sis to safety!' Eddie said, unaware that the Rangers were a few inches from him.

'They will find you if you want them to. They don't mind giving out don't-mention-its in their free time.' Damien explained. He then gestured to Marcus that he needed to take a blood break. Marcus nodded before Damien walked off into the lavatory cubicles.

'What's up with him?' Eddie asked concerningly.

'Going to the toilet. You've never heard of that?' Heather responded sarcastically.
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Eddie began to walk home after his new friends had received an urgent call to be elsewhere.

'I hope Emily is alright.' Eddie muttered under his breath.

'She is perfectly safe.' Said a voice.

'Who's there?' Eddie demanded. On his request, Lord Paradox stepped out of the shadows.

'Hello, Edward. I am Lord Paradox of the Animizers.' Paradox replied.

'What do you want? If it's to make me suffer, all I have to do is cry wolf to the Power Rangers and you're out of the picture!' Eddie warned.

'Don't be so hasty! I can do the same thing because I know your secret... Werewolf!' Paradox spat. Eddie looked on in disbelief: no-one knew he hed been bound by a werewolf's curse until now.

'What's your point?' Eddie wondered. He already hated this conversation.

'I also know of your sister's disease, Edward. I found that out when the human media reported it.' Paradox explained. Eddie saw red.

'You sent that spider guy! You no-good bastard!' Eddie raged.

'Don't try to beat me up. You are no match for me. But looking on the positive side, you are as much an Animizer as me. Realising that, I'm presenting you with a once-in-a-lifetime option, so don't blow it: if you want me to find a permanent solution to your sister's illness, then I need you to do a few things for me!' Paradox said. Eddie paced for a minute and then turned back to Paradox. It was a very tempting offer.

'Name your terms. She is dear to me... and I'm willing to take any help.' Eddie finally admitted.

'That is the answer I was hoping for... and anticipating. Just stay next to me and we can talk more about negotiations in my throneroom.' Paradox concluded before opening a portal back to his ship, taking himself and Eddie into space.
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'Alright, Kevin... what's the deal this time?' Marcus said in a sarcastic tone.

'You could be a little more enthusiastic, mate. This sounded big!' Heather reminded him.

'That it is, Heather... but one question: where's Damien?' Kevin asked, noticing the absence of the Red Ranger.

'Blood break. It took a bit of time.' Damien replied, appearing suddenly.

'You've got to stop doing that, dog!' Marcus suggested annoyingly.

'Well, now that the band's back together, I want to inform you that the team is going to expand into 5 Rangers. You have already met the Jameson twins, I presume.' Kevin began.

'Eddie & Emily? Why would you want to drag a sick girl and her worried brother into our fight with Paradox?' Damien said.

'I've taken Emily's condition into account... the medical team here can deal with it if they find out the cause of it. Besides, Eddie & Emily are former Mixed Martial Arts Team champions, which speaks for itself!' Kevin responded.

'How are they going to join us? Have you found more Spirit Amulets?' Heather wondered.

'Dangermouse and I have located them deep in the Syrian Desert, but I'd rather our new recruits retrieve them for themselves.' Kevin replied. Dangermouse walked into the room with a small steel case. Kevin unlocked it to reveal a new pair of Strike Brace Morphers with a 'V' sign under the hole for a Spirit Amulet. These Morphers had black and green braces.

'These are the V-Brace Morphers for the Jamesons. Once you find them, tell Eddie you've found help for his sister. I guarantee he'll be thankful.' Kevin promised.
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'If you can defeat all of these Sewer Rats with your skills, I can promise you that your sibling will be incubated immediately. After you've done that, I will set you down back in your home. The Rangers will be sure to court you over joining them. Play dumb and go along with the plan. Once you've obtained the new Spirit Amulets and the Morphers they're sure to give you, land a cheap shot and report back to me. Remember that if they find out anything about our arrangement, they will capture you at the blink of an eye. And remember what I told you about their identities.' Paradox told Eddie in the sparring arena of his ship. A gang of Sewer Rats stepped forward unarmed. Eddie smirked.

'No problem. Damien, Marcus & Heather will pay for lying to me!' Eddie responded simply. The Sewer Rats stared at Eddie for a few moments - then rushed in. Eddie responded by rolling into the middle of them. As he jumped back up, the four Rats were forced to stumble backwards. He kicked one in the chest, then ducked as another one tumbled over his shoulder. A third Sewer Rat attempted a tail-sweep, but Eddie was quick to flip backwards over the tail.
'No, this is how it’s done!' Eddie told the Sewer Rat, before performing his own sweep and knocking the Rat off its feet. Its collapsed to the ground, and Eddie quickly reached down and ripped out the grunt's spine. The Rat’s body immediately went limp as Eddie tossed the spine to the floor. Eddie now looked up to face the other three Sewer Rats, only to find that they were trying to flee. Eddie looked down and picked up a discarded Sewer Shotgun. The Rats met their end a few seconds later as Eddie jammed shotgun pellets into their bodies with the weapon. Paradox and Rhynox were applauding Eddie's ruthlessness from nearby.
'Paradox, I hope I become the Black Ranger... because for the Power Rangers, my heart will turn black!' Eddie proclaimed.
'Would you like another test, Edward?' Paradox offered.
'Why not? Just make sure Emily is safely incubated.' Eddie responded. Paradox grinned and nodded, calling forth a new wave of Sewer Rats. Then he turned towards Rhynox.
'Bring his sister here. You'll know her from being kidnapped by Webhead.' Paradox ordered.
'It will be done, my lord!' Rhynox obeyed. On Paradox's command, the Sewer Rats rushed towards Eddie. However, he was more than ready for them. The Sewer Rats attacked, but he defended himself expertly, kicking one in the chest then knocking over another with a leg-sweep. He reached down to that one and ripped the spine from its back like before, then rolled away, allowing himself space to return to his feet. Eddie fired off some kicks, striking more Sewer Rats and knocking them down. This bought him time to approach their momentarily groggy bodies and finish them off with more barrages of kicks. Paradox watched on in delight as his grunts fell to his newest ally's onslaught.
Eddie, seemingly drunk with power and strength, laughed as the defeated grunts faded away.
The Rangers were going to have problems very soon.

bushwacka666

12-17-2006, 04:11 AM

jpurchase875

12-18-2006, 08:50 AM

Interesting. Have to wonder exactly what Paradox has been telling Eddie to make him suddenly turn against the Rangers like that. Hope to find out soon - always been more of a fan towards misguided/misinformed "evil" Rangers, rather than those under spells and what have you. Looking forward to seeing where you're going with this.

If you noticed, Paradox called Eddie a werewolf during their first conversation. That curse is always something Eddie doesn't want anyone to know, but you'll find out more about that in a later episode, but for right now, here's a new episode

GO TO NEXT POST.

jpurchase875

12-18-2006, 08:52 AM

'Have you seen Eddie Jameson?' Marcus asked the bartender at the Pepsi Plunge.

'The new kid? Yeah. He came in this morning to work out on the weights and been here since.' The bartender answered, pointing towards the training apparatus. Marcus walked over to where Eddie was sweating like a hog from lifting and lowering weights.

'Hey, Marcus.' Eddie greeted.

'Hey, Eddie. Have you found help for your sister Emily yet that can deal with her condition and kill it dead?' Marcus asked.

'No. Why?' Eddie lied. He remembered Paradox's orders.

'Me, Damien & Heather may have found something... you'll have to follow me.' Marcus responded. Eddie put down the weights and walked out with Marcus. They journeyed across Firestarter Gorge until they came to the mountains. Eddie was visibly annoyed.

'Okay, Marcus: what's this about?' Eddie asked finally.

'Your sister... just like he said. We weren't allowed to show you this before, but our captain has decided to recruit you and your sister into our operation.' A nearby Damien explained, followed by Heather.

'Operation? What are you guys going on about?' Eddie said. He was playing dumb as suggested. To show the teenager, Damien caught his Lion Amulet out of the air, assumed his morphing stance and connected his Strike Brace Morpher with his Spirit Amulet.

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!' Damien called, morphing into the Red Spirit Strike Ranger. Eddie wasn't surprised, but he knew that he had to look like it.

'You three are the Power Rangers? Thanks so much for rescuing my sister!' Eddie fakely gave out his gratitude.

'No problem. Follow us into our headquarters, so our Captain can induct you into the team.' Damien suggested, powering down. The hidden titanium doors of the Spirit Strike HQ opened, and the Rangers led Eddie Jameson inside.
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Paradox watched on as Emily Jameson was safely laid into an incubator, as promised to her brother. Rhynox walked into the room.

'Master, I have not yet received word from our human ally yet. Maybe he has given in to the Rangers for real!' Rhynox insisted.

'You have very little faith, my loyal servant. But I also detect your uneasiness with having a human on my team. I will compensate you for that. Find a beast that can insure Eddie gets his hands on those Amulets and tell him to only feign hurting Eddie... while inflicting as much damage on any of his so-called accomplices!' Paradox commanded.

'It shall be done, my lord!' Rhynox said.
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'Welcome, Eddie Jameson. I am Captain Kevin Trevor Briggs and these are my assistants Dangermouse and Karnage. It is an honor to have you around.' Kevin introduced. Eddie shook his hand.

'So, what's the deal about wanting me to be part of the Power Rangers? What help can I get for my sister?' Eddie asked.

'The answer to your second question: Spirit Strike has a certified team of medics who can help out with any conditions if they can find them. Emily shall be perfectly safe here. The answer to your first question: you and Emily to my understanding captured the Global Team title at the MMA festival 2 years ago.' Kevin responded.

'That's true. What do you want me to do first?' Eddie said.

'We have located a new pair of Spirit Amulets buried in the Syrian Desert. Take Heather with you to find them. They should be in a large chest.' Kevin answered. He swung an open steel case around to show Eddie the V-Brace Morphers.

'Take them both. Keep the green-strapped one for your sister.' Kevin suggested. Eddie nodded. Damien & Heather led the new recruit to Damien's jet at the top of the mountain. Damien handed Heather the keys. With that, Eddie & Heather made a break for the Syrian desert. Meanwhile, alarms were flaring inside the base. Damien was quick to make it back inside.

'What's up?' Damien wondered. Dangermouse brought up visualisation on a monitor, showing a bullhorned monster flanked by a gang of Sewer Rats terrorising the Gorge's residents.

'Go. Once Heather & Eddie are finished with their mission, I'll send them after you.' Kevin ordered. Damien & Marcus retrieved their amulets and assumed their stance.

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!'

'Lion's Infernal Roar! Burning Spirit: Red Spirit Strike Ranger!' Damien called.

'Swordfish's Reckless Intent! Ocean Spirit: Blue Spirit Strike Ranger!' Marcus called.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------''This Zord Cycle is awesome!' Eddie exclaimed as he, Heather & Karnage were in the back of Kevin's helicopter. He wasn't ordered to say that, but it was his opinion. The cycle did look good.

'Yeah,' Heather agreed. 'You did a great job on his bike, Karnage.'
'Thanks, Heather. His Zord Cycle can transform into the Black Wolf Strikezord when Zord Descent is activated.' Karnage explained. Eddie cleared his head of his adulation for Karnage's work and replaced it with what Paradox had told him before.
'It looks as though we're directly above the Syrian. I'm gonna' hit the button and let you guys glide in on your Zord Cycles. Don't be too long in finding those new amulets: Damien and Marcus are going to need your help back home.' Karnage concluded. Heather & Eddie mounted their cycles and waited as the large cargo door of the helicopter opened slowly. Once they felt the breeze of the air, Heather & Eddie revved up their bikes, released them from their holding hooks and drove out into the air.
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As soon as the Blue and Red Spirit Strike Rangers reached the top of a building in the city plaza, they found the source of the trouble: a bullhorned and jacked up minotaur, sharp horns and glowing red eyes. The creature greeted his new guests with a barrage of blasts from his mouth, forcing them to come to a halt. The two heroes quickly climbed off their vehicles and approached the monster on foot.

'Hello, Rangers,' the monster announced, 'my name is the Killer Gore. We’ve been expecting you.'

'Well I would never have guessed!' Damien said sarcastically. 'You were expecting us. Which Animizers aren't?'

'How true,' the Killer Gore confirmed, 'but I’m afraid you won’t be around long enough to find out who!'

With that, the Killer Gore advanced forward, the two Rangers forced to assume their defensive stances. The opponents began to exchange blows, with the Killer Gore quickly gaining the upper hand. Firing more blasts from his mouth, he sent the Rangers to the ground. Marcus was the first to recover, and decided to put the Ocean Sabershooter to the test. Aiming the barrel of the blade, he shot a pair of small projectiles, sending the minotaur staggering backwards. Leaping up high with the Sabershooter in Sword mode, the Blue Ranger performed several strong slashes across Killer Gore's chest. Marcus landed back onto the edge of the building, but fell to the building's side. Marcus reacted fast - he thrust the swordfish blade into the brick wall, now hanging on above the drop below.

'Marcus!' came Damien’s worried cry, as the Blue Ranger was no longer in the sight of his team-mates.

'I’m fine!' Marcus replied. 'Don’t worry, I’ll work my way back up.'

Damien took this as the go-ahead to continue the fight, and brought out the Blazing Liontail Saber. He opted to remain grounded as he attacked the Killer Gore. Marcus was not far behind, getting up from the building's edge and taking a run towards the gang of Sewer Rats. With a quick jump, Marcus clicked his heels and booted several grunts in the head. Now skating on the building top, the Blue Ranger headed straight for the Killer Gore, suddenly leaping up into a backwards somersault, the Ocean Sabershooter striking the Killer Gore as he came up. An annoyed Killer Gore staggered backwards, only to face Damien on the other end.

'I guess your day isn't going so well?' Damien asked the monster in sarcasm.

'With all offence intended, Red Ranger, you're the ones whose day isn't about to go so well.'

'Really? Prove it!'

Producing his Soul Blaster, Damien aimed at the minotaur's feet and fired a continuous blaster beam. the Killer Gore roared out in pain as the shock rapidly spread around his feet, forcing him to leap out of the way. Marcus and Damien regrouped. The Killer Gore got back to his feet, blasting the Rangers again to teach them a lesson.

'Nice tricks, Rangers,' he admitted, 'but I’m still too strong for the two of you.'

'No... you're too weak for the two of them!' came a familiar voice. Soon, Eddie appeared on his Zord Cycle with the V-Brace Morpher around his wrist with the Black Wolf Spirit Amulet attached.

'Hey, what gives? Where's Heather?' Damien wondered. Eddie launched an evil grin Damien's way and then turned back to the Killer Gore.

'But me, on the other hand...' Eddie smiled. Then he readied the V-Brace Morpher before catching the Black Wolf Amulet out of the sky.

'Venom Strike, Charge Up!'
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As Eddie held his arms in a cross formation, shadows emanating from the V-Brace encased his body. On the edge of the shadows, purple streaks of electricity began to crackle around Eddie, causing his body to glow black. The glow transformed into the Ranger suit. A golden 'V' shape replacing the traditional lightning bolt appeared on his chest and the Spirit Strike emblem appeared on his gold belt. Ending the transformation, the shadows encased Eddie's head inside a black wolf helmet with the black visor sliding shut.
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'Wolf's Silent Assassination! Shadow Spirit: Black Venom Ranger!' Eddie declared. Damien & Marcus looked on in awe of the new arrival. But Eddie soon turned that awe into disbelief with several sudden shots from his Soul Blaster.

'What the heck are you doing? You're on our side!' Marcus said.

'You don't get it, even when Heather isn't around! I left her for Paradox's goons in the Syrian desert before I handed the other V-Brace and Cobra Amulet over to Rhynox! Once I had found the new amulets, I made my move... and took out your partner. Maybe you can understand why: Paradox made me a really tempting offer and keeps my sister alive in an incubation tank! Her condition is improving, which is all I care about. Our friendship was a small sacrifice, but it was as necessary as your coming destruction at my hands... it is what Paradox wants in return for my sister's restoration!' Eddie explained his actions.

'And here I was thinking that making deals with rats was above you, Eddie! You've lost my respect today, and given half a chance, I will bite you!' Damien threatened.

'Your respect is nothing to me compared to my sister's wellbeing... nor are your threats. You're welcome to try and stop me, fangboy, but rest assured, I will do what needs to be done!' Eddie promised. Rhynox appeared from behind them. He tapped in the code for the expansion orb on his axe and fired the beam towards Killer Gore. In response, the Killer Gore grew.

'Let's call Captain Briggs and find out what to do!' Damien suggested.

'Not in your lifetime!' Eddie said, shooting at them again with his Soul Blaster. Damien had finally drawn a line.

'Marcus, call Kevin and get him to allow one ranger control on the Megazord! I'm dealing with our little traitor!' Damien said. Marcus nodded and jumped off the building to the ground below, where his Zord Cycle was waiting for him.

'Captain, if you saw anything that just went down, you'll know I'd need complete temporary control of all three Strikezords!' Marcus explained.

'It is an unfortunate turn of events; Heather's Zord Cycle is still in the Syrian Desert! I'm afraid you're on your own for the time being!' Kevin warned him from the Morpher's communicator speakers.

'Damn.' Marcus cursed.
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'This is excellent, Rhynox! Didn't I tell you our human accomplice would succeed?' Paradox asked his general.

'Yes, my lord. I guess love for another can be enough incentive to change allegiance.' Rhynox replied, handing over the Cobra Amulet and green V-Brace Morpher.

'How ironic is it that the Rangers will be destroyed by someone they thought was a good friend?' Paradox asked himself, cackling with glee. Suddenly, the incubator behind them popped open. Emily Jameson was awake again.

'The other human is awake!' Rhynox lamented. Paradox watched on in interest. Emily sat up, shaking off the cobwebs.

'Bro?' She wondered simply.

jpurchase875

12-18-2006, 09:03 AM

Eddie has harnessed the power of the Black Wolf and betrayed Heather, unaware that his sister is awake and ready to drop a bombshell on her brother. Will this bombshell stop Eddie's rampage against the Spirit Strike Rangers, or shall Eddie continue fighting regardless?

FIND OUT IN 'VENOM STRIKE PART 3'!

NOTE: Bush, you can sue me for plaigirism.

bushwacka666

12-18-2006, 09:33 AM

Haven't got a clue what you apparently "plagiarised" from me m8, but perhaps I'll just go ahead and sue you anyway - could do with the cash! :D

Nice to see the new Ranger on the scene, and looking forward to seeing him go through his inevitable turmoil. Not much more to say here except keep it coming. :)

jpurchase875

12-18-2006, 02:01 PM

jpurchase875

12-19-2006, 06:41 AM

Some new Spirit Strike pics along with a dash of Kamen Rider Kabuto:

http://rangerboard.com/showthread.php?p=2143216

Enjoy, peeps!

jpurchase875

12-22-2006, 06:36 AM

Eddie advanced, immediately swiping his Venom Axe to the side. Damien reacted fast, ducking under and rolling to the side. He had only narrowly missed the sharp blade, he realised as he felt the air move mere inches from his head. Still crouched, Damien tried a leg-sweep in an attempt to compromise Eddie's balance. Unfortunately he did not topple - Damien's strength simply wasn't enough. However, he did stagger back slightly, allowing Damien the chance to return to his feet. The two fighters continued their brawl. Eddie performed more swipes with his Venom Axe, Damien having to duck under all of them. He attempted a couple of sharp jabs with his fist, but was causing little - if any - damage to the Black Ranger's armoured body. Eddie just chuckled at the ineffectual attacks, before shoving hard and knocking Damien back again.

'Pathetic' he laughed. 'Very pathetic.'

'The only one who's pathetic around here is you, Eddie!' retorted Damien, returning to his feet. He moved in again, this time grabbing hold of Eddie's arm that held his Venom Axe, trying to keep it forced out of the way, while he delivered a solid side kick into Eddie's stomach. Eddie stumbled backwards, allowing Damien to take more chances. He gave him two more hard side kicks, before jumping up and landing a higher kick into his chest. Eddie fell to the ground, but was quick to stand.

'So,' began Damien between breaths, 'does that show you who's pathetic?'

'Okay, so perhaps you're not as pathetic as I want to believe.' Eddie admitted. 'But you are out of your mind, if you think you can beat me.'

'Oh, I can beat you, Eddie, I promise you that.'

'I don't think so. You're on your own.'

'I don't need the others to finish you off.'

'Well then, by all means prove it.'

'Gladly.'

Damien began to run in. Eddie merely sighed, raised him Venom Axe in front of him, and fired off a dark laser beam. The blast struck the ground just in front of Damien, once again knocking him down.

'Well that's a dirty trick…' he moaned.

'I'm full of video game education!' admitted Eddie in glee. 'But I tell you what: I'll make this challenging, as with any game.'

Eddie dropped his Venom Axe down down on the grass, leaving him unarmed.

'There you go, I am defenseless. Does that make you happy?'

'I won't be happy until you tell me just what the hell is going on! If you don't want to give me the answer I'm looking for, I'll just happily beat it out of you!'

Damien charged in again from one side, and Eddie from the other. The two fighters exchanged blows, with Damien trying to block Eddie's attacks. It wasn't easy: Eddie was a determined Power Ranger on the wrong side of the train tracks, after all, and was therefore displaying much more strength and force that Damien would be used to receiving from any normal opponent. Still, he tried to cope his best, forcing himself to ignore any pain in his limbs. He attempted to catch Eddie by surprise by delivering a couple of sudden kicks to the stomach. He staggered back but was largely unaffected. He leapt up and over Damien's head, kicking him in the back as he came back down. Damien stumbled forward but just about managed to keep his balance. He turned around, ready for anothim round. Eddie moved in, but Damien quickly sidestepped to avoid him, finishing with a kick to the side that caught her off-guard. He retaliated with a swift roundhouse kick that clipped Damien's shoulder. He yelled out, clutching onto his shoulder and breathing heavily through gritted teeth.

'Oh did I hurt you? Sorry about that!' Eddie taunted him.

'You will be, Eddie!' Damien promised him. 'You will be!'

Eddie merely ran in and performed a flying kick straight into the vampire prince's chest, grounding him yet again. In his mind, Damien let out a whole bunch of vampire language swear words that he would never usually utter in his daily life. He was in pain, and a lot of it!
'Now what was that again?' Eddie mocked, aiming his Venom Axe for the back of Damien's head.
'He said you're gonna' be sorry, mate!' repeated a familiar voice. Eddie turned and was sent flying by blasterfire from Heather's Glider Rifle as she soared in on her Zord Cycle from the Spirit Strike Helicopter. When the cycle hit the ground, she shot off a few more blasts. Eddie narrowly avoided them, using his Venom Axe to bat them all away. Heather then grabbed a smoke bomb from a side panel in the bike and caused Eddie to lose sight of his enemies momentarily. Heather called Marcus from her Morpher. The three regrouped in the middle of the city plaza once again.
'Zord Descent, Engage!' The trio called. The cycles transformed into the Strikezords, which in turn transformed into the Spirit Strike Megazord. Marcus hadn't forgot about the Killer Gore. The minotaur rampaged through the city until he spotted the Megazord.
The Killer Gore fired another strong laser blast from its horns. The beam struck the Spirit Strike Megazord in the shoulder of the Bullethawk arm, but the damage was minimal.

'Did he just scratch our Megazord’s paintwork?' asked Heather. 'Let’s take this guy already!'

'Agreed!' replied Damien. The Rangers took that as their cue. Taking the controls, they advanced, as did Killer Gore. The two robotic fighters met in the middle and immediately started to trade blows. The Killer Gore quickly gained the upper hand with three solid jabs to the chest. the Spirit Strike Megazord back-pedalled but stood its ground. Both combatants moved in again. This time, the Rangers applied a little more caution, concentrating some effort into blocking Killer Gore’s punches. the Spirit Strike Megazord managed to get in two of its own, followed by a quick kick. It quickly finished with a laser beam from its visor. The Killer Gore fired a large and powerful beam from his horns. The beam landed a direct hit, and the Spirit Strike Megazord toppled to the ground. The Rangers shook inside, straining to remain in their seats.

'We’ve got to get back up!' cried Marcus.

'I’m working on it!' replied Heather.

'Being the legs & torso isn't easy you know!' added Damien.

'He’s coming right for us!' Michael warned. Sure enough, the Killer Gore was walking towards the floored the Spirit Strike Megazord, standing over it and gazing down. His horns glowed with electricity.

'I think he’s going to fire that thing again!' Marcus told the others.

'Not if I have anything to say about it!' announced Heather. 'Wingblades!'

On cue, the wings of the Bullethawk detached themselves from the Megazord arm and flew to the front. One wing attached itself to the end of one arm, nesting in the Hawk's beak. The other wing flew over to the other arm, the Swordfish clamping it into position over its own blade.

With two sword-like blades now fixed to the end of its arms, the Spirit Strike Megazord brought them forward, striking Killer Gore in its chest and knocking it back. The Rangers were now able to bring the Spirit Strike Megazord back to its feet. Wasting no time, they quickly delivered a vertical slash with one Wingblade, followed by a horizontal slash with the other.

'Can we finish this now?' Marcus asked Damien.

'It would be my pleasure!' replied Damien. 'Soul Saber!'

The large weapon of the Megazord materialised. Energy shimmered along its blade. Suddenly, the saber created a target onto the Killer Gore's chest. The Rangers delivered the final strike. All Rangers swung their arms around and cut them through the air vertically with their unified declaration:

'Soul Release Slash!'

The Rangers brought down the Soul Saber through the Killer Gore, making sure he met the same destructive fate as Webhead did. But they couldn't rest, as the smoke cleared to reveal a new zord: the Black Wolf Strikezord. Not surprisingly, Eddie was at the controls.
'Your day isn't over!' Eddie said.
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Kevin watched on the monitors back at the base. He was shortly rejoined by Karnage and Dangermouse, who had just rescued Heather from an ambush in the Syrian Desert.
'This is not good!' Captain Briggs said.
'Eddie turning on us like that... I never saw it coming!' Karnage replied.
'Um... hello?' Said a female voice. Karnage and Captain Briggs turned to see a Ranger decked out in green. The helmet resembled a cobra, but the mouthpiece was the same as the Black Ranger's. Apart from the helmet design, color and skirt, everything on this costume was the same as the Black Ranger. Kevin slowly reached for one of his revolvers, but the Green Ranger dropped her Soul Blaster and slid it towards Kevin.
'What do you want?' Karnage asked, breaking the silence.
'I want to stop my brother from doing something stupid to your friends!' The Green Ranger answered, with no threatening tones in her voice.
'Emily Jameson?' Dangermouse wondered. The Green Ranger took off her helmet to reveal the black-haired sister of Eddie.
'You're not evil?' Karnage asked.
'Once that Paradox guy gave me my opening by explaining the situation, I stole the Morpher he had and made a break for where it was guiding me. I believe if I show up in front of my brother, he will stop taking orders from Paradox. He doesn't want me harmed. He is very loving.' Emily explained.
'Well, at least one of you has the right frame of mind. Karnage, do you have the other Zord Cycle online?' Kevin asked Karnage.
'It's operational and ready to go. The other Rangers need your help: Eddie's battering them hard!' Karnage warned. Emily nodded. Karnage & Dangermouse lead her to the Spirit Strike Helicopter.
'This may be the turning point.' Kevin said to himself.
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Picking up speed, the Black Wolf vaulted towards its target. the Spirit Strike Megazord ducked out of the way as the Zord flew past. Eddie pulled one of the control sticks to the side, swerving the Zord around for another run.

'Fire shadow lasers!' he commanded. Dark electric laser beams fired from the Zord’s eyes, making the Spirit Strike Megazord stumble backwards.

'Two can play at that game!' Damien retorted, firing an inferno from the Lionhead on the Megazord's chest. Eddie was quick to react, and swerved the Zord to the side as the flames flew past.

Eddie chuckled evilly: 'Sorry, this is one moon I’ve got to howl at.'

'He just joked in the middle of a battle! I'm gonna' rip off his mosher hair myself when I get ahold of him!' retorted Marcus.

Eddie shook his head with a smirk on his face underneath the helmet: 'Oh you are going to wish that you hadn’t just said that - Crescent Howl!'

The Black Wolf jumped up into the air, as its teeth began to energise. Then turning around, the Zord aimed itself right at its target below, and began to descend. The teeth continued to power up as the Zord let out a roar. The Rangers thought they should move out of the way, but the Black Wolf was moving too fast. Twisting in the air like a corkscrew, the Black Wolf fired several curved blade-blasts from its teeth straight into the Spirit Strike Megazord’s midsection. The Rangers flew backwards from the sheer force of the impact, while Eddie took hold of the Black Wolf's controls and started to pull up.
'Upset stomach, Rangers? No problem, here's a pill for it!' Eddie taunted, firing a missile from the Black Wolf's mouth. It went halfway towards the Spirit Strike Megazord before being suddenly cut off by a green burst of acid.
'What?' Eddie demanded, looking at the latest combatant in this fight. It was a large Cobra Zord.
'Stop this, Eddie!' Emily suggested from the cockpit of the new Zord.
'How do you know my name?' Eddie asked in disbelief. Emily took off her helmet again and sent a live transmission to her brother's zord.
'Emily? Paradox did heal you!' Eddie said in shock.
'Paradox didn't do a damn thing except use you as a pawn in his sick game to take over the world!' Emily spat back.
'What? He put you an incubator and revived you in return for me destroying the Rangers!' Eddie argued.
'We could go on about this all day, but I don't have the patience nor do I have the health! The incubator Paradox uses doesn't do anything except force sleep and force waking up. Besides, Paradox had no intention of fulfilling his end of the agreement. You could find that out just by looking at his grill! On another note, if you look at these three, without effort you would find out that they can genuinely help!' Emily responded. Eddie said nothing and looked down at his hands. He couldn't believe what he had done.
'I'm... sorry, Emily. I've got to go.' Eddie told his sister. Turning the Black Wolf around, Eddie headed for the sunset.
'Eddie!' Emily called out. But there was no answer. Eddie, the Black Ranger powers and the Black Wolf Strikezord had all disappeared. Damien, Marcus & Heather didn't know what to say. Emily felt guilt-ridden... and it made her cough like hell.
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'Not again!' Paradox roared, angered by the failure of another monster.
'The Green Ranger ruined my plans! She must pay for the bait & switch she pulled on me! As for the Black Ranger, he will pay with his life! Rhynox!' Paradox growled.
'Yes, my lord?' Rhynox gulped.
'Find the Black Ranger and bring him back to me. I will not stand by while I'm betrayed!' Paradox ordered.
'And if he refuses?' Rhynox asked.
'Kill him.' Paradox answered simply.
To escape Paradox's dangerous tone, Rhynox left immediately to carry out his master's command.
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'Do you have any clues as to the whereabouts of Eddie?' Kevin asked the four rangers.
'He didn't go back to our house... and that's worrying.' Emily chimed in.
'I'm sure he'll be okay. He held is own out there against the Megazord. And he was just in a single zord!' Damien pointed out.
'If he sends us a message from his Morpher, I'll call you guys. In the meantime, go to your rooms... and get some shuteye.' Kevin suggested. The Rangers, while uneasy with the idea, decided to go along with it.
'Why does my gut tell me that Eddie's gonna' do something stupid?' Karnage asked.
'Because he may end up doing just that. The guilt of fighting his friends blindly hit him hard today.' Kevin responded.

bushwacka666

12-23-2006, 02:56 AM

Have to say that I liked the fights in this one, and Eddie's mind seems to be getting more conflicted now. In all honesty I do have to admit that Emily's escape and Ranger debut did feel a little rushed to me - maybe some more emphasis could've been put on it, but I could imagine the tension in her brief confrontation against her brother.

Hopefully Eddie will see sense soon... but not too easily! ;)

jpurchase875

12-27-2006, 08:30 AM

'Any word from Eddie?' Heather asked the guilt-stricken Emily as they sat to a snack at the Pepsi Plunge.

'Nothing. Kevin hasn't called anyone at all, so it's a definite no-no. I just hope he's taking good care of himself wherever he is.' Emily answered.

'On another subject: did you get help for your condition?' Heather said.

'Dangermouse has administered slow-acting universal medicine for whatever illness I may have. A couple of years on, I still don't know what is in my system.' Emily explained. Damien & Marcus ran into the restaurant, shutting the doors behind them in a sweat.

'What the hell?' Emily shouted.

'Sorry, my friends... but Marcus' fans wouldn't leave us alone! We just lost them.' Damien told the girls.

'Fans?' Heather asked sarcastically.

'Yeah. Dumbass here neglected to mention his championship games are broadcast all over America on ESPN!' Damien responded bluntly.

'Reminds me of a time when Eddie didn't tell me the local MMA team tournaments were going out to subscribers of the Combat TV channel.' Emily chimed in. Upon hearing the Black Ranger's name, Damien hastily went for his front pocket.

'Speaking of Eddie, he sent a package.' Damien explained, tossing a mini-scroll of paper to Emily. She unrolled it and read.

I want to see you tonight at the Pepsi Plunge. Need to get my head straight. But come alone. I want it to be a family outing and a family one strictly. I can't bear to face the others after what has happened these past couple of days. Love, Eddie.

'That settles it then. He's seeing me tonight right here.' Emily said.

'And he doesn't want us around. He's still guilty. I wish he'd lighten up.' Marcus said.

'We're going to hit the base. You guys coming?' Heather asked.

'Maybe later. 32,000 fans later.' Marcus joked.
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Eddie sat down by the beach, staring off into the far reaches of the sea. He wondered to himself why he had executed a string of horrible things against the Rangers. Inside, he knew the reason was because he had been duped.

Now that reason was back to get him.

'Black Ranger, Lord Paradox demands you return to the city and destroy the Power Rangers! If you refuse to comply with our leader's order, we have orders of our own... to destroy you!' Rhynox growled at Eddie. Eddie slowly turned to glance at his guests.

'Paradox can't order me to do anything anymore, Rhynox... just like you can't defeat me in a fight!' Eddie spat.

'We'll soon find out!' Rhynox challenged. He headed towards Eddie. Extending his right arm, he summoned his axe and readied it. Eddie was prepared to counter, readying his V-Brace Morpher with his amulet that had descended from the clouds.

'Venom Strike, Charge Up!'

Rhynox was the one to make the first move, swiping in with his axe. Eddie quickly brought up his own axe, the two melee blades bouncing noisily off one another as they made contact. Rhynox shifted the bulk in his arms forwards, forcing Eddie away. Eddie stumbled backwards slightly but went with the momentum, ducking down and swiftly bringing out his Soul Blaster. Firing a few shots did little to hurt Rhynox, but was enough to catch him off guard, buying Eddie some time:

'Shadow Kick!' he announced, leaping into the air, he landed the energised flying kick that Johnny Cage used in Mortal Kombat direct to his opponent’s chest. Rhynox staggered from the attack, but managed to remain standing.

'Sewer Rats, attack!' Rhynox called out. Moments later, and the soldiers came through a portal, heading in Eddie’s direction. They kept their mining axes in hand, figuring they could come in handy. Eddie began to fend off the Sewer Rats using both his Venom Axe and his fighting skills. He was quick to kick one in the chest, before delivering a strong slash. No Sewer Rat could withstand the Venom Axe. Two more Sewer Rats moved in unison, both kicking Eddie while he was still crouched. He rolled away, now getting back up to continue the fight. Eddie concentrated on the multiple soldiers rushing towards him. He executed a swift roundhouse kick to one, before punching another that tried to rush in. Venom Axe still in hand, he then flipped backwards, quickly shifting into a twist and swiped his weapon straight across a Sewer Rat’s neck. The blade effortlessly severed the head, sending it bouncing away and shredding the spinal chord in the process. Taking his opportunity, Rhynox dialled in '666' on an expansion orb resting in the middle of his weapon and fired a dark laserbeam towards the Black Ranger. Eddie grabbed his chest in pain and was flung several feet, his back bashing into a large stone which caused him to de-morph.

'What the hell have you done to me?' Eddie screamed.

'It's called a curse, Black Ranger. The next time you become the Black Ranger, it will be the last time your heart beats!' Rhynox laughed before disappearing with his remaining soldiers. Eddie watched on in disbelief, but realised there was nothing he could do about it... on his own.
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Emily waited by the Pepsi Plunge for her brother. She anxiously looked at her watch.

'Eddie, where are you?' Emily wondered.

'I'm right on time!' Eddie answered, appearing from out of nowhere. They hugged.

'Where the hell have you been sleeping?' Emily asked concerningly.

'On the beach. Fishes make great company... and my lunch, of course.' Eddie admitted. Emily noticed Eddie had a black eye.

'Were you attacked?' Emily said.

'Rhynox and the Rats. They hammered me... and put some sort of curse on my Morpher.' Eddie responded.

'Then I should take you to Karnage about it.' Emily suggested.

Eddie shook his head: 'I'm not going back there after what I did.'

'What kind of curse is it?' Emily said worried.

'Rhynox... said something... about if I morph again... I'll die.' Eddie reluctantly admitted. Emily took a step back to take all the news in.

'I know it's not what you wanted to hear, sis... but I always promised I'd never lie to you.' Eddie finished. Emily finally looked up at her brother.

'It's okay... can we get to our family evening as planned?' Emily insisted, changing the subject.

'Sure.' Eddie said quietly, putting his arm around his sister and leading her inside the Pepsi Plunge.
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'Ingenius, Rhynox! A curse where the slightest move can destroy you! How did you think of it?' Paradox chuckled.

'You overpraise me, my lord. Animizer weapons are enchanted and Animizers are sorcerors to some extent. My sorcery in paticular deals with how to trash your enemies!' Rhynox replied with the same level of enthusiasam, bowing before Paradox.

'It's rare times like these that I wish I was down on the planet, defeating the Rangers in the ways you cook up! I shall now give you new orders, my general: the Jameson twins are at that building the Rangers congregate. Send some Sewer Rats there and force the Black Ranger to morph... I wish for his end to come quick! And, while they're at it, send a monster to mess everything up for the other three!' Paradox commanded.

Rhynox was all too happy to comply: 'Yes, master.'
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'Damien, Marcus, Heather - I think you should see this!' Karnage called. The Rangers moved from the briefing table over to Karnage's position by the monitor with Dangermouse. An image popped up of a giant-sized tentacled monster with swords at the end of each tentacle.

'Looks like we're kicking the Strikezords and jammin'!' Marcus said.

'Wait... shouldn't we call Emily?' Heather asked.

'What? And cut her evening with Eddie short? I think we should leave her to it until we really need her at the scene!' Damien replied. He groaned and made haste to inject himself with his blood vials.

'Now that it's settled on...' Marcus added as the trio caught their amulets and attached them to the Strike Braces.

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!'

'Lion's Infernal Roar! Burning Spirit: Red Spirit Strike Ranger!' Damien yelled.

'Swordfish's Reckless Intent! Ocean Spirit: Blue Spirit Strike Ranger!' Marcus shouted.

'Bullethawk's Gliding Heart! Lightning Spirit: Yellow Spirit Strike Ranger!' Heather finished.
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'So, while you took care of me while I was sick, did you hear from Mom & Dad?' Emily asked.

'Yeah. Mom wanted to know how you were doing. I told her you were getting as much help as possible. As for Dad? His job in New York absorbs so much of his time that he never returned my messages. I would tell them that we're the Venom Rangers and you're in good hands, but apparently we ain't allowed to say squat!' Eddie responded.

'It sucks about Dad... and Mom is over-exhausting herself for my sake again.' Emily said.

'All Moms do that... it's common. Just think of the time Mom wouldn't buy the new Tekken for me 3 years back.' Eddie smiled.

'If she's told you once, she's told you a thousand times: she was cash-strapped that year!' Emily replied. They then turned to the television.

Breaking news: a new alien invader has just attacked downtown Firestarter Gorge! Repeat: an invader has attacked Firestarter Gorge!

The Jameson twins moved from their seats, grabbing their sandwiches and ran outside to the back alleys of the Pepsi Plunge.

'Morphed or not, sis... I'm coming to help!' Eddie insisted.

'It's too dangerous!' Emily protested.

'I'd take her advice if I were you, Black Ranger!' Rhynox taunted. He was flanked by a gang of Sewer Rats.
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Back in the city, the Spirit Strike Megazord bumped into the trouble-maker, who looked reptilian in appearance.
'Ah, Power Rangers! I am Komodai... and you are dead!' Said the monster, who turned out to be female.
On that note, the Megazord pummeled its enormous fists into Komodai, one after another after another. Komodai staggered back but quickly regained her balance. She now took her own turn to go on the offensive, moving in and whipping her tail across the Megazord’s chest. She fired her mouth energy beam but the Megazord was prepared, raising up its Swordfish arm and letting the blade act like a shield to block the attack. It could then bring forward its Bullethawk arm and slam another mighty punch to the reptile.

'You’re not going to win this one, Komodai.' Marcus warned the villain. 'We’re taking you down!'

'Yeah,' Heather agreed, 'you might as well just give up now while you still have your teeth, mate!'

Komodai attacked again. She moved in, ramming into her opponent then turning around and swinging its tail straight into it. The Megazord went down hard and fast, landing with a tremendous crash. Komodai did not stop there either, firing her mouth beams and blasting the Megazord while it was still down. Multiple showers of sparks rained down to the ground as the damaged Megazord attempted to right itself.

'That blast just knocked out a quarter of our power!' Damien cried. 'That girl's got a hell of a lot more strength than we let ourselves believe.'

'We need full power before we can use the Soul Saber!' Heather reminded the boys. 'Karnage, will our power charge itself back automatically?'

'It will,' replied Karnage from her Strike Brace, 'but I don’t know how long it would take.'

'Well for now let’s just get back on our feet!' yelled Marcus. 'We’re sitting ducks down here, Max!'

'Diverting 60% energy to limbs,' Dangermouse chimed in, 'giving them all the energy I can without shutting off the torso.'

Finally the Spirit Strike Megazord managed to stand. However Komodai still had the advantage, almost immediately opening fire again. More laserbeams blasted the Megazord but this time the Rangers managed to keep it steady. It moved in, slamming two punches into Komodai before grabbing her.
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Eddie and Emily both dropped their sandwiches as they turned to face the horde of Sewer Rats. Knowing what to do, they assumed combat positions. Very skilled in MMA, the Jameson twins called on every bit of strength they had in them, prepared to fight for a way out of this ambush. Looking at each other one last time and nodding, the twins each ran towards the Sewer Rats and attacked. They kicked and punched, trying everything they knew, but the Rats blocked most of their hits, and the hits that did go through, didn't do anything at all to the Sewer Rats. It seemed as though the Rats had been upgraded. Both teenagers realised when they scored a clean hit that it was like hitting indestructible adamantium metal. The rodent soldiers shrugged them off and then sent one to the ground with a relative flick of their wrist, moving their hands up and smacking them to the ground. Both Eddie and Emily were in pain from that one simple blow as they laid there on the cement of the Pepsi Plunge's back alleys. As the grunts began to advance on the twins' downed bodies. Eddie looked at his sister then back up at the Rats and knew he had to do something. The only thing he could do, however, would destroy him.

I can't let this happen! Eddie thought to himself. I promised Mom and Dad that I'd always protect my sister from harm as I dealed with her condition! I will not turn back on that promise!

Eddie's cursed V-Brace Morpher suddenly began to glow with black energy. Emily looked up at him, wondering if the curse had come for her brother. Eddie wondered the same thing as he watched his Black Wolf Amulet soar in from the sky. Eddie stood back on his feet, struggling to stop the Wolf from attaching itself with the V-Brace, but in the end, the black energy consumed his body, forcing Eddie to become the Black Venom Ranger once more as the shadows broke away into pieces. Emily watched on as Eddie looked down at himself, unable to understand how the Amulet used a mind of its own. Then he realised that he was still living and breathing despite Rhynox's curse. Then he heard a voice.

Your heart has destroyed the curse. I am back on your wrist with no fears of passing, because you are not afraid. Therefore, I am not afraid. Let's do it, Black Ranger.

Back inside the familiar black helmet with the encouraging words of the Black Wolf Amulet on his side and the safety of loved ones on his mind, Eddie felt at ease and also felt tremendous surges of strength through his body. At first, the Sewer Rats began to chuckle, believing Rhynox's curse placed on the Venom Wolf Amulet would begin to kill the Black Ranger. But as the Black Ranger didn't appear to be weakening at all, the Rats backtracked in horror before charging Eddie. Eddie moved forward and easily blocked one Rat's attack before throwing him to the concrete, then turned and connected with a kick to a second, knocking him to the floor as well. He pulled out his Soul Blaster and blasted another Rat. Emily rolled out of the way as a Rat went for her, but Eddie blasted him down too. Eddie leapt into the air, withdrew his Venom Axe and caught the remaining Rats with a hard slash across all their chests. Eddie landed behind the minions of Paradox, turning to watch the grunts disappear in a cloud of darkness. But there was one minor problem: not all of them had been defeated. Eddie looked down and saw a quivering Sewer Rat unarmed before him. Emily poked her head around the corner to throw in her encouragement.

'Bro... finish him!' Emily yelled before taking cover again. Motivated, Eddie prevented the Rat from leaving by plunging his right hand through the Rat's back before ripping his spine out. Then that lifeless grunt disappeared.

'Emily?' Eddie called.

'I'm here, bro.' Emily replied, appearing from around the corner she took cover at. In the back of her mind, she knew that Eddie had withdrawn a force from the outer reaches of his soul to crack the curse.

'How the hell did you beat the curse?' Emily asked.

'My amulet. It told me that I had beaten it with my will to protect those closest to me. I'm not sure how it even happened.' Eddie answered simply. Suddenly, Emily's V-Brace beeped.

'Emily, here.' Emily said.

'I hate to cut off your night, but the others need you in Zord mode!' Captain Briggs warned.

'On my way!' Emily concluded.

'What do you mean, "on my way"? I'm a Ranger too, you know!' Eddie reminded her. Emily nodded and then assumed her morphing pose after catching her Cobra Amulet from the sky.

'Venom Strike, Charge Up!'
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Komodai kicked the Spirit Strike Megazord twice and then let rip with another mouth beam. The Rangers were down again. Komodai pointed her left arm at the Megazord's head and it transformed into an arm cannon of tribal design with green overtones.

'Time for this to end, Rangers!' Komodai declared.

'You're right!' Eddie yelled, blasting into Komodai with the Black Wolf Strikezord's dark bolts of shadow.

'Eddie?' The Spirit Strike Rangers all said in unison and shock.

'In the wake of a Rat slaughtering...' Eddie joked.

'And the determination to keep friends safe!' Emily finished for her brother, whipping the tail of the Green Cobra Strikezord and slamming it into Komodai's chest, sending her flying to the floor.

'Thank god you guys got here when you did! Komodai was about to trash us!' Marcus explained.

'I think I'll solve your little problem for you... as payback for what I did yesterday!' Eddie replied. His V-Brace began to beep. Captain Briggs was on the line.

'It's good to have you back, Eddie... but this is hardly the time for a social call! The Megazord has taken a considerable amount of damage, so I'm sending you & Emily new data to form your own Megazord... the Neon Striker Megazord!' Kevin said.

'Right! Emily, you ready?' Eddie asked in determination.

'I'm ready for anything!' Emily answered.

'Good! Venom Formation!' Eddie called, inserting his Amulet into the control on the Zord's dashboard. Emily followed suit. The Black Wolf's front legs combined to form the right arm while the back legs became the left arm. The wolf's head moved to the middle of the torso. The Cobra's head flew off the Zord while the main body and tail became the legs. The Cobra's head then came back down and centred itself on the waist. Then the two zords combined. A wolf-like head with a 'V' shape on its forehead appeared out of the top of the Black Wolf, finishing the transformation.

'Neon Striker Megazord, Charge Up!' The Venom Rangers declared in unison. Komodai stood before her new foe and launched a mouth laser, but could not easily dominate this opponent as she did the last. She tried again, but the Megazord still wouldn't budge. Komodai, enraged, ran straight into a barrage of energised punches from the Neon Striker Megazord. She couldn't apprehend the brutal strength this assault machine possessed, but still ran back in blindly. That earned her another rapid succession of punches. Tired of punching their enemy, the Venom Rangers swung a leg around with a devastating kick. Komodai crashed to the ground once more.

'Neon Saber!' Eddie called. The Neon Striker Megazord's weapon materialised in its hand and struck Komodai with a couple of slashes.

'Emily, if you please...' Eddie said.

'Gladly. Neon Saber, Crescent Soul Release!' Emily commanded. The blade came crashing down through Komodai in the shape of a crescent moon and forced her to explode. The Neon Striker Megazord helped the Spirit Strike Megazord to it's feet and assumed the victory pose.
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Paradox was fuming. Rhynox's great plan had failed.

'Curses! The Black Ranger has survived! Why do these pathetic humans persist in delaying my impending invasion?' Paradox growled. Rhynox walked into the room and felt the wrath of Paradox's firepower for his failure.
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'Thanks for saving our asses, Eddie!' Damien said after all 5 rangers teleported back to the Spirit Strike HQ.

'Yeah, that Megazord sure threw us a lifeline!' Marcus added.

'You're all welcome... but don't take it as a sign I want to be part of the group again. I'm better as a lone wolf after what happened.' Eddie insisted. Emily was clearly upset her brother was blind to the fact his misguided rage was water under the bridge.

'Come on, Eddie. Don't be that way. We need you, man.' Marcus replied.

'You've been doing well on your own. You don't need me. But, as a sign of good faith, I've decided to start sleeping back at my house. Spending nights with the fishes is rough and I have no intention of doing it again. Besides, I miss my Xbox.' Eddie smirked.

'Whenever you're ready to be hanging with us, dude... let Emily know.' Damien requested. Eddie looked at the vampire prince and nodded slightly before walking off. Suddenly, the wind blew out a name that made Eddie stop for one second and grab the left side of his neck; a name that had haunted him for many years. Eddie shouted the name out and etched it back into his mind:

Moon Caller.

bushwacka666

12-30-2006, 02:57 AM

jpurchase875

01-01-2007, 09:32 AM

My question here would have to be: have you been reading my mind or snooping around my computer? A Black Ranger with a cursed morpher is exactly something that I've been working on for a future fic! Uncanny, lol. Ah well, hope you don't mind if I still go ahead with it anyway. :D

The ending was interesting. Obviously I'm aware of Eddie's whole werewolf deal, but I can't help wondering if the phrase Moon Caller being "whispered by the wind" means anything... specific? I don't know, maybe I'm just thinking it through too much, but it definitely does raise some questions that I hope will be answered one way or another, over time.

Just to clarify: I had absolutely no idea that you had the cursed morpher thing nailed down for a future fic and for a Black Ranger no less! Go right ahead with it: who knows, you might come up with a better idea than me! (Did I just type that?);)

Eddie's whole werewolf deal comes from the Zen Aku/Merrick thing out of Wild Force. I thought it was the best evil-to-good transition character I'd ever seen, even though I don't rate Wild Force as a series. And their first fight independent of each other had Merrick listening to something in the wind. And here's a hint: Think Zen Aku without the mask and you have Eddie's werewolf form!

jpurchase875

01-02-2007, 08:30 AM

Eddie was running. He didn't know what he was running from... but he knew his legs were moving across granite at a fast pace. He looked forward, but there was nothing but darkness ahead. Then Eddie heard the wind from behind him blow out a name he knew all too well, prompting him to look back. He was being chased... by a werewolf. The very sight of this beast made Eddie's blood run cold and his legs to move faster. He reached the end of this path and found that darkness was all around him. Eddie looked down and saw some sort of planet.

Earth. He was on the Moon.

Eddie turned around, looking for somewhere else to escape to, but there was nothing. He couldn't run away. His feet were locked into the ground out of fear. Suddenly, the werewolf vaulted into the air and landed on the Black Ranger's shoulders. Eddie could do nothing except watch as the werewolf opened its fanged mouth wide open.
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Eddie awakened from his slumber. That dream was recurring in his head and had haunted him since he got his bitemarks. He looked at his alarm clock. It was 10:45am. He got out of bed and went straight for the cupboard, putting on his best threads prepared for the day. He slid down the banister beside the stairs and walked straight into the kitchen. Emily was still asleep.

'Lazy girl.' Eddie chuckled. He opened the fridge and grabbed some eggs and bacon to make breakfast with. Emily was soon up.

'Morning.' Emily groaned.

'Morning, sis. Took you long enough to wake up.' Eddie pointed out. Emily sat down. Eddie prepped some bacon-and-egg sandwiches for her. But the Ranger siblings wouldn't be able to eat at all: their V-Braces were trying to gain a communication. The duo all sighed.

'Damn! Do I have to save the Gorge on an empty stomach?' Emily joked.

'Tell the captain that I'm coming, Em. If this is what I think it is, then you guys are gonna' need my help.' Eddie insisted.
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The Rangers assembled at the mountains, taking the elevator to the Spirit Strike Control Center. There they reported straight to the Danger Room, where several Spirit Strike personnel busily ran around, monitoring the city and pulling numerous controls on computers.
'Rangers!' called out Kevin as he walked up to them. The Rangers gave a wave to the Captain before following him across to the Ops System table.

'What’s the situation, sir?' Heather asked.

'Take a look for yourself.' replied Kevin, hitting a control to bring up the generated monitor. There the Rangers witnessed Sewer Rats. Multiplying gangs of them. Kevin pressed a button, bringing up another area which also contained an army of the overgrown rodents. Then another image came up, and another, and another… every square-inch of the city streets were filled with Sewer Rats.

'Um… that’s a lot of Sewer Rats.' Emily spluttered.

'Don’t I know it!' agreed Kevin. 'These things were all over me when Damien's pod took a second crash landing. The only reason I could beat them was because Damien was really thirsty!'

'Where did they all come from?' asked Damien.

'From Paradox, where else? Clearly he’s trying to outnumber you, thinking that a Sewer Rat army - or armies - will be simply too much for you to handle.'

'Yeah, and he’d probably be right!' Eddie said. 'Looks like we're using our absolute A-Game to take out some Ninja Turtle Splinter rejects.'

Kevin shook his head: 'Unfortunately, all of you going is a no-go. Dangermouse and Karnage were up all last night trying to decode a strange transmission emanating from the moon. From what they told me, it sounded like the howl of a wolf.'
Eddie's eyes tightened immediately. He knew what was there.
'Moon Caller!' Eddie muttered. Everyone looked at the gamer.
'You know the source?' Kevin asked. Eddie showed his teammates the bite marks on his neck before he explained with a chill in his voice.
'Moon Caller is the god of all werewolves... and an Animizer to my belief. He dwells on the moon. Seven years ago, he came to Earth in search of a vessel for his presence on the planet. I remember it like it was yesterday. My family were out enjoying ourselves at the local amusement park when I saw a bone roll around from behind a concession stand. I walked around to take a closer look... and he ended up biting me, making me his vessel. I've been his vessel ever since, as Damien can attest from our little run-in at the train station.'
'No way! That was you?' Damien said.
'It's irrelevant at this point. Marcus, Heather & Emily: you will go and deal with the Sewer Rats. Damien & Eddie: you're going to take down Moon Caller! You have your orders and a job to do! Go!' Kevin concluded.

The Rangers nodded in response. Yes they knew that in splitting up the greater odds were against them, but they also knew that the Captain was right: they had a job to do. Raising their Strike Brace & V-Brace Morphers, they announced the calls:

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!'
'Venom Strike, Charge Up!'
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'Rhynox, only three of the five rangers are launching a defense against the army of Sewer Rats. I am curious as to why this is.' Paradox said.

'It seems the Red Ranger and the Black Ranger have either abandoned their friends or all interest in remaining Power Rangers for much longer.' Came Rhynox's reply.

'I wouldn't be so sure, Rhynox. Those Rangers are sneaky.' Paradox pointed out. Rhynox walked over to the console behind Paradox and pushed some buttons.

'I have accessed our tracing program and have locked onto the blood of the vampire prince. It seems that he and the Black Ranger are in a vessel destinated for the moon.' Rhynox read.

'The moon? What could they possibly want there?' Paradox wondered.

'I have no idea, master... but on request, I'd like to obtain whatever it is they're after for you, just in case it can help!' Rhynox responded.

'Don't just stand there talking about it! Be about it! See to it that they do not accomplish anything in their mission! I want completion of this objective after that curse debacle!' Paradox ordered.

'It will be done. And about the Black Ranger's curse... I'm not done yet.' Rhynox obeyed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Sewer Rats rampaged their way through the city, sending the citizens of Firestarter Gorge running in panic and fear. There were just too many of them, more than anybody could count in the middle of everything. Right now, the citizens of Firestarter Gorge knew that only one thing could save them - the Spirit Strike Rangers.
Their hopes were answered. The three Zord Cycles suddenly came speeding in from around the corner, the Blue, Yellow & Green Rangers behind the controls. The bikes were lined up, sending their barrage of blasterfire straight into the Sewer Rat gangs. The citizens let out relieved cheers as the Zord Cycles jumped and soared overhead, on their way in an attempt to rid the city of the oversized rodent soldiers.

'That’s about twenty down, and ten more for every one dead showing up!' Emily called out to the others.

'Even with the bikes' firepower,' added Marcus, 'I don’t know if we can take them all.'

'We have to!' replied Heather. 'If we can’t even take out the Rats, then the city has no hope!'
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'So tell me, Eddie... how much do you hate the Moon Caller?' Damien asked in the front seat of his jet. Eddie was in the back. The spacecraft had just left Earth's atmosphere.

'More than you can imagine. He made me a representation on Earth for seven years... that ends today!' Eddie declared.

'And I end a rivalry that I've been itching to win. Say... do you think Paradox knows where we're going?' Damien wondered.

'More than likely. If only three of five Power Rangers fighting his army seems suspicious, then he'll be onto us in no time at all.' Eddie answered.

'Speaking of no time at all, we've just switched orbits.' Damien pointed out. Eddie checked his consoles and all of Damien's indications were correct... until he saw a blinking red light on the screen in front of him.

'We've got company, Damien! It's Rhynox in an Animizer Battleship!' Eddie panicked. Damien immediately went for his triggers and careered the ship around. Rhynox was indeed piloting a battle-ready cruiser.

'Heh-heh! Take this, Rangers!' Rhynox cackled, firing some blaster bolts from his side-gatlings. Damien did his best to dodge them with Eddie rocking from side to side in his seat.

'Alright, I've had just about enough already!' Eddie yelled, opening the hatch into space.

'What the heck are you doing?' Damien fretted.

'Taking him out!' Came the reply from the angered Black Ranger. Eddie climbed to the roof of the jet and tapped into his morpher.

'1... 2... 3! Shadow... Kick!' Eddie declared, opening a panel on his Venom Amulet and then violently swinging it down shut again, causing black electricity to fizz from his morpher while an electronic voice on the morpher mimicked his words. The energy diverted to Eddie's right leg and the Black Ranger jumped. Eddie knew what he was doing... but Rhynox didn't. Eddie soared and pierced Rhynox's cruiser from one side to the other. Eddie's Shadow Kick caused a big bang. Rhynox's damaged heap began to lose altitude while Eddie executed lightning speed with the kick fast enough to get back to his jet and close the hatch. Rhynox's ship crashlanded on the moon... the Rangers' intended destination.

'How convenient.' Damien quipped. He flew the jet down to Rhynox's crash site and the pair of Rangers jumped out to meet the wounded Animizer General on the surface of the moon.
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Marcus also took to more close-quarters fighting. His Ocean Sabershooter raised and ready, the Blue Ranger violently swung his blade around to make damaging contact with the Rats. Sparks rained down on the floor as the Ocean Sabershooter cut its way into the chests of several Sewer Rats. But more were approaching from behind. Luckily he was aware of the Rodents' advance, and he leapt up to backflip over their heads. Upon landing, Marcus was ready once more to cut the Sewer Rats down, but he knew he couldn’t keep this up forever. There were so many of them, and for every one he took out, another ten took its place almost instantly. As more Sewer Rats approached from the back, Marcus couldn’t help but ask himself how long he would last against this oncoming horde. Emily and Heather were working together, deciding that the best approach was to deal with the situation as quickly as possible. In their efforts to achieve this, they ran beside each other through the streets, Emily holding her Venom Drill, and Heather with her Glider Rifle. As the girls ran, they produced two travelling showers of laser fire that mowed down rows of Sewer Rats with ease. The occasional Sewer Rat was able to get closer to the pair, but they forced themselves not to become fazed. Emily was ready - the Green Ranger’s agility allowed her to beat back the Rodents with some swinging strikes, while her Yellow counterpart swung her Glider Rifle around and literally broke into the side of a Sewer Rat’s head with it. However, this only served to defeat a small portion of the overall Sewer Rat army that faced the girls. There were more that were still coming. Emily and Heather knew they had their work cut out for them.
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'Whatever you're looking for up here, Rangers, is what I shall claim in the name of Lord Paradox and the Animizers!' Rhynox roared. Damien & Eddie looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and then charged towards the general with the Venom Axe and Blazing Liontail Saber Strike Weapons at the ready. But before they could reach Rhynox, they were distracted and shot down by a howl of a wolf. Eddie finally came face to face with the demon he had lived with for seven years: the Moon Caller.

'You want to take that home, Rhynox?' Damien taunted.

'Let's who's making jokes when I destroy you!' The werewolf growled before leaping foward towards the Black Ranger and engaging him in a fistfight. Damien was attacking Rhynox with all the strength he could bring out, attacking with a series of fast kicks to his opponent. Rhynox, however, was more than equal to the challenge, blocking all these attacks effortlessly. Still laughing in his ever-increasing arrogance, he suddenly swiped the Animizer Axe across with impressive speed for his weight. Damien only just managed to duck at the last moment, feeling the rush of air inches above his helmet. He tried a low kick that succeeded in knocking the annoying general back but he remained very much in the fight. His weapon of growing monsters began to crackle with dark energy as he aimed it forward. His eyes widening in shock, Damien knew what was coming. Immediately he dived to the side as the Animizer Axe unloaded its energy upon the vampire Red Ranger. A direct hit was dodged, the blast striking the ground where he had stood only a second before. However he was still caught in the blast, his entire body violently shaken as he crashed back against the far wall. Already Rhynox was there, preparing to bring the Animizer Axe down on top of him. Then Damien remembered what Eddie had done earlier with his energised Shadow Kick. Damien avoided injury by the Axe and backflipped to a distance away from Rhynox and looked into his morpher. He saw three buttons, each with a numbered designation. Damien then examined the morpher further and suddenly pulled out a golden lion's mane from behind his Spirit Amulet. Damien grinned and turned his attention back to Paradox's right-hand monster. He hit the buttons 1-2-3 in succession.
'Inferno... Kick!' Damien commanded, reinserting the golden mane into his amulet, causing fire to divert from the morpher down to his leg. Damien jumped into the air as the Amulet's mechanical voice repeated his words.
'What?' Rhynox wondered. Damien answered simply with the kick directed specifically at Rhynox's head. Once his energised foot made contact, Damien sent Rhynox flying. Raising his Soul Blaster, Eddie fired off a few shots, but they did nothing to harm Moon Caller, who just growled in response. Moving in close, Eddie began to exchange blows with his opponent, putting his mixed martial arts skills to good use. As Moon Caller swiped his arms sideways, Eddie quickly ducked underneath before leaping up and landing a strong kick to the side. Moon Caller staggered back slightly but stood his ground. Firing some energys from his claw, he blasted the Black Ranger to the ground. He was quick to return to his feet, however, and leapt up again, frontflipping into a rapidly spinning corkscrew kick. This attack had more effect and Moon Caller stumbled back. Refusing to let this boy get the better of him though, he quickly used his werewolf agility to make a big jump, soaring forward and striking Eddie as he came down. Eddie charged again, and as he jumped up, Moon Caller prepared for him to slam a kick in his chest. However, this was not Eddie's intention. Slam his feet into his chest he did, but he actually did this to catch the werewolf off-guard. Instead he used his legs to push back off Moon Caller's chest and flip around in the air. Now with his arms facing him, as he fell to the ground he made a quick reach for his weapon again, but Moon Caller quickly grabbed him and threw him back. He then summoned his own weapon and held it ready. In a flash of light, Eddie summed his personal Strike Weapon, the Venom Axe. Wasting no more time, he charged once more, wielding the Venom Axe. Moon Caller raised his sword in defence, his weapon clanging against Eddie's. Eddie remained focused in rage, swiftly ducking low and slashing the Venom Axe straight across Moon Caller’s midsection. The weapon seemed to be having reasonable effect on the werewolf, who unwillingly reeled back from the assault. Now growing slightly more inebriated, he sent forth more energy claws that blasted Eddie and succeeded in knocking him to the ground. Not allowing his opponent a chance to recover, Moon Caller then raised his sword to the sky, bolts of sorcery-strewn lightning immediately striking the blade and charging it up for a powerful onslaught. Moon Caller thrust the sword forward, the lightning slamming into the ground just in front of the still grounded Eddie, propelling him through the air and landing with a hard thud. The Black Ranger let out a cursing session as he tried to shake off the pain. With a determined cry, Eddie vaulted to his feet, corkscrewing round and thrusting the Venom Axe forward. A number of V-shaped projectiles of energy quickly flew forward, showering Moon Caller with shadows that made him cry out in pain and anger. Eddie maintained his attitude on defeating his enemy, charging forward with determination and delivering slash after slash to Moon Caller’s battered body. Then, he began to practically run up Moon Caller’s front, one foot stamping into his face for additional damage. Eddie spun in the air again, flipping over Moon Caller’s head. As the Black Ranger descended behind, he allowed his Venom Axe to perform one continuous slash down the centre of Moon Caller’s back. Moon Caller roared out in agony, and Eddie was not finished just yet. From the ground, he swiped the Venom Axe upwards.
'Time for the connection to be severed!' Eddie concluded, siphoning energy from his morpher and diverting it to his Venom Axe. Rhynox, with cover provided by a large crater, aimed his Animizer Axe at the werewolf, hitting in the code 6-6-6-7-2-8-4 on the expansion orb. The beam hit Moon Caller and he grew to gigantic size before Eddie could finish him. The gigantic Moon Caller then totally trashed the Spirit Strike Jet before he and Rhynox jumped down to Earth.
'Not good!' Damien said.
'Not good? Maybe for Moon Caller! Zord Cycle Black!' Eddie responded, calling in his personalised bike. Damien followed suit and called his too.
'Zord Descent mode!' They commanded together. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moon Caller hit Firestarter Gorge like a million meteorites, taking out the Sewer Rat army in the process and knocking back the remaining three Rangers. They watched briefly as Moon Caller unleashed his rage upon the city before the Red Lion Strikezord and Black Wolf Venomzord showed up and distracted him from his original task.
'They made it!' Marcus sighed with relief.
'But they're not out of the woods yet and they need our help! Zord Cycles!' Emily called. The trio went into Zord Descent almost immediately and backed Damien & Eddie up with some strong firepower. Then they all attached their amulets to the transformation controls.
'Spirit Strike Megazord, Charge Up!'
'Neon Striker Megazord, Charge Up!'
Both Megazords began to advance. The Spirit Strike Megazord threw a kick forward but was quickly halted by Moon Caller. The werewolf lashed out with a kick of its own to knock back the Neon Striker Megazord then slammed his claw into the Spirit Strike Megazord’s steel chest. While their team-mates recovered, Emily & Eddie moved their Megazord forward again, grabbing hold of Moon Caller and trying to shut him down. This was the Spirit Strike Megazord’s chance, moving in again and thrusting both fists forward.

Moon Caller let out a growl of annoyance: 'Alright you’ve had your fun. Now it’s my turn…'
Multiple electrical blasts flew out of the monster. Still holding onto him, the Neon Striker Megazord received the brunt of the attack, Emily & Eddie shuddering violently in the cockpit. The Neon Striker Megazord was forced off, crashing to the ground.

The Spirit Strike Megazord was also knocked back but managed to stay on its feet. Moon Caller, however, intended to change that. He charged in and took hold of the Megazord, swiftly pressing it high above his head without effort.

'Oh, you better put us down, mate, or there's gonna' be consequences!' snapped Heather.

'As you wish!' Moon Caller spat back, and threw the Spirit Strike Megazord down - straight on top of the Neon Striker Megazord. Sparks rained down on the ground as the two metal structures clumsily collided.

'Damn, that was some hit!' cursed Marcus.

As if on cue, Moon Caller suddenly found himself being bombarded with rapid laser fire by the downed Neon Striker Megazord. Moon Caller was not fazed at all, firing two powerful energy blasts from his fists. The Venom Rangers were fully aware, however, using the Neon Striker Megazord's feet-mounted jet thrusters to levitate above the beams. It then dropped back down towards its opponent, using the momentum to add extra force to the punch it pummelled into Moon Caller’s chest.

The attack was successful, Moon Caller toppling to the ground. The two Megazords regrouped.

'Okay team, let’s end this' Damien announced. 'Soul Saber, Soul Release Slash!'

The Spirit Strike Megazord summoned the Soul Saber, lashing out with one energised vertical strike.

'Neon Saber, Crescent Soul Release!' Emily commanded, using the Neon Striker Megazord's Neon Saber. Moon Caller received unbearable pain, but wasn’t out of the game just yet.

'You’ve got the money shot, Eddie!' Damien told him. 'Go for it!'

'My pleasure!' declared Eddie. 'Howling Fury!'
The moon-shaped blast launched itself from the Neon Striker's wolfhead chestplate and knocked Moon Caller to the ground... and the werewolf did not recover. Instead, he disappeared.
'He wasn't destroyed... but someday, I will break free of his curse!' Eddie promised himself.
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'Bring him in here!' Rhynox ordered. The Sewer Rats were dragging the charred body of Moon Caller into Paradox's throne room. Paradox did not appreciate the sight.
'What is the meaning of this, Rhynox?' Paradox demanded.
'My lord, I promised you that I would bring to you what the Power Rangers so desperately sought on the moon... and here it is!' Rhynox replied.
'The crispy remains of a were... wolf? This could be interesting. This is the great Moon Caller, god of the werewolves. Forging an alliance with him could be good news for our battle against the Rangers, but bad news for our enemies themselves!' Paradox explained. He put his hand foward and revived Moon Caller with magic.
'Ah, the great Lord Paradox. We meet at last!' Moon Caller said with glee as he rose up. Paradox just grinned at this.
'Moon Caller, I see you got caught up in the business of the Power Rangers. One of them is your arch enemy, but they all cause me a headache. If you want rid of them, let's become partners and and crush them together!' Paradox proposed.
'I am willing to take that offer, but you will certainly need a shakeup in your invaders division... because the human city you attack is still standing!' Moon Caller agreed. Paradox stepped out of his throne to shake the werewolf's claw. The deal had been done. Rhynox & several Rats looked on in glee.

bushwacka666

01-06-2007, 02:39 AM

jpurchase875

01-06-2007, 08:37 AM

:o :eek: Plagiarism in this chapter! PLAGIARISM IN THIS CHAPTER!!! :eek: :o

Ah I'm not that bothered really - had to laugh about it actually! :D Still, good to see the Moon Caller thing picking up a little there. Some good focus on the action there too. Keep it coming.

:o Man, you crazy, Bushwacka, YOU CRAZY!:o

The next chapter is the one I talked about that links Spirit Strike with the first series!

jpurchase875

01-06-2007, 08:38 AM

'It's good to see you again, man.'

'You too. How many of us are coming?'

'Me, Trini, Zack and Kimberly. Billy's on his way from Aquitar.'

'That's good. Firestarter Gorge is a good place to get the reunion on the road and see what everybody's been up to.'

'What's in that box you got there?'

'The Dagger. I'm going to leave it in Spain with my son, so he's prepared for becoming a warrior in his time. I'll do what I need to do with it and then I'll catch up with you.'

'Alright, Tommy. I'll meet you in the city's juice bar... if they've got one.'

'More than likely. I'll see you then.'

'Bye.'
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'Moon Caller, what do you see?' Rhynox wondered.

'I see... two humans discussing a reunion of sorts. I thought it was ordinary at first, but then I felt this eerie surge of power emanating from a box one of them is holding.' Moon Caller replied.

'What is the power level?' Paradox asked.

'Very high level. 500 Dengians, I'd say.' Moon Caller explained. Paradox got out a big book with tatty and torn pages. He skipped straight to the middle.

'Only one weapon ever has a Dengian level as high as 500. The Dragon Dagger. The mystical flute used to call upon the Dragonzord.' Paradox read.

'I guess we know the drill by now: do you want us to steal it for you?' Rhynox asked.

'No. There is a much greater prize than just the Dragon Dagger at stake here. Its first user is the strongest of all the Power Rangers of the past: Tommy Oliver. No... first, we are going to need a sword remade. The sword that once had complete control over the original Green Ranger.' Paradox denied, instead whizzing back to the front of his book and showing his cronies a page with a strange sword on it. Moon Caller & Rhynox looked at each other and then looked back at the book.

'The Sword of Darkness.'
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Meanwhile, Damien was in a training simulation with Marcus. Both of them exchanged practice blows with their personal Strike Weapons until Heather & Emily both ran in and took Damien out abruptly with their Lightning Kick and Acid Kick finishers. Marcus dodged the forceful boots of his comrades and hit 1-2-3 on his Strike Brace.

'Ocean Kick!' Marcus launched himself into Heather, but Emily was ready for him. As Heather went down to the Blue Ranger, Emily pressed 1-2-3 on her V-Brace, made the cobra's tail visible on her Spirit Amulet and twisted the amulet around.

'Acid Sting!' The Amulet echoed the Green Ranger's words, prompting Emily to lunge at the Blue Ranger and jab at him in the chest with her modified morpher as if it was a wasp stinging its victim. Sparks flew from Marcus' chest and the Blue Ranger was thrown backwards. Emily then hit 1-2-3 again and held the cobra's tail as she slid it inside the Morpher.

'Acid Kick!' She called, pulling the tail back out and energising her body all the way down to her right leg. Her boot soon met Marcus' gut, forcing him to yield. The simulation then ended, the Amulets zoomed away and the Rangers regrouped together.

'Ha! Floored your ass!' Emily taunted.

'Where the hell did you learn that Acid Sting move? That nearly drained my whole breakfast!' Marcus responded.

'Look on the bright side: a little less crap in your stomach could do you some good!' Damien joked. Heather & Emily chuckled at that notion.

'I just thought of something. Marcus, how much pain did you feel when Emily hit you with that Acid Sting?' Damien wondered.

'A lot of it. Almost as if my skin was burning. The Acid Kick just relieved most of the pain.' Marcus answered.

'Next time a monster attacks you, "sting" him.' Damien suggested.

'I'll keep it in mind.' Came Emily's reply. Then Captain Briggs' voice was heard on the P.A.

'Rangers, I need you all down in Strike Ops. One of my friends is here to see you.' Kevin explained. The gang all looked at each other with confused looks on their faces and then rushed out of the simulation room making a break for Strike Ops, where Kevin was talking to a man in a denim jacket with blond-brown hair. The Rangers walked in and got the man's attention, along with Kevin himself.

'Ah, Rangers. Glad you could make it.' Kevin said.

'We were twenty seconds away!' Marcus pointed out.

'I was kidding. Rangers, this is Billy Cranston, the original Blue Power Ranger who now lives on planet Aquitar. He's here on friendly business, but he's kind enough to delay his friendly reunion for a few minutes to come and talk to us. He has something that may help out in the fight against Paradox.' Kevin began.

'Thanks, Kevin. The Aquitians have been monitoring the Animizers for years... before they came to Earth's orbit. 4 years ago, the Animizers tried to invade Aquitar with a vast array of destructive weapons. At the forefront of the Aquitian resistance, I barely drove their generals back with a prototype device known as the Aquitian Soul Charger. Pushing down on the lever gave me maximum power and helped me defeat their leader at the time, Lord Thorn. But, afterwards, I found the Charger to be trashed... completely beyond repair. But I still have the blueprints. Never let them out of my sight. And when I got wind that my friends were planning a reunion here in Firestarter Gorge, I told myself that if there was a Ranger team down here, I'd give them the prints. And since this is Firestarter Gorge and you are a Ranger team, the blueprints are yours.' Cranston explained, reaching into his front pocket and unfolding a piece of blue paper. At that moment, the alarms began blazing.

'Go, Rangers. We can go about constructing the Soul Charger later. For right now, the Gorge needs your help!' Kevin ordered.

'Do we really need a chaperone for this?' Heather joked. Damien then injected himself with one of his blood vials.

'I'll call Eddie and alert him to our mission.' Emily said. The Rangers assumed their pose.

'Spirit Strike...'

'Venom Strike...'

'...CHARGE UP!'
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'Are you Tommy Oliver?'

'Yeah.'

'You need to come with us.'

'I'll need a reason first.'

'Don't question me! Sewer Rats, get him!' Rhynox ordered, his grunts attacking the most famous veteran Power Ranger of all time.

'If that's the way you're playing... IT'S MORPHIN' TIME! Zeo Ranger Five: Red!' Tommy called, connecting his long-unused Zeonizers together and becoming the Red Zeo Ranger. Tommy reached into the small box by his side and wielded his Dragon Dagger. The weapon he hadn't held for so long. After taking care of the Sewer Rats, Tommy attempted to raise his Dragon Dagger to block the attack, but it proved a worthless defence against Rhynox. The monster staggered back yet again, with Rhynox just standing in front of him. Tommy let out a battle cry and charged, and Rhynox did the same. The two adversaries met in the middle, with Tommy trying in vain to land any blow he could. However, Rhynox was blocking them all with swift counters at every turn. His armor gave great strength and protection. Landing a fast move, Rhynox clamped both of Tommy’s wrists and held them out of the way, leaving him fee to smash a hard front kick straight into Tommy's midsection. Again the Dragon Dagger could not absorb the force, and Tommy stumbled. Rhynox grabbed Tommy by the shirt and knocked him dead cold before laughing gleefully with evil and teleporting himself and Tommy's lifeless body to Paradox's Animizer Cruiser.
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'Ha ha! We've got company, you rodents! Greet our guests with courtesy and violence, will you?' Moon Caller joked cruelly.

'Moon Caller! You're mine!' Eddie promised, still not over his vendetta for the werewolf as he joined his comrades. Two of the Sewer Rats rushed at the Green & Yellow Rangers, but they ducked under the swipe of a pair of blasters, unholstering both of their Soul Blasters, aiming and firing at them. It was enough to burn a hole through their chests, and as they stumbled back, the girls rushed at them with a pair of karate kicks, taking them down. Two more swung their swords at the girls, but the Yellow & Green Rangers executed a pair of flips to avoid the rodents, landing behind them. As one turned around, Emily kicked it in the stomach. The Rat dropped its sword, and Heather picked it up, ramming it into the Sewer Rat’s stomach. The other one rushed at Emily, but she pushed it forward, sending it into the other Sewer Rat. Both collapsed to the ground, and she quickly fired her Soul Blaster, stopping another Sewer Rat from rushing towards her. Eddie was the first to attack in his battle with Moon Caller, landing a kick on the back of Moon Caller’s knee. Moon Caller shook it off and threw Eddie into a wall. Damien and Marcus nodded to each other, and ran at him. Damien bent down and slashed Moon Caller’s foot whilst Marcus spingboarded off the Red Ranger and jump kicked Moon Caller in the chest. Moon Caller stuck Marcus with his sword, and then kicked Damien over. Eddie grabbed him from behind, but was promptly flipped over. Marcus came back, punched Moon Caller in the head, and then kicked him in the side. He was about to jump over him when Moon Caller grabbed him, and threw him across the room. Moon Caller had won this round. He wasn't finished though, grabbing Eddie by the arm, and chucked him into a streetlight. The teen’s black costume was cut and smeared with blood from the wounds of the impact, and Eddie laid there with his life on the end of a string. Moon Caller walked over with confidence and lifted Eddie in the air by the neck.

'Now, Black Ranger... where were we?' Moon Caller grinned, gripping Eddie's throat tighter. Emily watched as her brother suffered at the claws of his rival... until she remembered Damien's suggestion from earlier in the day. She modified her morpher, hit 1-2-3 and went for the Acid Sting. She thrusted the artificial cobra's tail into Moon Caller's chest, forcing him to release Eddie and stagger backwards in pain before sparks began to explode from his wounds.

'Thanks, sis... but he's mine! Shadow Kick!' Eddie said while Emily helped him up. His leg energised with siphoned energy from his V-Brace and Wolf Amulet before trying to nail Moon Caller with his finishing move. But, unlike the Acid Sting, Moon Caller was ready for it this time, swatting Eddie away like a fly. Then Moon Caller smashed Emily. The werewolf sped itself up to attack again and eventually, Damien joined with his agility. The two met on the ground and slowly eyed each other for a moment before running at each other at full force. Damien threw a punch only to have it blocked by Moon Caller, who did the same, connecting his punch. Damien grunted in pain and once again ran straight at Moon Caller, who charged up his claw with energy. As he ran towards Moon Caller, Damien charged up his Liontail Saber for the Roaring Soul Release Slash, both attacks hit each other straight on, sending both opponents flying into objects. Before Damien could get up, Moon Caller charged the ground with energy, shocking Damien and sending him flying once more. Moon Caller grunted and snorted, as if to laugh at Damien, who was on the ground in pain, barely able to stand up.

'Inferno Kick!' Yelled Damien, managing to connect his finisher to Moon Caller's chest and slashing his leg right off and causing him to fight.

The werewolf hissed as black blood dripped from where his leg once was.

'Let me finish him, Damien!' Eddie demanded.

'Go for it, man!' Damien agreed. Eddie launched himself in and hit the Shadow Kick, sending Moon Caller flying. Rhynox teleported to the scene and quickly ran to his fellow villain's aid.

'I guess desperate times call for desperate measures! We are out of here!' Rhynox said, using a code on his axe. A green flash of energy appeared in front of the Rangers and what appeared out of it made their jaws drop.
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'Tommy?' Billy Cranston gasped.

'You know this guy?' Kevin wondered.

'Yeah. He's one of the friends that was apart of my reunion. But now... I don't know.' Cranston answered.
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'A human?' Damien said in shock.

'He's not just any human. You are the servant of Lord Paradox. Do what you would do if you were still under the control of your former empress, Rita Repulsa!' Rhynox ordered before disappearing. The possessed human in front of the Rangers then reached behind his back.

'IT'S MORPHIN' TIME! DRAGONZORD!'

The human then became a Power Ranger himself... a Green Ranger with a shield based on a dragon.

'My predecessor!' Emily gasped.

'Looks like we got a fight ahead of us!' Damien said.

'You're right! Dragonzord!' The evil Green Ranger called. He brought the flute-part of the Dragon Dagger to his mouthpiece and played a tune. It caused a rumble in the ground... and awakened something in the sea.

'What in the holy blue hell is that?!' Marcus yelled. Then he got his answer: a zord that has a design close to Godzilla tricked out in samurai armor burst into the city from the sea and several buildings. The Evil Green Ranger jumped into the cockpit of this zord.

'He said Dragonzord... and I'm willing that is it, mates!' Heather suggested. The Dragonzord roared.

bushwacka666

01-09-2007, 03:33 AM

jpurchase875

01-09-2007, 07:57 AM

Hehe, and I just recently watched "Green With Evil" back over, as well. :D

A little confused as to exactly how Tommy got his Green Ranger powers back, but still looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.

I'm sure others have told you this, but Green With Evil will always be the best PR episodes ever.

As for your second point, I never really thought that through, admittedly. I guess I always felt that the Dragon Dagger always had a little bit of the Green Ranger powers in them still after the last time it was seen (not counting 'Fighting Spirit').

Coming up next is part 2!

jpurchase875

01-09-2007, 08:00 AM

The Rangers were in dire straights. The Evil Green Ranger had summoned the legendary Dragonzord and was about unload a whole world of hurt upon the protectors of Firestarter Gorge. And didn't they know it: Damien pulled Heather & Emily to the left while Eddie & Marcus rushed to the right.

'Hahaha! You are all about to be destroyed!' The Evil Green Ranger cackled, commanding the Dragonzord to shoot its finger-missiles at the Rangers. They were barely able to escape the collapsing debris.

'Are you guys blind or just stupid? Let's call the Zords already!' Marcus shouted.

'Zord Cycles, Zord Descent!' The Rangers called together. They quickly assembled themselves into the Spirit Strike & Neon Striker Megazords. The Dragonzord didn’t waste any time he rushed at the Megazords, spinning around to strike with its drill-tail. But the Megazords stepped forward and with a slash of their Sabers attacked its tail. The Dragonzord sparked in pain as it tracked back. The Spirit Strike Rangers controlled the Spirit Strike Megazord to slash again but this time the Dragonzord caught the saber in between its claws. It kick the Spirit Strike Megazord in the gut then shot some more missiles. The Spirit Strike Megazord dropped the Soul Saber and staggered back. The saber on the ground was picked up in the Neon Striker Megazord’s free hand, doubling its defences. The Dragonzord charged the Neon Striker Megazord with a punch, but the Neon Striker Megazord blocked it and slashed at the Dragonzord’s chest. Sparks flew as the Dragonzord was thrown onto it’s back. The Dragonzord rose up again, forced the Neon Striker Megazord around and dragged its tail-drill through the Megazord's back.

'Damn it! What a hard-ass bastard, mates!' Heather quipped.

'What do we do?' Damien wondered in vain.

'There's nothing you can do! You're all about to be destroyed in the name of the great Lord Paradox!' The Evil Green Ranger taunted. The Dragonzord was about to attack again before an laser took it down. All the Rangers shifted their eyes to where the laser came from... and saw another zord.

'What? You!' The Evil Green Ranger said in shock. The Zord opposite him was that of a blue mechanical triceratops.

'Yeah, Tommy... it's me. Stop this before it gets ugly!' Billy warned from the cockpit of the Triceratops. He wasn't morphed, but he still had a connection with his dinosaur spirit. The Evil Green Ranger's shock soon turned to a possessed smirk under his green helmet.

'The only ones it's gonna' get ugly for... IS YOU!' He cackled. Afterwards, the Evil Green Ranger and the Dragonzord disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

'You guys alright?' Billy asked.

'Near defeat. Thanks.' Damien answered in sarcasm.

'No problem.' Billy replied.
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'What is it about this Green Ranger that just screams evil to me? I thought all Power Rangers were good!' Marcus complained. The Rangers were healing all their wounds in the Med Wing.

'They're meant to be, Marcus. But just because something is meant to be doesn't mean it is. There's been a history of bad guys with Ranger powers. Tommy was the first, quickly followed by the Psycho Rangers, the Titanium Ranger, the Lunar Wolf Ranger and a whole host of others. And they were doing it for all the wrong reasons... except the Psychos, who were as their title suggests.' Billy explained.

'Yeah... don't I know it.' Eddie muttered with guilt.

'My friends are probably waiting for me and Tommy at the reunion... it's gonna' be hard to tell them to suit up again. They just wanted to have a good-old fashioned get-together.' Billy continued.

'What do you suppose we do, mate? That Green Ranger is one tough cookie.' Heather asked.

'We could go for the Soul Chargers... but they would take a while to get done. So, I'm gonna' go with plan B and take you to see my friends... the original Power Rangers.' Billy concluded.

'If you guys could defeat that Green Ranger and bring him back to the good side, then I guess it's worth a shot.' Damien agreed.
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'You okay, Damien?' Billy asked as he and the vampire Red Ranger walked across the city plaza.

'I'm right as rain, my friend. It's just... my reunions never went as planned. I somehow envy you.' Damien responded.

-FLASHBACK-

'Hey Rhynox,' Damien called out, 'is this a private party, or do you mind if I crash?'

Rhynox turned around at the voice: 'Ah, vampire. I was wondering when you were going to show up'.

'Tell me: do you have any other passtimes besides being an all year round annoyance?' Damien mocked.

'Why don’t you come closer and find out?' Rhynox dared.

Damien assumed a battle stance: 'Let’s do this!'

After the Sewer Rats fell at Damien's feet, the two opponents ran towards each other. Damien leapt into the air, executing a spinning kick, but Rhynox was quick to duck, and Damien flew right over his head. As he came back down, Damien turned around and moved in with a punch. Rhynox blocked the attack, then thrust out his foot. The kick to Damien’s chest caused him to stumble back, but he managed to remain largely unfazed. Jumping again, he moved into a flying kick and landed a direct hit. Marcus grimaced with pain as the kick landed.

'Is that all you’ve got?' Damien taunted his opponent.

Rhynox glared at him: 'You’ll regret you ever asked that question!'

The evil monstermaker ran up again and unleashed his own flurry of punches. Damien tried his best to block them, but eventually became caught out. Rhynox’s metal fist slammed into his chest, causing him to be knocked back. He landed on the ground but used the momentum to his advantage, rolling along the grass. Damien took aim and struck Rhynox with a few sweeping kicks that connected hard, but didn't take the monster down.

'You realise that your puny legs do little to hurt me?' mocked Rhynox.

'I know' Damien agreed as he got back on his feet. 'Stings like hell though, huh?'

'Oh I’ll show you hell, vampire. Mark my words!' Rhynox promised.

'Save it Rhynox!' Damien spat back.

'He may have been the one you saved today, vampire... but rest assured, the future and its people belongs to the Animizers!' Rhynox declared, pointing at Marcus before vanishing from the scene with a jolt of energy. The Sewer Rats' corpses soon followed. Damien was finally able to take a sigh of relief.

-FLASHBACK-

'Oh crap. This is not good.' Marcus thought to himself. Damien thought otherwise as he instigated a brawl with a flying karate kick on a rifle-wielding Sewer Rat. Rhynox made his move, charging forward. Damien held his ground, standing still, making no movement but instead just letting his opponent come to him. At the last moment he spun sideways, twisting out of the way while at the same time rotating round in order to slam a solid kick into the monster’s back. Rhynox stumbled forward but recovered quickly. A quick swipe behind him successfully thumped into Damien’s chest, the sheer force of the impact causing him to fly back and land hard. He climbed back to his feet, shaking his head slightly. This monster had the muscles, no doubt about it, and he opted on a different tactic in the hopes it would have more effect. Damien took a running leap into the air, diving over Rhynox’s head and hacking a foot down on the top of it. Rhynox let out a small snarl, and that only spurred Damien on. He jumped up again to slam a hard kick into the disgusting grunt's chest. Rhynox swiped forward with one of his arms, but the enigmatic vampire was more than ready, grabbing hold of the arm before impressively vaulting over the top of it, and landing another kick to the side of the head as he did so, breaking off the monster's rhino horn.
'My horn! You shall pay for that, vampire!' Rhynox threatened.
'Bring it on!' Damien dared. Rhynox charged forward in fury. Damien flipped back across the street in order to put in some distance between him and his opponent. He realised he had the advantage now, knowing that Rhynox found it difficult to defend against attacks when his opponent was off the ground. And Rhynox knew it too: he roared his anger and annoyance at this irritation, and promised himself that he would not be caught so off-guard again. Damien made another move, leaping up and flying forward in a rapid corkscrew kick. Rhynox knew the move would be effective if it hit him, but he wasn’t going to let it happen this time. Rhynox raised his axe and fired off an energy beam. The blast stopped Damien in midair and forced him to the solid concrete floor, leaving him stunned. The Sewer Rats had already overpowered Marcus & Heather.

'Foolish vampire prince! When will you realise that the planet of Earth belongs to the Animizers?' Rhynox taunted. Damien coughed up a little blood... but he liked it. Damien licked his lips and stood up.

'Never... because it's not gonna' happen on my watch!' Damien promised. He winked to Heather. She returned it and swung her fist backwards towards the intimate areas of one of the Rats holding her and Marcus hostage. Then she threw a kick at another. Damien lunged at Rhynox and booted the axe out of his claw. Just then, a black helicopter bearing Kevin's lightning bolt logo closed in. Everyone noticed. Soon, the Animizer goons were floored by numerous shots from a gatling blaster hooked to the side of the vehicle. Damien took advantage of the distraction and sent Rhynox flying into his own associates with a devastating kick. Rhynox quickly got up and retrieved his axe.

'Fine. You are reunited with your friends... but it will make little difference when Paradox launches his attack!' Rhynox declared before disappearing again with the rest of his Sewer Rats. The black helicopter landed on a roof. Kevin & Max got out.

'Thanks, Kev'. I owe you another one.' Damien expressed his gratitude.

'Hold on... how did you know we were in trouble, Briggs?' Marcus asked.

'What, did you think I'd let Damien run loose without a chaperone?' Kevin joked. Damien showed Marcus a tiny radio transmitter in his ear.

'It's time to leave, guys. I'll meet you back at Firestarter Gorge. Max, flare her up for me.' said Kevin.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

'Ouch.' Billy exclaimed as Damien remembered his reunions with Marcus & Heather.

'I'm worse at meeting people. That's the one thing I've got to do better.'

-FLASHBACK BEGINS-

'Please don't!' The hooded teen pleaded.
'If you tell me what I want to hear, you might walk out of here unharmed. Where's Rhynox?' Damien asked.
'I can't tell you! He'll feed me to the Orgs' Came the reply from the teen. Damien punched a hole in the nearest window with his fist.
'What makes you think I won't feed on you?' Damien threatened before grabbing the teen by the throat and bashing him against the window.
'I'll ask one more time: where the hell is Rhynox?!' Damien repeated.
'He's... he's at a warehouse up the street. He's got business with the only living Orgs on Earth.' The teen relented.
'Thanks for the info, kid. Do you have a name?' Damien asked.
'Max... Max Chapman. My friends call me Karnage with a 'k'. Why?' Max replied.
'Just wanted to know. You might be of use to me, Karnage and I'm giving you a by. Go to the Train Station uptown and wait for me there. I got some unfinished business with Rhynox!' Damien responded. Max nodded in acknowledgement and complied with Damien's advice while the black-&-red-clad vampire jumped through the window to another roof.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

'Again... ouch.' Billy said.

'I'll improve. I have enough confidence. Karnage still doesn't know whether to love or loathe that moment.' Damien said with a chuckle. He and Billy finally reached the Pepsi Plunge, where Billy's former teammates were inside. The other Rangers then met up with Damien & Billy.

'You ready?' Eddie asked.

'Nope.' Came Billy's reply, yet he just swung the door open and was greeted by Zack Taylor and Jason Lee Scott, his fellow male ex-teammates.

'Jason, Zack... we have a problem.' Billy warned.
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Rhynox swung his hammer once again, moulding the metal into shape as it was in shaping stages. Rhynox took a time out to look at Paradox's book and the Sword of Darkness' design. Moon Caller appeared alongside him with a red gem in his paw.

'One last touch.' Rhynox growled. The werewolf beside him walked up to the sword and inserted the red gem in its right position. Moon Caller then wielded the sword and showed it to Paradox, who was sitting behind them with the Evil Green Ranger bowing to him.

'Good. Green Ranger! Take your destiny.' Paradox ordered. The possessed Tommy rose up and took the Sword of Darkness once again, like he did when he was serving under Rita Repulsa. Tommy laughed evilly and then suddenly stabbed a nearby Sewer Rat with his familiar weapon. The rodent soldier was immediately dissolved. Tommy then withdrew the Sword from the air and laughed again.

'He is ready to destroy the Rangers, Paradox. He could take them all on his own!' Moon Caller suggested.

'I know that, Moon Caller... but it wouldn't hurt to have a little boost. Rhynox, is there a monster who could assist our ally in battle?' Paradox wondered.

'I know just the one, my lord!' Rhynox grinned with glee before running off.
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'So that's all there is to know. Tommy's on the rampage again.' Billy finished. His former teammates Jason, Zack, Trini & Kimberly were in shock.

'How can this happen?' Zack asked in disbelief.

'I don't know, Zack... but the real question is: how did the Dragon coin get back to power and get back into the picture?' Billy wondered.

Jason spoke up: 'Tommy met me at the edge of town yesterday morning... and he had a small black box with him. It was the Dragon Dagger. He told me something about seeing a white princess that told him that his son - the one he left in Spain - would be needed to protect the world someday, so she had re-energised the coin back up to maximum power. Tommy also probably got ambushed.' Damien spat at that notion.

'Rhynox is very good in that department, so I'm putting a dump-truck full of blame on his shoulders. Damn hornhead.' Damien guessed.

'Well, then. It's settled... we're going to get him back.' Kimberly insisted.

'We'll need a game plan, first.' Kevin said.

'You don't say, Doctor Phil! Anyone with a shred of sense could've suggested that.' Eddie responded. Karnage walked into the room with a steel box. He set it on the round table in the middle of the room.

'You got something for us, Karnage?' Kevin asked, dumbfounded by the contents of this box.

'I took a look at the blueprints for those Soul Chargers Billy brought to us and decided to do something with them. Me and Dangermouse worked real hard on these for the last 3 hours, so we expect them back in pristine order.' Karnage replied, opening the box to reveal five devices based on rhinoceros beetles.

'The Soul Chargers? You sure go beyond the call of duty, Quartermaster.' Billy quipped.

'So, anyone gonna' tell us how they work?' Damien asked.

'Once you're in Ranger form, attach them to your belts and pull down on the lever for Exceed Charge mode. Your suits will enhance, as will your speed. Handy against monsters who are too fast for you.' Billy concluded.

'On time, too. Your green buddy's back... and he's got a friend!' Karnage announced, showing an image from his monitor of the possessed Green Ranger, Sword of Darkness and all, accompanied by a monster made of clay in the shape of a dragon.

'The Sword of Darkness! I destroyed that thing!' Jason yelled in anger.

'Well, Jase... let's destroy it again!' Trini suggested.

'I've managed to give my old Power Morpher a temporary boost. Maybe yours are all good to go for one last battle?' Billy wondered.

'Ours are fine, Billy. Our dinosaur spirits will always be with us. They can power the morphers. Can we do this, please?' Kim urged. The Spirit Amulets flew into the hands of the Spirit Strike Rangers before all ten rangers teleported away.
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'Nice of you to join us, Power Rangers! I am Dragedor and let me be the first to tell you that you have no hope against me and the Evil Green Ranger!' The dragon monster declared, flanked by a horde of Sewer Rats wielding their Thunder Rifles. The Spirit Strike Rangers and their predecessors began walking up to the bad guys in a straight line before stopping a few feet away from their opponents.

'You guys ready to do this?' Damien grinned. His teammates gave him a nod of approval.

'Then let's do it!' The vampire prince added.

'Spirit Strike...'

'Venom Strike...'

'...CHARGE UP!'

'IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!'

And there they stood: the current protectors of planet Earth and their legendary predecessors, together in one group. A possessed Green Ranger and Dragedor weren't the least bit amused, instead ready to take on the threat in front of them.

'Lion's Infernal Roar! Burning Spirit: Red Spirit Strike Ranger!'

'Swordfish's Reckless Intent! Ocean Spirit: Blue Spirit Strike Ranger!'

'Bullethawk's Gliding Heart! Lightning Spirit: Yellow Spirit Strike Ranger!'

'Wolf's Silent Assassination! Shadow Spirit: Black Venom Ranger!'

'Cobra's Unseen Attack! Slithering Spirit: Green Venom Ranger!'

'SPIRIT STRIKE RANGERS!'

'Mastodon!'

'Pterodactyl!'

'Triceratops!'

'Sabretooth Tiger!'

'Tyrannosaurus!'

'MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER RANGERS!'

'UNITE!'

'Guys, use the Soul Chargers! They're on their way!' Said Karnage from Damien's Strike Brace. Sure enough, the rhinoceros beetle-based devices flew in from the sky and knocked Dragedor down with a violent slam into his gut before the devices ended up in the Spirit Strike Rangers' hands.

'Soul Chargers, Maximum Ranger Power! Exceed Charge Mode!' The Spirit Strike Rangers called together. The devices were attached to the left side of the Rangers' belts before their levers were pushed down, prompting a robotic voice to echo the Rangers' words. The Rangers' helmets remained the same, but the rest of their costumes had changed colour to black, each with a lightning bolt and boots in their respective Ranger colour. In Eddie's case, he had gold boots and a golden lightning bolt.

Multicoloured explosions of smoke and fire went off behind the Rangers as they struck a combined pose. Having enough of the formalities, Dragedor sent the Rats after them. From there, the Rangers split off into pairs.

Eddie ran in, promptly delivering a fury full of uppercuts into the chest of one Sewer Rat, before knocking it and another down with a leg-sweep. More came in but he was ready for them, using his strength and skill to kick them away. Making a thumbs-up motion, he made the signal for Zack to advance. The veteran Black Ranger leapt over his head, moving into a flying kick to take down a rodent soldier. Sidestepping quickly, he moved behind three Sewer Rats and proceeded to shred their backs with his Power Axe. Eddie looked on in wonder: the Black Ranger fighting alongside somebody else wearing black with an axe for a weapon. This could prove interesting.

Trini was having some difficulty against her opposing force of Sewer Rats. She certainly had the skill to fight them, but there were simply too many. Luckily Heather was on hand to help. She sideflipped in beside her new partner. Now that the two Yellow Rangers were side by side, the Sewer Rats realised they were going to have some problems. Heather and Trini moved as two fast buzzes of yellow electricity, each thrusting their weapon fists forward, followed by lashing out with a swift double heel kick, then a lift-up stomp to finish the rodents. Still moving together, they frontflipped over the shoulders of the Sewer Rats, landing behind them and stabbing them with a Power Dagger each. One was left on their end, so Heather flew through the air and executed her Lightning Kick finisher.

'Sweet.' Trini complimented.

'Thanks, mate.' Heather responded.

More Sewer Rats quickly came under attack from two Blue Rangers, moving as fast as they could get. Marcus grabbed one rodent by the wrist, and flipped it over his shoulder, where Billy waited to attack. Several more Sewer Rats rushed Marcus suddenly and pinned him down on the ground. But Billy was already there, reaching down to their arms and flipping them away. Marcus now returned to verticality easily. The two Blue Rangers continued their fight, kicking, punching and slicing every Sewer Rat they could with the Power Lance and Ocean Sabershooter.

Emily flipped over the heads of a pair of Sewer Rats, descending behind them with a strong kick from each leg. The rodents stumbled forward, but of course the attack wasn't stiff enough. Emily landed and twisted around, only to have those same two Sewer Rats suddenly charging towards her. Without having the opportunity to regain her balance upon landing, the Green Venom Ranger was easily knocked off her feet. Luckily the Original Pink Ranger was quick to come to her aid. Kimberly dived in, withdrawing her Power Bow and firing off several arrows into the Sewer Rats’ backs. The rodents were distracted long enough for Emily and Kimberly to step in front of them and send the Venom Drill from the Power Bow into their chests for instant destruction.

Damien leapt in, his Soul Blaster held ready. He prepared to descend with a strong bolt of Blaster energy - only to have a scaly fist intervene. He flew back, crashing hard to the ground.

'I think you’d be better off fighting the Rodents.' Dragedor mocked. 'We are too strong for you.'

'We’ll just see about that!' Damien shot back. 'Jason, ready to show this bastard just what two Red Rangers of different generations can do?'

'You know it, kid!' Jason replied as he stepped up beside his successor. There it was: Damien’s identity of the Red Spirit Strike Ranger, standing beside his predecessor's identity of the Original Red Power Ranger. Damien knew fully well that both powers alone were strong, but together, they were the strongest on the battlefield.

'Blazing Liontail Saber!' Damien called, summoning his Strikeweapon.
'Power Sword!' Jason followed, the familiar blade materialising into his grip.

The pair moved in, Jason bring the Power Sword down fast. Dragedor reacted swiftly, bring up a talon to block the attack. The scales supplied effective resistance. Lashing out, Dragedor sent a powerful kick into the Original Red Ranger's stomach, causing him to stagger back. Damien was there, however, and drove the Blazing Liontail Saber forward, straight into the dragon's chest. Dragedor took a few steps back, but remained standing. Aiming a claw forward, he unleashed a lightning blast in Damien’s direction. The Red Spirit Strike Ranger was blasted to the ground, groaning in pain from the strength of the attack and the amount of blood he was losing.

'Hey, leave him alone!' cried a voice. Dragedor turned to see the Original Blue Ranger leap in, his Power Lance coming down fast and hard, delivering an energised slash to the villian, knocking him away.

The others had now finished with the Sewer Rats, and regrouped with Damien, Billy and Jason. The ten Rangers now prepared to face Dragedor together.

'Alright Dragedor, now it’s your turn!' threatened Jason. Jason raised up his Power Sword again. The other Original Rangers followed suit, bringing out their personal weapons:

'Power Axe!' called Zack.
'Power Bow!' said Kim.
'Power Daggers!' cried Trini.
'Power Lance!' commanded Billy.
'Let’s join them guys!' Damien called to his own team.

'Ocean Sabershooter!' announced Marcus.
'Glider Rifle!' ordered Heather.
'Venom Axe!' shouted Eddie.
'Venom Drill!' cried Emily.
'Blazing Liontail Saber!' called Damien.
'Power Blaster, fire!'
'Soul Assault Cannon, fire!'
'Venom Saber, Crescent Soul Release!'
The blasts were aimed at Dragedor, but were redirected thanks to an intervention by Tommy, the Evil Green Ranger. Together, the pair of evil raced at breakneck speed to floor their adversaries.
'That's fast!' Marcus quickly quipped.
'Well, I'm not going to let them get the better of us! I'm going in! Maximum Ranger Power: Inferno Kick!' Damien commanded, pushing down the Charger lever and hitting 1-2-3 on his Strike Brace. He aimed his kick perfectly, and reduced Dragedor to dust. The Evil Green Ranger had dodged the blow. But that didn't stop Damien as he clashed swords with the Evil Green Ranger. But the Sword of Darkness had won that fight as Tommy swerved the Sword and crashed it into Damien's helmet before slashing him to the ground. Part of Damien's helmet and visor was laying in pieces on the ground. Tommy went for the Dragon Dagger and played a tune, bringing the Dragonzord back into battle once again. Billy rushed over to Damien and helped him up.
'You okay, rookie?' Billy asked.
'I'll be fine. Let's just concentrate on stopping Evil Green!' Damien responded. He and the other Spirit Strike Rangers called for the Zord Cycles, going straight into Megazord mode.
'It's been a while since we called for the Dinozords, so why don't we bring them back?' Zack suggested.
'Great idea, Zack!' Jason agreed.
'We need Dinozord power, now!'
The first Zords ever to grace Earth rose up out of obscurity to fight again. Some believed the Dinozords had been destroyed when the Thunderzords were destroyed, but they had just been hiding away until a time when they were needed again. And that time was now.
'I've got an idea, guys. Let's hook the Megazords up with the Soul Chargers and see what happens!' Eddie suggested.
'I coulda thought of that!' Marcus replied, following Eddie's suggestion. All five Spirit Strike Rangers took their Soul Chargers from their belts and connected them to their respective Megazord's consoles. Then they pulled the levers.
'MAXIMUM MEGAZORD POWER!' The console announced. The Strikezords and Venomzords broke away from Megazord mode and began to combine all together. The new Megazord looked just like the Spirit Strike Megazord, just with the Wolf & Cobra Venomzords as shoulder cannons, a new visor and chest armor.
'Soul Charger Megazord, Charge Up!' The Spirit Strike Rangers shouted together. A few feet away, the Dinozords came together to form the original Dino Megazord.
'Megazord, Activated!' The mechanical voice announced.
'You're all finished!' Tommy yelled, hitting some controls. The Dragonzord whipped the Dino Megazord with its tail and shot finger-missiles at the Soul Charger Megazord. Billy had enough and jumped from the Dino Megazord to the Dragonzord to subdue Tommy. Tommy immediately raised the Sword of Darkness to defend himself, but that was his downfall as Billy vaporised it with his Blade Blaster. Tommy began screaming murder as he began to regain his memories and teleported to the ground holding both sides of his head in pain. Meanwhile, Rhynox had grown Dragedor. Both Megazords tried to defeat him, but were both floored.
'We need the Power Sword!' Jason cried. The Dino Megazord's weapon descended from the sky and landed into the waiting steel fists of the Dino Megazord itself. Dragedor whipped his own tail, forcing the Dino Megazord to back off. The Soul Charger Megazord rushed in with its Neon Soul Sword, but was swatted away by Dragedor's tail like a fly. The Dino Megazord grabbed the tail when it came around once more and chopped it off using the Power Sword. The Soul Charger Megazord moved in and slashed through Dragedor's chest.
'Alright, let's finish him!' Damien said.
'Together!' Added a familiar voice. Tommy was back in good mind and repiloted the Dragonzord.
'Guys, you know what to do!' Tommy told his longtime friends.
'We call on the power of Titanus the Carrierzord!'
Sure enough, the white brachiosaurus made its entrance just as the Dragonzord merged with the Dino Megazord to become the Mega Dragonzord. The combo Megazord locked into place inside the back of Titanus, completing the transformation into the Dino Ultrazord.
'Awesome!' Marcus lamented.
Dragedor was crapping bricks, for the Soul Charger Megazord stunned him with the Neon Slash before the Dino Ultrazord moved in and unleashed a barrage of firepower upon his scaly structure, which resulted in another loss for the Animizers.
'So, Eddie... you up for a party at the Pepsi Plunge?' Emily asked.
'It's a special occasion, so why not? But it's only going to be a one-off!' Eddie insisted.
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'Curses! I had the right gameplan and it still wasn't enough to defeat those Rangers! Eleven of them, no less!' Paradox fumed.
'My lord, I am--!' Rhynox began, but he was cut off.
'I am in no mood for apologies, you imbecile! Just think up my next plan... and it better be good!' Paradox warned.
'Yes, Lord Paradox.' Moon Caller & Rhynox said in stereo.
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'This reunion was a nice thought.'
'Yeah. Too bad it started with you back in those green digs.'
'What can you do? That reminds me: I gotta' get this to my son.'
'Billy's heading back to Aquitar while Zack, Kim & Trini are gonna' stick around for a while. I might split. Gotta' lot of the world to see.'
'So I guess this is it. I'll see you soon, Jason.'
'See you soon, buddy.'
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'Captain Briggs!'
'What is it, Karnage?'
'I've located new Spirit Amulets!'
'Where are the Rangers?'
'Down at the Plunge.'

Cyclone RX

01-09-2007, 10:42 AM

used the how to draw manga book i see.

jpurchase875

01-09-2007, 11:39 AM

used the how to draw manga book i see.

Yep.

jpurchase875

01-12-2007, 10:43 AM

The Pepsi Plunge on a Tuesday afternoon was no new thing to the Spirit Strike Rangers. Damien groans and goes to top-up on his blood vials, Eddie eats bacon and egg sandwiches, etc.

Nothing new... until the alarms start ringing! Emily thought as she drank her cold glass of Pepsi Max. Heather had been watching the television by the bar since they got there and Marcus was dodging countless female basketball fans outside left and right as usual. Emily sighed and then went to get some hard candy from a vending machine. Meanwhile, Eddie was doing more than just consuming his favorite meal combo; he was healing the bruises and cuts he suffered from that intense battle he had alongside the original Power Rangers... and cringed at the thought that more fights with Moon Caller could be on the way. Damien came back and resumed his meal of a cheese omelette at the table.

'Guys... do you realise we do this every day before our wrists start ringing with alarms?' Emily asked, finally breaking the silence.

'Yep. Not much to do until our Animizer buddies begin tearing it up in the city.' Damien replied.

'Agreed. Now that Moon Caller has joined Paradox, being here seems boring until we get to action.' Eddie chimed in.

'Seconded.' Heather lazily threw in her two cents, continuing her daily viewing. Suddenly, a man walked in through the double doors of the establishment and the Rangers immediately recognised this person.

'Kevin?' The Rangers all said in confused unison.

'Keep it down, kiddies. I'm only here to say what I've come to say, after that do what you want and I won't stop you.' Kevin said.

'The Matrix Revolutions, 2003. I didn't know you liked recycling lines from movies, Captain.' Eddie identified the quote.

'Don't call me that in here, damn it! All right, discussion time.' Kevin responded, gathering the team of five rangers.

'What's up, Kev?' Marcus wondered.

'A pair of new amulets has been located somewhere in the city's underground pipeline. My amulets.' Kevin explained, briefly holding up his left wrist to reveal a new Strike Brace to make sure no-one outside the circle sees it. This one had a golden wriststrap.

'What do you want us to do, sir?' Damien awaited orders.

'Red, Blue & Black are going to remain on standby while Green & Yellow go after the Amulets, just in case Paradox & Moon Caller get an idea to send some more countless hordes of Sewer Rats the city's way. That sound good to you guys?' Kevin continued. His team just nodded in approval.
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'What did you say, Moon Caller?' Paradox asked, hoping for a repeat of the good news Moon Caller just divulged.

'I was just explaining that Spirit Strike has found another pair of Spirit Amulets: the Scorpion and the Wasp. They are located inside of a large pipe where construction workers are digging up remains for their so-called museums. It's be wise to send down to a monster to contain the Amulets' power!' Moon Caller suggested.

'After last week's failure, the monster chosen for this mission better be good!' Paradox threatened.

'I assure you, my lord, this monster will NOT fail you!' Rhynox promised, revealing his newly-crafted soldier. The monster was a cross between a scorpion and a wasp. How appropriate.

'This is Scorpiowing. He has all the brute strength of ten monsters, but also possesses the emulation magic of an Animizer warlock. That means he can steal one Spirit Amulet at one time and emulate the Strike Brace Morphers, so we have a so-called ranger on our side!' Rhynox explained.

'Let him do what he needs to do to knock the Rangers down to size. I'll take anything at this point.' Paradox ordered.
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'The girls are off to fetch the new amulets, Kev. It should be a synch until Rhynox catches on and ambushes them as usual.' Marcus explained.

'Good.' Kevin replied.

'Now, since we're here, do you mind telling me how you got this place and launched Spirit Strike, Captain Briggs? It's something I really want to know.' Eddie admitted.

'If you insist...' Kevin sighed.

-FLASHBACK BEGINS-

'Congratulations, Lieutenant... or should I say Captain Briggs.' Commander Collins told him.

'Thank you, sir. If you wish, I shall finish our current project on the vampire treaty.' Kevin Briggs offered, overwhelmed by his new title.

Commander Collins nodded: 'I think it's time you get that done as fast as possible. Those vamps are really pushing for entry into our atmosphere. I know you have a friendship with King Parametheus, but we won't have any choice but to fight them if they invade.'

'I understand, Commander Collins, sir. But with all due respect, I don't think our boys would last five seconds with Parametheus' soldiers. Kyle & Simon may stand a chance, along with you and Co-Commander Myers, but vamps are just too much for everyone else.' Kevin replied.

'Captain Briggs, that's just gave me a crazy thought. To cover more ground and to not attract much attention to the treaty proceedings, you should set up a branch in the town you live in.' Collins explained.

'Firestarter Gorge? That's a great idea, Commander. Maybe I'll call the Mitchells in Mariner Bay to help me set it up.' Kevin planned.

'Leave it to me. I'll get Carter Grayson on the phone and see if he can patch me through to the Mitchells. Me and Commander Myers will take care of it for you. In the meantime, you get going. You're the most valuable Silver Guardian in the treaty project, so we need you to shut down any plans they have for entering Earth.' Collins responded.

'I will not let you down, sir.' Kevin promised, saluting his superior.

'I hope not.' Commander Collins concluded.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

'My people weren't too happy about being shut out of Earth, but my father agreed to the terms. There was nothing they could do about it.' Damien pitched in.

'You know, I'm curious as to how you, Marcus & Heather got together in the first place.' Eddie wondered.

'Well, since you ask...' Damien began.

-FLASHBACK BEGINS-

'You thought you were gonna' humiliate me this afternoon, were you? I'll teach you who's king of the basketball court now, Jerkus!' The bully roared, hanging the defenseless Marcus Adler by his basketball jersey. He was about to swing his fist in Marcus' direction until he saw a red spiky-haired teenage boy watching the attack.

'What are you looking at?' The bully yelled. The teenager said nothing.

'What the hell are you looking at?' The bully repeated. Again, the observing teenager kept his mouth shut. Having enough, the bully dropped Marcus and began to approach his spiky-haired schoolmate with malicious intent. When he reached the teen, he attempted to squash him in one swift hammering, but the kid moved behind the bully and spin-kicked him into the water fountain. The marble shattered immediately. Before the bully could return to verticality, this kid spin-kicked him again and this time, the bully went sailing into the nearby bench.

'Pick on someone your own size, punk!' The kid warned the bully, who just groaned and held his back in pain. The spiky-haired teenager then made his way over to Marcus and extended his hand.

'Unless he wants another ass-kicking... I don't think he'll be coming after you again any time soon.' The teenager said. Marcus took the kid's hand and stood up straight.

'Thank you. He had it coming to him, I knew it! I'm Marcus Adler, high school basketballer. And you are?' Marcus asked.

'I am Damien Lyonne, your resident bully-beater, I suppose.' The teenager revealed.

'It's good to meet you, Damien. You wanna' hang out?' Marcus suggested.

'Be friends? Sure. This afternoon, my guardian needs some help setting up his mountainside residence.' Damien agreed.

'I'll help out.' Marcus offered, picking up his bags and following his new companion.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

'The bully did not think that one through. Size and toughness aren't good replacements for brains!' Damien smiled.

'So, what's the Heather side of the story?' Eddie asked.

'After me & Marcus had met and I had introduced him to Kevin while setting up the base, Marcus suggested to me that we pay tickets to the high school skateboarding tournament, which Marcus covered by the way and I never thanked him for. Heather was competing that year and she did better than everyone else on points, but the judges were so damn racist to Australia that they awarded everything to this depressed kid because he's the only one to catch her up on the leaderboard. Needless to say, Heather was upset by the decision. We met her after the verdict had been given and we explained that everything would be alright for next year. She trusted us from the start. Unfortunately for her, Principal Seakar had no intention of removing the racist judges, so me & Marcus did something about it.' Damien continued.

'Lo and behold, the Melbourne coalition caught a plane to Firestarter and began a petition to have racist decision-makers taken out of authority. We got enough names on the list and Heather won fairly and finally that year. The racists weren't too happy, so they convinced our old friend from the previous story to give us a beating in revenge. As the old saying goes, some people never learn.' Marcus chimed in.

-FLASHBACK BEGINS-

'That was a heck of a competition!' Marcus exclaimed as he and Damien strolled down the backalleys of Firestarter Gorge, breaking away from the crowd of overjoyed Australian skating fans.

'Heather... it was long overdue for you, my sweet.' Damien muttered.

'Do you have a crush on her, dude?' Marcus asked, almost without a straight face.

'Speaking of crushes, I'm about to get my payback for a huge paycheck!' yelled a familiar voice. It was the bully who had tormented Marcus a year prior to this moment.

'He must've wanted another ass-kicking!' Marcus joked. Out of nowhere, the bully charged at them. Damien's eyes glazed over as he jumped into the air, landed behind the bully and smashed his head in with a kick. The bully soared through the air uncontrollably, landing spine-first on the edge of a nearby dumpster.

'Ass-kicking... dispensed.' Damien concluded. He and Marcus began to make their seperate ways home.

'By the way, Marcus... I do love Heather.' Damien answered. Marcus smiled and winked before they parted for the night.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

'That was really hard to admit, but when I found the courage, it just rolled right off my tongue.' Damien continued.

'So, are you two still an item?' Eddie asked curiously.

'No. We split when we went our seperate ways. And before you ask, yes, I have given some thought to asking her out again.' Damien responded.

'Then we find out he's a vampire... and non-believing is something me and Heather never did again. It happened when we all went out to buy gifts for the secret Santa thing we did every year since we met. There was a schizophrenic going around slashing everybody's arms wide open with a knife, so Damien went to teach him a lesson as this guy went to try out some shoplifted clothes in a changing room. We followed him and had to cut the cameras as he fed or else there would've been a damn riot with everybody reaching for makeshift wooden stakes trying to kill him. To say the very least, it was gruesome.' Marcus explained in a nutshell.

'I wonder how the girls are doing.' said Damien.
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'It should be down here, Emily.' Heather thought.

'I hope so.' came Emily's reply as they zoomed down the pipeline on their Zord Cycles. Suddenly, Emily stopped. She had spotted an eerie light coming from a curve in the pipeline.

'What do you think it is, mate?' Heather asked.

'I don't know... but you stay here. I'll go check it out.' Emily requested. Heather nodded as Emily began to race around the curve. As soon as the Green Ranger was out of sight, there was an explosion from the curve. Concerned, Heather hopped back on her Cycle, but Sewer Rats came out of the curve in droves to stop her from reaching her fellow female teammate. The rodents were soon followed by the latest Animizer monster, Scorpiowing.

'Hello, Yellow Ranger. I presume you're here for the new amulets?' Scorpiowing taunted.

'Where's my friend?' Heather demanded.

'You'll see her again soon enough!' Scorpiowing taunted again.

'I am not in the mood for this!' Heather yelled, thrusting her left fist towards the air. The Bullethawk Amulet flew into its intended position on Heather's Strike Brace.

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!'

Heather morphed into the Yellow Spirit Strike Ranger, ready to take Scorpiowing down. But the monster was laughing and holding up Emily's Cobra Amulet. He attached it to a laser representation of a V-Brace on his wrist and out of nowhere became the Green Venom Ranger without a skirt and a red visor instead of a black one, wielding the Venom Drill. Shocked by this sudden transformation, Heather's moves were off target. She dodged every shot from the Sewer Rat's rifles, but was unable to withstand the Venom Drill's power, not even when equipped with the Glider Rifle. Scorpiowing then hit 1-2-3 on the Cobra Amulet and modified it.

'Acid Sting!' The monster commanded, smashing Heather in the chest with the energised spike-like tail of the Cobra Amulet. Heather bashed into her Zord Cycle and automatically de-morphed. The Sewer Rats immediately seized her as her amulet flew out of the pipeline to safety.

'Let me and my friend go or there's gonna' be trouble!' Heather warned as she was immediately joined by Emily in the claws of other Sewer Rats.

'We'll see when the other Rangers fall for the same trick later on.' Scorpiowing grinned evilly.
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'It's been three hours and the girls still aren't back. I think Marcus was right: Paradox is onto us.' Damien guessed. Kevin sighed and realised Damien was right. He went inside his desk and pulled out his laser revolvers with the 'SS' logo on each side of the barrels. Damien rolled his eyes.

'Captain, no. I strongly disagree with you going after them.' Damien warned.

'Disagree if you want, Damien... you're not stopping me.' Kevin insisted.

'Be careful!' Eddie said.

'Always am. If Paradox sends a monster in 30-storey form, I'll have Karnage and Dangermouse lock on to the energy signature of the Green & Yellow Spirit Amulets so you can get complete control of the Soul Charger Megazord. I'll see you guys later.' Kevin finished as he whipped on his long jacket and left the base. Karnage walked in just as Kevin left.

'Alright, we have our orders. In the meantime, and if you wanna' know, I'll tell you a little bit about me that you don't know...' Karnage began.

-FLASHBACK BEGINS-

'Mom? Dad? Anyone home?' Max wondered as he strolled into his house with his suitcase beside him, having come home from his vacation in Vancouver, British Columbia. No answer. Max ran up the stairs and knocked on his parents' room's door. Still no answer. He also noticed the door was unlocked. The door creaked as he opened it and the sight inside was horrifying.

'Mom!' Max cried as he dropped his case at the door and rushed over to his mother's lifeless body that was blood-ridden and smelled like hell. This death was not fresh... but it wasn't over either as Max lifted his head up to see a monstrous hooded being standing over him with a bloody sword.

'You slaughtered her, didn't you? You'll pay for this!' Max swore. The killer just smirked.

'Don't get ahead of yourself. She was alone... and I needed my fill of violence.' The killer replied.

'My dad left?' Max asked.

'He was not around. I don't normally do this... but I wish to give you a pass from death in return for your loyalty to my master. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance: die now or die later? It's up to you.' The killer offered. Max looked down at his dead mother one last time with tears.

'I don't wanna' die!' He sobbed. The killer chuckled.

'That's what I thought! Now... leave anything you covet in this house. Including her. The police can get her buried. You will follow me to the graveyard.' The killer explained.

'Is that some kind of a sick joke?!' Max shouted.

'No... it isn't meant to be. Now move it if you value your life!' The killer ordered. Max quickly ran out of the house, fearing for his life.

You Coward! Max chastised himself. He made a break for the cemetary.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

'And I ran away to join the ranks of Paradox like a goddamn coward. It made me feel like I had betrayed my mother and sided with her murderer... but that was before I got the idea of revenge by planting a bomb in Paradox's ship. He found it and began torturing me for his own sick pleasure. I never found out who the murderer was, though. Kept his face covered under a hood.' Karnage added.

'Tough break. If Paradox is stupid enough to send that bastard after you, we'll take care of him.' Damien offered.

'To be honest, I want to be the one to slaughter him... the same way my mother died!' Karnage replied.
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'Well done, Scorpiowing. You've served me well.' Paradox smiled as he joined his underlings in the city pipeline. Heather and Emily were being held in electro-cuffs by his loyal Sewer Rats. Heather looked on in disbelief.

'Paradox?' Heather said, flabbergasted. Paradox turned to see the girls.

'And you must be the Spirit Strike Rangers! I am Lord Paradox of the Animizers. I never expected Scorpiowing to capture you so suddenly.' Paradox pondered. He then launched a dirty look Emily's way.

'Scorpiowing, continue your search for the new amulets. I want them both in my possession!' Paradox ordered. Then something began to move across the ground at a rapid rate. Paradox caught a glimpse of them: the Scorpion & Wasp Amulets. Sewer Rats left and right dove for them, but none were able to obtain the Amulets. On the other side of the pipeline stood a man in a long black jacket with revolvers in holsters at his side. The Scorpion Amulet zoomed towards his feet and then flew into the man's hand. The Sewer Rats rushed up to this man with their weapons at the ready. Paradox fronted them.

'Hi, Paradox. Remember me?' Kevin taunted, whipping off his jacket.

'The Spirit Strike Captain. How nice of you to join us. Now hand over the Amulet like a good boy and you might escape here with a severed limb!' Paradox spat back.

'No dice, pal. Scorpion Saber!' Kevin called. A sword with a curved purple samurai blade and etched 'SS' logo on the hilt materialised into Kevin's right hand. He readied the sword and the amulet he had just acquired.

'Spirit Sting, Charge Up!' Kevin commanded as he attached the Scorpion Amulet to the Scorpion Saber and the Wasp Amulet to his Strike Brace Morpher. Golden electricity crackled around Kevin as a Ranger suit appeared over his entire body. He struck a pose.

'Scorpion's Poisonous Stab! Scorpion Spirit: Sting Ranger!' Kevin finished. Heather and Emily couldn't believe their eyes. Scorpiowing tried to move in, but Paradox stopped him.

'Trash the city.' Paradox whispered. Scorpiowing followed orders and teleported out of the pipeline. The Sewer Rats advanced, but the Sting Ranger was more than ready for them. He performed a series of slashes on one of them before moving into a low spinning sweep-slash and knocking it to the ground. As he stood up, another two rushed at him. The Sting Ranger rolled in between them and cut the electro-cuffs off the girls, allowing the Green Venom Ranger to morph and take over. Emily jumped up and kicked both of them away together. One of them came at her again, but was instantly lifted into the air by Heather and thrown into the other one.

'Okay... you're toast, Paradox!' Kevin growled. Paradox moved in. Kevin charged, leaping up and sending a airborne slash slamming into his enemy's chest. Lord Paradox toppled back but went quickly stood back up. Lord Paradox fought back, performing a fast combo of punches. Kevin cleared his cobwebs just in time to grab onto Lord Paradox’s arms and stop him. The pair struggled for control again - but this time Lord Paradox had Kevin right where he wanted him. He suddenly channelled his sorcery to send flames straight along Kevin’s arms. The Sting Ranger cried out in pain as the mini-inferno did its job, hitting him with a jolt of dangerous energy and blasting him back. Lord Paradox did not stop their either, thrusting his arm forward and sending out more fire in a concentrated stream that promptly hit its target. Kevin was injured but his determination denied him the option of backing down. Quickly bringing out his laser revolver he opened fire, the damage he inflicted on Lord Paradox only minimal but enough to buy him some time to recover. Lord Paradox summoned the Animizer Axe and emitted a laser blast of his own. However Kevin was smarting from the last attack, leaping up to avoid the blast and firing off more shots from the laser revolver. As the two warriors met again, Lord Paradox was quick to land several hard strikes with the axe. Kevin was weakened but resolved to fight back, ducking under the weapon’s next swipe and grabbing onto Lord Paradox’s arm. Paradox lashed out with his leg, sending kick after kick into Kevin’s side but the Sting Ranger refused to move. He took the pain as he continued to pull back on his opponent’s arm. Lord Paradox eventually let out a roar that let Kevin know he had the upper hand. The pain in Lord Paradox’s arm forced him to loosen his grip on his sword, which is exactly what Kevin had hoped for. A sharp kick upwards sent the sword flying out of Lord Paradox’s hand, and Kevin was already moving for it. With a strong leap he caught the Axe in midair and descended back down, striking Lord Paradox with his personal weapon. Paradox stumbled back towards a pipewall, and Kevin saw his chance, tossing the axe forward. Paradox dodged and landed near the entrance of the pipe.

'Good fight, Sting Ranger... but today's not the day for me to kill you. I'll leave that to Scorpiowing!' Paradox concluded, disappearing along with the Animizer Axe. Heather, Emily & Kevin quickly regrouped.
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'You are all dead!' Scorpiowing yelled, terrifying innocent bystanders into fleeing for their lives.

'Hey!' A voice called out, forcing Scorpiowing to turn around. It was Damien, Marcus & Eddie. They quickly morphed and engaged Scorpiowing in battle. Damien assumed his defensive stance as Scorpiowing charged, quickly bringing a sword forward and delivering a sudden slash to Damien’s chest. Damien staggered back slightly from the attack but stood his ground. He ducked under the next couple of swipes and then tried to force his opponent’s arms away. Scorpiowing was thinking more actively though, and lashed out with a sudden kick to knock back Damien, which then leaved him open to another strike with the sword. Scorpiowing lunged forward again, surprising Eddie & Marcus and knocking them over. Scorpiowing was too quick for Eddie to recover, and a quick pull on Eddie’s leg sent him toppling to the ground again. Marcus lashed out with a kick that sent the monster flying to the edge of the street. This would have given the trio of Rangers the time they needed to recover, had Scorpiowing not quickly thrown an explosive laser blast at them. The trio slammed into a nearby wall with force, while Scorpiowing returned to his feet and planned his next assault. Luckily for them, Kevin, Heather & Emily drove in on the Zord Cycles and hit a three-way flying kick attack.

'Heather... who's he?' Damien asked.

'It's me, Damien! I obtained the Amulets for full power!' Kevin replied. Scorpiowing got up and roared in pain.

'You! I'll kill you!' Scorpiowing barked, moving in. Calmly, Kevin executed a forward sideroll and slashed into Scorpiowing's side with the Scorpion Saber. Not satisfied, Kevin jumped into the air with the Saber's blade pointing downwards and descended down, stabbing Scorpiowing's arm along the way. Scorpiowing staggered. Kevin then revealed his own Soul Charger, attached it to his belt and pushed the lever down.

'Maximum Ranger Power: Exceed Charge Mode!'

The bulky armour parted in all directions and revealed a sleeker-looking suit. Kevin pulled back on the Scorpion Amulet's mechanical tail and then slammed it back into its previous position, energising the blade of the Scorpion Saber.

'Stinger Slash!' Kevin commanded. The Amulet echoed his words as he swung the Saber around and struck Scorpiowing in the gut. There was an immediate explosion. Scorpiowing's corpse dropped as the Rangers watched the flames fly. But Rhynox was also watching and brought Scorpiowing back to life with an expansion orb.

'I will crush you!' Scorpiowing promised as he towered over the Rangers. He stomped his foot and the Rangers were barely able to get out of the way in time.

'Karnage, we need the Zord Cycles!' Damien requested.

'On their way. Yours too, Captain.' Karnage responded from Damien's Strike Brace. The bikes materialised. Kevin's was a hover-cycle based on a Scorpion with a wasp as a front turret. Kevin didn't waste time admiring the latest addition to his arsenal, instead opting to defend his home city as fast as possible. The Rangers activated Zord Descent.

'Soul Charger Megazord, Charge Up!'

The Soul Charger Megazord stepped foward to take out Scorpiowing quickly, but Scorpiowing was overpowering from the start with his variety of laserbolts and punch-kick combos. After one more energised punch, the Strikezords and Venomzords blew apart, laying the Rangers out on the solid ground. Scorpiowing was very proud of his work, but didn't have time to dwell on it as Kevin's new Zords attacked him. Scorpiowing struggled to deal with the onslaught and lashed out carelessly, knocking the Wasp Strikezord back a few meters, where Kevin was located.

'Damn! Either he's looking for a slugfest or just looking to get burned!' Kevin told himself. He then retaliated with golden lightning bolts from the Wasp's stinger, bashing Scorpiowing into a few buildings and knocking them down.

'I'm betting on the latter! Stinger formation!' Kevin commanded, inserting both of his amulets onto the Wasp Strikezord's console. The Sting Ranger's Strikezords combined and became the Scorpion Sting Megazord.

'Scorpion Sting Megazord, Charge Up!'

The Scorpion Sting Megazord advanced, meeting Scorpiowing and promptly slamming two fists into his chest. Scorpiowing staggered back a few steps, but it would take more than that to stop him. He fired off another laser beam from his arm, landing a direct hit on the Scorpion Sting Megazord and knocking it back. He then outstretched his arms and launched lightning bolts. Sparks bounced across the Scorpion Sting Megazord, and it dropped to the ground.

'You will be destroyed!' Scorpiowing declared, but that was too naive as Kevin shifted the Megazord back to verticality and hit a stiff kick to the midsection of the monster. Kevin then saw his opportunity and called for the Scorpion Scope Blaster.

'Maximum Megazord Power: Stinger Shot, fire!' Kevin ordered. All Scorpiowing could do was scream when the large wave of energy hit him like a ton of bricks and forced him to explode.
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'What? Again? Get out of my sight, you moron!' Paradox growled. He began zapping the floor as he ran Rhynox out of his throneroom. Finally away from his scolding master, Rhynox rested up against the wall. Moon Caller was there also.

'What do you want, Moon Caller?' Rhynox demanded.

'Nothing. Just watching you get yours is enough. Soon, Paradox shall place his trust in me to execute a plan of my own. And I know just the plan!' Moon Caller replied.

'Well, you could wait for our Lord's order... or you could begin without his okay. A lot of his underlings have impressed him that way!' Rhynox pointed.

'That was step one of my plan... and I need you for step two.' Moon Caller began laying out his plan for the Rangers.
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'Damien?' Marcus asked. No answer from the vampire prince. Marcus kept calling, but it was still silent. Damien had been in the bathroom for 20 minutes straight. Marcus walked up the stairs of Kevin's house and looked into the bathroom... and did not like what he saw. He immediately went for his Strike Brace.

'Captain, Karnage, Dangermouse, Heather, Eddie, Emily... we have a big problem!' He said frantically.

'What is it?' Kevin yawned through the morpher.

'Damien's crashed out...' Marcus muttered silently.

jpurchase875

01-16-2007, 08:45 AM

Upon Damien's crashout, the others are forced to go it alone against a mysterious foursome of monsters known as the Doppelgangers. Will they survive without their leader?

FIND OUT IN POWER RANGERS SPIRIT STRIKE!

bushwacka666

01-17-2007, 01:59 AM

I'm still here, just so you know. A combo of uni and work has just been sucking up most of my free time lately (gotta leave in a minute, actually). Anyways, hope you keep up the good work. Looking forward to seeing what's up with Damien.

jpurchase875

01-19-2007, 07:28 AM

'What in the hell happened last night?' Kevin wondered as he watched Heather & Emily shuffle Damien's unconscious body into the back of Kevin's car.

'I don't know... he was just laying there and the injectors were scattered, empty. No blood left in them.' Marcus explained in horror. Kevin sighed uncontrollably.

'I knew something like this would happen eventually.' Kevin admitted. Eddie rushed to their location outside Kevin's house, exhausted from running.

'I heard about Damien and was on the way almost immediately.' Eddie said.

'Damien's blood vials were up to dangerous levels a couple of weeks ago. His yearning for the good old days of hunting for his fill makes him do crazy things... like doubling his dosage without my knowledge. I took him away from all that because his list of victims was up in the quadruple-digit area and most of them didn't deserve to die. I guess I've got to make a few alterations to the vials' formula.' Kevin explained. Eddie shook his head and sighed.

'It sounds too risky, Kev.' Eddie challenged. Then Kevin's Sting Brace Morpher was beeping.

'Captain Briggs. Go.' Kevin began.

'Captain, Moon Caller's down in the middle of the city with several monsters. Get down there quick!' Karnage warned. Kevin looked at Eddie & Marcus before approaching his car.

'Girls, forget the car. Moon Caller's downtown and Damien needs to be back at the base. Take him on the Zord Cycles... me, Eddie & Marcus are taking down the wolfman.' Kevin ordered. Heather & Emily both nodded in stereo. Kevin went back to Eddie & Marcus.

'Let's do it!' Kevin concluded.

'Spirit Strike...'

'Venom Strike...'

'Spirit Sting...'

'...CHARGE UP!'
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'So, Rhynox, tell me... what does the Moon Caller have up his sleeve?' Paradox asked curiously.

'It's a very good plan, my lord. He had me awaken the Doppelgangers, a trio of Animizers known for their duplication of nightmares in the victims' minds. And if I know a few of the Rangers like I think I do, then the Doppelgangers are going to enjoy their time in your service!' Rhynox smiled.

'You're overly excited about this plan. I hope it pulls through... for your sake.' Paradox warned.

'You won't be disappointed, master.' Rhynox replied.
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'Finally! I was wondering when you'd show up!' Moon Caller mockingly complained.

'Let's end this here, Moon Caller!' Eddie roared. His hatred was unquenchable.

'But first... let me introduce you to a couple of friends of mine. It's... how do you say... your worst nightmare!' Moon Caller chuckled evilly. Then his accomplices stepped forward. The Rangers were astounded by their appearance: grey-striped tigers.

'They are known as the Doppelgangers. They can look into your mind... and see the nightmares they see there against you!' Moon Caller explained. The Doppelgangers looked into Eddie's soul and found a nightmare. Suddenly, Doppelganger 1's stripes glowed an eerie yellow color and he changed appearance into Scorpion from Mortal Kombat.

'This is going to be a very long day!' Eddie huffed as he went toe-to-toe with a representation of one of his favorite video game characters. Surprises were also in store for Kevin & Marcus, who tried to help Eddie but were cut off by another couple of Doppelgangers. Kevin pushed the lever of his Soul Charger downwards and transformed into his sleek Exceed Charge form. But the Doppelganger in front of him had caught the parted bulky armour from the normal Sting Ranger form and put it on, making himself look like a twisted version of the Sting Ranger. Unfazed, Kevin swung his Scorpion Saber around and bashed it across the Stinger Gauntlets that Doppelganger 2 was wearing. Doppelganger 2 pushed the weapon away and thrust the other gauntlet forward to send Kevin flying. Marcus tried to sneak upon Doppelganger 2, but the fake Ranger backhanded him without effort. Doppelganger 3 caught the Blue Ranger and slammed him on the ground, splintering the concrete. Eddie distanced himself from Doppelganger 1's fire-based attacks, as he knew how to fight MK-style. Doppelganger 1's fake eyes widened and then he assumed a cross-armed pose.

'GET OVER HERE!' Doppelganger 1 screamed in Scorpion's voice.

'How predictable?' Eddie asked himself as he leapt into the air while dodging the notorious spear. Seeing his opportunity, Eddie summoned his Venom Axe and cut the spear as he glided down. 1-2-3 was hit on his V-Brace and the panel of the Amulet flipped open, initiating the Shadow Kick. Eddie smashed his boot into Doppelganger 1's chest, but Eddie was caught by a blaze of fire emanating from Doppelganger 1's fake skullhead. Eddie was staggering, but ran back into battle. He blocked all the punches that Doppelganger 1 threw at him. Then, as the fist came up, Eddie cupped it with one hand, and used his other fist to deliver his own attack. It hurt slightly to punch the Doppelganger's thick skull, but he shook it off. Now grabbing hold of both of Doppelganger 1's arms, the Black Venom Ranger sent a kick into his adversary's chest. He then started again, and moved in. Just then, Moon Caller rushed in from out of nowhere and barged Eddie aside, flooring the Black Venom Ranger with a punctual scratch from his claws.

'Time for this to end!' Moon Caller promised. Kevin moved his head in all manner of directions to dodge the lightning-quick punches of his Doppelganger opponent. But the fast flurry ensured the Spirit Strike Captain would be hit sooner or later, which ended up coming to pass and forcing Kevin into the ground hard. The Sting Ranger got himself to his feet and went for his side-holsters. Doppelganger 2 made the mistake of guarding up high as Kevin just changed his holsters to a horizontal position and fired his Buzzkiller Blasters at Doppelganger 2's waist. The Ranger armour finally fell off the monster while Kevin recovered the Scorpion Saber, pulled the scorpion-tail back and then slammed it down hard. Then Kevin dove in the air and stabbed it through Doppelganger 2, causing the monster to explode from the impact of the Scorpion Slash.
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'How is he, Karnage?' Heather asked concerningly for her friend. Karnage walked over.

'His vitals are stable. Then there were these strange readings and I wondered what they were... until I remembered he was a vampire.' Karnage replied.

'He crashed out while drinking blood. That's kind of strange for a vampire to do during their favorite hobby, isn't it?' Emily wondered.

'As it is to show remorse for victims. Damien's done it plenty of times... but the only time he didn't was the one time I found out what he really was. I'm sure Marcus has run you through the mall story.' Heather began.

'About the guy who was cutting people's arms?' Emily remembered. Heather nodded.

'He wasn't very kind then. In fact... he was what everybody feared. He hurt bullies and criminals for what they did, but he didn't stop in places where there was no need for his fill. It started getting excessive on his part. So I talked to the Captain about it and Kev came up with the drugs to temporarily kill his bloodlust while raising his sunlight survival levels. It has worked until now. When vamp here lightened up a little, we started socialising a lot more and ended up as boyfriend and girlfriend. But when we all went off in our seperate directions, he and I realised that a long-distance relationship wouldn't work out, so we left at that.' Heather explained. Then something clicked in Karnage's head.

'No... you left it at that. He didn't. In fact, a few days ago, he told us that he had been making preparations to ask you out again.' Karnage revealed. Heather was dumbstruck.

'He did? Why didn't the good mate tell me?' Heather smiled. Then the computer behind them flashed. Karnage was immediately in front of it.

'Looks like his state is improving. The bad readings are calming down quick.' Karnage explained.

'Any hope of him coming out of his coma?' Emily wondered. This being an answer he didn't know, Karnage dropped his head. Emily acknowledged it. She stopped nodding softly when she received a transmission for help on her V-Brace.

'We've got to go, Heather.' Emily reminded her fellow female ranger.

'Go. I'm sticking with Damien.' Heather insisted. Emily refrained from trying to dissuade the Yellow Ranger, instead opting to help her brother and other fellow rangers.

'Venom Strike, Charge Up!'
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Eddie rode his Zord Cycle straight at Moon Caller, who was laughing at the Black Ranger's recklessness. Moon Caller threw two balls of dark energy at Eddie, and his vehicle swerved out of control. Moon Caller then stretched his arm out, so Eddie hit it, and he flew off his Zord Cycle, which landed on its side and skidded for a few feet. As Eddie stood up, Moon Caller swung at him twice, and Eddie jumped over. Moon Caller then grabbed Eddie by the neck, and threw him into a wall. Moon Caller picked up a nearby car, and tossed it at Eddie, who jumped out of the way, narrowly dodging the inevitable explosion. Moon Caller took out his sword, and slashed Eddie twice. Eddie staggered back, holding his chest. He then pressed the the first button on his V-Brace. The 'V' emblem on the morpher glows black, and Eddie pressed the second. Then the Venom Axe appeared as cackling energy. Eddie reached for the handle, and the Axe solidified. Eddie ran at Moon Caller, and their blades clashed. Eddie swiped at Moon Caller's legs, but Moon Caller jumped over. He then clawed Eddie in the throat. Eddie dropped the Axe, and clutched his scratched throat. He then got back on his Zord Cycle and rode up the side of a nearby building. Moon Caller, jumping and gliding in the air, started to shoot dark energy balls again, but Eddie managed to steer clear of them. Eddie stopped the Zord Cycle when it reached the roof of the building. Reigniting the feud, Moon Caller and Eddie jabbed, stabbed and slashed at each other with wild abandon. Eddie threw a strike with the Venom Axe at Moon Caller, but it was blocked by the claws of a Doppelganger. The Doppelganger then turned the tables on the Black Ranger, and struck Eddie in the face with his claws again. Eddie staggered back, then he is stabbed in the chest. Eddie fell onto his back. The Doppelganger makes his move. When he arrived at Eddie, he met a hard stab to the gut from the Green Ranger.
'Sis!' Eddie cried.
The Doppelganger is then drilled in the face by the Venom Drill, and elbowed in the ribs. As the monster is distracted, Eddie grabbed the left arm of the monster, and broke it. He kicks the Doppelganger onto his back. Emily turned the Cobra Amulet inside out, and the tail charged up. Eddie ran at the Doppelganger, and then jumped. Distracted, the Doppelganger was helpless when Emily plunged the Acid Sting into its back, causing it to explode.

'Thanks... I owe you another one!' Eddie thanked his sister, who returned a smile inside her helmet.

'You should owe me a lot, Black Ranger! My magic kept you alive... but now it is time for my magic to make you dead!' Moon Caller declared, summoning Rhynox to the scene. Rhynox said nothing as he tapped '666' on his Animizer Axe. Suddenly, Eddie was brought to his knees by the same black energy that the curse emitted.

'Eddie, are you okay?' Emily asked in distress. The electric emissions were so high that Kevin & Marcus were able to spot it. But they were unable to do anything about it, as the other Doppelganger was all over them like a rash with barrages of kicks. Kevin backflipped, charged up his wasp amulet and plunged it forward.

'Scorpion Sting!' Kevin ordered. The explosion launched him several feet backwards while the Doppelganger remained in his spot. Marcus converted his Ocean Sabershooter to Gun Mode and pushed down on the lever of his Soul Charger before pulling the trigger. The Doppelganger couldn't withstand the assault this time, finally burning to death in a fireball. Without a word, Kevin & Marcus raced up to the rooftops where Eddie was suffering.

'You thought you had heard the last of the curse when you defied it, Black Ranger! How can you be so stupid?' Rhynox taunted.

'You are finished!' Moon Caller barked. Having just about enough, Emily summoned her Venom Drill, went into Exceed Charge mode and took the fiends down with a speedy attack. The Animizer Axe was knocked out of contact with the curse on Eddie's Morpher, allowing him to return to his feet.

'Idiots!' Emily cursed.

'Alright, let's finish this!' Eddie suggested.

'Ocean Kick!'
'Shadow Kick!'
'Acid Kick!'
'Scorpion Sting!'

The four finishing attacks were sure to put down the high-ranking Animizers for good until the impact was redirected thanks to a swarm of new Doppelgangers. Moon Caller grinned.

'I'm not stupid... I always have a backup plan!' Moon Caller boasted. The soldiers moved in for the kill. The Rangers were in dire straights.
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'Heather, the others need your help... badly!' Karnage panicked.

'Alright... but keep me posted on Damien's condition... huh?' Heather stopped. Damien's hand suddenly put something in her hand before it slumped back to the side of the vampire. Heather opened her hand. It was a piece of paper.

'What's the holdup?' Karnage wondered. Heather didn't answer him while she unfolded the piece of paper to read:

I AM SAFE FOR NOW. I OVERDOSED ON THE BLOOD VIALS. THAT WASN'T MY INTENTION, I SWEAR TO YOU. MY SOUL BECAME DISATTACHED FROM MY BODY THE MOMENT I OVERDOSED. RIGHT NOW, I AM IN THE NEGATIVE ZONE. I WILL RETURN... IT'S JUST GONNA' TAKE TIME. I KNOW THIS PLACE ALL TOO WELL TO KNOW THAT I SHOULD LOOK AROUND.

DAMIEN.

Heather couldn't believe what she had just read.

'Heather... the others!' Karnage reminded her.

'I'm going now. Karnage, while I'm gone, search through the databanks for the Negative Zone... and you better have some results when I get back or there's going to be trouble, mate!' Heather warned. Karnage immediately set to work.

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!'

bushwacka666

01-23-2007, 03:49 AM

Hmm, the Negative Zone huh? Hopefully we'll get to see a bit of Damien actually there. I also like how it was almost like he gave Heather the message from beyond. lol. Keep it up m8. :)

Angelfox

01-23-2007, 05:07 AM

Wicked...

jpurchase875

01-23-2007, 08:21 AM

Wicked...

Thanks for the comment, Angelfox.

Just a question here, but what part did you like the best so far?

jpurchase875

01-25-2007, 09:47 AM

Just so you know, I'm still here. Negative Red Pt. 2 is taking time.

Back when Kevin got his powers, I was 2 stories in front. Now I'm one behind.

jpurchase875

01-29-2007, 04:21 AM

Damien looked around the Negative Zone some more after sending a message to Heather from his current position. He hoped to La Magra she was okay, but he had no time to think about it now: he was in the Negative Zone for a reason... and the vampire prince wasn't going to stop until he knew that reason. The gloomy atmosphere around him wasn't getting any brighter, so he began walking again. The weird smell-infested winds began to get on Damien's nerves.

'Negative Zone... where vampire consciousness goes when it isn't in the body. More like where crap goes when it isn't in the trashcan!' Damien growled.
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Back on the ground, Moon Caller charged, swinging his fists, intending to take off Marcus' head. However, his assault was stopped cold by an identical attack Marcus now held in a block position as arms met. He sidestepped out of the block position, spun, and knocked Moon Caller back with a powerful blow to the jaw. Though he would never admit it out loud, at that moment Marcus was thankful for the skills. However, he could also feel something extra coming from deep within him, turning his, in his opinion, somewhat white-belt karate skills into those of a black-belt. However, it was obvious that Moon Caller was an expert as well, and was also amazingly agile for his size. Moon Caller and Marcus found themselves at another stalemate, muscles tense, struggling for control of the fight. Moon Caller lashed out with a kick, knocking Marcus back, hitting his chest with a big punch, at the same time. Marcus held his hand to his chest where Moon Caller had hit him. The blow did not pierce his drive to win, but hurt nonetheless. Moon Caller roared and thrust his claws forward again. A blast of dark energy erupted from the tip of the claws. Marcus flipped out of the way and the blast disintegrated a wall behind where he had been standing. He looked at the wall, then back at Moon Caller. Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Eddie watched on as the pain from the curse slowly faded due to Emily engaging Rhynox in combat, disrupting the flow of the Animizer Axe's energy. Rhynox was shocked at the Green Ranger's resistance and began to fight back. Emily bridged backwards as Rhynox threw his large fist at her, allowing her to shift forwards with a boot to Rhynox's gut. That angered Lord Paradox's right-hand man. Kevin was having similar problems with the remaining Doppelganger. He began swinging his Scorpion Saber with reckless abandon in an attempt to strike the opponent. While every hit missed the target, Heather didn't miss with her Lightning Kick after soaring in off her Zord Cycle. She whipped out the Glider Rifle and shot off the Doppelganger's head. Kevin finished the job by slashing the body to pieces.

'Thanks.' Said a grateful Sting Ranger.

'No problem.' Heather replied. They then went over to help Marcus against Moon Caller. The werewolf was ready to finish the Blue Ranger until Marcus' teammates hit the scene and kicked Moon Caller to the ground. Eddie looked from the rooftop and then hit 1-2-3 on his V-Brace.

'SHADOW KICK!' Eddie screamed with hatred, diving from the rooftop and planting his boot into the werewolf's chest forcefully. Moon Caller was stunned for a few seconds until sparks flew from his chest. Eddie was proud of the damage he caused to his rival.

'One day... you and I will reunite for the last battle, boy! But for now... enjoy your victory!' Moon Caller grunted before disappearing in a flash of light. On the rooftop, Emily tackled Rhynox off the edge and they both careered off the building. Getting some distance between her and the Animizer, she hit 1-2-3 on her V-Brace. Noticing this, the Rangers on the ground followed suit.

'Ocean Kick!'
'Lightning Kick!'
'Shadow Kick!'
'Acid Sting!'
'Scorpion Slash!'

There was nothing Rhynox could do. The finishers all connected, sending Rhynox back into the air. Emily caught Rhynox's Animizer Axe as Rhynox fell to the ground.

'Give me my Axe back!' Rhynox demanded as he glared at her.

'No way! There isn't a chance in Hell you're going to curse my brother again!' Emily spat.

'I hate you Rangers! I hope you all burn in Hell!' Rhynox roared as he left in a flash of light, angry the Green Ranger wouldn't cooperate. The Rangers regrouped.

'Thanks for the help, Aussie girl. We would have died without you.' Marcus said.

'No problem, mate. I want to get back. Had Karnage do a search on a Negative Zone because Damien sent me a message from there while still in his coma.' Heather explained. Kevin was dumbstruck again.

'The Negative Zone? Damien hasn't been there in years... and Karnage can't get the access to it's files with his security level alone.' Kevin warned.
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'Rhynox, you have failed me again! You will pay for this!' Paradox promised with anger running through his network of veins.

'Master, please... it was Moon Caller's idea!' Rhynox said, quick to pass the blame. Paradox turned his evil gaze towards Moon Caller.

'While it's true I failed that particular plan, Paradox... don't be so quick to write me off yet. I have played only half the cards in my deck... and the trump card is still to come.' Moon Caller explained.

'What do you have in mind? Because this is your last chance to come up with something good!' Paradox threatened.

'Have you ever heard the story of the Negative Evolution Cards?' Moon Caller asked. Paradox nodded.

'Well, something tells me we should all pay a visit to the Negative Zone and steal the cards! It will release the Negative Forms into Earth and render the Rangers helpless!' Moon Caller responded with enthusiasam. Paradox finally stood up straight, out of his throne.

'Then to the Negative Zone we shall go!' Paradox agreed, following that up with an evil cackle.
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'Years ago, during vampire exercises when Damien was with his father, Damien's consciousness would drift away from his body and end up in the Negative Zone. It's where Damien would hang out with most of his vampire friends when they're far away. He took me there once. Haven't wanted to go back since.' Kevin explained. Everyone was around Damien's bedside.

'From that last thing you said, I'm guessing the Negative Zone isn't exactly good.' Eddie suggested.

'Everything was negative as the title suggests. Damien had to bail me out of fights with the people who actually live there. And the windy weather sucks too.' Kevin continued.

'It can't be that bad. A goal is simple enough: we get in, grab vamp and get out.' Marcus said.

Kevin shook his head: 'Grabbing Damien and getting out are barely easy to do. Getting in... you're asking for absolute trouble!'

'But you said Karnage's security level wouldn't have enough access to the files. So, what's up with your level?' Emily wondered.

'I'll unlock the files... and see what we can do to help Damien.' Kevin concluded.
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Damien walked into the dark streets of the Negative Zone, seeing if what he was looking for - if anything at all - was there. The locals did not appreciate the vampire's visit and several began to gang upon him. Damien reciprocated with a counterattack of stiff kicks. His opponents were swatted away like flies. Suddenly, a card fell out of one of the local's pockets. Damien bent over and picked it up. He stared at it... as if he had seen it before.

'Caucasus. A Negative Evolution card. I remember what father told me...' Damien muttered.

-FLASHBACK BEGINS-

'Son, one day you shall rule this kingdom with pride and with honour as I hope for.' King Parametheus began as he and son Damien walked down the halls of the Temple of Eternal Night on Earth.

'I know that, Father.' Damien replied simply.

'Good. Then perhaps your next visit to the Negative Zone will bring you what you deserve. The Sword of Eternal Night rests within a sarcophagus atop this temple and can only be unlocked by the Negative Evolution Cards. Whoever wields the sword gains great power from the infused souls of the Spirit gods Paradoxa, Caucasus, Giraffa & Tarantula. That kind of power is only fit for a king... and that king is you, my son.' Parametheus explained.

'What if that kind of power got into the wrong hands... maybe the Animizers?' Damien wondered.

'Then the Negative Forms will be released from the Negative Zone and overrun this planet, plunging our kind and the humans into darkness. If we are to survive, the humans need to live, so we have our primary food source. If the Negatives become free, our kind will starve because they will have cancelled out their human halves. The only good thing about it would be that one cannot survive without the other: if the humans die, the Negatives die.' Parametheus responded.

'Where would I be able to find the cards?' Damien asked.

'They find you. You don't find them. Now get going: Captain Briggs wants you back at the Spirit Strike HQ... and I need to tend to our kingdom.' Parametheus concluded.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

'Hey! Give that back! I'm gonna' sell that for food money!' wailed a downed local at Damien's feet. Damien ignored the Negative Form and kept on walking, until... a beam of green light appeared in the middle of the city. The brightest thing ever seen in the Negative Zone. Damien ran towards it and then hid behind a wall as he saw what stepped out of the green light: Rhynox, Moon Caller and surprisingly, Lord Paradox himself, flanked by many Sewer Rats. Damien looked at the card and then back at his foes: he knew what they were after. Rhynox began pointing his axe in every direction possible until it glowed towards three Negative Forms. Moon Caller strolled over to them and looted their pockets. They had the Negative Evolution cards Giraffa, Paradoxa & Tarantula in their posession.

'Hey! That's mine! Give them back to us!' cried the burgled Negative Forms. Paradox refused to comply with their requests.

'You'll thank me one day when you are all free from this forsaken realm! Find the other one!' He growled. Rhynox resumed pointing his axe in every direction. Damien knew they would find him eventually, as he had the Caucasus Negative card on his person. So, the vampire prince revealed himself to the Animizer trio.

'You guys have a lotta' nerve coming in here!' Damien barked at them.

'Vampire Prince! It's an honour to finally meet you in person... or whatever this is, even if it's going to last a few seconds. We've got work to do.' Paradox taunted.

'I can see that. Give me the cards... and you can leave without a scratch.' Damien offered.

'Kill him.' Paradox ordered. The Sewer Rats moved in. Damien motioned towards the sky. The Lion Amulet and his Soul Charger flew into both of the Red Ranger's hands.

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!' Damien commanded as he transformed into the Red Spirit Strike Ranger in Exceed Charge mode. Naturally, his combined speed and power proved too much for the grunts as Damien launched into the air, pushed the Charger lever down and hit 1-2-3 on his Strike Brace Morpher.

'Inferno Smasher!' Damien yelled. His boot flamed up as he prepared to send all the Rats to Hell, but Moon Caller intervened by bashing Damien out of the way with his sword.

'Not that easy, Red Ranger.' Moon Caller smiled evilly.
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Back at the Spirit Strike HQ, Damien's body began to glow bright red.

'Guys, you should see this!' Karnage yelled. Everyone except Kevin shuffled over to the vampire's bedside in curiosity. The red glow subsided to reveal the Red Exceed Charge Ranger suit over Damien's body with the Lion Amulet and Soul Charger docked in their respective positions.

'Damien's in trouble!' Eddie guessed. Kevin came back from the computer with printed documents.

'Right... I have the files on paper. Entry into the Negative Zone is air-tight. We can't get in... but we can help him from beyond, such as if we put a weapon in his hands, it would appear in the Negative Zone for him to use, just in case he comes across the wrong people.' Kevin explained.

'It's a start. Can you spare the Scorpion Saber? I'll lend him the Sabershooter.' Marcus offered. Kevin nodded.

'I got a better idea: let's combine our weapons into the Soul Assault Cannon and the Venom Saber. He might stand a better chance.' Emily added. Everyone called for their weapons and merged them before opening Damien's hands. Heather put each combined weapon in the hands and then closed them up.
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Damien was launched back several feet by the werewolf Animizer. Sparks flew from his suit.

'You really don't wanna' wreck my day, Moon Caller.' Damien said annoyed. Then his hands glowed. The glow disappeared to reveal the Soul Assault Cannon and Venom Saber in each hand. Damien smiled at this: he knew the other Rangers were giving him an extra boost. The Sewer Rats charged him again, only to meet the full force of the Cannon's fatal blast. Moon Caller got out his sword and moved in, swinging for Damien's head. Damien blocked the blade with the Venom Saber and slashed the werewolf.

'Crescent Soul Release!' Damien called, sending a moon-curved blast into Moon Caller. One of the Negative Cards dropped from his paw. Damien was quick to retrieve it. The card was that of Giraffa. Damien slapped the pad on his Soul Charger and acclerated his speed. Damien went past Rhynox. Rhynox then realised he had been robbed. Damien stopped, smirked and looked at his hand: all four Negative Evolution Cards. Paradox was irate.

'Get those cards back!' Paradox fumed. Sewer Rats were quick to comply, but then launched backwards by a crackle of red electricity emanating from the cards. The energy began getting larger and larger until Damien had disappeared. Paradox cursed in every language possible. He cracked a Sewer Rat over the head and knocked Rhynox down with his staff. Moon Caller retained his smile.

'Lord Paradox, now that he has the cards, we shall steal something from him... his friends. If he doesn't give up the cards, they will die.' Moon Caller proposed. Paradox's fit of rage stopped so he could accept the new plan.

'This is far from over! We are out of here!' Paradox growled.
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Damien's conciousness travelled back into his body back at the Spirit Strike HQ. The body began to move... and the others were immediately there. Damien groaned.

'Hey.' Heather greeted. Damien smiled underneath the helmet before powering down.

'Hey.' Damien replied.

'What happened to you?' Karnage asked in concern.

'I OD'd on the blood vials, as if you didn't know. Guess who showed up in the Negative Zone.' Damien said to Kevin.

'Paradox?' Kevin wondered.

'And his whole entourage. They were after these.' Damien explained, whipping out the Negative Evolution Cards from his pocket. They had followed him into Earth.

'The cards!' Kevin said in shock.

'Care to elaborate?' Eddie requested.

'Before you do, Captain... you might want to take a look at this.' Karnage alarmed. Everyone walked over. There were readings on the screen.

'Something's trying to enter our atmosphere!' Emily said.

'And the strange thing is... whatever it is, it has the same energy levels as Damien.' Karnage explained with curiosity. Everyone but Damien & Kevin joined him; Damien & Kevin just looked at one another.

'What do you think?' Kevin asked, looking for the vampire's opinion.

'Father. Definitely father.' Damien replied simply.

bushwacka666

01-30-2007, 10:26 AM

:o Damien's daddy coming to play? Oh this is going to be good, you just know it... ;)

jpurchase875

02-04-2007, 11:23 AM

If you liked the story, why not write your own episode and PM them to me? I always enjoy the ideas and input of others! Then I'll flesh it out with spelling and grammar corrections and what have you. Voila! Fan's Storyline, part of the story!

But, if you're gonna' do it, READ THE STORY FIRST!

Pohatu

02-04-2007, 12:52 PM

I'd read it...but you have that one page stretcher thing with the links up there.

Get rid of that and I'm sure you'll have lots more readers.

jpurchase875

02-06-2007, 09:12 AM

Pohatu suggested I seperate my image links onto different lines, so I did. :D

The next episode will have Damien's father come to Earth and help him unlock the heirloom of the vampire kingdom aided by the Negative Evolution cards, but the Animizers have a plan to stop them. Surprise also planned!:cool:

:023:

EDIT: Next Ep split into a 2-parter.

jpurchase875

02-07-2007, 09:11 AM

Moved.

jpurchase875

02-14-2007, 06:34 AM

How's it all goin'? Been away from the laptop at home and the internet in particulars for 4 days, so that's how long I've gone without a post.

Just thought you'd like to know (dust ball rolls across floor):D

jpurchase875

02-16-2007, 08:08 AM

It was night. Damien drove around on his Zord Cycle in his Exceed Charge suit while paying attention to the GPS system on the dashboard.

'Okay, Damien... you're nearly there. Just take a couple of left turns and presto, father and son back together again.' Karnage said to him through a communicator. Damien smirked.

'Thanks, Karnage. Fill me full of confidence, why not?' Damien joked.

'I'll let you know of any Animizer activity. Also, when you get back, I got a surprise for you.' Karnage explained.

'Okay. Damien out.' The vampire prince concluded as he drove on.
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'Master, something just blasted past us at high speed!' Rhynox said from the deck of the Animizer Cruiser.

'What the hell could be entering Earth's atmosphere?' Paradox yelled, infuriated.

'It's a vampire. One of the Red Ranger's kind.' Moon Caller spoke out calmly. Rhynox, Paradox and a few Sewer Rats looked at the werewolf. Paradox pondered for a moment before his dark face lit up with a sick smile.

'Parametheus! The ageing king of the vampire race has come to see his son! How warm and fuzzy... just thinking about that makes me nauseous. Moon Caller, take some Sewer Rats and deal with the Red Ranger's friends. Rhynox, retrieve a monster and ambush the Red Ranger!' Paradox ordered. Moon Caller was quick to round up his subordinates and leave. Meanwhile, Rhynox went to get his choice of monster. It was a reincarnation of Komodai, the first monster to go down against the Neon Striker Megazord.

'Rhynox... this monster has failed me before.' Paradox pointed out, confused. Rhynox didn't stop smiling. Instead, he just whipped out an expansion orb and hit the code 0-0-0. The following beam of light encased Komodai in amber. 5 seconds later, the amber cracked and spilled across the floor to reveal Komodai with gold-and-black armour and tentacles out of her back, armed with a specially-crafted sword. Paradox laughed: this is what he wanted to see.
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Alarms began going crazy within the HQ. The staff were up in arms about it. The remaining Rangers were quick to get to the monitor and see just what the Hell was going on. They found out just by listening to the request.

'Come out, come out, Rangers! Don't you want to play?' Moon Caller taunted. Eddie's muscles tensed, his hatred for the werewolf surging through his veins.

'I'm going!' Eddie was quick to leave.

'Eddie, I'm right behind you!' Emily followed.

'You two ain't going alone!' Marcus insisted.

'I'm in!' Heather added.

'Let's do it!' Kevin encouraged. They grabbed their Amulets out of the air and readied their Strike Braces.

'Spirit Strike...'

'Venom Strike...'

'Spirit Sting...'

'...CHARGE UP!'

The Rangers drove into the scene of the crime on their Zord Cycles and went into Exceed Charge mode. Eddie moved into a surfboard position on his cycle, hit 1-2-3 on his V-Brace and dove for Moon Caller.

'Shadow Cyclone!' Eddie called, jamming his foot of twisting dark energy into Moon Caller's chest. Moon Caller grinned on impact and swatted Eddie away as if he was nothing. Moon Caller took a step back as the Rangers charged him. The werewolf fired several bolts of dark energy, but Kevin swatted the blasts out of the air with his Scorpion Saber. He leapt, flipping up and over Moon Caller . . . leaving the werewolf open to being hit by Emily’s flying Venom Drill. Not leaving the werewolf anytime to recover, Heather jumped in and hit it with a series of shots from her Glider Rifle. Moon Caller tried to retaliate, but Heather backflipped away, at the same time Marcus somersaulted in under her and, as he leapt up, knocked the werewolf back with an uppercut blow from his Ocean Sabershooter. Moon Caller got back on its feet, only to find the Rangers standing together, weapons at the ready. Marcus said, 'Take him down, Captain!'

'All right.' Kevin responded. He held out his Scorpion Saber and modified the Scorpion Amulet's tail, commanding 'Scorpion Saber, Stinger Slash!' The blade glowed gold and crackles of lightning danced around it. Kevin ran at Moon Caller who tried to throw up a futile defense, but Kevin closed the distance and with a powerful side-to-side strike, slashed right through the werewolf. Moon Caller's body seemed to split in two, but a stretching substance put Moon Caller back together.

'What?' Kevin wondered.

'Doppelganger elastic! Always good with wounds!' Moon Caller mocked. In a rage, Eddie dived over Kevin and smashed Moon Caller over the head with his Venom Axe. The werewolf's head went flat for a split-second and then moulded itself back into its original shape. Moon Caller smiled and then backhanded the Black Ranger out of the way.
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Damien made it to his father's landing site, just off the coast of Firestarter where no-one would see them. Right on time, too: King Parametheus landed and split the ground apart. The vampire king looked at the Red Ranger oddly, who got off the Red Zord Cycle and bowed before Parametheus, unaware his son was under the helmet.

'Rise, Red Warrior. Please tell me your name.' Parametheus requested. Damien returned to his feet and let the Lion Amulet fly away from his Strike Brace, revealing himself to his father.

'I think I need no introductions.' Damien joked.

'Damien! My boy, a chosen one of the Spirit Amulets... and soon to be king of the vampires!' Parametheus smiled. Damien reached for his pocket and took out the four Negative Evolution cards.

'I found them, just like you said I would, father.' Damien said, showing his father the cards.

'It was only a matter of time, son. You remember what I told you about the sarcophagus atop the Temple of Eternal Night? The Sword?' Parametheus asked. Damien nodded. Little did the vampires realise, they were being listened to. Rhynox & Komodai were eavesdropping on their conversation behind a large rock. Suddenly, the Red Ranger's Strike Brace beeped. Karnage was on the other end.

'Go for Damien.' Damien said.

'The others are having trouble with Moon Caller in the city center! Get your ass over there before they end up dead!' Karnage panicked.

'Calm down, Karnage. I'll get there as soon as I can!' Damien responded. The Animizers at that moment stepped out of their hiding place.

'Rhynox!' Damien yelled.

'Animizers!' Parametheus growled.

'Now that we know the secret of the Negative Evolution cards, we are going to take them from your cold, dead fingers!' Rhynox guaranteed, pointing his axe towards the vampires.

'You couldn't do that even if your life depended on it!' Damien taunted. This irritated Rhynox like never before. He swung his weapon for Damien, but the Red Ranger easily countered with a kick to the ribs that sent Rhynox into the large rock. Komodai tried her luck and was a little more successful as she scratched Damien across the chest, causing blood to trickle down his black shirt. This enraged Parametheus, who dove for Komodai and took her down with a tackle. She landed next to Rhynox on the ground.

'You tell Paradox... that this is far from over!' Damien yelled, tending to his chest.

'No, it isn't... but it could be for your friends if you don't do as we say!' Rhynox concluded, bailing with the armoured reptilian.

'What now, son?' Parametheus asked.

'I'm going to help my friends. You follow. Just do me one favour... keep your fangs to yourself and away from their necks.' Damien requested as he hopped onto his Zord Cycle. Parametheus levitated himself into the air. Damien drove off and Parametheus followed him from the air.
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Everyone else was down, so it was up to Eddie to take on Moon Caller. Taking the initiative, the fighters lunged forward at one another. Eddie leapt into the air, executing a spinning kick, but Moon Caller was quick to duck, and Eddie flew right over his head. As he came back down, Eddie turned around and moved in with a fist. Moon Caller blocked the attack, then thrust out his foot. The kick to Eddie’s chest caused him to stumble back, but he managed to remain largely unfazed. Jumping again, he moved into a flying kick and landed a direct hit. Moon Caller was hurt. Moon Caller was quick to get up. Moon Caller charged, swinging his fists, intending to take off Eddie's head. However, his assault was stopped cold by an identical attack Eddie now held in a block position as arms met. He sidestepped out of the block position, spun, and knocked Moon Caller back with a powerful blow to the jaw. Fists met again and again. Though he would never admit it out loud, at that moment Eddie was thankful for the combat drills his sensei had forced him to run from his MMA days. However, he could also feel something extra coming from deep within him, turning his self-described but exaggerated white-belt karate skills into those of a black-belt. Moon Caller was also amazingly agile for his size. Moon Caller and Eddie found themselves at another stalemate, muscles tense, struggling for control of the battle. Moon Caller lashed out with a kick, knocking Eddie back, also getting in a sword shot, sending sparks flying, at the same time. Eddie held his hand to his chest where Moon Caller stabbed him. The blow did not pierce the Ranger suit, but hurt nonetheless. Moon Caller roared and thrust his weapon forward again. A blast of dark energy erupted from the blade of the weapon. Eddie flipped out of the way and the blast disintegrated a wall behind where he had been standing. He looked at the wall, then back at Moon Caller. Eddie used the chance to dive into the air with a big leap and then execute the Shadow Kick. There was nothing Moon Caller could do: he was finished for sure. That's where everyone assumed wrong, as Moon Caller suddenly used no effort at all to thrust his sword forward again. The finishers connected and Eddie flew across the concrete, coming out on the losing end.

'You're an idiot! Now you will serve our purpose!' Moon Caller grinned as he grabbed the Black Ranger by the leg and dragged him away. Sewer Rats were on hand to take the other Rangers prisoner too. The Spirit Amulets flew away. Damien & Parametheus showed up just as the enemy left with their hostages. Noticing the clear area around him, Damien got in contact with Karnage.

'What the Hell, Karnage? They're gone! What the crap happened?' Damien demanded. Karnage was silent for a few seconds before he spoke.

'You might want to come down here and take a look at this. It's a message... from Paradox.' Karnage said slowly. Damien looked at his father and told him.

'Animizers! Bastards!' Parametheus yelled.

'Either way, father... I'm returning to base.' Damien responded.
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'You have two choices, Red Ranger: either bring me the Negative Evolution cards at the Temple of Eternal Night to unlock your heirloom... or your friends die! And I will even start with the Yellow Ranger, if you do not comply. Also, bring Rhynox's axe back. Remember: the cards or their lives! You have 24 hours.' Paradox threatened from the end of the video message. Damien dejectedly stopped the disc and slammed the remote on the floor. He glanced towards Karnage and his father inside of Strike Ops.

'What should I do?' Damien asked.

'I don't want to see your friends die, son... but you can't just hand over a powerful weapon like the Sword of Eternal Night to the Animizers! This is a tough spot they've put you in!' Parametheus explained, with almost anger in his voice. Karnage thought for a moment, then walked over to the table and got out a large steel case. Damien walked over.

'You remember I told you I had a surprise when you got back?' Karnage asked. Damien nodded.

'Well, you're back and here's the surprise!' Karnage replied, sliding the case over to his vampire ally. Damien opened the box to see a new Spirit Amulet based on a bat with purple wings and a small device.

'Say hello to the Nightshift powers! The little thing hooks to the bottom of your Strike Brace and the Nightshift Amulet will replace the Lion Amulet when you go into Nightshift mode. But that's not all...' Karnage continued. He pushed a button on his remote and the floor parted to reveal a new white bike rising up from the ground.

'The Battlizer Cycle. It can be used to create armour on your body, but it can change into the Batzord and combine with your Lionzord to form the Nightstrike Battlezord. To be honest, if there's ever a time to use these new toys, it'd be now.' Karnage suggested. Parametheus glanced over, wondering what his son's response would be.

'Then use them now, I shall. But first, get me some blood vials.' Damien finished.

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'Welcome, one, welcome all to the Temple of Eternal Night. It's magnificent, making the vampire race unworthy to possess it. But that will soon change if I know the Red Ranger like I think I do: he brings me the cards, I get the Sword of Eternal Night and the vampire race finally has a worthy king.' Paradox explained to the captured Rangers with a grin.

'Then you don't know Damien one bit: he'd never hand over the Sword to a psychopath!' Heather spat.

'Missy, he will if he values the lives of his friends and on the contrary, I have no intention filling my end of the promise! It is my ultimate goal to see all threats and roadblocks to my race eliminated, which means you're a threat... and you must be eliminated.' Paradox responded calmly. He walked across to the Jameson twins.

'Payback's a bitch, Venom Rangers. Remember that.' Paradox said. Eddie seemed uninterested. Paradox made it to Kevin.

'My revenge against you consists of three things: making the vampire race a bunch of wimps, forming that wretched organisation and guiding the vampire prince against me when we could have been very powerful allies.' Paradox almost growled.

'Damien made his own decision on that one. He didn't exactly need guidance to hate your guts.' Kevin smiled.

'Well, I've made my own decision, too... you will die slowly, so the pain can be etched across your pathetic face until your soul reaches the netherworld!' Paradox taunted.

'What makes you think the vampires will accept you as their king? They'd kill you within a moment's notice!' Kevin challenged.

'Try this on for starters... my first act as the ruler of the vampires is to allow them entry into your atmosphere and eradicate any trace of human life!' Paradox laughed evilly. Kevin's anger rose as he wrestled free of the Sewer Rats' grips and went after Paradox, but was kicked in the chest and sweeped by the Animizer Lord's staff.

'Pathetic...' Paradox grumbled. Moon Caller & Rhynox pulled Kevin to his feet and handed him back to the Sewer Rats.
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Damien drove across the country on his Battlizer Cycle with his father flying close.

'Okay, Damien, being so far away means you're gonna' have limited communication with me. In basic terms, that means you're on your own for the duration of the trip.' Karnage said through the communicator.

'We'll be fine, Karnage... thanks to the new toys you cooked up!' Damien responded.

'Hey, no problem. Give those filthy Animizers one for me, would you?' Karnage requested.

'Why not? Damien out.' Damien answered as he closed off the communication frequency. He looked back at his father, who was gliding through the air and then looked back...

BOOM!

A ball of fire had exploded in front of them. Damien stopped his Battlizer Cycle while his father slowly descended to the ground. Then the Red Spirit Strike Ranger peered past the smoke to see two SUVs with the letters 'SG' inside of two golden wings. Suddenly, a mass of soldiers exited the cars and pointed their pistols at the vampires. The two wearing red berets stepped forward.

'Commander Wesley Collins and Commander Eric Myers of the Silver Guardians. We tracked your genetic fixtures and the results came back that you both are vampires. Under the Vampire Restriction Treaty, you are both forbidden to be on Earth. Either you come with us and we send you back to your planet on a designated shuttle or we ash you with force!' Collins warned.

'Forbidden or not, I don't have time for this. My friends are in trouble and we're going to help them!' Damien responded.

'You're not going anywhere... except back to your home or to vampire hell!' Myers growled. Parametheus was ready to pounce upon them, but Damien backed him off.

'Let me deal with this, father... but if their lackeys try anything, you're more than welcome to them!' Damien offered, which made Parametheus salvate at the prospect of feeding. Damien slowly got off the Battlizer Cycle and the Silver Guardian Commanders shot their pistols at him.

'No more chances! Ready, partner?' Collins asked Myers.

'Always.' Myers replied. They held up their wrists to reveal morphers: the Chrono Morpher and the Quantum Morpher.

'TIME FOR TIME FORCE!'

'QUANTUM POWER!'

The commanders exploded into a rainbow of red and fizzled into two identical red rangers, except for Myers, who had black in the place of the white on Collins' costume.

'Red Time Force Ranger!' Collins called.

'Quantum Ranger!' Myers yelled. The two new arrivals pulled out their Ranger weapons and sent a big energy blast Damien's way. It exploded in front of him.

'We got him.' Myers wrongly guessed as the vampire Red Ranger stepped out from the smoke and fire. But he wasn't moving fast... because of the armour he was now wearing: the Nightshift Battlizer. The opposing Red Rangers didn't get intimidated and called forth their own armour.

'Fire Warrior Mode!'

'Mega Battle Armour!'

The Silver Guardian Commanders closed in on him. Damien’s right hand rushed forward and grabbed Myers by his wrist and threw him over his shoulder. Collins was crashed into by his partner, and Damien who was still holding Myers' wrist, bent his hand forcefully inwards, so that the Quantum Ranger had to drop his Mega Battle Blades. At the same time Collins got up and approached Damien from behind, and ran into a kick backwards hitting his abdomen. Damien was brought to the floor by a sweep kick of Collins, and while he stood up, the Red Time Force Ranger knocked down Damien hitting him with his Fire Sword in his chest. Then the two Silver Guardian Commanders turned towards Parametheus with weapons drawn. Damien willed himself to his feet and jumped through the air. Just as he got close to the opposing Red Rangers, he unhooked the purple wings from the back of his armour and floored his opponents with a sharp slash. As Myers was on the ground, he got a glimpse of the badge on Damien's belt and stood up.

'Power down!' Myers called, letting his battlizer and ranger suit flow from his body.

'What's up, Eric?' Collins asked, confused his co-commander suddenly stopped fighting. Then he took a look upwards at their opponent's badge.

'No way! You're Spirit Strike?' Collins wondered, dumbfounded as he powered down. Damien was confused they had stopped fighting too.

'Yes. I am under the command of Captain Kevin Trevor Briggs, the Sting Ranger. I've been with him ever since it started. I am Damien Lyonne, the Red Spirit Strike Ranger. This is my father, King Parametheus.' Damien explained after he powered down.

'Then I guess ol' Briggs having vampire connections isn't a bad idea after all, Wes. You said something about your friends being captured?' Myers asked.

'Yeah. The Animizers and their leader Lord Paradox have captured my team. They want to unlock my heirloom, the Sword of Eternal Night, so I have to deliver the four Negative Evolution cards to them to save my friends. But I can't just give them a weapon of such power on a silver platter, so I need a plan that means a win-win situation for the Rangers!' Damien responded.

'What about your race? What do they get out of this?' Collins wondered in a mistrusting tone.

'They will adhere to the treaty that Captain Briggs set up. If some of them don't like it, they get ashed by people like you. And besides, I have blood vials I use to keep my thirst compressed. I couldn't feed even if I wanted to.' Damien said, trying to convince his fellow Red Rangers that he wasn't a bad vampire.

'Alright. I have an idea: the Silver Guardians'll have your back for this one.' Collins offered.

'Why not? Our destination is the Temple of Eternal Night, just off the coast. It's where my race used to worship before the treaty was in place.' Damien began.
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-FLASHBACK BEGINS-

'You do know that a long-distance relationship is never going to work out, Damien?' Heather asked. Damien gulped in nervousness.

'Yeah. But the problem is that I want it to. You are the love of my life and I'd never been unfaithful to you. You know that.' Damien replied. Heather nodded her head upon hearing the end of that sentence.

'And if there's any chance I could make it work, I'd take it. You have a family in Melbourne that wants to see you again after school finishes, but just understand that they aren't the only ones who love you and cherish you.' Damien smiled. Heather returned it.

'Come on then, fangs... we got a final exam.' Heather chuckled as the couple walked off to their important test.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

-FLASHBACK BEGINS-

'That was really hard to admit, but when I found the courage, it just rolled right off my tongue.' Damien continued.

'So, are you two still an item?' Eddie asked curiously.

'No. We split when we went our seperate ways. And before you ask, yes, I have given some thought to asking her out again.' Damien responded.

'Then we find out he's a vampire... and non-believing is something me and Heather never did again. It happened when we all went out to buy gifts for the secret Santa thing we did every year since we met. There was a schizophrenic going around slashing everybody's arms wide open with a knife, so Damien went to teach him a lesson as this guy went to try out some shoplifted clothes in a changing room. We followed him and had to cut the cameras as he fed or else there would've been a damn riot with everybody reaching for makeshift wooden stakes trying to kill him. To say the very least, it was gruesome.' Marcus explained in a nutshell.

'I wonder how the girls are doing.' said Damien.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

-FLASHBACK BEGINS-

'Hey.' Heather greeted. Damien smiled underneath the helmet before powering down.

'Hey.' Damien replied.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

These memories swirled through Damien's head, as he couldn't stop thinking about Heather.

'I'm coming, baby. I'm coming. Please still be alive.' Damien thought to himself.
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'Damien's gonna' kill you, Paradox! He's gonna' grind up your insides for soup!' Eddie yelled. Rhynox came back from his errand.

'Speaking of the vampire, Lord Paradox... he's made it.' Rhynox said.

'Good. Let him come down here on his own terms. Take Moon Caller with you if he gets nasty.' Paradox smirked. Rhynox & Moon Caller left again. Moments later, they were stumbling back down with a few Sewer Rats. Damien zoomed inside with the Negative Evolution cards in his hand.

'Alright, you piece of Animizer crap: give me my friends back, now!' Damien demanded.

'The cards or no dice!' Paradox counter-demanded. Damien carelessly tossed the cards in his arch-nemesis' direction, which Paradox caught. Paradox began laughing evilly.

'Fool! You should've known better than to make a deal with me!' Paradox cackled. He snapped his fingers and monsters began appearing on every floor. Damien wasn't the least bit impressed, retaining a smirk on his face.

'Then I guess it was in my better judgement to make a deal with the Silver Guardians!' Damien said, looking up. Paradox followed suit to see that his kind were getting evicted from the temple by swarms of Silver Guardian troops. Paradox began getting nervous, but let it flow away from him when he looked back at the cards. He tried to fly towards the top of the temple, but was cut off at the pass by King Parametheus. He kept ahold of Paradox and tried to drill him into the ground on his head, but Paradox executed a judo-like toss through the air and quickly followed that up with a devastating laser blast. Parametheus hit the ground floor with a thud. Paradox continued on to the temple's roof.

'Father! Damien screamed. The Red Spirit Strike Ranger dove down to check on his father, who was burning in a red flame.

'Father, your time hasn't come yet. Please don't die! Don't die!' Damien began crying. Parametheus slowly put a hand to his son's face.

'Damien, my only heir... I'm afraid fate has taken me. You must stop Paradox before he gets his hands on the Sword of Eternal Night! Go my son!' Parametheus concluded as he faded away into the flame. Damien dropped his head.

'Goodbye, father...' he said quietly. On the inside was a different matter: he was angry. Up on the floor where the other Rangers were, Wes & Eric made it to their captured comrades.

'Commanders!' Kevin said.

'How's it going, Briggs?' Wes asked.

'I hate to break up this little reunion, but we're being boxed in here!' Eric interrupted. The Sewer Rats and various monsters approached. Suddenly, they were all slashed down by Damien, who had come up to help.

'Morph and take these bastards. Paradox is mine!' Damien insisted as he jumped with incredible ease from floor to floor.

'Since when was he the captain?' Kevin joked.

'Alright, it's Morphin' time!' Heather called out.

'Spirit Strike...'

'Venom Strike...'

'Spirit Sting...'

'...CHARGE UP!'

'Time For Time Force!'

'Quantum Power!'

'Swordfish's Reckless Intent! Ocean Spirit: Blue Spirit Strike Ranger!' Marcus called.
'Bullethawk's Gliding Heart! Lightning Spirit: Yellow Spirit Strike Ranger!' Heather called.
'Wolf's Silent Assassination! Shadow Spirit: Black Venom Ranger!' Eddie called.
'Cobra's Unseen Attack! Slithering Spirit: Green Venom Ranger!' Emily called.
'Scorpion's Poisonous Stab! Scorpion Spirit: Sting Ranger!' Kevin called.
'Red Time Force Ranger!' Wes called.
'Quantum Ranger!' Eric finished.

Emily quickly does a front layout, flipping over Rhynox's head. Before he can react, she delivers a hard roundhouse kick to his unprotected back. He is lifted off his feet and thrown to the ground, hard. Emily presses her attack with a jumping flip kick to his face and hard kick to his stomach. Before her stomach kick can connect, however, Rhynox grabs her leg and throws her away from him. Rhynox takes off his mask and quickly spits some acid at Emily. Emily recognized the motion and quickly rolled to the side. She shifts into Exceed Charge mode and charges at Rhynox. She swipes at him with her right arm and he is lifted into the air. She then did a overhead kick that sent him crashing into the ground. Eddie then began stomping on the fallen one, not afraid to play dirty, until he was blindsided by his arch-rival.

'I was wondering when I was getting it on with you!' Eddie exclaimed, dodging a sword shot.

Eric and Wes teamed up on a group of Sewer Rats, both of them calling for their double-edged Chrono Saber and Quantum Defender weapons, rushing in after them. Eric held his Defender in both hands, allowing Wes to use it as leverage to flip over him. In mid air, Wes grabbed Eric’s Defender, and with a weapon in each hand, took down two of the Sewer Rats. Wes ducked as he tossed Eric his Defender, and Eric jumped over Wes, slicing off two of the Sewer Rats' heads.

Marcus and Heather stood back to back, each of them with a Soul Blaster in hand, blasting through the Sewer Rats. A Sewer Rat charged at them, but they hit a double spin kick, and while it was in mid air, both of them fired their Blasters, vaporizing the Sewer Rat on impact. One of the Sewer Rats were able to kick the Soul Blaster out of Marcus’ hand, but before it could make a move, Heather rushed at the Sewer Rat with a series of chops, taking it down. Marcus did a flip, catching his Blaster in mid air, landing on his feet, aiming and firing at Heather. Heather ducked. And the beam blasted a hole through the Sewer Rat behind her. Then Komodai returned and bashed them down, relieving them of their sidearms. Kevin got back from fighting a group of Sewer Rats and came to help out. Two Sewer Rats rushed at him, but he ducked, picking up both of the Soul Blasters, aiming and firing at them. It was enough to burn a hole through their chests, and as they stumbled back, Kevin rushed at them with a flying power kick, taking them down. Two more swung their blades at him, but he did a flip to avoid them, landing behind them. As one turned around, he kicked it in the stomach. It dropped its blade, and Kevin picked it up, ramming it into the Sewer Rat’s gut. The other one rushed at him, but he pushed it forward, sending it into the other Sewer Rat. Both collapsed to the ground, and he quickly fired the Blasters, stopping another Sewer Rat from rushing towards him. Komodai tried to enter the fray, but she was promptly floored by the Scorpion Saber for her troubles.
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Paradox frantically rushed to the sarcophagus that rested atop the Temple of Eternal Night and its control panel, with slots for all four cards. Paradox inserted the Negative Evolution cards in their designated positions and hit the button. The sarcophagus was supposed to part to reveal the Sword of Eternal Night, but it remained sealed. Paradox was angry.

'It won't open because the cards you have are fakes!' Damien revealed behind Paradox. The Animizer Lord had been tricked. Paradox turned around, fuming.

'Then I'll crack it open with my bare claws... after I'm done destroying you!' Paradox growled. The Bat Amulet that Karnage had created for Damien flew into the vampire's hands.

'Let's get this party started!' Damien exclaimed.

'Night Strike, Charge Up!' He called. Damien became the Red Ranger once again, but any trace of white on his costume was replaced by purple, including the golden lightning bolt. The Battlizer cycle parted into armour for him, encasing the Red Ranger in the Battlizer.

'Infernal Roar of the Eternal Night! Spirit of Darkness: Nightshift Battlized Ranger!' Damien called. The two began to fight. Damien was doing well using his dodging ability as an advantage against Paradox. However, Paradox released his vines and entangled Damien shocked him with electricity and throws him to the ground. Damien lays there for a few moments and thinks about the other rangers and slowly struggles to get back up. Paradox walked towards Damien to deliver the final blow. Damien manages to get back up and summons his Soul Blaster, now encrusted with shades of violet. He shoots it at Paradox which causes him to fall back. Damien gets out his Blazing Liontail Saber, also with shades of violet.

'Nightshift Soul Release!' Damien commanded, slashing the Animizer with a downward pull of his weapon. Paradox was tossed to the ground.

'Fine! Have the Sword of Eternal Night! Have your stinking friends! It all will come to nought when the Animizers destroy you, your wretched race and the humans!' Paradox screamed.

'And I'll be waiting for you on the battlefield, you son of a bitch!' Damien responded as Paradox left the scene. Damien watched as Paradox went before he walked up to the control panel for the sarcophagus and got out the real Negative Evolution cards. He placed them in their designated spots and hit the control. The sarcophagus in front of him unlocked itself and slowly split into seperate directions. There it was: his destiny, the weapon to rule his race, the Sword of Eternal Night. Liking what he saw, he reached out and grabbed the hilt. He practised with it for a bit until he jumped down into the Temple to help his friends. On his way down, Damien sliced through Komodai with no effort, leaving her open for another attack. The Negative Evolution cards flew in from the control panel on his command. Damien inserted them one after the other into a little slot on the weapon's side.

'Soul Release of the Eternal Night: Royal Straight Flush Slash!' Damien ordered. Holograms of the Negative Evolution cards appeared in front of the Nightshift Ranger, with the fourth one locking Komodai in place. Damien then rushed through three of them before letting his blade carve through Komodai as if she were coleslaw. She exploded. Damien then went to see his friends. Moon Caller had bailed.

'Whoa, Damien, nice new threads! And weapon!' Marcus exclaimed.

'Yeah dude. Paradox definitely fears you now!' Eddie smiled. Damien looked over to Heather.

'You okay?' Damien asked, concerned.

'I will be.' Heather answered. Nearby, Rhynox was hiding behind a pillar.

'Not if I have anything to say about it!' Rhynox said as he punched in a code on an expansion orb and fired its beam at the remains of Komodai. She returned, bigger and badder than ever. Her growth shattered the temple to pieces, forcing the Rangers to get out quick. Damien reached for his morpher.

'Zord Cycle, Battlizer Cycle: Zord Descent mode!' He called. The bikes changed into the Lionzord & Batzord respectively.

'Hey, Heather: why don't you come up here and help me out?' Damien requested from the cockpit of his latest Zord. The Yellow Ranger was too happy to comply.

'Alright, time to end this crap: Nightstrike formation!' Damien ordered. The Lionzord changed as if it were ready to be part of the Spirit Strike Megazord, but the Batzord split and formed arms, chest armour and a helmet for the Zord instead.

'Nightstrike Battlezord, complete!' Damien concluded.

Komodai charged the Nightstrike Battlezord with its Spear, but the spear only met the Nightstrike Battlezord's fist. They broke apart after another collision, but Komodai had a plan. The spear once again appeared in the gauntlet of Komodai. An violet light appeared in the gauntlet of the Nightstrike Battlezord, and then shaped itself into a sword... the Sword of Eternal Night in a zord-sized version. Komodai tossed the interfering Neon Striker Megazord down to the ground, and Damien promptly went after it. Komodai wasn't far behind. Before it could crash, the Neon Striker Megazord was saved by the Nightstrike Battlezord, but fell from the Nightstrike Battlezord's hands after Komodai stabbed Damien's Zord multiple times. The Neon Striker Megazord & the Nightstrike Battlezord fell to the ground of Firestarter Gorge. Komodai tried to capitalise, but was shot. Eric had flown in on the TF Eagle, his personalisied combat unit.

'Okay, kid: she's all yours!' Eric told Damien.

'Right! Maximum Battlezord Power: Slash of the Night!' Damien commanded. The gigantic Sword of Eternal Night crashed down through Komodai like a knife through butter, destroying her for the second and hopefully, final time.
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-FLASHBACK BEGINS-

'Father! Damien screamed. The Red Spirit Strike Ranger dove down to check on his father, who was burning in a red flame.

'Father, your time hasn't come yet. Please don't die! Don't die!' Damien began crying. Parametheus slowly put a hand to his son's face.

'Damien, my only heir... I'm afraid fate has taken me. You must stop Paradox before he gets his hands on the Sword of Eternal Night! Go my son!' Parametheus concluded as he faded away into the flame. Damien dropped his head.

'Goodbye, father...' he said quietly.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

'Father... I'm gonna' miss you.' Damien muttered as he looked off into the night. He was joined by Heather.

'You ready for our date, big boy?' Heather asked him.

'I'm all set... but I couldn't help but think about my dad. He was the king of the vampire race and he was just destroyed by Paradox. Where does that leave me? Am I king of my race now? I'm so confused.' Damien told her.

'Damien... I know that was really hard for you to go through. But you can't dwell on it, I know your father wouldn't want it that way.' Heather explained. Damien let a smile come onto his face.

'You may be right, Heather. Soon, I'll have to make arrangements to tell my race of what has transpired here... but that's another challenge for another day, I guess.' Damien replied.

'Okay. Now, let's get to our date.' Heather requested.

'After you, madam.' Damien said joking, as he and Heather walked off arm-in-arm.
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'You do a great job these days, Captain Briggs. We're pleased that you were able to keep the vampires in check this whole time.' Eric said to Kevin in Strike Ops of the HQ.

'Thank you, Commander Myers. Your praise is well-received.' Kevin replied.

'Call us if you need any help or if your vampire friend flies off the hammer.' Wes offered.

'Thanks, Commander Collins. I appreciate it.' Kevin concluded as his superiors walked out of the HQ. Karnage walked up to him with confusion.

'Kevin... when you were done at the temple, were you followed home?' Karnage asked. Kevin shook his head.

'Me and the other Rangers. I didn't see anyone else. Why?' Kevin wondered.

'My computers picked up something or someone following you. It's strange: whatever it was, it had the same genetics as Damien, but in reverse. Most of it's energy was that of darkness.' Karnage explained.

'Thanks for mentioning it. If anything more about it comes up, be sure to notify me.' Kevin finished.
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Far away, a voice was talking to itself as if it had just heard Kevin's comments.

'Don't worry, Sting Ranger... you'll be hearing a lot about me in the coming days!' it cackled.

Angelfox

02-18-2007, 02:05 AM

wicked... BUT Damien is starting to sound like a powerwhore like Conner was in Dino thunder.. just a suggestion, but you might want to watch out for that a little bit.. all in all a very good chapter

jpurchase875

02-18-2007, 07:39 AM

wicked... BUT Damien is starting to sound like a powerwhore like Conner was in Dino thunder.. just a suggestion, but you might want to watch out for that a little bit.. all in all a very good chapter

Conner was a powerwhore.

Thanks for the review. :D :) ;) :023:

jpurchase875

02-23-2007, 05:43 AM

'What's up, everyone? You left me at the pad!' Damien reminded. The Rangers were hanging with Karnage at the Pepsi Plunge.

'Eddie was hungry.' Heather began.

'For more sausages and bacon? The guy's got enough fat on him already.' Damien joked. Marcus & Emily chuckled. Karnage was laughing out loud.

'Cheap shot alert! Thanks, Damien.' Eddie said in a mock annoyed tone.

'Hey. No problem, man.' Damien added. Karnage was still laughing.

'Not cheap shot alert... pure total ownage alert!' Karnage smiled. Eddie found that amusing.

'This is real life, not the internet. So how are you dealing with what happened the other day?' Emily asked uneasily. Damien sighed.

'I still can't believe he's gone... but I'll get over it. I promise.' Damien assured. He then looked past Emily towards the TV and spotted something interesting.

'Marcus, you better check this out.' Damien said. Marcus turned his head the TV's way to see an official ESPN broadcaster:

Tomorrow night, the Street Basketball Championship tournament comes to an end in Firestarter Gorge at the Highside Arena as the Manhattan Fireflies and the St. Louis Tigers get in on in the final game to prove who are the true Kings of the Street! At 7pm Eastern, you can watch all the action here with Charlie Evans and James Bobcat, LIVE!

'My team, coming here? Who the heck got them through the season?' Marcus thought.

'That would be me, Marcus.' Said a voice behind him. Marcus turned around to see his basketball coach.

'Justin Stewart. My mentor and one of the greatest basketball players of all time. What you doing here?' Marcus asked as he caught up with Justin.

'Not a heck of a lot. Except what ESPN just told you on TV. The whole crew's here.' Justin smiled.

'They're not mad at me for leaving without notice, are they?' Marcus wondered, worried. The smile never left Justin's face.

'Of course not. Just a tad yearning for your help ever since the Tigers pasted us in the play-offs last season. An old friend of yours is helping our rivals win their games... and by your descriptions to me a couple of years ago, this guy is a monster.' Justin explained. Marcus was both relieved and confused. He then looked at Damien. They both then realised who Justin was talking about.
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'Kevin, you know that energy signature you told Karnage to keep an eye on?' Dangermouse asked.

'Yeah?' Kevin said.

'Well, it's weird. It's like it's fading in and out.' Dangermouse replied.

'Where is it?' Kevin wondered.

'The signature is faint, but I should be able to get a lock... got it! The signature has been traced to the city plaza. Should be able to get a visual.' Dangermouse responded. The image came up on the screen of a figure that looked almost like Damien, except this one had black hair.

'Look after Shop Justice for a while... I'm going to see what the hell is up.' Kevin ordered.

'Spirit Sting, Charge Up!'
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'Master, it seems the new vampire king is taking a break in the city plaza, but his readings are strange. His energy patterns are on different wavelengths with everyone else.' Rhynox reported. Paradox got out of his throne in a huff.

'Don't you dare ever again mention that brat as a king!' Paradox fumed.

'Aren't we conceited?' Moon Caller almost taunted.

'What? You have another hare-brained idea that is destined to fail?' Paradox barked.

'Hmph! You can't handle the fact that the Red Ranger beat you in battle.' Moon Caller continued.

'Then let's see how you like it! Take yourself and some Sewer Rats to deal with him!' Paradox ordered.

'Myself is enough. Those so-called soldiers are useless to me!' Moon Caller insisted, disappearing in a ball of energy.
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The figure walked through the plaza minding its own business until it was interrupted by Moon Caller. The locals began to abandon the area really quickly.

'Hello, Red Ranger! We meet again!' Moon Caller greeted. He raised his sword and charged the person in front of him. As the sword was about to impact the figure's being, the person threw up his hand and opened it out.

BAM!

Flowing dark energy knocked Moon Caller back and onto the ground. The person, who looked almost like Damien, except for the black-coloured hair, looked down upon the werewolf monster.

'I'm sorry, but I believe you have the wrong man.' The person said in a double tone of Damien's voice and a dark voice. He then grabbed Moon Caller by the neck and slammed the Animizer hard into a brick wall several times.

'Damien!' A voice called. The Sting Ranger had arrived riding his Stinger Cycle in Exceed Charge form. Kevin slowly dismounted the bike and slowly reached for the Buzz Killer sidearms in his side-holsters. The mysterious person then ran at the speed of light to grab Kevin's wrists and kick him across the tarmac with sparks flying.

'You're not Damien!' Kevin realised.

'Of course not, you fool. I am his Negative Other, Nightstalker, fresh from the dark surroundings of the Negative Zone.' The Negative Other mocked.

'How the hell did you escape?' Kevin wondered in shock.

'He who wields the power of Negative Evolution does not leave our world without paying a price. In the vampire's case, it was the creation of the yang to his yin, which is me. But I wasn't the only thing that was cloned.' Nightstalker explained. He lifted up his wrist to reveal a device that looked like a morpher.

'What the hell?' Kevin wondered in shock.

'The X-Brace Emulator. 50 percent of my power... the other 50 percent lies in my Emulator Belt.' Nightstalker pointed out, pointing to his waist which now had a red & black utility belt strapped to it. It had a buzzsaw for a buckle. Nightstalker reached down and pulled one of the blades on the buzzsaw, causing it to spin really fast. A flash of red occured and a golden coin rode the energy wave into Nightstalker's hand. He placed the coin into a slot on the X-Brace and closed the device up, hiding the coin. Nightstalker then put his arms up into an X formation.

'Project X, Annihilate!' Nightstalker called. His body was engulfed in darkness. Eventually, the shadow-coloured mist subsided to reveal Nightstalker in Ranger-like Armour.

'Symbiote Project X Ranger!' Nightstalker finished. Kevin didn't know what to make of the new foe, which left him open for an attack from Nightstalker. The Sting Ranger flew into the concrete.

'Project... X?' Kevin asked himself.

'Let me show you another trick: Megazord Weapon Emulation! Galaxy Megazord Saber!' Nightstalker yelled, pulling the buzzsaw buckle again. This time, the Megazord Saber of the Lost Galaxy Megazord appeared in his hand. Kevin couldn't speak. All he could do was put up a defence. Nightstalker ran towards him raising the Megazord Saber, Kevin pulled out the Scorpion Saber and stopped the blow; pushing Nightstalker back into the wall. Nightstalker slashed the Megazord Saber across Kevin's chest, blasting him to the hard ground. Nightstalker rapidly rushed up at Kevin, fists clenched. The Sting Ranger had absolutely no idea a blast had been coming at him, and now he was doubled over, barely on his feet, hacking up blood and staining his helmet visor. Without any hint of mercy, Nightstalker drove his fist into Kevin’s helmet, knocking him back up. The Sting Ranger's helmet was shattered. Even without pausing for the end of the Sting Ranger’s scream he threw his knee into the stomach, causing Kevin to bend down once again. Then Nightstalker noticed innocent people walking out of the Pepsi Plunge a street away. He increased his speed and began scaring the people out of there. Except six. Marcus, Heather, Eddie, Emily & Justin.

'Justin! Get out of here. We'll handle him.' Marcus requested. Justin shook his head.

'No way, I'm staying. And it's time you knew a little secret about me! Shift Into Turbo!' Justin refused. His body glowed blue and he morphed into the Blue Turbo Ranger. Marcus was surprised. Nightstalker wasn't intimidated.

'Well that settles everything!' Marcus told the others.

'Where's Damien?' Eddie asked.

'On his blood break.' Emily answered.

'Can we do this please?' Heather begged.

'Spirit Strike...'

'Venom Strike...'

'...CHARGE UP!'

They morphed into the Spirit Strike Rangers. Justin was equally shocked as much as they were when they saw him morph.

'No way, Marcus! So, that's why you left in a hurry!' Justin exclaimed.

'No more delays! You're mine!' Nightstalker growled. He bowled through the Spirit Strike Rangers and eventually got to the Blue Turbo Ranger, but was cut off by the Sword of Eternal Night and the Nightshift Ranger.

'Going somewhere?' Damien taunted.

'I was wondering when you'd show up.' Nightstalker said, ignoring the question.

'Wait a minute! You sound just like me!' Damien noticed.

'One day, we will fight, my Other... but now is not the time for that.' Nightstalker ignored again, leaving in a ball of energy.

'What the heck does that mean?' Damien asked himself before he powered down. The other Rangers followed suit.

'You okay, honey?' Heather asked concerningly.

'I'll be fine... but Kevin isn't doing as well!' Damien noticed, rushing to his guardian's side. He slowly removed the shattered helmet from Kevin's head. The Captain of Spirit Strike was a mess.

'Oh, dear god.' Emily said, holding her mouth as if she was going to heave. Karnage came out of the Plunge and was right there.

'Let's get him back to the HQ, Damien.' Karnage suggested.

'The team's getting ready for the game right now, so I gotta' move.' Justin told Marcus.

'You guys handle Briggs. I gots to be at this game.' Marcus said as he and Justin walked off.
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Back on the Animizer Cruiser, Paradox was furious at Moon Caller. But he was also intrigued by the new arrival. He wished to meet this Nightstalker. He didn't have to wait long to get his wish, as Nightstalker talked from the shadows.

'Keep your pants on, wolfman... I've come here out of peace.' Nightstalker said. Moon Caller scowled.

'What do you want, Negative Other?' Paradox asked.

'A proposal. We have a common enemy... so therefore, we must join forces to destroy it. I began with the Sting Ranger. I will finish with the vampire, my Other! But first... I need a little something from you.' Nightstalker began.

'What's the terms?' Paradox asked tentatively. Moon Caller couldn't believe what he was hearing: Paradox making an alliance with someone who had just attacked him.

'Find me eleven other Negative Forms from the Negative Zone. It's time for the Project X flower to bloom.' Nightstalker responded.
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Marcus & Justin glanced over towards the other team as they walked into their own locker room. Justin wasn't kidding about an old friend being there... well, he was about the friend part. Dressed in a St. Louis Tiger jersey was the 6-foot-5 bully who used to push Marcus around during High School.

'I'll be hard-pressed to get by that bastard.' Marcus thought out loud.

'We'll be able to do it, Marcus. If there's one thing you learn in life, it's called giving anything but up.' Justin explained to Marcus. The fellow Blue Rangers exchanged nods.
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'How is he?' Damien asked Dangermouse, as he sat beside Kevin on the medical table. Kevin's face was covered with excess blood from the previous fight with Nightstalker.

'He'll survive, Damien. But he took a hell of a battering by the new guy and the readings show he lost feeling in his arms and legs for a good couple of minutes.' Dangermouse explained. Damien nodded and then looked down towards his mentor, who was slowly trying to move his head and talk. Damien listened in for something.

'Pro... ject... X... Dam... ien... search... the... fi... les... in... the... data... base.' Kevin groaned. Just saying that hurt him.

'Search the database files for Project... X? Is that it?' Damien asked. Kevin nodded very slowly. Damien reciprocated with a nod of his own and walked off to the computers. He brought up a search engine and typed in 'Project X'.

'Okay, Fido: time to bring me back your bone!' Damien joked as he hit 'ENTER'. A plethora of pages came up, detailing what Damien inquired about. The Red Ranger read slowly.

'Project X, created and constructed in 2005. Sergeant Ralph Summers of the Silver Guardians. This will be my final entry into what has been a long and hard process to try and create the world's next group of Power Rangers. For months, this has been my pet project. My higher-ups insisted I go on with the creation of the Project X powers, but I feared my experiment had not gone unnoticed by the Animizers, who had been targeting various planets around the galaxy in an effort to attain global domination. I feared they may steal it. So, I am going to install a failsafe within the X-Brace Emulator and Emulator Belt to keep the Animizers from using them. Utilising what I had learned from Lieutenant Kevin Briggs' trips to the vampire world and their culture of visiting an in-between world known as the Negative Zone, I will program these new powers to only work with Negative Others from that Zone. If Animizers even try to use them, their DNA will be overwritten by Negative Other DNA and they will die instantly, as their genetic structure isn't built to contain Negative Other DNA. I hope I succeed. Date written: 12th January 2006.' Damien concluded. Heather and Eddie were over his shoulders. Eddie pointed to something behind the diary of Ralph Summers: his obituary.

'Silver Guardians Sergeant Ralph Summers born 5th March 1969, died 13th January 2006.' Eddie read.

'That would be one day after he had written the final entry of his diary.' Heather pointed out.

'Check this out: Autopsy Report, Sergeant R. Summers from Dr. Evans. Seems to be a bunch of bulletholes piercing his skull, but I can't get my head around the splinterings that have appeared around the eyeball areas. It looks as if someone destroyed this man's face into little pieces... and then put him back together. When I arrived on the scene of the murder, his face was covered in cuts and blood. Inside the body, his heart had turned black as if he had been smoking heavily for years. It was the most disturbing thing I'd ever seen.' Heather read on.

'Just like the Captain.' Damien said as he looked back towards Kevin. His mentor slowly began to get up from his position on the medical table.

'Ralph... Summers was my best friend and superior for a couple of years. His... murder threw the whole Silver Guardian regiment for a loop.' Kevin began.

'But, why'd you ask me to search for Project X on the database?' Damien asked in confusion.

'Because, Damien... that guy who attacked me was packing Project X artillery. And Ralph said only Negative Others could use those powers.' Kevin responded.

'He sounded just like me and had the colour to boot!' Damien pointed out.

'He claims to be your Negative Other, Nightstalker.' Kevin said.

'Nightstalker... my Other. I'll kill him and Paradox. They'll probably hook up... which'll mean double revenge for me once I take them down!' Damien said in determination. Then the alarms sounded.

'Here's your chance, Damien. Nightstalker's back... and he's not alone!' Karnage warned. The five Rangers in the room all rushed to the monitor to see that Nightstalker had indeed returned, but this time with the Sewer Rats, Rhynox & Moon Caller at his back.

'Alright... team-- Ugh!' Kevin was cut off by a stinging pain in his shoulder. Karnage & Dangermouse held him up.

'You'd better sit this one out, Captain.' Emily suggested. Kevin nodded in agreement.

'I'll try to reach Marcus while I still can. May the power protect you.' Kevin finished.

'Spirit Strike...'

'Venom Strike...'

'...CHARGE UP!'
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The Manhattan Fireflies were losing the game 31 to 33. Not surprisingly, the bully had scored most of the other team's hoops. Marcus was ready to give up until he remembered Justin's words from before the game.

'Give anything but up!' On that thought, a fire was lit under the Blue Spirit Strike Ranger. He ran across the court and sneakily stole the ball from his high school tormentor and went for the net. Several players on the Tigers team tried to stop him, but were unable to as Marcus soared past them and pushed the ball through the hoop. The game was tied with eleven seconds to go. The referee threw the ball into the air and Marcus immediately caught it from out of the bully's grasp. Infuriated, the bully tried to smash in Marcus' face. The Blue Ranger, with Justin as sideline support, ducked the blow and scored what would be the last hoop of the game. The buzzer went off and the game was awarded to the Manhattan Fireflies. Justin went nuts for the victory. The bully, however, did not share the Blue Turbo Ranger's enthusiasam. He stomped up to Marcus and got in his face.

'You clever little sneak! I'll show you what I'm really made of next time we meet on the court! See you around, loser!' The bully swaggered off. Marcus' good mood wasn't dented though. Justin walked up.

'Amazing, Marcus. You haven't lost one step since splitting from Manhattan.' Justin praised. Soon, the rest of the Fireflies were joining in on the praise as the referee and trophy presenters gave the trophy to Marcus, who lifted it high into the air. Their celebration was cut short when the wall of the arena went flying and somebody flew with it: the Yellow Ranger. Sewer Rats jumped into the court and went after Heather, but Marcus roundhouse kicked them out of the way.

'Everybody out!' He ordered his basketball teammates, and the Fireflies complied, as did every person in the crowd. Once nobody was around to see them, they held up their left wrists.

'Shift Into Turbo!'

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up! Exceed Charge Mode!'

As the Rats attacked, Marcus revelled in the natural high he was now experiencing. He thought he could almost feel raw energy flowing through him. And he promptly put it to good use, grabbing the first rodent that attacked him and using it to bash away the few standing over the Yellow Ranger. Unfortunately, the Rats got back up. Sudden inspiration struck Marcus and he knelt down and slammed his fist into the floor. A shockwave blast of blue energy erupted from where fist met floor and bashed into the Sewer Rats, and a half dozen of them exploded.

Emily executed a series of backflips, getting herself ahead of several Sewer Rats that were chasing a group of civilians. She pointed, her hand glowing green, and with a command of 'Acid Burst!' the Venom Drill in her fist shot off Acid Laser Blades, slicing through the Sewer Rats.

Eddie worked his way through a double line of Sewer Rats with a series of flip-kicks. He landed just beyond them. As he spun to face them, a blast of dark energy launched from his glowing hands with the command of 'Shadow Shock!' The energy blast exploded in the midst of the Rats, sending the Rodents flying. Then Moon Caller punched him in the face, resuming their feud.

Damien and Rhynox stood a few yards apart, weapons pointed at each other, their armors smoking from multiple strikes, both obviously panting. Rhynox suddenly straightened, and with a yell, charged, his new Axe glowing with dark energy. Damien charged in response, powering up the Blazing Liontail Saber as well. They came together, Rhynox slashed; Damien blocked, deflected, and spun with the motion of the deflection, coming back around with a slash to Rhynox’s midsection. For a split second, Damien thought that this was it for the Animizer, but then the Blazing Liontail met Rhynox’s armor, and something completely unexpected happened. From the point of impact, golden flames exploded. The entire arena seemed to freeze for an instant, and then both Damien and Rhynox were knocked away by a whiplash of energy. Both Ranger and Animizer struggled to their feet, Rhynox still clutching his injured side. He took a step forward, and stumbled.

Enhanced Sewer Rats, complete with arm-blade implants, attacked. Justin ducked under an implanted arm-blade slash to his head, and knocked the enhanced rodent back with a kick to the chest. Justin sidestepped another attempted slash, grabbed the Rat’s wrist, and flipped it onto its back while nailing the third Rat in the head with a side kick. The veteran ranger flipped away from the attack of two more of the Sewer Rats, only to be knocked to the ground upon landing by a leg sweep from the final Rat. Justin got into a kneeling position just as the two Sewer Rats he flipped away from made downward strikes at his head. He threw up his arms in a block and summoned his old personal Turbo Lightning Sword. The Sewer Rat’s blade-hands met Justin’s weapon, and they exploded. The Rats burned in a small inferno.

Nightstalker, who had been watching on with patience, decided to join the fight. He morphed into the Symbiote Ranger and began tearing into the competition... until he got to Damien. The vampire aimed a kick, but Nightstalker was right there and just flipped Damien over with ease.

'Didn't listen to me this morning, did you? It's not our time to fight... until it is, here's something to tide you over!' Nightstalker said, revealing a new monster based on a Raptor with black skin.

'This is Ripper. He's not an Animizer... he's a Negative Other. So, be careful how you handle him!' Nightstalker laughed as he, Rhynox & Moon Caller left. The Rangers regrouped.

'How do we deal with a Negative Other?' Emily wondered.

'Here, allow me to show you... you don't!' Ripper then snapped its massive fingers and the Rangers were wrecked with explosions, as thousands of lasers orbiting their suits simultaneously detonated. The Rangers managed to stay on their feet, but not for long, as Ripper raced through them. The Rangers went flying, crashing first into the bleachers of the arena and then into the ground, where their Strike Brace, V-Brace & Auto Morphers, having used up all their energy protecting the Rangers from serious injury, shut down, leaving the Rangers barely moving in their vulnerable civilian forms. Ripper looked around at its handiwork, and then moved towards the nearest fallen Ranger, that being Heather. 'You’re closest to me, which means you're the closest to your destruction!' the massive Negative Other said as it reared back with its claw, ready to dispatch the Yellow Ranger. However, before Ripper could strike, it was interrupted by a shout of, 'You dare touch her and I will rip your black heart out of your chest!'

Ripper turned to find Damien on his feet.

'Impressive, Red Ranger. You were able to brave the storm. You make a fine other for Nightstalker!' Ripper complimented, strangely.

Damien ignored the beast. 'No-one is going to hurt my girlfriend!' The Nightshift Amulet soared into Damien's hand.

'Night Strike, Charge Up!'

Damien transformed into the Nightshift Ranger, the dark extension of his original Ranger form.

'Nice costume, Red Ranger... but it makes little difference!' Ripper taunted. He rushed at Damien, but the vampire caught Ripper's claws and knocked the Negative Other backwards with a straight kick to the ribs followed by a slash from the Sword of Eternal Night.

'Battlizer Cycle, Nightshift Battlizer Mode!' Damien called. The white bike rode in on autopilot and then parted to create armour for Damien.

'Infernal Roar of the Eternal Night! Spirit of Darkness: Nightshift Battlized Ranger!' Damien finished. Damien stomped his foot on the ground, the hardwood floor buckled and a huge shockwave of red & purple energy plowed into Ripper, knocking the Negative Other off its feet. As Ripper tried to stand, Damien was on him, pounding him with super-strong slashes. This is what the other Rangers saw as they regained their footing and regrouped with their leader. With their encouragement, Damien inserted the four cards of Negative Evolution into the side panel of the Sword of Eternal Night.

'Soul Release of the Eternal Night: Royal Straight Flush Slash!' Damien called. Holograms of the Negative Evolution cards appeared in front of the Nightshift Ranger, with the fourth one locking Ripper in place. Damien then ran through three of them before letting his weapon cut through Ripper as if he were butter. The Negative Other exploded into black flames. Nearby, Rhynox had returned.

'I hope this code works!' Rhynox said. Using his new Axe and a fresh Expansion Orb, he punched in 3-8-1 and pointed the beam at the black flames. The flames then expanded out into the city, where they took the form of a gigantic Ripper.

'Time to end this crap! Zord Descent: Nightstrike Formation!' Damien called. He brought the Nightstrike Battlezord into the fight. The Nightstrike Battlezord spread its wings and launched itself at Ripper. It got in close, dodging and weaving among cannon fire, landing a series of blows to Ripper’s body. The cannons kept firing, and the monstrosity swiped ineffectively at the Zord with both it’s hand and the stump the Battlezord left it with.

Finally, another blow connected, knocking the Zord back. But Damien was able to right the Battlezord in mid air. He focused himself and said, 'Time to end this.' The Nightstrike Battlezord flew up to the edge of the atmosphere, where Damien channeled everything he had into the Zord while commanding 'Nightstrike Battlezord, Soul Release Slash!'

Ripper sidestepped the attack and backhanded the Battlezord in the head. Damien was down, but fortunately, help was on the way.

'Mountain Blaster Turbozord, fire lasers!' Justin commanded from the familiar cockpit of his first zord. The lasers drilled into Ripper and knocked him down. Behind the monster, the other Rangers were in their Strikezords.

'MAXIMUM ZORD POWER!'
'Ocean Blade!'
'Aerial Annihilation!'
'Shadow Howl!'
'Acid Drop!'

The Strikezord finishers dented Ripper, but that was about it. He fired at the other Rangers and overturned their zords.

'Finally, my masters shall have vengeance!' Ripper proclaimed.

'You want vengeance? Look up!' A voice invited. Ripper took the invitation and was promptly blasted for his troubles. Marcus knew the voice and he knew who had attacked their enemy.

'Billy!' Marcus yelled.

'In the flesh.' The original Blue Ranger replied from the Triceratops Dinozord's cockpit. Ripper was slow getting up.

'He's all yours, Damien!' Billy offered. The Nightstrike Battlezord regained its verticality.

'Let's do this right! Maximum Battlezord Power: Slash of the Night!' Damien commanded. The gigantic Sword of Eternal Night slashed down through Ripper, blowing him up in a blaze of black for good.
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'Negative Others last twice as long as Animizers on the battlefield, but they still fail. This deal isn't going to plan, Nightstalker.' Paradox explained.

'That's where you calculate wrong, Paradox. Neither you or my Other realises how much my plan is succeeding in phase one. Soon, I will need you all to bear witness to phase two!' Nightstalker responded. Moon Caller grunted and walked out of the bridge. Laying his back against a wall, the werewolf relaxed.

'This deal is a bad idea. I've gotta' get out of here.' Moon Caller told himself.
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'You came back, Billy. Why?' Marcus wondered.

'I came back looking for help. We have a problem.' Billy began.

'What kind?' Heather wondered.

'Remember what I told you about evil Rangers? Well, one's on the loose... Psycho Blue.' Billy continued.

'Wait. Wasn't he destroyed by the Lost Galaxy & Space Rangers?' Justin asked.

'His dark soul escaped and used another vessel to live again as the Blue Psycho Ranger. He now has his own clan: the Serotonin. They're looking to conquer the universe.' Billy added.

'They'd have to go through the Animizers first, and then us of course.' Eddie guessed.

'I'm going to cut to the chase: I've arranged a special mission to stop the Serotonin before they get off the ground. I've contacted every available Blue Ranger here on Earth and Commander Myers of the Silver Guardians hooked us up with a couple of Blue Rangers from the future. Will you go?' Billy requested.

'Count us in!' Justin & Marcus accepted in stereo. Elsewhere, Damien & Heather were walking down the hallways of the HQ together.

'Thank you for today, Damien.' Heather said.

'Don't mention it, Heather.' Damien replied nervously.

'No-one has ever went all out like you did for me in my life, so I'm grateful that you're here for me.' Heather explained.

'I'm glad to help, my love. If it's not too much trouble for tomorrow, I'd like to take you to the movies or something. Ease our minds off the stress of battle lately, or in my case--' Damien offered before he was cut off by Heather.

'Your father's death?' Heather guessed concerningly.

'Yeah.' Damien muttered, dropping his head. Heather was quick to hug him.
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Angelfox

02-23-2007, 03:11 PM

not bad, not bad at all

bushwacka666

02-26-2007, 09:01 AM

Finally found some time to try catching up a little. Have to say that I really liked "The Sword Of Eternal Night". Not only full of action but also introducing a few new plot points for the future as well. The said sword, the death of Damien's father that possibly results in Damien now being the king of the vampires... it's all intriguing stuff, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it all goes from here. And also, right from the start of the fic I had a feeling that Damien and Heather had been an item (I forget now if it was actually mentioned explicitly before now, but I was getting a vibe anyway). In any case, nice to see Damien mention it directly - I'm a sucker for the unusual romantic parings, as I'm sure you know. ;)

I admit I have less to say about "Antivampire" at the moment - had to skim over that one a bit faster, I'll have to try and go back over it later. Still, the Nightshift powers seem pretty cool. I was also caught completely off-guard by the reveal that Justin has since become "one of the greatest basketball players of all time"! LOL. Not that I ever really had a problem with Justin, but it's still pretty difficult to imagine him as anything other than the preteen Ranger we saw in Turbo. But I commend you on your efforts to get him away from his old image. :)

Well keep up the good work m8. I do apologise about the delay in my reply, but rest assured I'm still sticking with this fic. Keep giving me good reasons to eh? :023:

jpurchase875

02-27-2007, 08:16 AM

jpurchase875

03-02-2007, 07:28 AM

The Blue Psycho Ranger and his new followers were on one of the many moons of Jupiter, taking broken shards of white metal from the grains of the atmosphere. They had dug a Megazord-sized head of this white metal from the ground.

'Excellent. To take my revenge on the Power Rangers of Earth, this weapon is perfect. No-one will ever stop the Serotonin! Keep digging, Psycho Shadows!' Psycho Blue ordered. His personal henchmen, who were based on his design but all black, cheerfully complied. Little did they know, they were being watched.

'This is worse than I thought, Kai. We better get back to Billy and let him know what's happening!'

'You got it, TJ.' The two, dressed in navy cloaks moved from their current position and ran back to their transportation, the Astro Megaship Mark 2. Unfortunately, a bunch of Psycho Shadows had found it first. Kai & TJ took up a defensive stance and attacked Psycho Blue's troopers, morphing into the Blue Astro & Blue Galaxy Rangers, wielding the Astro Axe & Quasar Saber weapons. They charged the subordinates, ready to defend their fort.
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'Sorry I'm late, Billy.' Cestro, the Blue Aquitian Ranger apologised as he stepped off his Aquitar Pod onto the grounds of Angel Grove's outskirts, being greeted by Billy Cranston, Justin Stewart & Marcus Adler, his fellow Blue Rangers.

'No need to apologise, Cestro. How is Cestria?' Billy asked.

'Your wife is okay. She just worries about you being able to return home.' Cestro honestly responded.

'She won't have to worry long. This is Justin Stewart, the Blue Turbo Ranger and Marcus Adler, the Blue Spirit Strike Ranger. They're joining us for this mission.' Billy introduced. Cestro bowed before them.

'So, where do we start?' Marcus wondered.

'We're going to the NASADA Spaceport, where the Blue Astro Ranger has transport that'll get us close to the Serotonin's location.' Billy explained.

'TJ. My old partner.' Justin remembered. They all stepped into Billy's waiting car and embarked on a short drive to the spaceport. Billy quickly ran inside the hangar and then ran back out again with a distressed look on his face.

'TJ's not here. He and Kai were supposed to come back after examining a Jupiter moon where the Serotonin are located. Something must've happened.' Billy explained. Marcus then spotted something.

'What's that?' Marcus wondered. Something was coming in from the air, which looked like two small blue crafts. The other Blue Rangers looked up.

'TJ! Kai!' Billy exclaimed. TJ & Kai, riding the Galaxy Glider and Jet Jammer vehicles, flying away from the Psycho Shadows who chased them in their own assault vehicles with lasers blazing. One blast clipped Kai's craft and he crashed into the ground. TJ kept in the air, dodging all the Psycho grunts could throw at him. But the escape plan didn't last for long, as he also was forced to lower his altitude before crashing. Billy, Cestro, TJ & Kai ran over to them and helped them up, but the Psycho Shadows wouldn't give up their pursuit of the Blue Rangers. The evil ones dropped down before Billy and the team before more materialised.

'What are we waiting for? Let's take these freaks already!' Marcus urged.

'He's right, Billy! Let's fight!' Justin encouraged.

'Not without me, you're not!' A familiar voice shouted. A black SUV burst through the gates and an arm shot out of the left window, firing a sidearm laser at the Psychos, putting them in the ground. Billy recognised the weapon: it was a Zeo Laser Pistol.

'Rocky!' Billy called out. A man stepped out of the SUV still carrying the pistol.

'That's my name, don't wear it out, man.' Rocky replied. The Blue Rangers all walked up to Rocky.

'This is Rocky, the Blue Zeo Ranger. He also took over from Jason as the Red Ranger when Jason left Angel Grove for the first time.' Billy introduced. But the Psycho Shadows weren't done as they went after the seven Blue Rangers. The group split off and went to fight the Serotonin.

'It's Morphin' Time!'

'Blue Aquitar Ranger Power!'

'Zeo Ranger 3 Blue!'

'Shift Into Turbo!'

'Let's Rocket!'

'Go Galactic!'

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!'

Justin went into a square firing stance and began firing at the Psycho Shadows again. When he got in range, Marcus leapt up, over Justin and came down with a slash of his Ocean Sabershooter. The Psycho Shadows blocked, but before they could counter-attack, Justin and Marcus flipped away.

As Justin & Marcus cleared out, Billy and Cestro rushed in, attacking with the Power Lance and Aquitian Sword. The Psycho Shadows managed to block the Sword, but couldn’t avoid the Lance. Backed up by the Strength of the Triceratops, the blow sent the Psycho Shadows flying.

As the Psycho Shadows regained their feet, TJ & Kai flipped over them, Kai peppering them with shots from his Quasar Saber, TJ with shots from his Astro Blaster. The Psycho Shadows were dazed again, but before they could regain their footing, Justin and Cestro double teamed them.

Cestro went down into a leg sweep as Justin slammed a spinning heel kick into the Psycho Shadows’ chests. The result sent them all flipping head over heels three times before hitting the ground. The Psycho Shadows regrouped from the flurry of assaults from the Rangers.

'Let's finish this!' Billy suggested.

'Good idea!' Marcus responded.

'Power Lance Strike!'
'Blue Aquitian Water Strike!'
'Zeo 3 Axe Slash!'
'Turbo Lightning Sword!'
'Astro Axe!'
'Quasar Strike!'
'Ocean Cyclone!'

The Psycho Shadows exploded into a blue flame. Everyone powered down before Billy rushed up to TJ & Kai.

'What happened up there?' Billy asked in concern.

'The Serotonin found something up there, which I think is best for when the other Blue Rangers find us. We went back to find the Megaship being sabotaged by Psycho Shadows. That lead to them spotting us and chasing us off the Jupiter moon. I don't know what they've done with the ship.' Kai admitted.

'That's bad. We've lost transportation. And Psycho Blue's gonna' be miles ahead of schedule.' Billy replied. Then his communicator let out that familiar sound.

'Billy here. What? He's here? Great. Bye.' Billy said. His eyes then shifted towards the entrance gates, prompting his fellow Blue Rangers to follow suit.
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'Ever since the Power Rangers destroyed me and my fellow Psycho Rangers in battle years ago, my very existence has been forced to wander the galaxies looking for my next objective in hiding. But no more, my generals of the Serotonin. With my new body, powers and the remains of Cyclopsis having been dug up, we will dominate the Power Rangers on our excursion to Earth! But you leave the Blue Ranger to me: he is my personal vendetta!' Psycho Blue explained to his generals Saix, Nocturne, Syrax, Glacier and Malyx. Suddenly, a Psycho Shadow burst into the room with a report.

'Master! Two Blue Power Rangers have been chased off this moon by several of our finest Psycho Shadows into Earth, where our soldiers were ambushed by yet more Blue Rangers! I fear they may have spotted us mining Cyclopsis' remains out of the ground.' The Shadow explained.

'I knew that the Power Rangers would interfere with our plans eventually. But I'm not bothered by this news... I actually salvate at the chance of getting to face my arch nemesis one more time... so they're playing into my hands!' Psycho Blue responded.
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'Ethan James, Blue Dino Thunder Ranger... and the Ninja Storm Rangers Tori Hanson and Blake Bradley.' Billy introduced.

'Isn't it against ethics to have more than one Blue Ranger on a team?' Marcus wondered in sarcasm.

'That doesn't really play for this mission, though, does it?' Justin smiled. Marcus knew exactly what Justin was talking about.

'It's an honour to be in the presence of my successors and predecessors. This mission was worth recharging the old powers again.' Ethan said.

'Same goes for us.' Blake followed. Marcus stepped in.

'I hate to interrupt, but is anybody else joining this mission? I'm about to suffer overload.' Marcus asked. Billy smiled.

'Now that you ask...' Billy replied. Out of nowhere came Max, the Blue Wild Force Ranger, Chad Lee, the Blue Lightspeed Ranger and Madison Rocca, the Blue Mystic Ranger.

'I'm sorry I did!' Marcus exclaimed. Then a hole ripped the sky and out flew the familiar Timeship of the Time Force Rangers. Lucas Kendall, Blue Time Force Ranger and the unrecognised Sky Tate, SPD Blue Ranger, stepped off of it.

'Don't have to worry about the Megaship, then...' TJ sighed.
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'Psycho Blue, the final version of the Psychostatic Cuffs are completed.' Malyx reported, handing over said-cuffs to Psycho Blue.

'Excellent work, Malyx. Now, let's go to the epicenter of Cyclopsis' remains and conquer this universe!' Psycho Blue encouraged. Suddenly, the doors of his fortress burst open with Psycho Shadows bumbling around. The intrusion was the task force of Blue Rangers.

'Cyclopsis is torn to pieces... if you want to be like that, we can arrange it!' Billy taunted.

'Try and stop us from bringing it--! You!' Psycho Blue yelled, spotting his arch-nemesis TJ.

'Remember me? I'm so flattered!' TJ mocked, reminding Psycho Blue of his last humiliating defeat.

'Psycho Shadows, get them!' ordered the disgruntled Psycho Ranger.

'Then it's time for your last stand!' Max proclaimed.

'Ready?' Marcus asked his teammates.

'READY!' They responded.

'It's Morphin' Time! Triceratops!' called Billy. 'Mighty Morphin' Blue Power Ranger!'
'It's Morphin' Time! Blue Aquitar Ranger Power!' called Cestro. 'Blue Alien Ranger!'
'It's Morphin' Time! Zeo Ranger 3: Blue!' called Rocky. 'Blue Zeo Ranger!'
'Shift Into Turbo! Mountain Blaster, Turbo Power!' called Justin. 'Blue Turbo Ranger!'
'Let's Rocket!' called TJ. 'Blue Space Ranger!'
'Go Galactic!' called Kai. 'Blue Galaxy Ranger!'
'Lightspeed Rescue!' called Chad. 'Blue Lightspeed Ranger!'
'Time For Time Force!' called Lucas. 'Blue Time Force Ranger!'
'Wild Access!' called Max. 'Blue Wild Force Ranger!'
'Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!' called Tori. 'Blue Wind Ranger!'
'Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!' called Blake. 'Navy Thunder Ranger!'
'Dino Thunder, Power Up!' called Ethan. 'Blue Dino Ranger!'
'SPD Emergency!' called Sky. 'SPD Blue Ranger!'
'Magical Source, Mystic Force!' called Madison. 'Blue Mystic Ranger!'
'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!' called Marcus. 'Swordfish's Reckless Intent! Ocean Spirit: Blue Spirit Strike Ranger!'

Psycho Blue drew his Psycho Axe and battle was joined. The Original & Spirit Strike Blue Rangers and their Psycho counterpart slashed and parried, their weapons crashing, sparks flying, leaping, twisting, diving, and dodging all over the floor of the Jupiter Moon. Out of Marcus & Psycho Blue, neither fighter seemed to gain the advantage for several violent minutes. . . until the signal Marcus had been waiting for came to him. Suddenly, he leapt up and over Psycho Blue, un-summoning his Sabershooter as he did so, coming down much closer behind Psycho Blue than the twisted evil Ranger expected, and Marcus succeeded in getting Psycho Blue into a hold.

'Go for it, veteran!' Marcus joked.

'That's sarcasm for you!' Billy replied, diving into the air and jamming his boot into the chest of Psycho Blue, sending the Serotonin leader back several feet out of Marcus' hands.

'Alright, newbie, you're up!' Billy told Marcus.

'Morphenomenal!' Marcus exclaimed.

The Psycho Shadows advanced, but Cestro was more than ready for them. He performed a series of kicks on one of the grunts, before moving into a leg-sweep and knocking it to the ground. As he stood up, another two rushed at him. Cestro rolled in between them, allowing Madison to take over. She jumped up and kicked both of them away together. One of them came at her again, but was instantly tossed into the air and thrown into the other one.

Rocky performed a flying kick into his group of Psycho Shadows, slamming into one of their chests. As another ran up to him, he stepped in and grabbed hold, using his stance to flip the Psycho Shadow over his shoulder. Sky took that as his cue to leap up, landing on and literally stomping over the Psycho Shadow as it was still airborne. A feint energy shield and roundhouse kick combo took out another.

Justin called upon all the skill he could to fight his opponents. He executed a back-flip with precision, slamming his boot up into a Psycho Shadow’s jaw. Continuing in the same movement, his boots slammed into another Shadow as he came back down. Crouching, he allowed Ethan to leap over his head, somersaulting into an airborne strike from his Tricera Shield to take out two Psycho Shadows at once. Another grunt advanced, but quickly floored by a double leg-sweep from both Rangers.

TJ fought on, expertly blocking all the punches that a Psycho Shadow threw at him. Then, as the fist came up, TJ grabbed it with one hand, and used his other to deliver his own punch. It hurt slightly to punch the Psycho Shadow’s head, but he shook it off. Now grabbing hold of both of the grunt’s arms, TJ sent a kick into its chest. He then started on another, and moved in. Just then, Blake rushed in from out of nowhere and barged the Psycho Shadow aside, finishing it off with a Navy Thunder Power Kick. TJ just continued with the fight, quickly nodding to his fellow Blue Ranger.

Kai allied himself alongside Tori for this fight. Tori delivered some solid punches to a Psycho Shadow’s chest. The Psycho Shadow stumbled backwards, where Kai was waiting to lash out with a jumping kick. The grunt was unable to escape the Ranger sandwich of a double crescent kick to the head. In an unusual move, another Psycho Shadow ran in to assist. Tori nodded waiting for Kai to engage. Galaxy Blue immediately moved forward, moving into a sliding tackle. He made contact with the Psycho Shadow’s calves, tripping it up and sending it flying over into the air. Tori quickly withdrew her Ninja Blaster sidearm and unleashed a few energy bolts on the airborne grunt. The defeated Psycho Shadow slumped to the ground, a few waves of smoke rising from its downed body.

Chad, Lucas & Max went in one after the other, landing successful blows from their V-Lancer, V-Weapon Blue & Armadillo Puck weapons, leaving the Psycho Shadows in a heap.

'We're not finished here, Rangers!' Psycho Blue declared. The Blue Rangers reassembled, each holding a personal weapon.

'Really? In case you didn't notice, you just lost the fight!' Marcus taunted.

'Not yet we haven't! We still have Cyclopsis!' Psycho Blue reminded them. He thrust his fist out and all the Blue Rangers except Marcus were engulfed in a ball of darkness.

'Guys!' Marcus called, but they couldn't hear him. He went over to the darkness, but Malyx blasted him from behind. Marcus then got a strong sense of determination and willed himself to verticality.

'You guys are really raining on my parade. So... I'm gonna' rain on yours!' Marcus declared. He held out his Strike Brace.

'Battlizer Cycle!' He called, summoning Damien's personal white bike. Marcus dived into the seat and revved up, goring through the Serotonin Generals with force. Marcus turned back and hit a couple of buttons.

'Nightshift Battlizer Mode!' He called. The white armour of the Nightshift Ranger responded and engulfed Marcus. With the Ocean Sabershooter by his side, the Blue Battlized Ranger ran really fast. Psycho Blue was lucky to escape the attack as his generals went down to a series of slashes and blasts from the Sabershooter before exploding.

'You're next, Psycho Blue!' Marcus promised as he released his friends from the cascade of darkness with a slash from his weapon.

'We'll just see about that!' Psycho Blue spat, putting on the Psychostatic Cuffs Malyx handed him earlier and running to the epicenter of the Cyclopsis remains. The Blue Rangers could do nothing but watch as Psycho Blue's physical form dissolved and his dark soul widened out, bringing together the parts of Cyclopsis to form the fearsome warzord once more.

'Not good!' Billy knew. He remembered back to his last fight with Cyclopsis years ago.

'What are we going to do?' TJ asked frantically.

'What we would normally do in a situation like this: the Zords!' Marcus answered.

'Good idea... but most of our zords have been torched or damaged beyond repair, so that's out.' Billy reminded him.

'Then... let's get what Zords we have and beat this guy now!' Kai suggested. Everybody appeared to agree.

'Triceratops Dino Zord power!'

'Blue Aquitian Battle Borg!'

'Super Zeo Zord 3!'

'Mountain Blaster!'

'Gorilla Galactazord, Transform!'

'Aqua Rescue 2!'

'Time Flyer Blue!'

'Surging Shark Wild Zord, Descend!'

'SWAT Flyer Blue!'

'Galwit Mystro Prifior! Mystic Mermaid!'

'Zord Descent Mode! Swordfish Strikezord!'

The Ticeratops was the first to attack, swooping in and firing several laser bolts from its tail blasters, striking Cyclopsis. The warzord responded by taking to the skies itself. Trailing behind Max’s Zord, its antler fired off a flurry of lasers. Max put the Zord into a roll, spinning round in order to avoid the lasers. The warzord fired some of its strong lasers towards the Mystic Mermaid, but Madison would not be caught off-guard so easily. She made her Titan Form jump over the lasers, slamming into the warzord with its mermaid tail. The warzord took a few steps backwards, but still found the strength to fire again. Luckily it was too off-balance to land a hit. Only minimal damage was taken as the lasers blasted around the Mystic Mermaid. Madison fired off some lasers of her own to strike the warzord.

Kai found himself in trouble from quite a strong laser blast. Cyclopsis lit up and fired a large beam up into the sky. The beam struck the underside of the Gorilla Galactazord, causing it to be knocked from its position. Kai struggled to right the Zord, but managed to steer the Gorilla Galactazord downwards and punch the warzord with its fists.

The warzord then lurched forward, letting a giant stream of energy spill out from its fists, forming a huge wave of darkness. The wave crashed all around the Blue Super Zeo Zord, causing sparks to ripple across its hull. Inside the cockpit, Rocky was given a slight backlash as his Zord took damage. He quickly retaliated though, firing several blue laser bolts from the points of its jagged mane.

Cyclopsis jumped from the ground, flying up into the air and aiming straight for Sky & Lucas' Zords. Cyclopsis swatted them out of the air.

The Mountain Blaster offered support from the ground, shooting its lasers at Cyclopsis without any chance of letting up.

'Let’s finish this guys!' Justin told the others. 'Marcus, the money shot's all yours!'

'Then its time for a double victory! Maximum Zord Power: Swordfish Ocean Javelin!' Marcus called, placing the Soul Charger on the control console slot. The Strikezord energised its blade. The Swordfish dived high into the air surrounded by a cascade of H2O, before turning and beginning to soar straight back down. The energised blade stabbed straight into the white warzord, guaranteeing it a second and hopefully last destruction, taking Psycho Blue with it.

'Alright, Marcus! You did it!' came the adulation from his predecessors. Marcus let a smile creep onto his face.

'Let's go home, guys. May the power protect you all!' Billy concluded.
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'That was an awesome fight, bro.' Justin congratulated Marcus as they strolled through the Spirit Strike HQ.

'Yep. A win over Psycho Blue & Cyclopsis combined with a win at the court... today's going fabulously!' Marcus replied. They entered Strike Ops, where all the Rangers sans Damien & Kevin were lounging around.

'What's up, guys?' Marcus asked. No answer. Heather looked a bit worried.

'What's wrong? Where's Damien?' Marcus asked again. Heather looked at Eddie.

'You wanna' tell him?' Eddie suggested. Heather nodded and turned to Marcus.

'Damien got a message... from his home. He's gone over there to clear up the situation about his father... and I'm afraid the Animizers will get one step ahead of him, especially Nightstalker.' She explained. Marcus could only listen with a shocked look on his face.
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jpurchase875

03-08-2007, 09:06 AM

Quick Update.

Still here, just having a spell of writers' block at the moment, but I will be back with the next chapter!

THAT'S A VOW!

P.S. Why is nobody answering my call for fan episodes? I know some out there could come up with some creative stuff!

jpurchase875

03-14-2007, 01:38 PM

'Welcome home, your highness.' Kevin said to Damien as they stepped off the Wasp Strikezord, which now had a jet mode.

'Thanks, Captain. This is going to be hard... but I'm sure I can get it done.' Damien replied. They looked over the lively landscape of the vampires' world known as Euphoria.

'Got your neck-brace on?' Damien asked, referring to the blood-masking brace that had kept Kevin safe from the vampires' thirst all these years. His mentor nodded, allowing them to proceed to the city in the distance.
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'Wait. What do you mean vamps took off?' Marcus asked again.

'Marcus, he has his already-hostile race to deal with, so he had to clear up the situation regarding his dad, mate. We don't want vampires going out of control... we already got enough trouble with the Animizers and Negative Others! And the Captain knows that because he's gone with Damien.' Heather explained.

'Who's in charge?' Marcus wondered.

'Let's see... since Kevin & Damien are AWOL for now, that'd be you. As Blue Ranger, you're third in command.' Eddie responded.

'Are you joking? I'm no leader. I can't be.' Marcus disagreed.

'Eddie's not lying, champ. You're in the frame.' Emily said. Marcus ignored her.

'You sticking around until Damien & Kev get back? We could use another set of fists.' Marcus requested to Justin.

'Sure. The games don't pick up until after the off-season. I can last.' Justin accepted.

'Guys!' came Dangermouse's voice from the Spirit Strike computer desk. The present Rangers looked at one another and ran over to Mouse to see what's up.

'I just took a glance at the Project X files again with Kevin's access codes... and found something else very interesting: a secret diary entry, written long after his supposed final entry. I know what you're thinking: long after? But he was supposed to be dead.' Dangermouse explained. Eddie read the entry:

'Anyone who's going to read this entry after January 13th is going to think this is a sick prank by someone who found my technology, but I assure the most recent readers this is the real Sergeant Ralph Summers of the Silver Guardians. Unfortunately for me, while trying to find volunteers for my Project X powers, I was consumed by darkness after meeting with a Negative Other known as Nightstalker. The most interesting thing about this fellow is that he is almost a mirror image of the vampire king's heir, the one my opposite number down at Spirit Strike is housing. We had a little discussion and he convinced me that he was going to protect the entire universe against the oncoming Animizer threat. And, foolishly, I allowed myself to believe him. I gave him the Project X Symbiote Emulator Belt and Symbiote X-Brace Emulator... and that was where he betrayed me. With the powers, he launched a smokescreen of shadows at me and I was lost for days... until a door to light made me reappear in a different part of the Negative Zone, without my other Project X gears which I presume Nightstalker also stole, where I heard Nightstalker is looking for a way out of the Zone. I know the only way he can get out is if the one he's Negative Other to comes here and then leaves again, where Nightstalker can follow by hanging onto his other's coattails. I couldn't let that happen and I confronted Nightstalker, but the results were the same. As I lay in a heap, I met an Animizer outcast who promised to get me home and rebuild me in his image, so I could be strong enough to defeat Nightstalker. I was hesitant to trust this outcast, but my gut felt otherwise. So I accepted the proposal and became an Animizer. This is truly my last entry for real, as me and my partner go on our hunt for that traitor inside the Negative Zone before he gets into our world.' Eddie finished.

'Nightstalker's had a close call with this guy... and he may still be alive. So, what does this all mean?' Emily wondered. Suddenly, before anyone could answer, the alarms went off. Heather hit the computers with Karnage and brought up a visualisation of the city plaza. There was a swarm of Sewer Rats led by Paradox & Rhynox, with Moon Caller nowhere in sight, scaring the living daylights out of the locals.

'Where the hell's the werewolf?' Eddie grumbled. Marcus heard him.

'Eddie, forget your damn vendetta for one second and be a team player! We're not at full capacity... but we can get it done! Wow, did I just say that?' Marcus said, commandeering the conversation and second-guessing himself.

Justin nudged him in the arm: 'Hey! There's our leader!'

'Alright, back to serious business! Go, Rangers... It's Morphin' Time!' Karnage said.

'Spirit Strike...'

'Venom Strike...'

'...CHARGE UP!'

'Shift Into Turbo!'

'Swordfish's Reckless Intent! Ocean Spirit: Blue Spirit Strike Ranger!'
'Bullethawk's Gliding Heart! Lightning Spirit: Yellow Spirit Strike Ranger!'
'Wolf's Silent Assassination! Shadow Spirit: Black Venom Ranger!'
'Cobra's Unseen Attack! Slithering Spirit: Green Venom Ranger!'
'Mountain Blaster, Turbo Power: Blue Turbo Ranger!'
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'Your highness!' greeted a smartly-dressed vampire from the kingdom doors. With a smile, Damien stepped forward and hugged with this one.

'It's so good to see you again, Darta.' Damien responded. As they parted from their embrace, Kevin waved slightly.

'Captain Briggs, it is an honour to have you back on Euphoria. Young master, the people of Euphoria have began to panic. As news of your father's death passed through our world, we all wondered if you had also suffered his fate and were concerned that our new blood supply would fail without the king.' Darta explained.

'Blood supply?' Damien wondered.

'Yes. Your father had... broken the terms of Earth's anti-vampire treaty once to grab a human off the streets and bring him home to be the subject of our unlimited blood harvest, so our race could feed on endless pints of blood. The race was desperate enough to necessitate the king's tactics. I apologise.' Darta continued.

'Don't, Darta. It's nothing to do with you and I order you not to worry over such things, since I'm now officially the king of Euphoria.' Damien said, whipping out the Sword of Eternal Night. Darta gazed upon its magnificence.

'You've got to address your people, young master. Let them know of yor rule.' Darta advised.

'That's why I came.' Damien replied.
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The Zord Cycles drove to the scene, where Paradox and his army were waiting. Eddie went wide-eyed.

'Many more Rats than what we saw on screen!' He said.

'Never stopped us before... so let's do it!' Emily suggested.

'Right!' came the response from her teammates. They charged, with the Animizers doing likewise.

Rhynox charged wildly at his opponent, Eddie only just managing to bring up his Venom Axe to parry the blow before it struck home. Desperately lashing out with a kick, he sent Rhynox staggering back once more, following it up with a quick lunge with the Venom Axe that managed to cut into Rhynox's shoulderplates. Roaring in rage, Rhynox attempted to strike back at his adversary with a slash from his own claws, striking the armour that now surrounded Eddie’s shoulders. The strike sent Eddie staggering back slightly, but he managed to recover in time to strike back at his foe, once again sending Rhynox staggering back slightly. Instantly, the two of them had lunged for each other once more, neglecting their earlier clash of weapons and limiting themselves once more to hand-to-hand combat. Eddie lashed out at Rhynox’s chin with a desperate kick, sending his foe staggering back once more as he prepared for another assault. Rhynox tried to get up but Eddie dove high into the air and came crashing down onto the Animizer's chest. The air rushed out of Rhynox's lungs and he struggled to get up. Luckily for him, his flailing claws sliced a cut on Eddie's wrist. Both warriors were in considerable pain, but neither was going to give up for anything. Rhynox again charged at Eddie, this time prepared to kill. He let loose five multicoloured laser sparks and three of them hit Eddie with enough force to kill an elephant. Eddie was staggered, and couldn't move. Rhynox grinned and prepared to deliver a final blow when suddenly, Eddie came out of his dizzy spell and threw his Axe at Rhynox. The righthand Animizer Lord of Paradox screamed in pain as the sharp edges cut into his stomach. Rhynox fell backwards.

'You'll pay for that, Black Ranger!' Rhynox growled.

'Bring it on, hornhead!' Eddie taunted.

Emily was doing okay against a batch of Rats. She drew her Soul Blaster and fired. Heather drew her sidearm and began her attack as well. Heather leapt backwards and pressed the buttons on her Strike Brace.

'You might wanna cover your ears, mate.' Heather warned. The reason for that became apparent as the Strike Brace exploded into a massive yellow thunderstorm that rocked the area and killed the majority of Rats.

'Okay... what gives?' Justin grumbled, as he grabbed Paradox's wrist, blocking the Animizer leader's fist and allowing Marcus to rush in and fly-kick Paradox. It didn't faze their adversary. Instead, Paradox summoned his sword and began slashing the hell out of the Blue Rangers.

'How does it feel, Rangers?' Paradox mocked.

'Terrible... but nothing like what you're gonna feel when we're done with you! I guess Nightstalker does have a brain to keep out of this fight!' Marcus shot back. Paradox chuckled evilly at that notion.

'And maybe it was unwise for both the Nightshift & Sting Rangers to leave the planet for the vampire world! Nightstalker knows of their exact location and is waiting for them! And there's not a damn thing you or any other Power Ranger on this planet can do about it!' Paradox admitted. Justin raised his Turbo Lightning Sword while Marcus brandished the Ocean Sabershooter.

'We'll see about that!' Marcus spat.
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'We might have a problem, young master.' Darta said. Damien, Kevin & Darta were outside the throne room.

'Why?' Damien asked.

'Please forgive me, young master... we were attacked.' Darta began to cry. But his tears were interrupted by his body turning to stone. As his long hair finished off the statue, the stone began to dissolve into sand. Damien was shocked.

'What in the hell?' Kevin wondered, whipping out his Buzz Killer sidearms. Damien had the Sword of Eternal Night on standby.

'My conscience tells me it's not good!' Damien guessed before he booted open the doors to his throne room. Inside, it was full of vampires. His people. But what was sitting on the throne was so predictable.

'Nightstalker!' Damien growled. The vampires all turned their gazes towards their new king before those gazes became stone and then sand as well, just like Darta.

'Nice to see you again, bro. I was waiting a long time... so I had some fun while I did wait!' Nightstalker taunted, slowly standing up from the throne. Damien & Kevin readied their weapons cautiously. In response, Nightstalker held the Project X-Belt near his waist.

'What have you done?!' Kevin demanded. Nightstalker let out a mocking scoff.

'I just did the Silver Guardians a favour and eradicated the vampire race, so they won't be overrunning Earth anytime soon... or will they?' Nightstalker explained, clicking his fingers. Damien noticed the sandy remains of his vampire comrades turning to black slime, composing itself into several beings of darkness, that had no colour to their eyes... just like the Nightstalker.

'What is this madness?!' Damien barked.

'Say hello to the Negative Others of your race... my homegrown Negative Others and very shortly, the new Project X Rangers! Say hello to Riptide, Belle, Grizz, Aska, Senshi, Eroniko, Rose, Kenji, Demonseed and Takuruma!' Nightstalker cackled. Nightstalker spawned steel cases in front of his comrades. The new arrivals ripped some X-Belts from the cases and attached them to their waists.

'PROJECT X, ANNIHILATE!'

'Symbiote Project X Ranger!' called Nightstalker.
'Whitestreak Project X Ranger!' called Belle.
'Crying Shark Project X Ranger!' called Riptide.
'Blackbear Project X Ranger!' called Grizz.
'Lioness Project X Ranger!' called Aska.
'Hammerhead Project X Ranger!' called Senshi.
'Raptor Project X Ranger!' called Eroniko.
'Terrordactyl Project X Ranger!' called Rose.
'Stingray Project X Ranger!' called Kenji.
'Amphibian Project X Ranger!' called Demonseed.
'Shining Shark Project X Ranger!' called Takuruma.

'We're in trouble!' Damien told himself as the Project X Rangers readied themselves for an attack and was ready to return the onslaught, but a voice in his head stopped him.

'Get off the planet... get off it now! None of your race survive here! There is nothing left!' It told the Vampire King. Damien was weary of the voice, but his gut told him to trust it. He nudged his mentor in the arm as the Project X Rangers advanced with their Crossblasters.

'We've got to leave, Kev'!' Damien insisted. Kevin nodded and followed Damien as they ran. Nightstalker and his troops ran after the escaping Rangers across the stony ground of Euphoria.

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!'

'Spirit Sting, Charge Up!'

The good Rangers morphed as their evil counterparts kept up the chase. Damien & Kevin saw the Wasp Strikezord in the distance, but also looked back and saw the Project X Rangers speeding up. Damien & Kevin then tapped into their morphers. Their Soul Chargers flew in from the air and automatically attached to their waists, morphing them into Exceed Charge mode. But the Project X Rangers were keeping pace, even with the speed-amplifying ability of the Chargers.
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Eddie was the first to attack, bringing his weapon forward and landing a direct strike on Paradox’s chest - which had no effect! The Animizer Lord was completely unfazed, responding only with a swiping arm to knock Eddie aside. Emily and Justin moved in next. Emily thrust her Venom Drill forward with confidence, Justin with his Turbo Lightning Sword more hesitantly. Both made no scratch. Paradox just grabbed ahold of the two blades and pulled, sending the two Rangers tumbling over his head. Marcus and Heather tried their luck, but like their team-mates before them, their attacks were rendered ineffective. Paradox merely kicked Marcus away, then picked up Heather and threw her towards the others. The Animizer Lord used his sharp claws to strike Marcus in the chest. Sparks flew as he fell to the ground, clutching his chest from the pain.

The others moved in, their Soul Blasters at the ready. Seeing how effective those claws were against their second-in-command, they knew they had to be careful. Emily and Heather leapt in, bringing their weapons forwards, but the Animizer Lord quickly ducked underneath. A swift swipe brought Emily down beside Marcus, and two more made sure that Heather joined them. Justin and Eddie tried their luck, and seemed to be having more of it, each landing a couple of strikes. But Paradox wouldn’t give up that easy. Grabbing the two Soul Blasters by the barrels, he forced them out of the way, leaving their owners open to the razor-sharp claws. The Rangers regrouped on the ground, staring at Paradox and his army, who in turn stared a hole through the Rangers.

'Goodbye, Rangers!' Paradox roared as the Sewer Rats aimed their Lightning Rifles.

TO BE CONTINUED...

jpurchase875

03-22-2007, 07:46 AM

Taking a while to write the next chapter (DAMN WRITER'S BLOCK!)

But here's a little preview to tide you over:

NEXT TIME ON POWER RANGERS SPIRIT STRIKE!

Damien & Kevin fight for their survival against the newly-equipped Project X Rangers, led by Nightstalker!

Also...

...who are the Animizers rebelling against their own kind?

FIND OUT ON POWER RANGERS SPIRIT STRIKE!

jpurchase875

03-23-2007, 06:50 AM

Damien & Kevin were pinned down by the Project X Rangers, who were taking it in turns to beat down the two good Rangers. Damien went against Demonseed & Belle and Kevin was having his hands full with Riptide. Swiftly Damien jumped to his feet and took his stance as the two Project X Rangers planned their move to take out Damien. He kept his eyes on both of them, his head switching back and forth to each target until Demonseed dashed right for him. The Nightshift Ranger charged towards him as well and began throwing almost every move he knew, forcing the Amphibian Ranger back while the Whitestreak Ranger crept up behind him and kicked him forward into the ground. Damien got up and darted right for Demonseed. As he got close enough, Damien lunged out his boot in a forward motion performing a powerful thrust kick blazing with flames. But Demonseed caught the foot and spun Damien across the air, inevitably heading back into the ground.

Riptide's intention became very clear as he dashed right for the defensive Sting Ranger and quickly took hold of him, sending him through the air back into the warehouse. The Sting Ranger slamed into the dusty concrete floor and rolled away till he was in the middle and then his body stopped. Staggering to his hands and knees he shook his head to get rid of the daze which he sustained from the force of that throw. As the Sting Ranger stood up slowly, the dust rose up as well but only to knee height which didn't allow either fighter to see the ground on which they walked upon. Suddenly the Sting Ranger jerked his head up and saw Riptide come flying in after him with his right arm extended out and his hand ready to grasp the Sting Ranger's head. Quickly he rolled away letting the creature smack head first into the floor, but to the Sting Ranger's misfortune, Riptide vanished under the dust cloud. Hesitantly he moved around in a defensive posture so he could kick into action and take on Riptide at anytime it would pop his ugly helmet up. Kevin jumped and turned through the air as he felt the Crying Shark Project X Ranger's presense close behind him, and to his surprise as he turned in the air he found Riptide right behind him. But what Riptide didn't realize is that the Sting Ranger had the advantage as he foot swiftly collided with his face, smacking him down hard to the rocky ground. The Sting Ranger flipped to his feet again as Riptide staggered back up at the same time. Yelling at the top of his lungs the Sting Ranger felt the anger built up inside of him. Fists were a go as Kevin kept hammering hook after hook into the Crying Shark Ranger's head beating in his partially-protected cranium almost to mush, then he let him go to try and run away but Riptide with his massive ego and pride swung back around to get a shot in. It was useless as the Sting Ranger caught it and then pulled away still holding on. There was a slight rip sound that echoed through the Crying Shark Ranger's ears but was overwhelmed by his screams of pain as he dropped to his knees.

'It ends right here! SCORPION STING!' Kevin commanded, charging his Wasp Amulet for the ultimate attack. But before Kevin could penetrate Riptide with the amulet's needle, Grizz, the Blackbear Project X Ranger, caught him out of the air and slammed him to the ground. Suddenly Kevin burst into action charging for the Blackbear Ranger with full break-neck speed. Kevin ducked a punch from the Blackbear Ranger and swiftly got in close slamming his fist dead on into the foe's chest, knocking the wind out along with sending it back against the wall. Kevin then dashed towards the Blackbear Ranger once again. Damien was right behind him.

'NIGHTSHIFT INFERNO KICK!'

'SCORPION KICK!'

Swiftly with the Spirit Amulets echoing their words, the Spirit Strike Rangers kicked the six oncoming Project X Rangers in the chest, stomach and face with their finishing moves. Then watched them as they fell to the ground, giving the good Rangers a chance to get to the Wasp Strikezord.

'Stop them!' Nightstalker ordered. His fellow Project X Rangers went after the good Rangers. Kevin had reached the cockpit, but Damien wasn't as quick enough. The Project X Rangers grabbed him and threw him down. Damien fought back with the Sword of Eternal Night, slashing the hell out of his opponents. Damien then turned to see Grizz & Riptide running towards the Wasp.

'Not on my watch!' Damien promised, as he inserted all four Negative Evolution cards into the side panel of his weapon.

'Royal Straight Flush!' The Sword announced, bringing up four holographic versions of the cards, the fourth one locking Grizz & Riptide in place. Damien back-kicked Aska away as the Lioness Ranger came at him before running through the holograms and bashing the upstart Project X Rangers away from the Wasp Strikezord. The Nightshift Ranger boarded as quick as he could.

'Fly, Captain!' Damien encouraged. Kevin didn't have to be told twice as he lifted the Wasp from the wasteland that was once Euphoria. Trouble was, the Project X Rangers weren't going down without a fight, as they latched onto the sides of the Strikezord and held on as it went airborne.

'I'm going out to fight them. Keep flying!' Damien told Kevin as the Sting Ranger kept at the controls.
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Back on Earth, things looked bleak for the Spirit Strike Rangers. Paradox and Rhynox stood in front of an army of gun-ready Sewer Rats, who were lined up to eliminate the Rangers like a firing squad at a criminal execution. Marcus, Heather, Eddie, Emily & Justin knew they were in trouble, but the Blue Turbo Ranger wasn't ready for defeat yet as he grabbed his fallen Turbo Lightning Sword and challenged Paradox to battle without words. The Animizer Lord gladly accepted. Justin took his fighting stance and waited as Paradox crouched down, close to the ground waiting for the right moment to strike out at him. Growls broke the silence as Paradox scratched the ground slowly with his staff. BAM! Justin darted in fast with great determination, quickly he threw several kicks at the Animizer who just dashed out of the way and then swiped Justin off his feet. Hitting the ground hard on his back, he then cringed in pain, but flipped his legs back bashing Paradox's ugly face as he flipped to his feet landing in a kneeling posture. He then spun around and stayed in that posture.

'That all you got?' Justin taunted. He paid for it as he was attacked from behind by Rhynox. Swiftly he jabbed his elbow into the hornhead's side and snapped his head back, headbutting into Rhynox's head (which would have impaled Justin if Rhynox still had his horn), then spun around and backfisted with his right hand. Quickly followed by his foot as he roundhoused Rhynox in the face, and then finally spun around and elbowed Rhynox in the chest sending him flying.

'Don't like one on one?' Justin continued mocking. He turned and saw two Sewer Rats jumping right for him.

Suddenly out of nowhere, this Animizer-like being dashed out right in front of the Rats and stabbed them hard into the ground before swiftly landing on top of the second on the right, crushing it with a double-foot stomp.

'It's been a long time, Paradox!' The monster said.

'Who are you?!' Paradox demanded. The monster just smirked.

'You'll soon remember!' He smiled. The monster, based on a horse in knight's armour, readied a sword. Paradox raised his staff. The horse monster turned his head.

'What are you waiting for, Rangers? This is a fight to the death!' The horse monster reminded them. Heather nodded as she and the other Rangers regrouped with Justin and rushed into the Rat army full force, wielding their personal weapons. Eddie paired off with Rhynox. They exchanged axe shots throughout the fight and were on level pegging until Eddie caught Rhynox with a powerful punch to the gut.

'You know, Rhynox... I should have given you advance warning before we fought...' Eddie began.

'And what would that be?!' snapped Rhynox.

Eddie looked down at the ground for a moment, his head turned away from his foe, then slowly he turned back and looked up as Rhynox came closer towards him.

'....Never... piss me off... and worry my sister... WITH A CURSE!' And with that he shot up into the air, extended his right leg out, and his foot in a side-kick position as he flew down extremely fast!

'SHADOW KICK!!!' Eddie shouted as he slammed his black boot dead center into the hornhead's chest, sending him flying into a wall and landed kneeling. Seconds later a scream of terror and agony was heard before the Animizer General finally exploded into the air along with bits of Animizer flying everywhere! Eddie glared for a long moment and slowly stood up again.

'Still not as good a catch as Moon Caller!' Eddie grumbled.

Marcus rode into some Sewer Rats on his Swordfish Zord Cycle. Swiftly one Animizer leapt up into the air as if it was gonna pounce upon Marcus and knock him off the cycle! Marcus looked up and just smirked behind his mask, 'I don't think so...,' and he too leaped off the cycle and side-kicked the Sewer Rat to the ground and quickly mounted his cycle and brought it to a hault. Marcus glared down upon his enemy and kicked the stand down, then dismounted from the cycle and walked over towards the fallen Sewer Rat who staggered to it's feet then it's hands mutated into claws.

'Holy crap... why do we always have to do this the hard way?' Marcus grumbled.

Quickly he ran into the villain tackling him to the ground and started to beat the living hell out of it, slamming its head into the concrete as he kneeled on top of the Animizer.

'Die....Die....DIE!!!!' Marcus kept shouting as he smacked a Rat's head so hard into the concrete purple Animizer blood splattered everywhere and some even on his suit! Suddenly, another Rat grabbed him from behind and pulled Marcus off of the fallen, quickly tossing him into the windshield of a car, then kicked him into the walls beside it which he soon fell to the ground hard on his side. As they approached the fallen Blue Spirit Strike Ranger, Marcus discreetly took out the Ocean Sabershooter. As soon as the Rats got to his body, Marcus swiped the Sabershooter across their faces and readied himself for the final blow.

'OCEAN KICK!'

Fluidity reigned throughout his right leg and prompted Marcus to jump high into the air. He came crashing back down with his Sabershooter pointing downwards to make sure he didn't miss one Rat at all.

Bypassing the horse monster for the moment, Paradox raised his weapon once more and charged at the Rangers, each one of whom instantly leapt into action. As he lashed out at Heather and Emily, the Yellow and Green Rangers leapt over the weapon before lashing out at Paradox’s back with two powerful kicks that sent the Animizer staggering forward, his weapon briefly lost from the shock, just in time to meet Eddie and Emily’s fists in his face. Reeling back from the dual punch, Paradox barely had any time to get his bearings before he was struck from both sides simultaneously, once again being hit by the Black and Green Rangers with such force that he was sent staggering back even further as the two of them took up combat positions in front of him. Roaring in rage and frustration - this fight was not going quite as he’d planned - Paradox lashed out with a desperate punch that sent the Blue Turbo Ranger flying, taking advantage of the momentary lull in the attack from that side to dive out of Justin’s path and roll back towards where he’d dropped his staff when Heather and Emily had struck him. Grabbing the weapon, he spun around to fight once again, only to be met by two blades - the Ocean Sabershooter & the Turbo Lightning Sword - landing on the staff, the Blue Rangers staring fixedly at the Animizer warlord before them, swords clutched in their hands as they fought back against their enemy. Paradox tried to bash Justin over the head with his staff, but the veteran was able to clasp the weapon with both hands which allowed Marcus to execute a strong Ocean Kick to the gut that sent Paradox flying.

'I will not be defeated like this!' Paradox yelled.

'Just in case you noticed, Paradox... you just lost the fight.' came a response from a very familiar voice. The Rangers, horse monster and Paradox all looked up to a small building where Moon Caller was standing, wearing a black trenchcoat without arms that flailed in the wind. Eddie cursed under his breath as his arch nemesis dropped to the ground in front of Paradox and restrained the Animizer warlord as the horse monster approached with his sword at the ready.

'What is that bastard doing?' Eddie thought to himself. The horse monster stopped walking once he reached Moon Caller & Paradox, raising his sword to Paradox's chest.

'Your reign of destruction ends here, Paradox!' The horse monster said simply as he buried the tip of his weapon into Paradox's upper chest. After five seconds, the wound burst into red flames and Moon Caller let go of the evil one. Paradox's body slowly turned to sand as he began laughing evilly.

'Maybe my reign is over... but you just wait until Nightstalker is through with you!' Paradox concluded as he faded away into sand on the ground.

'And the Power Rangers shall be ready for him.' The horse monster declared. Moon Caller attempted to walk away, but Eddie grasped his arm, causing him to turn his head back at the Black Ranger.

'Why did you help us?!' Eddie demanded. Moon Caller swiftly moved his arm out of Eddie's grip.

'Because my trust was betrayed... and I was replaced. I'd be lying if I said I was without pride.' Moon Caller explained.

'I should know... because you took great pride in biting me and making my life a living hell!' Eddie reminded him. The horse monster stepped in.

'Black Ranger... you should learn to forgive over the past. You can just learn that from being around your fellow Rangers. Which reminds me... where is Kevin Briggs and Damien Lyonne?' The monster asked. Eddie was tentative, but not hesitant.

'On the vampire planet. Damien had to clear up the situation regarding his dead father and the throne. But we also heard Nightstalker was there already and our fellow Rangers were walking into a trap.' Eddie responded. The horse monster turned around.

'It's time for revenge, partner.' The monster told Moon Caller. Heather thought for a second at that notion and then walked up to the horse monster.

'Sergeant Ralph Summers?' Heather said. The horse monster looked as surprised as the other Rangers. They all were confused, but the monster understood immediately.

'It is a name I have not heard in a long time...' The monster muttered. Then he took a step back and relaxed his muscles before exploding into a blinding flash of light. When it faded, there stood a human being, clad with a Silver Guardians uniform and a bald head. He opened his eyes and looked at Heather.

'Yes... that was my name. But, as you've probably read, recent events changed me into the Horse Animizer, Rextor... and unfortunately, I will not stop until I have my revenge on Nightstalker for what he has done.' Summers explained. Moon Caller noticed something in the sky. He was quite startled by it.

'Rextor... you might wanna' see this!' Moon Caller alarmed, pointing to the sky. Ralph and the Rangers moved their vision to where Moon Caller was pointing. There was a fireball in the air. And it was coming in fast!

'What is that?' Emily asked. Ralph closed his eyes and then opened them again.

'The Red Ranger... and the Project X Rangers! Nightstalker!' Ralph responded with rage, morphing back into his Animizer form with sword at the ready.

'What will we do?' Justin wondered.

Ralph answered with one word: 'Move!'

The Animizers and the Rangers rolled out of the way in seperate directions as the damaged Wasp Strikezord crashed into the city. The Project X Rangers had been throwing explosives through the hull during the battle in the sky. The Nightshift Ranger and his Project X enemies flew off the Zord's roof and into the city plaza ruins. The residents of the city were making a break for their cars to try and get the hell out of the city. Damien gingerly got up from the punishment the Project X Rangers had inflicted upon him and dropped back into a fighting stance carrying the Sword of Eternal Night. The Project X Rangers, led by Nightstalker, were unfazed from the battle through space from Euphoria and began to advance with X-Blayguns at the ready, but they were cut off by multicolour blasterfire.

'Damien!' Heather cried, rushing into the arms of her boyfriend, who reciprocated with a hug. The other Spirit Strike Rangers were there with their Soul Blasters. Kevin pulled himself out of the smashed cockpit of the Wasp Strikezord and joined his comrades. They all powered down.

'I'm sorry we couldn't have been back sooner!' Damien apologised. Heather shushed him after that.

'Don't be.' She told him.

'Finally!' Nightstalker's voice cut off the reunion.

'All the Spirit Strike Rangers & Project X Rangers are in the same battleground... let's settle it in one breath!' Nightstalker declared.

'You know what, you son of a bitch? I COULDN'T AGREE MORE!' Damien yelled. Kevin stepped to the front of his fellow Rangers. Justin made the first move.

'Shift Into Turbo! Mountain Blaster, Turbo Power: Blue Turbo Ranger!'

'Alright, guys... let's do this! Ready?' Kevin asked. The others stepped to either side of him.

'READY!' They responded.

'Spirit Strike...'

'Venom Strike...'

'Spirit Sting...'

'...CHARGE UP!'

'Lion's Infernal Roar! Burning Spirit: Red Spirit Strike Ranger!' called Damien.
'Swordfish's Reckless Intent! Ocean Spirit: Blue Spirit Strike Ranger!' called Marcus.
'Bullethawk's Gliding Heart! Lightning Spirit: Yellow Spirit Strike Ranger!' called Heather.
'Wolf's Silent Assassination! Shadow Spirit: Black Venom Ranger!' called Eddie.
'Cobra's Unseen Attack! Slithering Spirit: Green Venom Ranger!' called Emily.
'Scorpion's Poisonous Stab! Scorpion Spirit: Sting Ranger!' Kevin finished.

'POWER RANGERS SPIRIT STRIKE!' They called out together. The residents of the city who were ready to leave were now relieved that their heroes were united. Karnage's voice came from Damien's Strike Brace.

'It's good to see you guys back in town! Alright... combine the Soul Assault Cannon and the Venom Saber into the Spirit Penetrator. Putting the Scorpion Amulet on the top can act as an elemental filter for any kind of attack you want!' Karnage suggested.

'Thanks for the tip, Karnage!' Damien thanked.

'Blazing Liontail Saber!' Damien called.
'Ocean Sabershooter!' announced Marcus.
'Glider Rifle!' ordered Heather.
'Venom Axe!' shouted Eddie.
'Venom Drill!' cried Emily.

They put everything together before Kevin put on the finishing touch by inserting the Scorpion Amulet on a top panel. The Rangers stood together as Justin stood on the sidelines with his Auto Blaster and Turbo Navigator sidearms as support.

'Spirit Penetrator, Charge All Elements! Fire!' The Rangers commanded. The Scorpion Amulet glowed with the respective colour of all the elements before it charged the Venom Drill at the end of the Penetrator. The beam went off and caused an explosion in front of the Project X Rangers, sending them all flying backwards. Nightstalker was enraged. But soon, the rage gave way to an evil grin as Nightstalker looked down at the sandy remains of Lord Paradox. He rose up.

'I wonder... why are we wasting all our energy trying to destroy you? We'll let Paradox do that!' Nightstalker laughed as he shot a dark energy bolt at Paradox's remains, which caused the sands to expand to gigantic size, reanimating the fallen Animizer Lord. The Project X Rangers left the scene, leaving the Spirit Strike Rangers in shock at what had transpired. The Sting Brace rang with alert, prompting Kevin to open the communication line.

'Guys! I reconfigured all the Zords during that fight. The Wasp will repair itself from the inside out for those of you concerned. Moving on: you guys go straight to Zord Descent mode now! I'll give you the details as soon as your asses land in the cockpit seats!' Karnage advised. Kevin chuckled.

'Watch your mouth.' Kevin joked before he rushed to his damaged Strikezord.

'Lion Strikezord on the scene!' Damien called.
'Swordfish Strikezord, ready to rock!' announced Marcus.
'Bullethawk Strikezord, ready to take this sucker down, mate!' ordered Heather.
'Venom Wolf Strikezord, injecting a lethal dose of poison for the fate of the world!' shouted Eddie.
'Venom Cobra Strikezord here! Time to prick this thorn out of our side for good!' cried Emily.
'Wasp & Scorpion Strikezords! This war ends now!' Kevin finished.

'I hope they make it!' Ralph said as he and Moon Caller watched the battle from the ground.

'They will... they are led by the best after all.' Moon Caller replied.

'All right! We've come this far... let's finish this once and for all!' Damien proclaimed.

'Right!' His fellow Rangers responded. Karnage then reopened the communication line.

'Damien, since you're the Red Ranger, you might want to start it all off! Go for the Soul Assault Formation and combine to form the Soul Assault Megazord!' Karnage suggested. Damien took out his Lion & Nightshift Amulets and inserted them onto his console dashboard.

'Soul Assault Formation!' Damien called out. The other Rangers then inserted their Amulets onto their respective dashboards before echoing their leader's words. The Nightstrike Batzord joined the party and the Zords began to combine. The Spirit Strike Megazord stood first as the Wasp and Nightstrike Bat Zords attached themselves to the arms as wrist-mounted blasters. The legs then bent behind the back as the waist docked into the Cobra Strikezord's leg formation. The Wolf became a backpack with cannons mounted over the Megazord's shoulders. The Megazord helmets the Wasp & Bat provided combined into one hybrid helmet for the head. It locked into place as the Scorpion Strikezord became a sword and shield to complete the transformation.

'Soul Assault Megazord, Battle Ready!' The Rangers called.

Instantly, Paradox took out his weapon and barged toward the Soul Assault Megazord. The Rangers responded by pulling out the Scorpion tail that was doubling as a sword and went on a head-on collision with the Animizer warlord. Most of their fight consisted of attempting to strike each other and dodging the attacks, while being on the move.

The adversaries circled each other. The Megazord & Paradox lock up their swords, and Paradox is able to throw the Soul Assault Megazord to the ground. Paradox then shoots missiles from its right hand, which the Soul Assault Megazord blocks with its tail. The Soul Assault Megazord then whips its tail and sends Paradox down. The Soul Assault Megazord then shots its finger tip missiles, but Paradox freezes them with the Max Blizzard. The Soul Assault Megazord tries to use its tail whip again, but Paradox catches the tail and whirls the Soul Assault Megazord around and sends it flying. Paradox moves in for the attack, and the Soul Assault Megazord uses it drill to block the attempt. Both zords are now thinking the same, as the Soul Assault Megazord shots it eye lasers, and Paradox uses its flying fist at the same time and both zords go down. Both combatants will themselves back up. Paradox used his fist to catch the Soul Assault Megazord off guard, and lifted it over his head and launched it, somehow though the Soul Assault Megazord lands on its feet, and shot out a laser beam at an unsuspecting Paradox. Paradox charged again, the two adversaries locked in a struggle for control of the fight. This ended when the Soul Assault Megazord got behind Paradox and delivered a mighty blow to the back of his head. Paradox is down but is able to get back up. He sent out his own storm of laserfire and sent the Soul Assault Megazord reeling. Paradox then delivered a huge front kick to the Megazord's head, and the Soul Assault Megazord is down again. Once back up, Paradox shot his laser again, but the Soul Assault Megazord’s Scorpion Shield blocked it. The Soul Assault Megazord again used its scorpion tail to stun Paradox. The Soul Assault Megazord then lifted Paradox over its head and then launched Paradox. Before Paradox hit the ground the Soul Assault Megazord shot its storm of lasers at it, which caused Paradox to crash harder into the ground.

'For my father! ETERNAL SOUL RELEASE!' Damien yelled, emotion pouring from his soul. The Scorpion tail whipped its way through Paradox's chest, leaving a trail of flames. Slowly but surely, Paradox began to fade back into sand before the remains exploded. The Rangers began celebrating inside the cockpit. In the excitement of the moment, Damien & Heather removed their helmets to share a kiss. Then the vampire looked up.

'Father... that was for you... and our race!' Damien muttered.
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'Enjoy the festivities while they last, Other... because soon, you and I will fight to the death!' Nightstalker growled from the bridge of what used to be Paradox's cruiser.
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'Sergeant Summers.' Kevin said, finding out his friend was still alive.

'Captain Briggs.' Ralph said back.

'It is an honour to be back in your company. You'll have to let Commander Collins know you're still around.' Kevin suggested.

'Even if I do... they'd have to destroy me because of the Animizer DNA within me. Besides, I have revenge to attend to.' Ralph explained.

'They gave Damien a by and they don't really trust him... what makes you think they won't trust one of their own?' Kevin asked.

'The Animizer invasion is worldwide news, Kevin. They can't let one Animizer live or there would be a panic. I know the rules of the Guardians; I wrote most of them.' Ralph responded.

'Are you sticking around?' Kevin wondered.

'Yes. Your Rangers are good on their own, but everybody needs a boost.' Ralph answered.
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'So, are you forgiving me?' Moon Caller asked.

'No. The wounds are too deep.' Eddie replied. Moon Caller then placed his claw right above the Black Ranger's head and chanted something. For a splitsecond, Eddie's eyes flashed black and Moon Caller pulled his claw away.

'What just happened?' Eddie wondered.

'You are now free. You are no longer my vessel for this planet. The curse is broken.' Moon Caller explained. Eddie didn't believe his ex-enemy until he felt something lift off of his neck. His bite marks were gone!

'Why?' Eddie asked.

'To correct a sin. I no longer work for the Animizers and will not choose a side I despise in this war, that being the Negatives. While I was unable to remove Rhynox's curse over you, mine is gone. I feel you will not be hampered by my hold anymore.' Came Moon Caller's reply.

'I guess, as painful as this is to admit, you've just earned my respect.' Eddie said, holding out his hand. Moon Caller shook.

'That was the idea.' Moon Caller responded.
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'You ready, fangs?' Heather asked. Damien was taking her out on another date.

'All set. My mind is at ease, an enemy is gone for good and I am about to make you a very happy girl!' Damien answered.

'Good.' Heather said. Then, the Red & Yellow Rangers walked off arm-in-arm, secure that Paradox wouldn't be coming back.

bushwacka666

03-24-2007, 04:09 AM

Some pretty fine fights there m8, the Project X Rangers seemed cool. Sorry that I don't have as much time lately to catch up like I normally would - still bogged down with Uni work at the mo. All I can say is keep up the good work, and I look forward to more Spirit Strike action. :)

jpurchase875

04-01-2007, 11:14 AM

On the Animizer Cruiser that was orbiting Earth, Nightstalker was with his Project X comrades as they pondered on what to do next in regards to the Spirit Strike Rangers' destruction. As he sat upon the deceased Paradox's throne, all ideas were used up was what Nightstalker was thinking. Demonseed walked up next to his brethren.

'Anything to do, boss? I'm bored as hell... want to get my claws into that Sting Ranger again.' Demonseed complained. Nightstalker launched a grin Demonseed's way.

'I'm sure you'd rather find that gullible Horse Animizer a more exciting challenge, Demonseed. You have your powers because he was dumb enough to offer them to me. In fact, pass me that Repulsascope that pathetic Paradox managed to salvage from the moon.' Nightstalker replied. Demonseed grabbed the signature Earth-viewing tool of Rita Repulsa from the floor beside the throne and handed it to the Symbiote Project X Ranger. Nightstalker pointed it through the window and looked into Firestarter Gorge to see what the Spirit Strike Rangers were doing. He only spotted Marcus, Justin & Kevin, who were walking through the plaza together. Ralph was also with them.

'Since we're on the subject of challenges, Demonseed... take Takuruma, Belle, Riptide and Senshi with you. The Blue Rangers, the Horse Animizer and the Sting Ranger are ripe for the taking! Also, try giving the Rangers a taste of their own medicine: your Emulator Belts can temporarily use a copy of a past Ranger's powers. It's time to give it a test drive!' Nightstalker suggested. Demonseed, Takuruma, Belle, Riptide & Senshi stood side-by-side as they spun their buzzsaw buckles.

'Project X, Ranger Power Emulation!' They called together. A light emanated from their belts and then shot into their hands in the form of coins. Riptide glance at his and grinned.

'This time, the Rangers shall not escape!' Riptide proclaimed as he and the other four chosen for this mission teleported to Earth. Aska, the Lioness Project X Ranger, walked up to Nightstalker.

'Will they succeed, master?' She asked.

'They can if they're not blind! And I don't trust Demonseed in that respect for a second. But still... he's not the one with a master plan.' Nightstalker responded, holding up another Project X belt, which was coloured emerald green.
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'So, Captain... what's next?' Marcus asked.

'Yeah, are we done?' Justin groaned.

'A couple more things to pick up. Gotta' get ingredients for a mass refill of Damien's blood vials.' Kevin explained. His Sting Brace then beeped with a message from Dangermouse.

'This is Captain Briggs. Go.' Kevin invited.

'Karnage was running a check of the city and noticed five of the Project X Rangers wreaking havoc on Caeser's Street. You might wanna' take 'em on!' Dangermouse advised.

'We're on our way! Briggs out!' Kevin responded, closing the communication frequency. Kevin then looked at Ralph.

'Go get Moon Caller & Eddie, Sarge. We'll deal with the posers!' Kevin suggested. Ralph nodded and ran to get his partner. Meanwhile, Kevin, Justin & Marcus went to a back alley where nobody was around so they could morph.

'Shift Into Turbo!'

'Spirit Strike...'

'Spirit Sting...'

'...CHARGE UP!'
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Moon Caller, Emily & Eddie were training upon a rooftop, where nobody would be able to spot them. Moon Caller had his sword out while Eddie & Emily wielded their Strike Weapons. Moon Caller charged towards Eddie and Emily, lashing out with the Animizer Sword in a powerful slash that sent Emily flying backwards, and may have done the same for Eddie if the Black Ranger hadn’t intercepted it with his own weapon. Glaring at Moon Caller under his helmet, Eddie swung the Venom Axe around in a 360 degree turn, causing his foe to briefly relax his hold on the Animizer Sword as it lost its position against the Black Ranger’s weapon. The distraction was only brief, but it gave Eddie the chance to kick out at Moon Caller and send him staggering back. Moon Caller began to move forward for another attack, but the sound of a blade hurtling towards him from behind prompted him to turn around, intercepting Emily’s Venom Drill with the Animizer Sword as he lashed out with the Animizer Sword, which Emily only just managed to catch on the Venom Drill before it hit her. Eddie then soared overhead and nailed Moon Caller with a powerful Shadow Kick that took Moon Caller down. Eddie then landed, helping his sister to her feet. He looked down at the werewolf.

'Good challenge, wolfy!' Eddie complimented, offering the Animizer his hand. His ex-rival cheerfully took it.

'Nope... that challenge was all yours.' Moon Caller responded. Then he held the left temple of his head with his claw.

'What is it?' Emily asked in concern.

'Rextor just told me that the Blue Rangers and the Sting Ranger require our help. Rextor shall be meeting us in the plaza!' Moon Caller replied.

'Let's go!' Eddie suggested.
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Kevin, Justin & Marcus found the Project X Rangers flanked by a bunch of Sewer Rats, who were shooting at anything with a heartbeat. Demonseed and his comrades turned around in time to see their good-side counterparts arrive.

'You finally showed up!' Demonseed said. Justin got off the side of the Stinger Zord Cycle while Kevin & Marcus dismounted.

'We didn't finish up last time, posers... let's give it one more try!' Marcus egged on Demonseed, raising up his Ocean Sabershooter in Rifle mode.

'Different rules this time, brats! We got the power of your past as a weapon this time... so be prepared!' Belle spat back. The five Project X Rangers stood in a line and put the coins from earlier in the slot on their X-Brace Emulators before closing the Braces up.

'Dark Source, Evil Force! Knight Wolf: Bringer of Darkness!' Demonseed called, transforming into the nemesis of the Mystic Force Rangers.

'Samurai Storm, Ranger Form! Green Samurai Ranger!' Takuruma called, resurrecting the powers of the Ninja Storm's sixth, which had been dormant for 3 years.

'Go Galactic! Yellow Galaxy Ranger!' Belle called.

'It's Morphin' Time! Zeo Ranger Five: Red!' Riptide called, summoning one of the notorious powers that Tommy Oliver had used in the past.

'It's Morphin' Time! Tigerzord! Mighty Morphin' White Power Ranger!' called Senshi, also summoning an old Tommy Oliver power and finishing the transformation.

'What? Old powers?' Kevin wondered.

'How do we fight them?!' Marcus panicked.

'News flash... you don't!' Demonseed taunted. The Project X Rangers then spun their buzzsaw buckles again.

'WEAPON EMULATION!'

'Thunder Megazord Saber! Knight Saber Max!' Demonseed yelled, brandishing the original Thunder Megazord's sword and Koragg the Knight Wolf's own weapon.

'Wild Force Sword & Shield!' Takuruma shouted, pulling out the Elephant Wild Zord-based weapon.

'Quasar Saber Yellow! Magi Staff Saber!' Belle called, following Demonseed in double-wielding.

'Dimetro Saw!' Riptide summoned, swapping his arm for the auxillary Dinozord's battle form.

'Sword of Darkness!' Senshi concluded, bringing back the weapon - or a copy of the weapon - that the good Rangers had not long destroyed. In response, Kevin, Justin & Marcus drew their sidearms along with their primary weapons. Then both sides charged into the fight. 'Scorpion Saber!' Kevin commanded, summoning his weapon. He moved in again, leaping up with the sword held high. He succeeded in bringing the blade down on top of Demonseed, causing it to take a few steps backwards. Kevin thrust the Scorpion Saber forward again, giving two more slashes. However, when he tried a third, Demonseed succeeded in blocking the attack and kicking Kevin away. A sudden round of slashes from Demonseed’s swords forced Kevin to the ground. Takuruma then took his shots at the Sting Ranger and started off with a high kick to Kevin, followed by a combo of punches. However, Kevin was managing to block the majority of these, before delivering his own. Takuruma could not react as fast, and was knocked back. Demonseed then sneak-attacked Kevin from behind with a cross-slash from the Thunder Megazord Saber and Knight Saber Max.

Justin back-flipped towards Belle, and effortlessly moved into a forceful kick that knocked her back. It was often Justin’s method of fighting not to give his opponent a chance. He lived up to this now, leaping up and rotating into a spinning kick, his foot connecting with the side of Belle’s head.

'Turbo Lightning Sword!' he commanded. His individual weapon instantly appeared in his hand. Spinning it around, Justin let the sword fly through the air, lashing out and striking Belle. He repeated the motion again, then began to twist around, demonstrating complete control over the Turbo Lightning Sword’s motion with deadly direction. This time, the sword smashed into one of Belle’s ankles. One hard slash, and she was swept off her feet. Belle then used the ground to her advantage and stabbed Justin in his ankle with the Magi Staff Sword before slamming the Quasar Saber into Justin's helmet as the Blue Turbo Ranger fell to one knee. Belle regained verticality and raised up her weapons. Diving into the air, Belle brought the weapons down in a downwards lightning slash.

Riptide came under attack from Marcus, who wasted no time in slamming a devastating flurry of punches into Riptide’s body. He then ducked down into a split-legged leg-sweep, knocking Riptide to the ground. He decided to use this to his advantage, and dived down to attack. However, Riptide suddenly lit up the Dimetro Saw, allowing it to spin furiously. Marcus landed on the edge of the blade and cut his arms. He was knocked clear, and rolled to the side. Marcus' Ocean Sabershooter appeared in his hand again, and he quickly leapt up again, slamming the Sabershooter down onto Riptide. Marcus then fought Senshi, currently defending himself against a flurry of attacks from his evil counterpart. He was determined to prove that what goes around comes around as he got though, and performed a swift roundhouse kick to Senshi’s side, followed by a strong uppercut to Senshi's gut. Senshi stumbled backwards, but suddenly fired off a lightning blast from his Sword of Darkness, striking Marcus and flooring him furiously. Senshi took a step forward, and then fired again. Marcus quickly brought the Sabershooter up and blocked it. The storm was successfully deflected, and Marcus took the opportunity to charge forwards. Marcus then slammed the Sabershooter into Senshi’s helmet. Senshi & Riptide then concentrated most of their energy throughout their weapons and unleashed it upon the Blue Spirit Strike Ranger, knocking him straight into the nearby concrete wall.

The Spirit Strike Rangers on one side regrouped, licking their wounds. On the other side of the battlefield, the Project X Rangers switched from the emulated past Ranger forms into their own powers.

'These powers are sweet!' Senshi gloated.

'We totally owned those losers!' Belle followed.

'Project X Rangers, focus! We have a job to do here.' Demonseed ordered.

'You better focus... or you're going down!' A familiar voice declared. Soon, the Black Venom Ranger in Exceed Charge mode was moving really fast and executing weapon shots as he went along. Meanwhile, Emily, Moon Caller & Ralph rushed over to see to the fallen Rangers.

'Are you okay, Captain?' Emily asked.

'I'll be fine. We just had a blast from the past!' Kevin joked, holding his wrist. Marcus rolled his eyes at that bad pun. Ralph & Moon Caller helped Kevin to his feet while Emily helped up Justin & Marcus.

'Why aren't the Red & Yellow Rangers here?' Moon Caller groaned. Marcus looked at the werewolf.

'Can't they ever have any privacy?' Marcus responded. He immediately went to his Strike Brace and called HQ.

'This is Karnage, go.' Karnage said.

'Whatever you can do to get Damien and Heather here, do it! We need their help!' Marcus requested.

'I'll try and patch through. Whenever danger's around, they're committed to their job. Don't think for a second they're going to abandon you!' Karnage assured.

'Whatever.' Marcus finished, breaking off the conversation. Back in the heat of battle, Eddie was matched up against Riptide. Eddie executed one of the tornado kicks that he was so good at doing, booting Riptide back a few feet. He then jumped up and moved into a flying kick. However, Riptide was able to ready himself for this, and pushed Eddie in midair, causing him to crash down. Riptide leapt on top and, pinning Eddie to the ground. He struggled to move, but Riptide was too strong. Eddie, struggling to move, pressed 1-2-3 on his Strike Brace and slamming the panel down. Eddie’s fist became shrouded in dark energy, sending an intense tingling sensation through his arm. He remained focused and slammed an energised Shadow Punch into Riptide, who flew off with the force.

'Venom Axe!' Eddie announced, returning to his feet. His weapon appeared in his hands, and he quickly delivered an array of strong slashes to Riptide. With an opening, Emily attempted to jump over Eddie and hit the Acid Sting, but Belle caught her and threw her into the ground. Eddie tried to aid his sister, but Demonseed pulled him back and kicked him in the gut. The other fighters got into the action as well, including the Sewer Rats, which put the numbers into the Negative Others' favour again.
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Damien & Heather were up at the beach of Firestarter Gorge, sparring as a counteract to their many dates. Damien tried a back fist to Heather, but the Aussie ducked and caught the vampire with a kick in the gut, which Damien tried to respond to with a hard elbow. Heather had it scouted and sweeped Damien before the Red Ranger could deliver the blow. They went steady after that, but Damien couldn't bring himself to land a hard punch or kick on his girlfriend, which left him wide open for a flurry of savate kicks from the Yellow Ranger. They hugged afterwards and shared a quick kiss before walking back to their Zord Cycles to pack up.

'So, are you happier now that an enemy you hate so much is gone?' Heather asked the vampire.

'Yeah... except I'd rather have destroyed Paradox myself instead of letting Ralph do it. That was the biggest bummer.' Damien replied.

'He's gone for good. That's all that matters.' Heather reminded him.

'I suppose. But him being dead isn't gonna' bring back my father or my race. We better check in... just in case anything went down since we were in town last.' Damien suggested. He looked through his bag and found his cell phone had a message from Karnage, telling him and Heather to move themselves into town to help their comrades against the Project X Rangers. Damien locked his phone and swiftly put it into his bag. Heather sensed danger.

'What's up?' Heather asked.

'The others are in trouble down north. We gotta' go help them!' Damien responded.

'I'm afraid I cannot let you do that!' came a challenge from an instantly recognisable voice. Soon, the owner of the voice, Nightstalker, teleported in front of them.

'You!' Damien growled.

'Calm down, your majesty. I'm here to advise you against going to help your friends, because you'll end up like them: dead.' Nightstalker taunted.

'We'll see about that!' Heather spat.

'Don't bother attacking me now... I'd prefer you at your strongest before I destroy you. Gives me more of a kick and a challenge.' Nightstalker smiled evilly.

'I'll give you a kick... one that takes your head off!' Damien threatened.

'Unfortunately, you won't get a chance at the end when I'm through with you. And even more damning for your city...' Nightstalker began, slowly moving his hand to the buzzsaw buckle.

'...a whole new batch of catastrophe is on the way! Zord Emulation!' Nightstalker called, spinning the buckle. A black ball of energy shot from the buckle into the epicenter of Firestarter. Nightstalker then tossed something to Damien.

'That's a little something for you, vampire king... I'm sure you'll find it very helpful!' Nightstalker taunted, disappearing in a cloud of red. Damien & Heather then mounted their bikes to go and help their allies.
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The Project X Rangers had stepped back and naively allowed the five remaining Sewer Rats to take care of things. The Rangers faced their opponents, knowing that they were about to finish things off.

'Let’s end this, guys!' Kevin told the others. The others agreed, and executed their final attacks.

'Venom Drill, Acidic Soul Release!' called Emily. Immediately the Venom Drill began to crackle with green electricity. She rapidly twisted around, letting the Drill penetrate the first Sewer Rat.

'Turbo Navigator, Booster mode!' said Justin. Drawing back his Turbo Navigator-Auto Blaster combo, he fired off a large yellow ball of energy, driving straight into the second Sewer Rat.

'Ocean Sabershooter, Hydro Soul Release!' cried Marcus. Turning the Ocean Sabershooter around, he held it like a rifle, immediately firing a blue energy blast from the barrel, striking the third Sewer Rat.

'Venom Axe, Shadow Soul Release!' Eddie shouted, a black mist suddenly emitting from the Venom Axe. The fourth Sewer Rat could not stand any chance against such a onslaught of blinding mist.

'Scorpion Slash!' declared Kevin, the Scorpion Saber’s blade instantly igniting on fire. He leapt up and twisted, driving the burning weapon straight across the fifth Sewer Rat, effectively splitting him in half.

The Spirit Strike Rangers turned around together, as five separate explosions erupted behind them. They couldn't dwell on their victory for long as something knocked them over. It wasn't a giant monster or Negative Other... but a Zord. To be precise, it was the legendary Catastros, personal Zord of Koragg the Knight Wolf. Demonseed saw it and let an evil smirk creep upon his face. He spun his buckle and transformed back into the Knight Wolf before growing to Megazord size. He had Koragg's shield, the Eye of the Master with him.

'Guys!' Came a call from a familiar voice. It was Damien & Heather, riding on the Zord Cycles.

'You finally showed up then? Great damn timing!' Eddie complained.

'Give us a break. Nightstalker sidetracked us! What is going on?' Damien shot back. The evil Riptide was all too happy to answer.

'Your worst nightmare, Red Ranger! With Demonseed in control of the Knight Wolf's powers and the legendary Catastros, the Centaurus Wolf Megazord is about to rise again and destroy your worthless city!' Riptide taunted before he and the other Project X Rangers fled the scene.

'Centaurus Wolf Megazord!' Demonseed announced, locking into the armour of Catastros with the Knight Wolf's shield completing the transformation.

'Alright, let's do it! Zord Descent!' Damien called. The other Rangers followed. The Strikezords came up against the dark and legendary Centaurus Wolf Megazord.

'Damien, we got to go straight to Soul Assault formation, now!' Kevin suggested. But they wouldn't get a chance as they were blindsided by... more Megazords?! Then it was clear the Project X Rangers were in the cockpits.

'Tigerzord!' Senshi called.
'Red Zeo Battlezord!' Takuruma called.
'Thunderstorm Megazord!' Riptide called.
'Dino Stegozord!' Belle called.

'What do we do, Captain?' Emily asked.

'We'll attack... like we have a choice!' came Kevin's reply. So, the Strikezords charged in.

The Bullethawk Strikezord was the first to attack, gliding in and firing several yellow lightning bolts from its beak, striking the Dino Stegozord. Belle responded by taking to the skies herself. Trailing behind Heather’s Zord, the Dino Stegozord's Stega Striker fired off a flurry of blasterbolts. Heather put the Zord into a roll, spinning round in order to avoid the lasers. Emily wrapped the Cobra Strikezord around the Dino Stegozord's body, making it easier for Heather to hit the Dino Stegozord with its attacks.

Led by Takuruma, the Red Zeo Battlezord fired some of its strong punch-blasts towards the Wolf Strikezord, but Eddie wouldn't be caught off-guard so easily. He made his Zord leap over the blasts, slamming into the Battlezord with its jaws and biting it. The Battlezord took a few steps backwards, but still found the strength to fire its fists again. Luckily for the Black Ranger it was too off-balance to land a home run. Only slight damage was taken as the lasers blasted around the Wolf Strikezord. Eddie fired off some lasers of his own to strike the Battlezord.

Kevin found himself in trouble from quite a strong blast of energy bolts. The Thunderstorm Megazord lit up and fired a large beam up into the sky. The beam struck the underside of the Scorpion Strikezord, causing it to be knocked from its position. Kevin struggled to keep the Zord upright while in hover mode.

'Take this!' he said, managing to steer the Scorpion Strikezord downwards and scratch the Thunderstorm Megazord with its sharp pincers, followed by a lash with its venomous tail that Riptide felt all the way from the cockpit.

Demonseed was under the heavy armour of Catastros, wielding the dark spear. The Centaurus Wolf Megazord marched forward, letting a crackle of dark energy shoot out from the spear, crashing all around the Lion Strikezord. Inside the cockpit, Damien was given a slight shock as his Zord took damage. He quickly retaliated though, firing several shots of flames from the mouth of the Lion.

The Tigerzord, piloted by Senshi, pushed itself off the ground, flying up into the air and aiming straight for Marcus' Zord with its saber.

'Whoa!' exclaimed Marcus, grabbing the controls and moving the Swordfish Strikezord out of the Tigerzord's way. The Tigerzord flew over it and began to descend back down. Marcus took this as his chance to cash in his chips and win, firing the Swordfish Strikezord's auxillary blasters and striking the Tigerzord as it reached the ground.

'Let’s finish this already!' Marcus told the others. 'The sooner we take out these things, the sooner we can all go eat!'

'Amen to that, Marcus!' agreed Kevin. 'Scorpion Shock!'

On command, the pincers of the Scorpion Strikezord opened up wide, several sparks of electricity beginning to rise of from the throat. Demonstrating its ultimate attack, the Scorpion Strikezord shot out a large storm of lightning. With no chance to react, the Tigerzord became engulfed by the storm, quickly exploding in its final defeat while Senshi retreated.

'Bullet Buster!' called Heather. Suddenly, the wings of the Bullethawk Strikezord began to ignite in electricity. The Zord began to accelerate, now speeding towards the Dino Stegozord, leaving a small amount of lightning trailing behind as it swooped in. The stormy wing slashed the Dino Stegozord straight through the middle, causing it to fall and blow to bits while Belle followed Senshi back to the Animizer Cruiser.

'Burning Pride!' ordered Damien. The jagged fire-style mane began to glow with magma. The energy shone out from the mane, projecting a fireball-like pattern on the Thunderstorm Megazord. The energy from the pattern began to spread over the Thunderstorm Megazord’s entirety. Soon, the Thunderstorm Megazord had been encased completely in magma rock. The huge magma mountain then began to shatter into pieces as Riptide bailed.

'Shadow Howl!' declared Eddie. His Zord’s finisher was quick and simple, but no less effective. The Wolf Strikezord opened its mouth, letting out a loud and long roar of darkness. Upon receiving this attack, the Red Zeo Battlezord began to vibrate violently, the dark shadows actually disrupting the stability of its structure. The Battlezord fell to the ground and exploded, leaving Takuruma to make his escape.

'Swordfish Ocean Cyclone!' called Marcus. The Swordfish Strikezord's blade was surrounded by waves of water that became a gigantic cyclone as the Zord dived upwards into the air before coming down like a spike. Unfortunately, unlike his comrades, Demonseed was ready for it and smashed the Swordfish out of the way with the dark spear. Emily gave it a whirl, but suffered the same fate as Marcus did. Before there were any more casualties, Kevin got the Rangers together in a line opposite the Centaurus Wolf Megazord.

'Damien, go Nightshift and take him out!' Kevin suggested.

'My sentiments exactly, Captain! Night Strike, Charge Up!' Damien called, moving to Nightshift Ranger form. That brought out the Nightshift Batzord. Damien then combined the Lion & Bat into the Nightstrike Battlezord. Taking the controls, Damien advanced, as did the Centaurus Wolf Megazord. The two Zords met in the middle and immediately started to trade blows. The Centaurus Wolf Megazord quickly gained the upper hand with three solid punches to the chestplate. The Nightstrike Battlezord was forced to back-pedal but stood its ground. Both Zords moved in again. This time, the Nightshift Ranger applied a little more caution, concentrating some effort into blocking the Centaurus Wolf Megazord’s fists. The Nightstrike Battlezord managed to get in two of its own attacks, followed by a front kick. It quickly finished with a laser beam from its crescent-shaped visor. The Centaurus Wolf Megazord fired a large and powerful beam from the red eye on its shield chestplate. The beam landed a direct hit, and the Nightstrike Battlezord toppled to the ground. Damien shook from inside the cockpit, struggling to remain in his seat. On cue, the wings of the Batzord detached themselves from the back and flew to the front. One wing attached itself to the end of one arm, while the other wing flew over to the other arm. With two arm-blades now fixed to the end of its arms, the Nightstrike Battlezord brought them forward, striking the Centaurus Wolf Megazord in its chest and knocking it back. The Nightshift Ranger was now able to bring the Nightstrike Battlezord back to its feet. Wasting no time, he quickly delivered a vertical slash with one Wing Blade, followed by a horizontal slash with the other. Seeing that he had the advantage, Damien got an idea.

'Soul Assault Formation!' Damien called, connecting both of his amulets to the dashboard before combining Zords with the others into the Soul Assault Megazord and raised up the Scorpion tail which doubled as a sword.

'ETERNAL SOUL RELEASE!' All the Rangers commanded, piercing the Catastros armour with the Scorpion tail. After 5 seconds, the armour began to shatter and explode, leading Demonseed to his demise along with the copied Catastros. The Rangers then met with Justin and the Animizers on the ground.

'Well done, Rangers. We now have one of the Project X Belts. The Amphibian Project X Ranger is no more and the Project X Rangers are one Negative Other down.' Ralph informed the Rangers of their progress.

'Not like it matters... they've still got the numbers on us.' Damien pointed out.

'We'll never be late again. Sorry, guys.' Heather apologised.

'Nah, I'm sorry. I guess I was a little too tense for some unknown reason today.' Eddie said.

'Still, you showed up and helped us all kick ass. That's what counts.' Marcus smiled.

'Ditto.' Emily agreed.

'Nightstalker may have the numbers' gain... but he doesn't have our hearts. That's our greatest weapon of all.' Justin explained.

'I think after a hard day's work, a break spent at the Pepsi Plunge is in order... and that's an order!' Kevin said. Damien smiled at him.

'Order followed, Captain!' The vampire chuckled as the Rangers walked arm-in-arm together to their favourite hangout.
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He was running... he didn't know why... but he was running. He looked back and saw the very figure he hated. The murderer of his mother. The Animizer that eradicated her existence. This was it. He decided not to run anymore. The Animizer came into full view and the face on it shocked him. He was so shocked that he didn't see the Animizer's sword swing around at his head.
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Karnage awoke from his slumber sweating like hell from that nightmare. He couldn't believe the face he had just seen in that dream that he felt he had to get up and mutter the name of the Animizer he had seen:

'Rex... tor?'
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Okay, maybe not as much emphasis on the story as much as kicking ass... but I'll correct that soon enough.

L8R.

Angelfox

04-01-2007, 11:39 PM

love the action.. keep it comin..

jpurchase875

04-07-2007, 09:41 AM

X-Brace Emulator (Morpher-like device that changes the Project X Rangers into suits of past teams):
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/1066/xbraceemulatornt0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Lyger 14 (Future Enemy):
http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/5296/lyger14cz5.th.jpg (http://img250.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lyger14cz5.jpg)

Desolation (Future Enemy):
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6784/desolationtt4.th.jpg (http://img155.imageshack.us/my.php?image=desolationtt4.jpg)

The X-Brace is based off of Kamen Rider Knight's rapier weapon, while Lyger 14 & Desolation are based off of Jyushin 14 & Albino Joker from Kamen Rider Blade: Missing Ace.

bushwacka666

04-09-2007, 03:14 AM

It's nice to see they're finally getting one up on the Project X Rangers. And the Karnage dream scene right at the end was short but intriguing. Keep it up. :)

jpurchase875

04-09-2007, 11:52 AM

It's nice to see they're finally getting one up on the Project X Rangers. And the Karnage dream scene right at the end was short but intriguing. Keep it up. :)

Believe me when I say Karnage is about to break off the shackles of a weapon-maker/dispatcher and become a more significant character in this fic. Believe me!

jpurchase875

04-25-2007, 09:12 AM

'What the hell was that dream?' Karnage asked himself as he made some cereal for breakfast. Then Eddie walked in, shaking off the morning tire.

'What's the story, morning glory?' Eddie joked with a grin.

'Do you quote movies in your sleep?' Karnage said sarcastically as he slipped some bread into his toaster. Marcus strolled into the room, closely followed by Justin.

'We shot some hoops for a couple of hours at 8. It's 10 now. You guys are lazy as hell.' Marcus taunted jokingly.

'Says the guy who flames American Pie on a Cannibal Corpse message board!' Eddie shot back.

'Hey, those films paint the wrong picture for people of our age!' Marcus argued, pointing at his fellow Ranger.

'What are you guys yapping about?' Damien wondered, walking in. He was followed a few minutes later by Heather & Emily.

'Karnage, yesterday's anti-viral detox worked a treat. It's as if my illness didn't exist. Thanks, dude.' Emily said. Karnage smiled and nodded in a 'You're Welcome' fashion.

'We better look sharp. You never know when the Project X Rangers are gonna' be ready to attack again.' Damien warned.

'Anybody not see that coming?' Heather asked, rolling her eyes.

'But he's right. Tommy and TJ always taught me to stay on my toes when it came to Divatox's goons.' Justin reminded her.

'We've got to stay on ours. Sewer Rats could beat the Divatox losers in a fight any day, and with the advanced technology that Nightstalker has, he could be arming those Rats with Ranger weapons of the past, making them more dangerous than ever before.' Damien concluded.

'Now before they do, anybody up for the Plunge?' Marcus asked.
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'Just seeing my Other cheerful makes me smile... because I'm going to crush that happiness eventually! Aska, are those NegaRats ready yet?' Nightstalker yelled.

'The transformation sequence has begun, master.' Aska replied simply. She pressed a button on a panel of a dashboard. The group of Sewer Rats standing in the crosshairs of four pillars were suddenly doused in darkness. The shadows overwhelmed them and remoulded their shapes into killing soldiers of a worthy degree.

'Excellent.' Nightstalker complimented, eyeing the NegaRats closely and punching the armour of one. It was hard as hell, but it wasn't in Nightstalker to feel pain. He smirked, and walked back towards Paradox's throne.

'Good work, Aska. You have earned yourself a shot at the Spirit Strike Rangers and those two Animizers!' Nightstalker offered.

'Thank you, master.' Aska bowed honourably. Belle walked in looking upset.

'No fair, Nightstalker! I want to go after the Rangers too!' Belle complained. Nightstalker stood up.

'You both go. The more the merrier. Either way, I want those Rangers destroyed! Speaking of more the merrier... why don't you take a monster with you?' Nightstalker suggested.

'Whatever pleases my master.' Aska agreed.

'Likewise.' Belle grumbled out. Nightstalker shot darkness at the floor for a couple of minutes continuously before a monster appeared, which looked like a sick, twisted and distorted cross between a dolphin and a lion with red piercing eyes.

'My name is Manediver and my goal is total destruction!' The monster growled. Nightstalker smirked and turned back to the female Project X Rangers.

'Go now. Take Manediver, a group of NegaRats... and raise hell on Earth!' Nightstalker ordered confidently.
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Eddie & Marcus had split from the others after lunch to hit the arcades. Eddie immediately went to the Marvel vs. Capcom 2 machine.

'That game's so outdated and 2-D!' Marcus shook his head.

'Shut up, Marcus. This game's a classic. Like Mortal Kombat.' Eddie responded.

'2-D went out of style when Tekken burst on the scene... but I didn't stick with that when Soul Calibur showed me the way.' Marcus opinionated.

'To what? Your lunch?' Eddie joked. Marcus just chuckled.
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Damien, Kevin & Ralph visited the ruins of the Temple of Eternal Night on Damien's insistence to pay respects to the memory of Damien's fallen father, Parametheus.

'Father, wherever you are, I will see you again.' Damien muttered as he laid down dark red roses on the spot where Paradox killed his father. Kevin & Ralph watched on as Damien also laid down one of his rings.

'I must ask you, Captain... do you fear Parametheus' fate?' Ralph asked.

'Trust you to be cryptic, Sarge. Everyone fears dying... and I'm no exception. I don't think you are either.' Kevin replied.

'You forget, Captain... I'm already dead.' Ralph responded, before suddenly moving his right hand to his temple.

'What is it?' Kevin wondered, prompting Damien to look backwards.

'There's trouble... I have sensed it. Moon Caller and the girls are in danger.' Ralph warned.
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'This feels stupid.' Moon Caller grumbled to himself as he was dressed in a hooded jumper, jeans, snakeskin boots and black fingerless gloves.

'You want to get shot by the police?' Emily asked in annoyance.

'Anyway, if you want to go out in the city without being recognised as the lunatic that tore up the Gorge, you're gonna' need a makeover, mate.' Heather followed.

'Fair point.' Moon Caller replied. Suddenly, there was an explosion down by the river. Two of the Project X Rangers were there with a monster and a gang of Sewer Rats.

'Let's get 'em!' Heather encouraged.

'My sentiments exactly, Yellow Ranger. Green Ranger, the Black & Blue Rangers are down at the arcades. Try to get them here.' Moon Caller advised. Emily nodded as Heather & Moon Caller ran to take on the Negatives while she went to fetch her brother and fellow Rangers.

'Why if it isn't that Animizer traitor!' Belle snapped. Moon Caller looked at Heather. She noticed.

'What?' Heather said.

'Disguise, my ass!' Moon Caller spat, using his claws to shred through his human clothes.

'You're about to get your asses kicked!' Heather declared. Belle turned to Aska.

'Sounds like a challenge.' Aska smiled, evilly.

'Wanna' accept?' Belle asked.

'Spirit Strike, Charge Up!'

'Project X, Annihilate!'

Manediver stepped forward with the Sewer Rats. Moon Caller noticed the Rats looked different.

'I think I preferred it when they were on my side.' He groaned.

'Are those things meant to be Sewer Rats?' Heather wondered, also noticing the difference.

'NegaRats to be exact.' Belle taunted. Manediver snapped his fingers and the NegaRats sprung into action. The Yellow Ranger used her Soul Blaster in Exceed Charge mode to combat the NegaRats. Heather then went to fight Manediver because the werewolf had the NegaRats covered. Moon Caller took his Animizer sword and cut the throat of a NegaRat. Slime flew from its neck and the NegaRat's spine was exposed as the NegaRat fell to the ground. Moon Caller kicked one of his NegaRats and knifed the other, slicing it vertically in half. Then he decapitated the head off of the other one. Once he was done, he joined Heather to aid her in her battle against Manediver. The ugly hybrid had her grounded. Moon Caller saw his opportunity and unleashed a drill kick, but Manediver saw the werewolf coming and swatted him away. Manediver then refocused his sickle chain weapon back on Heather.

'Time for that pretty little helmet to come off, Yellow Ranger!' Manediver mocked as he poised to deliver the last blow.

'I don't think so!' A familiar voice yelled. The Red Ranger drove his Battlizer Cycle onto the scene and bashed Manediver away. Damien got himself off the bike just as the rest of the team showed up.

'Heather!' Damien helped his girlfriend up. 'Are you okay?'

'Yeah... We just had a little trouble.' Heather held her Glider Rifle ready. Damien held his Blazing Liontail also while Marcus grasped his Ocean Sabershooter, Eddie wielded the Venom Axe and Emily held the Venom Drill ready. They combined their weapons into the Spirit Penetrator, with Kevin adding the Scorpion Amulet at the top.

'What the hell is that thing?' Manediver screeched.

'You are the weakest link...' Heather gave Manediver a thumbs up and then a thumbs down.

'...Goodbye!' With that, Heather charged up the Penetrator and fired it. A yellow blast of lightning energy gathered at the drill-point and a second later launched from the cannon. Flying toward Manediver, the blast appeared to almost hit its target... until the dust settled to reveal the NegaRats had taken the bullet for Manediver and didn't have a scratch on them!

'Okay, that's just weird.' Eddie quipped.

'Let me try it!' Damien requested, morphing into Nightshift Battlized form and lifting the Sword of Eternal Night high.

'Soul Release of the Eternal Night: Royal Straight Flush Slash!' Damien ordered. Holograms of the Negative Evolution cards appeared in front of the Nightshift Ranger, with the fourth one locking Manediver in place. Damien then rushed through three of them before coming down with his weapon... but the NegaRats had again taken the hit.

'What?' Damien was left wondering. Then the NegaRat that had caught his blade punched Damien in the chest and sent him flying backwards.

'You okay, champ?' Eddie asked in concern.

'Yeah. Damn, these losers became winners real quick!' Damien scoffed as he returned to his feet.
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Karnage was hanging around the HQ, watching the Rangers' progress as they combatted Manediver, but ws soon plagued by the images of that dream he had the night before. That Animizer raising his sword to Karnage and killing him.

'Rex... tor. Rextor. The Animizer who murdered my mother... why does he still haunt me?!' Karnage asked himself, hitting a chair in the back with his fist.

'You okay, Karnage?' Dangermouse asked concerningly.

'I'm fine. It's nothing.' Karnage lied, Dangermouse suspicsiously going back to monitoring the Rangers. Sergeant Ralph Summers walked in, sensing danger and walking over to watch the trouble with Dangermouse. They watched Moon Caller reach for his temple.

'Rextor, we need some help down here!' Moon Caller requested. That name made Karnage stare as the ex-Sergeant of the Silver Guardians rushed out the HQ to help his partner. Karnage was speechless.

'The monster who killed my mother was here all this time and I was blind to it! Damn it! Okay, time for my revenge... and not let anyone stand in my way!' Thought Karnage as got back up from his seat.

'I'll be back.' Karnage told Dangermouse as he ran after the Sergeant.
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The NegaRats advanced, but Marcus was more than ready for them. He performed a series of kicks on one of them before moving into a leg-sweep and knocking it to the ground. As he stood up, another two rushed at him. Marcus rolled in between them, allowing Justin to take over. He jumped up and kicked both of them away together. One of them came at him again, but was instantly lifted into the air and thrown into the other one.

Emily called upon all the skill she could to fight her opponents. She knew her capabilities and she was proud of who she was. Nevertheless she still felt she had to prove something to the others, and was determined to do so. She executed a back-flip with athletic precision, slamming her feet up into a NegaRat’s jaw. Continuing in the same movement, her feet slammed into another soldier as she came back down. Crouching down, she allowed Heather to leap over her head, somersaulting into an airborne kick to take out two NegaRats at once. Another soldier advanced, but quickly floored by a mirror-image leg-sweep from both Rangers.

Moon Caller ran into the battle. He expertly blocked all the punches that a NegaRat threw at him. Then, as the fist came up, Moon Caller grabbed it with one hand, and used his other to deliver his own punch. It hurt slightly to punch the NegaRat’s head, but he shook it off. Now grabbing hold of both of the Pirahantron's arms, Moon Caller sent a kick into its chest. He then started on another, and moved in. Just then, Damien rushed in from out of nowhere and barged the NegaRat aside, finishing it off with a punctual twister kick. Moon Caller just shot a glance at the Nightshift Ranger, then continued with the fight.

Kevin ran into the heat of the action, where Manediver was waiting for him. They immediately traded blows, with Manediver trying to block every punch that Kevin threw at him. Manediver attempted a kick, but Kevin was more than ready for it, countering the evil that ruled Manediver, putting strength and fury into his attacks. He slammed a fist directly into the chest, sending Manediver reeling backwards. However, Kevin was not expecting his opponent to roar a tidal wave of fire as he went down. A few shots knocked Kevin back, buying enough time for Manediver to return to his feet.

'Scorpion Saber!' announced Kevin, summoning his main weapon into his hands. Manediver challenged with his own sword. The two opponents moved in again, this time trying to prove which of their weapons were the strongest. Clashes of metal could be heard as the blades connected with each other. Manediver put a lot of aggression into his swings, but Astro Silver remained cool and focused, allowing him to remain on top of the situation. Using both hands, he put pressure on his weapon, pushing the Eclipto's sword upwards. Then, he moved to one hand as he ducked down with a twirl, slashing the Scorpion Saber straight across Manediver's chest. Manediver then sweeped out Kevin's legs and looked to finish off the Sting Ranger, but Ralph in Animizer form was on the scene as quick as he could get there to slash Manediver away.

'Vampire, finish it!' Ralph called out, prompting Damien to bring out his Sword of Eternal Night again. Aska & Belle were tending to Manediver's wounds, but were also asking for it, according to the Green & Yellow Rangers.

'LIGHTNING KICK!'

'ACID STING!'

The Lioness & Whitestreak Project X Rangers weren't able to see the attacks in time to prevent their destruction, sending their Project X belts flying out of the inevitable explosion. Damien saw his opening and also summoned his Blazing Liontail Saber as a secondary weapon.

'ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH SLASH!' Damien commanded, energising both swords and bringing them down through Manediver, subjecting the Negative Other to the same fate as his Project X sisters. But before the Rangers and their Animizer allies could regroup, Ralph was hit in the back by something. The former Silver Guardians Sergeant glanced around to see the Scorpion Saber in the clenched fist of someone that shocked him.

'What are you doing, Karnage?' Kevin asked, confused. The Rangers' weapon-maker didn't respond, instead choosing to slash Ralph again hard, sending him flying. Karnage never took his eyes off Ralph as he walked over to Kevin and slashed him too. On the way to the ground, Kevin dropped the Sting Brace Morpher. Karnage was quick to pick it up and restrain the Wasp & Scorpion Amulets.

'Time for payback, murderer!' Karnage yelled out.

'SPIRIT STING, CHARGE UP!' Karnage cried, forcing the transformation into the Sting Ranger. Ralph got back up. Karnage dropped into a fighting stance. Ralph summoned his sword.

'You DON'T wanna' do this.' Ralph warned. Karnage ignored Ralph as he made his advance. He swiped forward, forcing Ralph to move faster than he thought he was able to. He frontflipped over the weapon as it slipped through the air. However, he had unprepared himself for such a sudden movement, and landed flat on his back. Karnage twirled the Scorpion Saber around until the end was pointing straight towards Ralph. With a cry of anger, Karnage drove the weapon down - with Ralph rolling clear at the last second. The Horse Animizer felt uneasy about actually attacking one of his allies in this way, even with what Karnage had supposedly done to him, but the battle was heating up, and he felt he no longer had much of a choice. Both warriors moved in, small energy sparks exploding as their weapons clattered together. Ralph attempted a low punch, but Karnage was quick enough to turn the Scorpion Saber vertically and block the attack. As both warriors pushed into each other, the conflict of energies forced them away, repelling them like equivalent poles of two magnets. They both somersaulted back in the air, landing again with a distance between them.

'You will pay, murderer! Scorpion Slash!' called Karnage. Ralph watched as his opponent’s sword began to charge with energy. Not to be outmatched, Ralph charged up his Animizer Sword for his own energised slash. As if they moved in stereo, Ralph and Karnage leapt up and both slammed their glowing war weapons into each other’s chests before dropping back down to the ground. Ralph viciously twisted his energised blade around in acrobatic fashion as he moved forward towards his opponent. The sword twisted around faster than the eye could follow - before being brought to an abrupt halt by the Scorpion Saber's sudden intervention. Karnage forced Ralph’s weapon away, leaving him free to deliver a strong slash to the midsection. Ralph stumbled backwards but remained standing. As Karnage attacked again, Ralph brought up his forearm to block the attack. The pair exchanged blows at a standoff, before Ralph suddenly forced his fist forward. The fist pushed Karnage’s Scorpion Saber straight into his own jaw, dazing him. Ralph took full advantage of the moment, giving two hard strikes to Karnage’s chest, before swinging the energised sword down low and tripping Karnage up. Ralph moved in again, only to have Karnage suddenly bring the Scorpion Saber up. Unprepared for the attack, Ralph was knocked clear.

'You're not getting away!' Karnage yelled as he moved into Exceed Charge mode and began nailing Ralph with reckless abandon. He prepared for the final strike, which was the Scorpion Sting, but Justin got in the way out of nowhere. Mad at the interference, Karnage swung the Scorpion Saber at Justin's wrist, shattering the Blue Turbo Morpher and de-morphing Justin automatically. Seeing the distraction, Kevin jumped forward and swiped the Sting Brace from Karnage's wrist. Kevin was quick to morph and subdue his weapon-maker with his Buzz Killers.

'Alright, that's enough!' Kevin shouted as Karnage stared into the blasters' barrels.

'What the hell is going on, Karnage?' Emily demanded. Karnage smacked the Buzz Killers away and stood to his feet calmly, with his gaze drifting towards Ralph once again. He pointed.

'That bastard... will pay for the death of my mother! And as for you, Rangers... CONSIDER OUR FRIENDSHIP OVER!' Karnage declared as he ran off. Damien, Heather, Marcus & Eddie couldn't believe their eyes or ears.
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Karnage had run off to the edge of town, where nobody could see him. He kicked and punched a rock in rage.

'How could they just defend him like that?' Karnage wondered as he tossed a stone into the river.

'Because... they value him more as an ally than they value you.' Nightstalker answered from behind him. Karnage twisted around real quick.

'What do you want?' Karnage said.

'To give you a chance for revenge against that Animizer. All you have to do is join me in our quest for domination!' Nightstalker offered. Karnage pondered the offer for a minute: he had been so close to revenge in the previous battle, but he also had been so close to the Rangers for months since he met Damien. Could he fight against his own friends? But wait, he had just ended the friendship after they protected that Animizer. No, they were enemies now and Karnage knew what he had to do.

'Offer accepted. The Rangers will not get in the way because I won't let them.' Karnage responded.

'Good. Now take this.' Nightstalker said, holding out his hands to reveal an emerald Project X belt and emerald X-Brace Emulator. Karnage grinned at his new toys.

'The tide is about to turn.' Karnage proclaimed.
------------------------------------------------
A/N - Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Had no idea how Karnage was gonna' turn to the dark side AND I had to deal with college. Oh, and before you ask bushwacka, yes, your ReptoDarks did inspire me for the NegaRats.

That's me apology. Peace.

JP!:cool:

roc da mic

04-27-2007, 07:58 PM

damn more dark ranger's . you da man.

jpurchase875

04-28-2007, 07:14 AM

damn more dark ranger's . you da man.

Why thanx!:D

jpurchase875

04-28-2007, 07:52 AM

Another day, some new piccies, ladies & gentlemen:

Damien: http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7742/damien2ft5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Red Ranger: http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/596/redrangerwg1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Nightshift Ranger: http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/6472/nightshiftrangerjg8.th.jpg (http://img141.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nightshiftrangerjg8.jpg)
Nightshift Battlized Ranger: http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5962/nightshiftbattlizedrangyz4.th.png (http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nightshiftbattlizedrangyz4.png)

Marcus: http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/1640/marcus2wz3.th.jpg (http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=marcus2wz3.jpg)
Blue Ranger: http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8149/bluerangerjm6.th.jpg (http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bluerangerjm6.jpg)
Blue Battlized Ranger (for Eternal Blue mission): http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/592/bluebattlizedrangerhj5.th.jpg (http://img141.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bluebattlizedrangerhj5.jpg)

Heather: http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8144/heather2sm9.th.jpg (http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=heather2sm9.jpg)
Yellow Ranger: http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/6382/yellowrangereb0.th.jpg (http://img133.imageshack.us/my.php?image=yellowrangereb0.jpg)

Eddie:http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/6973/eddyuh1.th.jpg (http://img142.imageshack.us/my.php?image=eddyuh1.jpg)
Black Ranger: http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/4070/blackrangerpa5.th.jpg (http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=blackrangerpa5.jpg)

Emily: http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/7323/emilyew2.th.jpg (http://img142.imageshack.us/my.php?image=emilyew2.jpg)
Green Ranger: http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/7117/greenrangerka2.th.jpg (http://img133.imageshack.us/my.php?image=greenrangerka2.jpg)

Exceed Charge: http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/5523/exceedchargedo1.th.jpg (http://img133.imageshack.us/my.php?image=exceedchargedo1.jpg)

Angelfox

04-28-2007, 08:51 PM

Karnage is about to get the ass kicking of a lifetime... as soon has i get this cast off my foot... LOL

bushwacka666

04-29-2007, 02:35 AM

An interesting turn of events, looking forward to seeing how it pans out. Oh and I'm glad Special Ops continues to inspire in some small fashion - makes me feel loved! :D

jpurchase875

04-29-2007, 06:27 AM

Karnage is about to get the ass kicking of a lifetime... as soon has i get this cast off my foot... LOL

An interesting turn of events, looking forward to seeing how it pans out. Oh and I'm glad Special Ops continues to inspire in some small fashion - makes me feel loved! :D

Thanks everybody. Bushwacka666, Special Ops will always be your best Bennet Legacy story ever (with Primal Fury close behind, since I haven't had the chance to read Fury of the Zodiac yet).:023:

Also, Ranger debuts aren't over yet;) ! (Did I just give it away?)

jpurchase875

05-08-2007, 08:46 AM

'Alright, Sarge, I need some answers... Karnage called you his mother's murderer. Did you murder his mother?' Kevin asked Ralph. Ralph lifted his head.

'Hell no, Captain. But I know somebody who does know.' Ralph growled, staring a hole through Moon Caller. The werewolf noticed.

'Why didn't you tell me that you had used a killer's body to reanimate me as an Animizer?' Ralph asked.

'No Animizer has gone their whole existence without killing at least once, Sergeant. But I never knew of what had transpired with the boy's parent when I was in the real Rextor's company because it happened after our partnership. We ended up becoming partners on a journey throughout the galaxy, but he soon fell to Paradox's troops... to which I ended up on the moon. Every now and again I'd go to Earth as the Black Ranger can attest. One time, I finally was reunited with Rextor as he carried out recon work for the Animizers... and that meeting did not yield a happy ending. I kept his remains and tried to piece back together what had been lost, but it was too late to bring the real Rextor back. So I ventured into another realm to ease my soul: the Negative Zone. Once there, I ran in the Symbiote Project X Ranger himself and made enemies real fast. And then, I found the Sergeant, lying in a shattered, broken existence. So, I offered to bring him back to health with extra power - Rextor's powers.' Moon Caller recalled.

'Because that was the closest thing to bringing Rextor back.' Heather guessed.

'Correct. It might not mean anything now, but I'm sorry for costing you an ally... and a friend.' Moon Caller apologised.

'Then it's settled. Karnage is now one of them and he must be destroyed along with them.' Kevin decided. Eddie was quick to protest.

'Whoa, hold on one damn minute! I am the only one in this room who thinks Karnage isn't completely gone?' Eddie suggested.

'Black Ranger, I'm inclined to agree that young Karnage may be misguided... but Nightstalker's influence can be very devastating. His hold that comes afterwards is even worse. So there may be no turning back for Karnage, especially if I think what Nightstalker's thinking.' Ralph replied, sighing.

'What would that be, Sarge?' Marcus wondered. Ralph lifted his head up and walked over to the computer. He typed in the password 'ORIGIN' and accessed a file that was located among the many Kevin kept on him since his 'death'.

'The only Project X belt that has no morph restrictions. It's the only belt we haven't seen so far and I have a guess as to which waist will be wearing it soon.' Ralph explained.

'Karnage.' Emily said.

'Not only that... the unique belt has another distinguishing feature that it can copy any weapon in the world, never mind of the Power Rangers. So, I wouldn't be surprised to see a pair of police sidearms on Karnage when they give him his Project X graduation. Also, it can bring back the worst things that ever happened to you in your life with telepathic abilities. I was naive enough not to consider this belt might be stolen by enemies.' Ralph warned.

'So, Nightstalker and the Project X Rangers are loaded for war.' Damien quipped, injecting the side of his neck with a blood vial.

'Any chance that we can make him see sense, I'm taking it.' Eddie promised.

'But be on your toes. Unlike you, we might not be able to make Karnage come back.' Kevin advised.
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'The cruiser hasn't changed much since I last saw it.' Karnage commented as he and Nightstalker walked through the halls of the Animizers' ship.

'Negative Others don't like to redecorate... except for the Project X Rangers, who like to redecorate the Spirit Strike Rangers' faces!' Nightstalker joked.

'I heard that.' Karnage chuckled along with the Negative Other. They entered the main deck, where the last surviving members of the Project X Rangers were waiting. They all bowed on Nightstalker's arrival.

'Our first order of business is to draw the Spirit Strike Rangers out with those Animizers and then pounce on them with everything we have. The Horse Animizer belongs to our new recruit... so I advise you all to not interfere.' Nightstalker planned.

'Wait. The new guy gets the Animizer before us when we've been doing this longer?' Takuruma protested.

'Unlike you, Takuruma... Karnage here has a vendetta against that Animizer and I've wanted him off my back for a while now. I only reanimated you all as a quick means to get that objective completed, along with the Spirit Strike Rangers' destruction.' Nightstalker responded. This enraged the Shining Shark Ranger.

'Are you implying that we are all expendable? !' Takuruma fumed.

'Not at all. In fact, Karnage, where does the Blue Ranger live or used to live?' Nightstalker wondered.

'Manhattan, New York. America's favorite city.' Karnage replied.

'We'll see how favorited it is when you and Takuruma smite it straight to Hell!' Nightstalker responded, putting a smile back on Takuruma's face.
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Eddie was at the Pepsi Plunge with his sister, refreshing themselves for the day with a snack. Eddie got the drinks from the counter, paid the bartender and walked back over to the table.

'Are you okay?' Emily asked, concerningly.

'Yeah. Why'd you ask?' Eddie wondered.

'You've been tense ever since Karnage went off the grid.' Emily continued.

'I guess it comes from being off the grid myself. You don't know how hard it is to witness it in another person when I had a hard time defeating it myself.' Eddie responded.

'Black Ranger!' Came a whisper from a familiar voice. Eddie searched the surroundings until he found Moon Caller at the door, dressed in human disguise once again. Eddie & Emily walked over to the door and followed Moon Caller to the alley behind the Plunge.

'What is it, wolfy?' Eddie asked.

'The other Rangers wanted me to find you and assemble you with them in the city plaza. There's trouble... Karnage trouble.' Moon Caller explained.

'Then it looks like it's time to make him see the error of his ways!' Emily said as the three teleported out of the alley.
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Eddie, Emily & Moon Caller made it to the plaza where Ralph and the rest of the Rangers were waiting.

'Okay, guys, we're here. So what's this all about?' Eddie wondered.

'We've called Karnage out, to give him one last chance.' Damien explained.

'Smart plan... except I don't like that it's his last chance.' Eddie replied.

'I'm not saying he might change his mind in the future... but we can't take chances right now as he and the Project X Rangers have the numbers on us!' Heather told Eddie, but the Black Ranger was still not happy.

'I know it doesn't thrill you, Ed, but give it a go for the sake of the city.' Marcus pleaded. Eddie nodded lightly and slowly. They were suddenly shot at. Karnage walked into the plaza with NegaRats at his back.

'Okay, Karnage! Time to make up your mind!' Kevin shouted.

'I have made up my mind and I'm sticking to the decision that I made long ago! I told you that I would not stop until my mother's killer was dead and I'm not getting off that train!' Karnage yelled back. Eddie stepped out in front of the team.

'Karnage... this isn't you and you know it! Nightstalker's just gonna' poison your mind until you're nothing more than his obedient drone! I should know... I was Paradox's drone for a few days until I came to my senses! He's going to use you until he gets tired of you! And what's worse is you're blind to the possibilities!' Eddie began.

'What possibilities? What kind of alibi could that bastard give in defence that he didn't kill my mother?' Karnage growled, pointing at Ralph.

'Remember Ralph's diary entries? Remember where it said he was brought back as an Animizer? That was way after your mom had been killed!' Eddie explained.

'Lies... all lies! You're protecting him! You're covering his crimes up!' Karnage screeched.

'No, Karnage, listen!' Eddie advised.

'I'm done listening, Black Ranger! Unlike you, I'm not going to forgive and forget! You're all going to regret the day you protected that murderer!' Karnage barked as he and the NegaRats disappeared. Damien shot a dirty look Eddie's way.

'Are you happy now?!