《Power Rangers Beta》


 Chapter 01: The Grid Awakens

    Angel Grove, 2005


    The sun sparkled brightly off the sea in Angel Grove Bay. The beach was quiet because it was a private beach belonging to a beach house that had been rented for the weekend for the exclusive use of the renter and his guests. His guests had not arrived yet, but that was okay.


    Tai Stapleton had had a busy summer. Instead of waiting to start his college classes at Angel Grove University in the fall, he''d taken a few classes that summer. Eight weeks later, he had a two week break before his fall classes officially started. He also had a competition coming up for a national Kendo title. It would be his first in the college-aged division.


    He was also keeping on top of preparations for an impending alien invasion. Tai Stapleton wasn''t just the run of the mill overachiever. He was also a Power Ranger, though at the moment not on active duty. He was the male half of the Red Tyrannosaurus-Rex Ranger team. His partner was currently playing tag with the waves splashing up on the beach and laughing.


    Lokelani Lyong wore a red bikini with large white Hawaiian flower print, the bottom half covered by a semi-sheer sarong. She laughed as the water splashed her feet. Her long dark hair bounced around her shoulders. She glanced over at him with a little grin and noticed he was grinning at her. "Are you laughing at me?" she demanded playfully.


    "I would never," he denied with a straight face. She put her hands on her hips and raised a brow, not believing him. Of Korean and Hawaiian descent, Lani was about average height, but lithe and graceful. A consummate martial artist thanks to her father, and a fondness for yoga tempered her with steel. With three overbearing older brothers, she was also tough as nails and spunky with patience enough to handle whatever was thrown at her. She was also the most beautiful girl he''d ever seen in his life.


    "I don''t believe you," she said. She dashed toward him, tackling him against the sand he''d been sitting on, watching her frolic. She pinned his shoulders and grinned down at him. "I''m going to make you confess," she declared.


    "How do you plan to do that?" he asked her.


    Her dark eyes danced and leaned down and whispered her strategy in his ear.


    Tai cleared his throat. "If I keep denying, will you keep doing that?" he asked.


    Lani laughed and pinched his side, making him grunt in pain. She kissed him.  He reluctantly turned his head away and sat up with her pouting at him when he realized that the first of his guests were arriving. He kissed her temple and stood up. He was a good deal taller than she was, and long. Full of lean, wiry muscle with a chest and arms that had seen many years inside a forge making blades with his grandfather. His hair was dark and spikey, his face a pleasing mix of his Irish and Japanese ancestry. If she were the type to swoon over a boy, he''d be the one. He helped her to her feet. "What''s up?" she asked.


    He jutted his chin toward the beach house. A small group of people were heading toward them.  A cute bi-racial girl was leading the charge. Warm skin, small and compact, with light aquamarine eyes, Victoria Williams had medium length dark hair that shimmered with red and gold highlights when the sun hit it. She wore a large-brimmed summer hat and white rimmed movie-star shades. She had been the female half of the Pink Pterodactyl Ranger team.


    Accompanying her, also looking like she just walked out of a teen magazine beach-edition, was her best friend, Chloe Kennedy. Chloe was lightly tanned with brown-gold hair pulled into cute short pigtails. Her black beach wear was chic, and her brown eyes were also covered by shades. She was the tiny but mighty female half of the Black Mastodon Ranger team.


    Escorting the two lovelies were two young black guys. Wood Johnson was slighter, with freckles, an easy smile, and an afro ruthlessly pulled into a stubby ponytail. He''d recently had a growth spurt and wasn''t quite used to himself yet. Not only was he Tori''s boyfriend, but also the male half of the Yellow Smilodon Ranger team.


    Nyo Kotze was a couple of years older, darker than Wood. His hair was cut close to his head and he sported a short, neat goatee. He was never a Power Ranger. He''d come to Angel Grove from Africa to visit his Johnson cousins. He''d ended up arriving in the middle of a battle with alien monsters. Since he was a practitioner of Pai Zhua, a Chameleon Master at that, he''d decided to help out. He''d been in Angel Grove since, lending whichever of his skills was needed at the time.


    Nyo and Wood were toting coolers and beach bags. "My, what obedient pets you guys have," Lani said to the two younger girls.


    "We''re still trying to teach them not to piddle on the floor," Chloe remarked. She was a small spitfire that just oozed attitude and sarcasm. She and her brother were technically still visiting their father in New York, but she''d been allowed to teleport back to Angel Grove for a few hours. She and her brother Danny were champion martial artists, and their father was a professional fighter. Their parents were divorced, and they had a few weekends a year and most of the summer to spend with him.


    "I should have stayed in the Lab with Danny," Nyo said in a clipped accent as he put his bundles down. "Now I see why he sent me ahead," he grumbled.


    Tori giggled. She was cute and bubbly. Deceptively so. Tori had a lot going on. Not only was she a competitive cheerleader, but she''d started out as a competitive gymnast. Aside from that, she had a varied martial arts training regimen. Before becoming a Pink Ranger, she''d been on a team of space heroes who worked for the avatar of the Sun; the White Reaver. She''d practically been raised on the spaceship that orbited the sun. She''d lived in Angel Grove most of her life, however, when not on the ship. First with her parents then with her guardian, Dawn Feather, a former Reaver. "That''s exactly why he sent you ahead," she told Nyo.


    Wood gave a grin. "It''s not so bad," he said. He didn''t mind doing for Tori at all. Of course he got special rewards for good behavior. "I kind of missed being a lackey," he said. He and his friend Nathan had been gone for several weeks, attending a workshop at the California Performing Arts College. They''d been home only a little over a week. Wood had something of a pedigree when it came to Power Rangers. He was the younger brother of TJ Johnson, former Red Turbo and Blue Astro Ranger. Wood had been over the moon to become a Power Ranger himself.


    The other teens began setting up beach towels and getting ready to enjoy the beach. Tai saw more activity near the house. A tall man with brown hair wearing green and his redheaded sister were setting up a barbeque pit. Winter Baker waved at them. He was the oldest of the Power Rangers at twenty-two. He and his grandmother owned the Youth Center. His sister Autumn helped him run it. The two of them were the Green Stygimoloch Ranger team.


    Coming down from the house carrying what looked like meat was a somewhat statuesque blond woman who in actuality was an alien, dimension-hopping bounty hunter. Or she had been before she became the Electrum Velociraptor Ranger. She and Winter were an item and she went by Lammy Goldsmith.


    Trudging down to the beach carrying loads of what looked like firewood were two more friends. With gleaming blond hair, Taran Goldsmith was the oldest of the children of Goldar and Scorpina. Lammy was his younger sister. As a child, while training, he''d been caught in the Z-wave. His parents had sent him to Earth to live as a normal human. Instead, he''d eventually become the Red Reaver thanks to Tori, and later on, the Gold Stegosaurus Ranger. He was also a powerful sorcerer.


    The other was Sora O''Keefe, a half Triforian man whose mother had been a human woman of Japanese ancestry. He had dark hair and emerald eyes. He''d only recently learned that his father had been Triforian. His stepfather was a white Irishman. His family had gone on the first Terra Venture, later he found himself on KO-35 with his cousin Cassie Chan and learned the Kovarian style martial arts from Zhane Rahl. He''d returned to Earth to attend college, but he''d been put under a curse by Zita Repulsa. As the Skeleton Ranger, he''d faced his friends. Once he''d been freed of the curse by Rei Repulsa, he joined them as the Silver Ceratosaurus Ranger.


    They found a good spot to put down the firewood. "What are you guys doing?" Tai asked.


    "Can''t have a beach party without a bonfire. Even I know that," Taran answered with a farm boy drawl that spoke his early years living on a farm in Kansas.


    "Rei asked Moriko and Griff t''come. That all right?" Sora asked in an accent that veered toward that of his Irish stepfather''s.


    "The more the merrier," Lani answered before Tai could. Not that Tai would have disagreed. Moriko and Griff weren''t their enemies. At least he didn''t think they were. Not really.


    "Well, we need more firewood for the bonfire," Taran said and Sora agreed, and they hurried off.


    Lani grabbed Tai''s hand and linked their fingers. "This was a good idea. Even if some of us are missing, the ones who can make it needed it. We''ve all been so busy not trying to worry, that it will be good to actually not worry for a change," she said.


    Tai nodded. "Manny couldn''t swing it?" he asked.


    Emmanuelle Diaz was one of Lani''s two best friends. She''d been the female Yellow Smilodon Ranger and Wood''s partner. She''d moved to Paris to live with her mother. Lani shook her head. "The time difference was too much to be able to swing it," she said with a sigh. "What about Fox?" she asked.


    Fox Oliver was the younger cousin of Winter and Autumn. He''d been Chloe''s second partner, the male Black Ranger. "Autumn said he was unreachable. He and his parents are somewhere in the Congo and that''s all anyone knows," he answered.


    "And what about your boyfriend?" she asked teasingly.


    Tai''s best friend Xavier Hart had been the first male Black Ranger. He''d been in space for several months with Zhane Rahl looking for some lost Power Coins. He was supposed to be home before the semester started. Rex had managed to graduate early before the trip, but he had to show up to start attending Angel Grove University.


    "He and Zhane are on the way," he said with a smile. Lani wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don''t worry, I like you way more than I like Rex," he assured her.


    Lani snorted. "I''m not sure I believe that, but thank you for saying it," she said, grinning up at him. He smiled back, lowered his head and kissed her to prove his point.


    -x-


    The Command Center


    Within the Command Center, there was the Power Chamber, which was the central hub of activity. There were other rooms as well, such as the Blue Lab, the Medi-Lab, the Zord Lab, and other such rooms that were needed by the Power Rangers. The Command Center was overseen by an android called Beta Z. She was a supercomputer capable of artificial intelligence and multitasking. Aside from her physical body, she could interface through computer monitors and tactile holographic imagery. She had been built by Danny Kennedy, his partner Billie Davis and Billy Cranston.


    She was overseeing the Power Chamber when Holly Fairweather came out of the Zord Lab, practically dragging a blond youth behind her. Holly was a spacey sort of girl with deep red hair straight from a bottle and light-colored eyes. She hadn''t been a Power Ranger, technically. Instead, she worked on Zords. Despite her pretty appearance and often vapid expression, she was actually a mechanical engineer.


    The young man was Danny Kennedy, Chloe''s brother and male Blue Triceratops Ranger. He was also a mechanical mad genius, often designing useful weaponry for the Rangers. He was in the middle of a project when Holly had wrangled him. "We''re going to be late. I''m sure everyone''s already there," she told him.


    "Billie ain''t," Danny said immediately.


    Holly pursed her lips together and sighed through her nose. "Nathan is handling Billie," she said.


    "I just had a few more tweaks," he defended.


    "So did I, but I also really want to go hang out with our friends," she said.


    Danny scraped a hand through his short blond hair. He was tall and blue eyed and wore glasses. Few people would even know that he and Chloe were siblings at first blush. Unless started talking and if the New York in their voices didn''t give it away, the sarcasm gene did. "You''re right," he agreed. Holly nodded firmly.


    "Have fun," Beta Z told them.


    "Why don''t you come, Beez? You haven''t been out of the Center for a while," Holly suggested.


    Beez gave a serene smile. "Thank you, but no. I have a few of my own projects. I also do not require the same mental break that the rest of you do," she assured them.


    Danny stuffed his hands in the packets of his shorts. "You know you''re always welcome," he told her. She merely nodded at his words. They gave her brief waves as they teleported.


    In the Blue Lab that Danny usually shared with his partner, she was busily soldering something together. Wilhelmina Davis, better known as Billie, and Glitch to some, was a socially dysfunctional caffeine-addicted computer nerd. She was on the tall side, with blue eyes, long honey blond pigtails and slim glasses. She was also slightly klutzy. Her clumsiness was getting better. She''d been the female Blue Ranger. She wore a tee-shirt, shorts and flip-flops and goggles over her eyes.


    Leaning against the counter she was working at was Nathan Doyle. Nathan was a gymnast with a sweet tooth and a love of music. He was male half of the Pink Pterodactyl Ranger team. He was fit and had black hair and blue eyes. Along with his friend Wood, he''d been away from Angel Grove attending a workshop at CPAC. "I''m not leaving, so you might as well stop sending me those grumpy glances, stop doing what you''re doing and come with me," he said. He was dressed for the beach.


    "I''m not going. There''s no way I''m wearing this thing front of other people," she said. Billie had gone into space for a few weeks with the Phantom Ranger. She''d gone to the planet Eltar to learn more about Morphing Technology. Ever since she got back, she''d been putting what she learned to practical use, but she always felt like time was running out. However, that wasn''t exactly what her hang-up was at the moment.


    Nathan chuckled. "It''s okay. You can just wear your tee shirt and shorts," he said.


    She blew out a breath and looked up at him. The goggles she wore distorted her eyes and made them look huge. She blinked and took them off. "Then why did you force me to buy a new swimsuit?" she demanded.


    He gave her a mischievous grin. "Well, the last time you bought one, you were twelve. I also just wanted to watch you try on swimsuits," he told her.


    Unable to respond to that, she just gave him a disgruntled look. She picked up what she was working one and put it with the others that were completed. Unfortunately, there were still too many that weren''t ready yet.


    Nathan sighed and went to her. "C''mon. I know you think you need to work yourself to death so you can finish, but you aren''t going to do it today, so take a break. Come to party," he said.


    Billie shrugged and blew out a breath. "Okay. let''s go to the beach but I am absolutely not swimming," she warned him.


    "That''s okay. I don''t think I want anyone else seeing you in the swimsuit I picked out anyway," he said and gave her another mischievous grin. While she was floundering around wondering what had gotten into him lately, he grabbed her around the waist and teleported with her.


    -x-


    Perhaps the worst thing they could done was try and relax and forget about their worries for a time. Not only the Power Rangers had arrived at the beach rental but so had a few of their other friends and allies. Randi and AJ Scott, who were the younger siblings of Jason Scott, worked at his Dojo and had been helpful during their hardest battle yet. Damien Henderson was a good friend of AJ''s and was working with him. The Scott siblings were good friends of the Baker siblings.


    Melody Robinson was a girl who''d lived on Terra Venture until recently when she was sent back to earth to live with her batty cat-lady grandmother. Zara Rahl was a Kovarian girl, the younger sister of Zhane. She''d come to Earth while Zhane was space adventuring with Rex and because of civil unrest in the Kovarian community. The two younger girls had been instrumental in helping solve the crisis the Rangers had been facing.


    Rei Repulsa and her sister Moriko were two of a set of three triplets. They had long ago been cursed to exist within the body of their sister Zita until the curse was somehow broken. While Zita and their brother Roki had been trying to conquer Earth, Rei had been working with the Rangers, Moriko had been trying to convince Zita that their greater destiny existed only if they came together. Eventually Zita had joined forces with them to defeat a greater power. Then she disappeared. Neither of her sisters knew what became of her.


    Grifforzer, better known as Griff, was Lammy''s twin brother. He was a stocky warrior of great skill. His tracking abilities combined with Lammy''s abilities had made them a formidable team while they dimension hopped, trying to find home. When they finally did, Griff stayed somewhat neutral at first between the struggles of siblings, but when he met Moriko after she freed herself from the curse that combined her with Zita, his loyalty had been given to her over everyone else, except perhaps Lammy.


    Though he didn''t do it for any altruistic desire to help the Power Rangers, he lent a hand when it was needed and helped them win the day. He was only at this gathering at Moriko''s behest and to antagonize Winter a little bit. Not because he disliked his sister''s lover, but because it was fun.


    He was one of the first to realize something was wrong. He was eating a rather large portion of cooked meat and drinking something pink and fizzy when he felt a prickle of unease. Goosebumps raised on his skin. He automatically sought out Lammy with his eyes. She was rubbing her arms and looked at him. They both turned to look at Taran.


    Taran had, and Griff and Lammy to a lesser extent, had what the others termed "spidey senses" that usually alerted him to personal danger in time to take evasive action. Right now, he had a feeling like that, but more so. In order to repair the bridges between the physical universe and the Morphing Grid, he''d recently connected with Zordon''s Staff and unlocked all sorts of mystical-magical things within himself. He was trying to get used to his new reality.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    He''d stopped abruptly his conversation with Autumn and looked toward the sky. All he could see was blue sky, puffy white clouds and sunshine. "Taran?" Autumn asked. He was walking away from her now. Frowning, she watched him. She blinked and activated her genetic ability to read auras and energy. He was emitting a shiny white energy but that wasn''t unusual.


    Darkness was creeping through the edges of her vision. She gasped. Just a few moments behind her vision, the actual sky itself began to darken. The others were beginning to become alert now.


    "Take cover!" Taran shouted. The sky lit up with what could almost be described as lightning. Arcs of power that only attacked their little beach, exploding sand and surf around them. Doing what they could, Taran, Lammy, Rei, and Moriko tried to protect those could by throwing up magical shields.


    Danny had the genetic ability to generate force-fields from his hands. He threw up what he could to protect himself and those nearest to him, but he couldn''t keep it up for long.


    Just as suddenly as it started, the energy storm stopped. Two people were now standing on the beach facing them calmly. A man who was tall and dark eyed, his facial features resemble the somewhat Asian features that were also shared by Moriko and Rei. Dressed in red, silver and black silks that combined the aesthetics of several Asian cultures, his dark hair was pulled into a topknot decorated in gold as if he were an ancient king. He held a staff topped in a crescent. A pulsing ball of darkness floated in the crescent.


    Beside him was a woman. She had pale skin tinged with gold. Her eyes were black, and her inky black hair was elaborately wrapped around her head in swirls and braids. She wore black silks with lush slightly metallic patterns. The style was more ancient Korean rather than a mix. She had the same sort of features as Lammy, Griff, and Taran. She held a slightly shorter but nearly identical staff as the man.


    She smirked at them. "Thank you, Rangers, for throwing this lovely welcome home party. You made us feel special," Widow said.


    The man smirked as well. "It was rather nice of you to gather all in one spot for us," Roki Repulsa added.


    Tai and Lani stepped forward. "You weren''t on the guest list. You should leave," Tai said in a strangely polite tone.


    Lani scowled at Widow. "Are you making fun of me?"


    "Yes," Widow answered. Her gaze landed on her older brother. She ignored Lani and walked toward him. He tensed up. "I warned you about staying on your farm, Tarantules. Now I hear you fancy yourself the next Zordon?" she scoffed. "Over my dead body," she snarled.


    "Only if you make it come to that," he said.


    She growled and lifted a hand where a dark swirl of energy began to appear. It was Roki who grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "Not now, my dear," he said. "There will be time to deal with traitors," he said and directed his gaze his sisters.


    "Technically I was never on your side," Rei pointed out rationally.


    Moriko held her hands up helplessly. "There''s nothing to be done. We have our destiny, and you have yours," she said.


    Roki acknowledged this statement with a small nod. "Let''s go home, my love," he told Widow.


    "Watch out for Rio," Moriko said.


    Roki scowled at the mention of their cousin. "She will be dealt with," he said.


    Widow was still glaring death daggers at Taran. "We''ll leave you with our welcome home gift. I sincerely hope you like it," she said pleasantly. With cracks of dark lightning, Widow and Roki disappeared. At the same a mass of strange creatures appeared on the beach.


    They were Putty Patrollers, but not any that they had ever seen before. They were used to dealing with Z-Putties. These new Putties were black and rather than Zs on their chests, they had silver crescents on their foreheads.


    "Nega-Moon Putties?" Nathan wondered out loud. Before they could voice any further speculations about the creatures, they attacked. He barely dodged and jumped into the sky. He hovered for a moment and dropped, falling on top of two of them. They threw him off.


    Two of the Putties came toward Tori. She opened her mouth and shrieked at them. They were knocked off their feet and went tumbling. They got up, disoriented and knocked into each other. Unfortunately, more were coming toward her.


    Wood sprang up high and flipped backward, kicking one Puttie in the chest and bouncing back, hissing with pain. "Tough. Tough," he complained. He sprang up, landing several yards away when the Puttie came after him with a few friends.


    Autumn''s aura reading power wasn''t handy in a battle, but she was pretty good at karate and she made a great team with her brother. Win had the ability to become intangible. By doing so when a Puttie attacked, confusing it, it gave Autumn the opportunity to knock it back.


    Sora was able to split himself into three beings for a time. That with his inhuman strength was the only thing that kept him on his feet as he duked it out with the Putties.


    Lammy and Taran use using everything they had against them. They were tough, even against their magic attacks.


    Chloe had the genetic ability to make herself dense, like rock or steel and still be able to move around. She struck out with her fists and feet, but it seems no matter how much damage they sustained, they kept coming for her.


    Melody didn''t have powers. She was just fast and agile and skilled. Her skill set was making it easy for her to get away, because she wasn''t having any luck against the Putties otherwise. Zara on the other hand, was telekinetic. Aside from throwing things at them with her mind, she could also throw them against themselves, but that was taxing after a while.


    Danny''s force-fields and his martial arts skills were the only way he was staying a step ahead of these new and improved Putties.


    Billie''s strong suit wasn''t martial arts. She was getting better with training. She could turn herself invisible and if they couldn''t see her, they couldn''t pummel her. But invisibility only lasted a few minutes at a time.


    AJ, Damien, and Nyo were Pai Zhua masters. Aside from being skillful martial artists, they could unleash their animal spirits. A lion belonging to Damien, a tiger belonging to AJ and a chameleon belonging to Nyo were as large as SUVs and were doing what they could to keep the Putties under control.


    Randi went in a different direction. She was a master Thunder Ninja. Aside from martial skills, being able to control and direct electric flashes was actually quite useful for a while, until the clay the Putties were made of kept regenerating to heal the creatures.


    Lani had the ability to bend, twist, and stretch herself beyond what should be humanly possible. When an attack proved to not be effective, then simply getting out of the way drew on all of her abilities. "Is it my imagination or are these guys extra tough?" she asked no one in particular.


    Tai was going toe to toe with the Putties. He had genetically enhanced strength. He could only use it in short bursts. Aside from that, he was high trained in martial arts; karate, kendo, and even his own fusions incorporating other styles as he learned them.  He was able to hold his own, but they kept coming after him. "It''s not your imagination. Billie!" he shouted. "Go to the Command Center. Analyze and take some of the excess with you. If you aren''t a Power Ranger, leave," he ordered.


    A bit reluctantly Billie, Holly, Melody, Zara, AJ, Randi, Damien and Nyo retreated from the scene by teleport.


    -x-


    Palace on the Moon


    Widow and Roki appeared in the throne room of the palace. It was their home. Usually, Putty Patrollers roamed the hallways. However, there were none to be found. Instead, there were Bone Drones. "Who let these vermin in?" Widow asked.


    "Go for a little trip and all sorts of things happen," Roki muttered. He held out a hand and all the Drones disintegrated with a flash of black light. Furious footsteps approached.


    "How dare you!" demanded the woman stomping toward them. She was tall and strong looking. Curly purple hair fell around her shoulders, and she wore a semblance of a black leather police-like uniform with tall boots. Yellow-lenses glasses framed her eyes. She held up a wicked looking laser pistol.


    Roki''s response was swift. Holding out a hand again, the laser blaster exploded in her hands, and she was suddenly jerked into the air. She hung there, struggling against an invisible force. "How dare I? This is my home!" Roki snarled. "You and your mother invaded and dared to violate the blood rites!" he reminded her. He began to close his fist.


    Rio Revile wheezed. "And your sisters killed her," she snarled back as best she could.


    Widow shook her head. "That''s not how I heard it," she said. "You didn''t harm Finster while you were hiding out here, did you?" she asked. "No, even you wouldn''t have been that stupid to cross Moriko on that issue," she said. She leaned up and kissed Roki''s cheek. "I''ll leave her fate up to you. I''ll start Finster on a new monster," she said.


    "Have fun, love. Make it something interesting," he said. He and Rio were glaring daggers at each other.


    Widow left them to it. She went to Finster''s lab where the Monster-Matic was. The door was bolted from the inside with everything he could think of to keep Rio out. Widow waved a hand and all of it became undone. The door swung open, and she found the ratty little alien man cowering in fright. "Mistress Widow!" he almost sobbed in relief.


    Widow smiled and patted him on the head. "It''s all right now. Roki and I are home. We brought you a present," she said.


    "A present for me, Mistress?" he asked.


    Widow waved her staff. A beam of black energy suffused his pile of clay, and it turned black. "We already experimented with making new Putties out of it, but I''m sure you''ll do a much better job," she said.


    Finster approached the clay and put his hands on it. "Oh, yes Mistress. It''s delightful. May I make a monster?" he asked.


    Widow smiled. "Yes, you may. We''re welcoming ourselves home," she said and left the lab, where Finster was already working on his newest masterpiece. He''d been making molds in anticipation of their return.


    -x-


    "Why did he send us away? Those things were tough. Will they really be, okay?" AJ demanded of Billie as soon as they arrived in the Command Center.


    "You''ll have to take that up with him. Nyo, help Beez analyze the Putties for a weakness we can exploit," Billie instructed. She dashed off to the Blue Lab. She slid to a stop at her terminal. She opened up a command and typed something in, finishing a code she''d been working on when she could.


    She gave a quick glance over at her workstation and shook her head. "Almost half are still incomplete," she said. "What about your end, Beez?" she asked.


    The visage of Beta Z appeared on one of the monitors in the Lab. "The process is delicate. It is almost complete but not before the inevitable escalation sure to follow this attack," she answered. "My analysis of the Dark Putties are nearly complete," she announced.


    Billie nodded. She imputted the code and her communicator beeped. One of the first things she had done when she returned from Eltar was redesign them for the Rangers. They still looked like the ones other''s used but there were a few extra bells and whistles now. Aside from communicating, teleporting and the panic button, they would now summon weapons without being Morphed. They will also summon the new Morphers she''d been building.


    When Taran and the Repulsas had fixed the access to the Morphing Grid, the old ones had overpowered and shorted out. Billie was building new ones that could handle the power of the Power Coins with unhindered access to the Morphing Grid. What Widow and Roki didn''t realize is that while they might be stronger than ever before, so too would the Power Rangers.


    Billie opened a communications channel. "We''re still analyzing the Putties, but I have good news. You should now be able to access your weapons," she announced.


    "Analysis complete! Go for the foreheads!" Nyo''s voice said over the line.


    Billie let out a slow breath. She closed the wide channel and connected with Tai privately. "Aside from you, Taran, Lammy, and Sora, half the teams won''t have Morphers yet," she said.


    "We''ll cross that bridge when we come to it," Tai answered. He cut communication. Billie rubbed her eyes under her glasses.


    -x-


    "Weapons and forehead. Check!" Nathan jumped into the air. "Power Bow!" he summoned. Appearing in a pink digital matrix, the classic weapon of the Pink Ranger appeared. He began firing, aiming for the foreheads of the nearest Putties.


    "Power Fans!" Tori summoned two large white and pink bladed fans.


    "Power Staff!"


    "Stygian Blade!"


    Autumn summoned a spear-like staff, and Winter summoned a dark triple-bladed sword.


    "Power Daggers!"


    "Power Lance!"


    "Power Axe!"


    Wood summoned a set of small silver daggers. Danny summoned a lance with three spikes on each end. Chloe summoned a large double-bladed axe.


    "VelociRapier!"


    "CeratoSword!"


    "StegoMace!"


    Lammy''s rapier was a long flexible blade. Sora''s sword was almost as tall and wide as he was. Taran''s mace was a large, spiked ball on the end of a club.


    "Power Sword!"


    "Tyranno Sword!"


    Lani''s Power Sword was a slightly smaller version used by the original Red Tyrannosaurus-Rex Ranger. It was more suited to her smaller stature. Tai''s Tyranno Sword was a sleek katana with a slightly curved blade.


    Finally, able to make headway with the Putties, they were getting close to a victory. That was until the monster showed up. Reminiscent of a googly eyed grasshopper in a top hat, tail-coat and spats, he cut a dashing figure as he hopped around slamming into the Rangers almost faster than they could see. "Here''s Johnny!" he announced with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. "Actually, my name is Hophazard, but I know how much you Rangers like old movie quotes," he said conversationally, bouncing on his powerful legs.


    He clapped his hands together. "C''mon now, dazzle me!" he entreated.


    The Rangers got to their feet. "This may not work for everyone. If It doesn''t retreat to the Command Center," Tai told them. "It''s Morphin'' Time!" he passed his hand over his communicator. A device digitized on his upper left arm. Inside a slot sat his Tyrannosaurus-Rex Power Coin. In a single motion of passing over the communicator and the appearance of the Power Morpher, he spun the slot the coin sat in. "Tyrannosaurus-Rex!"


    A ghost image of the Power Coin appeared and wrapped around, a digital matrix making a red power suit appear with white stripes and diamond shapes. White boots and gloves were both crowned by red diamonds. A side arm blaster appeared along with a gold belt. The las thing to appear was a T-Rex themed helmet.


    Lani made her Power Morpher appeared and spun her Power Coin. Her power suit was nearly identical to her partner''s, but the color skewed slightly lighter.


    Danny spun his Power Coin. "Triceratops!" A blue power suit appeared with a blue triceratops themed helmet.


    Chloe spun her Power Coin. "Mastodon!" A black power suit appeared with a black mastodon themed helmet.


    Nathan spun his Power Coin. "Pterodactyl!" A deep pink power suit appeared with a pink and white pterodactyl themed helmet. Tori''s Morpher didn''t appear, and she teleported instead.


    Wood spun his Power Coin. "Smilodon!" A yellow power suit appeared with a yellow saber-toothed tiger themed helmet.


    Winter spun his Power Coin, but Autumn''s Power Morpher didn''t appear. "Stygimoloch!" A green power suit appeared with a toothy dinosaur theme.


    Taran spun his Power Coin. "Stegosaurus!" A shiny gold power suit formed with a gleaming stegosaurus themed helmet.


    Lammy spun her Power Coin. "Velociraptor!" A shiny pale-pinkish gold power suit formed with a gleaming raptor themed helmet.


    Sora spun his Power Coin. "Ceratosaurus!" A shiny silver power suit formed with a gleaming buck toothed and horned dino themed helmet appeared.


    "Oooh-hoo. I''ll admit it. I am dazzled!" Hophazard declared. He bounced on his powerful legs and sprung through them again, knocking them down. "But it''s all showmanship, no substance," he said with a disappointed air.


    "This guy is tough," Blue complained, rubbing his side where he was evidently kicked by such powerful legs.


    "Taran, Lammy, Sora, Win, with me, the rest of you ready the Power Cannon," male Red said.


    "Right!" They agreed.


    The foursome ran at the monster, and he began to hop away, but Gold and Electrum put on bursts of speed that outpaced him and got ahead of him. He tried to change directions, but his hop was abbreviated as Red and Green grabbed hold of his legs and pulled back. Silver gave him a resounding smack with his Sword.


    Hophazard stumbled around dizzily. "That''s not playing fair," he slurred.


    "Power Cannon!" female Red, and the others combined the Power Sword, Power Lance, Power Axe, Power Daggers and Power Bow into one weapon and fired.


    A powerful blast hit the monster. He sparked and smoked and stumbled even more, dramatically moaning and groaning and complaining about his fate until he realized he was still alive. "I''ll give it an A for effort!" he said, giving them two thumbs up.


    "Don''t worry. I got this," male Blue said. "Brontosaurus!" he summoned, holding out his hand. Digitizing before them was a small Zord-like machine about the size of a large dog. It had a long neck and tail. It was a rusty sort of red and brown. "BrontoCannon Mode!" The dinosaur began to shift into a cannon with two barrels. It hovered on its own power so there wasn''t a need to hold it up.


    "Ohoh. What''s that now?" Hophazard wandered.


    Female Red stood behind the cannon and put her hands on it to aim. The others stood behind her. "Bronto Blast!" She fired and hit the monster once again, this time with a greater amount of energy than ever before. The monster exploded.


    While Roki was dealing with Rio, Widow was keeping an eye on the monster. She threw her staff to the earth where it stuck in the ground. "Make my monster grow!" A ball of black energy was emitted from it and the monster grew to enormous proportions. "Haha! I''m the hoppin'' hostest with the mostest. Angel Grove here I come," he declared and began to hop away.


    "Oh, no you don''t!" male Red said.


    "TyrannoZord!" female Red summoned.


    "TriceraZord!" male Blue summoned.


    "MastoZord!" female Black summoned.


    "PteroZord!" male Pink summoned.


    "SmiloZord!" male Yellow summoned.


    "StygiZord!" male Green summoned.


    The large mechas began appearing from digital matrixes. Each of the Zords was a dinosaur in a corresponding color as its pilots. The pilots teleported into the cockpit of each Zord.


    "Let''s do this! Alpha Megazord!" The six Zord came together to form a humanoid robot.


    "StegoZord!" Gold summoned.


    "VelociZord!" Electrum summoned.


    "CeratoZord!" Silver summoned.


    These large mechs began appearing as well. The pilots teleported to their cockpits. "Legend Megazord!" They combined another humanoid robot.


    The Megazords began to chase after the monster. Being smaller, lighter, and made from the Velociraptor Zord, the Legend Megazord was faster. They put on a burst of speed, jumped and grabbed the monster by his jutting thorax.


    "Any bright ideas now, Danny? Didn¡¯t you blow up the Alphamax Cannon?" Pink asked.


    "I always got bright ideas. Sharp-tooth Bazooka," he told female Red.


    "Sharp-tooth Bazooka!" she immediately summoned it. Digitizing propped on their shoulders was indeed what seemed to be a bazooka/grenade launcher. Its face was that of a tyrannosaurus-rex. "Aim!" She carefully aimed at the monster attempting to get away from the Legend Megazord. The T-Rex''s mouth opened up. "Fire!" She fired. Six-multicolored projectiles hit the monster in a circular pattern, exploding through him.


    "Hophazard, out!" The monster cried as he exploded into nothing but hunks of dark colored clay that vaporized itself.


    The two Megazords face away from the explosion.


    -x-


    The beach had been ruined. "I have no idea how to explain this to the rental agent guy," Tai said, surveying the damage. "I am not getting my security deposit back," he lamented quietly.


    "Don''t worry. We''ve got this," Rei said. Moriko nodded. The two women joined hands and used a bit of magic to repair the beach.


    "Thank you," he said.


    "No sweat," Moriko said. Rei beamed at him.


    He nodded and turned to face his team. Billie was trying to hide behind Nathan, who was puffing his chest out to appear bigger. Tai snorted. "No one''s mad at you," he said.


    Billie made a face. "Yeah, but if it weren''t for Danny, we''d have been toasting," she said.


    "''Ey, if it weren''t for you, we wouldn''t have been able to Morph at all," Danny said. "I certainly don''t got no clue how to make a Morpher," he said. "Plus, my stuff wouldn''t have worked without your stuff," he added, tapping his communicator.


    "That''s right," Lani said. "Don''t beat yourself up for not being a miracle worker," she added.


    Tai nodded. "Get back to work first thing in the morning. Today, we aren''t going to let Widow ruin my party," he said. "Sora, Taran, how about that bonfire?" he asked.


    The Rangers and their friends cheered at those sentiments. Sure, Widow and Roki had returned to the Moon and were tougher than ever, but they''d do what they always did. They''d face this new threat as team. Together there was nothing they couldn''t face and eventually win over.


    They were Power Rangers.


    -x-The End-x-

 Chapter 02: Black and Yellow

    Command Center


    Tai Stapleton nearly tripped over several small, mechanical dinosaurs that decided to run around his feet in a cat-like manner. "What the--?" he yelped. He looked around and realized there were several more mechanical creatures. A long-necked mechanical dinosaur about the size of a dog was wiping the floor with a rag in its mouth. Another one with a duckbill was running through with a toolbox in its tiny arms and disappeared into the Zord lab where Holly was no doubt working on something.


    "Sorry about that," Danny said. He held something that was like a notebook computer but actually opened like a book. "I was trying to test the recon R.A.D.s," he said.


    "The what now?" Tai asked. What had his other geniuses been up to while he was in school?


    Nyo''s head popped up over a console. "Ranger Assistant Droids," he answered. "You should be able to interface them now, Danny," he said.


    Tai was nodding slightly, then he shook his head. "No, I need more," he said.


    Danny grinned slightly. He plugged the sideways laptop into the console. "Ranger Assistant Droids. I been working on them all summer with Nyo. Glad he decided to stick around. There are nine of them in total. Little Foot does a variety of cleaning chores," he motioned toward the long-necked dinosaur. "He is also the team 1 cannon that took out the monster yesterday," he explained.


    "Duckie passed you earlier. It fetches and carries. It''s the Team 2 cannon," Nyo supplied.


    "The three miscreants that zoomed by earlier are Ed, Double-D, and Eddy. They''re three of the recon Zords," Danny finally finished what he was doing and several of the screens on the Power Chamber lit up with split screen views. Three were moving quickly through the desert. Another three were aerial views of Angel Grove. "Petrie, Peewee, and Percy are pterodons that fly around."


    "We figured we could use them for filling any holes in the viewing globe network," Nyo added.


    Tai was nodding for real now. "Keep up the good work," he said and continued on to the Blue Lab where he knew Billie was holed up.


    She didn''t bother to glance up when he entered. "We have a problem," she declared.


    Tai rubbed the back of his neck and glanced up at the ceiling. "That sounds ominous," he said.


    Billie smirked slightly. "I finished," she said.  "But we''re still at a disadvantage for when they launch their next attack," she said.


    Tai crossed his arms over his chest. "Ah, the Black and Yellow problem. Has anyone heard from Fox?" he asked.


    "Autumn and Winter received a letter stating he didn''t know when he''d be able to return. However, I am unable to locate him," Beez''s voice informed them.


    Tai let out a breath. "From now on, anyone leaving the country for parts unknown is getting chipped," he declared. Billie snorted. "Where''s Taran?" he asked.


    "He''s at the Youth Center. Should I ask him to come?" Beez asked.


    "Yes. Tell him to come to Red One," Tai answered. He walked out of the Blue Lab and continued down the hallway. Across from the Blue Lab was the Zord Lab, where Holly and Danny worked on their larger projects. Past them were two more rooms. One was used as Beta Z''s personal space, and the other had been inhabited by Billy Cranston, who had to return to his home on Aquitar before he could begin a rapid aging process that would lead to his death within a week.


    He came to another door that slid open across from the Medical Lab. It''d been mostly used for storage, more of Alpha 5''s junk collection, but at some point, someone had decided that Tai and Lani needed an office. So, they cleared it out and dubbed it Red One. Tai actually found himself using the space, which he hadn''t intended to do. He wasn''t sure how he felt about being somehow separate or above the rest of the team. He had to admit though, it was useful to have a place where he could think and make plans quietly, even if constant interruptions were expected.


    The room itself was barren, except for a large, round boardroom table that accommodated everyone and more. He liked the round table. That way he didn''t feel like he was trying to be the "boss" of everyone by sitting at the head of the table or something.


    No sooner had he sat down in one of the chairs than Taran was walking through the doors. "It''s like you were waiting," Tai said.


    Taran sat down in one of the chairs. "It''s obvious we have a gaping problem," he said.


    "Can you or Lammy or Rei find Fox?" Tai asked.


    "Even if we could, he won''t make it back in time. Now we don''t even have Griff keeping an eye on the Moon. We''re flying blind when it comes to Widow and Roki. They''re stronger than ever. We can''t really wait for Fox," he said.


    Tai sighed. "What do you suggest?" he asked.


    Taran cleared his throat. "Beez didn''t tell you?" he asked.


    Tai raised a brow. "Tell me what?" he asked.


    "Black and Yellow will sort themselves out. They''re missing," Taran said.


    Tai scrubbed a hand through his hair, messing his spikes up. "No, she didn''t mention it. Jason said the same thing happened when we ended up with our Power Coins. I guess there''s nothing to do except wait it out," he said. Though he had to admit he was patently curious about who''d be joining the team. "You can go back to playing with Autumn, now," he said, dismissing Taran.


    "Yeah, I ain''t gonna argue with that," Taran said and disappeared as quickly as he arrived.


    Tai decided that going out to play was a good idea. Taking advantage of the quiet days was the only way to stay sane. He sent Lani a text message and left the room as soon as he got a reply.


    --x--


    A few days later Tori, Chloe (who was officially back in Angel Grove), Zara and Melody were doing some school shopping at the mall. Zara was complaining about her increased workload at Think Pink! Dance and Gymnastics. A studio run by former pink Power Rangers Kimberly Hart, Kat Hilliard, and Cassie Chan. Zara worked there as part receptionist, part janitor.


    "Is something special happening?" Melody asked.


    Zara shrugged. "I don''t know. There''s some special guest that Kim''s advertising to get more sign-ups for gymnastics. She''s dying to say but she won''t actually say," she said. She dug around in her purse and fished out a flyer. It didn''t say who the special guest was, the Olympic Rings were ghosted into the background of the flyer.


    Tori gasped and looked at Chloe. "You don''t think...do you?" she asked.


    "Think what?" Melody asked.


    Chloe sniffed. "Who else would it be?" she said with a sour expression.


    "Who?" Zara demanded.


    Tori grinned. "I forget you two weren''t around for the last Olympics and the amazing fifteen-year-old who took the men''s gold medal in gymnastics. He happens to be a hometown hero," she said.


    Zara glanced at Melody. "That tell you anything useful?" she asked.


    Melody shook her head. "Not really," she answered. "Olympics aren''t broadcast on Terra Venture," she explained. "Instead, we have our own version of the games."


    Chloe sighed. "It''s obvious who it is, whether Kim''s telling or not. Seriously, in a gymnastics studio owned by Kimberly Hart, she''s advertising an Olympic athlete without saying his name? There''s only one person that would be. And his name is Mason Hart," she said with a chilling edge to her voice.


    "Ooh," Zara and Mel said.


    "So, why do we dislike him?" Zara asked.


    Tori snickered. "We don''t. He''s every bit as loveable as Rex. I don''t really know what her problem with him is," she said, looking at her best friend questioningly. She didn''t know there was a problem. Her phone chimed and she checked her text message. "I got to go. DF says there''s something of the utmost importance that she has to tell me," she said.


    "Let''s all head out together then," Chloe suggested. They agreed.


    --x--


    Palace on the Moon


    Widow walked into the laboratory she shared with her husband. He was there, hard at work, hunched over a lump of Dark Clay with a loupe on one eye and sculpting tools in hand. An intense look of concentration was on his face as he worked.


    "Isn''t that Finister''s job?" she asked, placing her hands on his shoulders and rubbing slightly.


    The corner of Roki''s mouth lifted slightly. "You know what they say, if you want something done right, you do it yourself," he declared.


    She peered over as the blob of clay and narrowed her eyes. "What exactly are you working on, dear husband?" she asked.


    His slight smirk turned into a full-on grin. "That, my dear, is going to be a surprise," he said.


    Widow crinkled her nose. "I shall have to think of creative ways for you to tell me. In meantime, why don''t I have Finster cook up a nice playmate for the Power Rangers? Silly things don''t seem to have things together. It'' be a shame to waste this opportunity," she declared.


    "I shall leave you to do your worst," Roki said. "Perhaps I''ll see how they''re faring soon," he said but went back to his sculpting.


    --x--


    Tori and the three other girls went in different directions after leaving the mall. She was headed home with several bags. She jumped when she heard a jaunty toot-toot behind her. She turned and smiled when Wood pulled up on his yellow scooter. "Need a lift?" he asked.


    "Why thank you. If you don''t mind," she agreed.


    "What are boyfriends for?" He hopped off his scooter, pulled his extra helmet out from under the seat, and placed her bags neatly inside.


    Tori grinned and kissed his cheek. "They do come in handy at times. Although I''m still not sure you got this pink helmet for me and not Nathan," she said. He chuckled without answering. Tori lifted the helmet to put it on her head, but it slid through her fingers and hit the pavement. It took a Wood a moment to process what was happening.


    Tori was staring at a girl who''d come upon them. Dressed in a designer artistically ripped jeans, a white tank, and yellow plaid shirt, the girl froze with the mp3 player she was fiddling with dropped to the pavement. Her hair was a mix of reds, browns, blacks, and blonds, pulled into a high ponytail that cascaded in curls on one side. Her skin was a similar mochaccino color to Tori''s, but the most striking thing about her was her bright aquamarine eyes.


    Her shocked expression went from Tori to some point beyond them. "Look out!" she shouted. Tori and Wood spun around and there was a patrol of Dark Putties behind them. Tori opened her mouth and screamed. Waves of sonic energy knocked them off their feet. Several of them crashed into each other and merged into one monster-sized, hulking Puttie.


    "Well, that''s new," Wood breathed. He pushed the panic button on his comm and grabbed each girl, springing backward with them, just as the Hulk Puttie swung a large fist and crashed into his scooter, sending it flying through the air.


    Tori helped steady the other girl when she stumbled on the landing. "Run," she said. The girl didn''t need telling twice as the three of them took off down the street. They skidded to a stop when they just ran into more Putties. "We''re being surrounded."


    "Well, I haven''t been here long enough to tick off the locals," the other girl said, her voice had a slight accent. "These guys must be wanting to meet you two," she added.


    "Unfortunately, they don''t discriminate," Wood said. Multicolored laser blasts had the Putties scattering slightly. The female Red and Green Rangers, the male Blue Ranger, the Gold and Electrum Rangers had arrived.


    "Sweet as! Power Rangers are really a real thing," the girl gaped.


    "Get to cover," Red told them as they faced down the Putties.


    "Let''s go," Wood said and tried to lead the girls away, but more Putties popped up in front of them. "What is this?" he demanded. He had separate to defend himself when a Puttie lunged at him. He sprang up without really meaning to, and he landed hard on a Puttie''s face when he came back down. "Whoa," he said.


    "Watch out!" The girl pushed Tori out of harm''s way when one of the Putties turned his arm into a long blade and slashed at them. She stumbled back and they both landed hard on their backsides. A Power Dagger to the forehead had it turning to black dust. Wood ran to them. "Are you two all right?" he asked.


    Tori sprang to her feet. The other girl bounced up almost as agilely. She was staring at something in her hand. "What the devil? Where''d this come from?" she asked. "You reckon they want this thing?" she asked and held up the metallic power coin emblazoned with a saber-toothed tiger. Wood and Tori gaped at her a moment. Then Wood grinned. "Awesome! New partner," he crowed.


    "Come again?"


    "Smilodon. Say it now!" Wood said urgently as more Putties combined to make another Puttie hulk behind her


    "Smilodon?" she repeated dumbly. The Power Coin dissolved into her hand. A metallic yellow communicator formed on her wrist. A Morpher appeared on her forehead.


    "It''s Morphin'' Time!" Wood said. In a single motion, he passed his hand over his communicator and spun his Power Coin. "Smilodon!" A yellow digital matrix formed a powersuit with a yellow saber-toothed tiger themed helmet.


    Tori passed her hand over her communicator and her Morpher appeared on her upper arm. She spun her Power Coin. "Pterodactyl!" A light pink power suit appeared with a pink and white pterodactyl themed helmet.


    Confused but not sure what else to do, the other girl spun her Power Coin. "Smilodon!" A slightly lighter yellow power suit appeared with a yellow saber-toothed tiger themed helmet. "This is so awesome!" she said, looking at what she could see of herself. "I''m a Power Ranger," she said.


    "Yes, and Power Rangers fight Putties and monsters," Pink stated. "Power Fans!" She summoned, her weapons appearing in her hands.


    "Power Daggers!" male Yellow summoned.


    "Power Grips!" female Yellow summoned.


    --x--


    Chloe lived closest to the mall. She also didn''t buy very much, as much as she wanted to. She was saving up for an even better camera than the one that''d turned evil. She never could bring herself to look at it the same way again. She also thought it didn''t work quite right either, but Danny had taken it apart and put it back together several times for her and he never found anything wrong with it.


    Even if it was all in her head, she was getting a new one. She thought about selling that one to help her fund, but then she''d be camera-less and that was even worse. She was also in a grumpy mood and stupidly not paying that much attention to her surroundings. She literally ran right into the Putties that were waiting for her.


    "''Ey! Watch it!" she scolded and looked up. "Youse know what. My bad. I wasn''t watchin'' were I was goin''," she said, backing up a few paces. She dropped her mall bag, pressed her panic button. She fisted her hands and took a stance.


    "You''ve got to be kidding me. Run, idiot!"


    Someone ran past her, grabbing her arm on the way, dragging her behind him. She glanced back and saw the Putties merging together. "Faster!" She said and put on as much speed as her short legs would allow her and they ducked into an alleyway.


    However, it appeared to be too much for her would-be rescuer. As if his leg suddenly stopped working, he went down, almost bringing her with him, but he let go of her arm. She skidded to a stop. "What''s with youse? We gotta move," she said. She took stock of her wannabe hero.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Although his face was contorted in pain as he kneaded his leg, it was easily recognizable. He had a messily stylish mop of black hair, and his golden eyes were dim with the pain he was feeling. His face had the unmistakable stamp of a Hart. So much so, he was nearly identical to his older cousin, Rex. "Don''t hang around here. Run away. That thing is right behind us," Mason Hart said through gritted teeth.


    "The Power Rangers are on their way. Looks like I gotta rescue youse," she said drily.


    He blew out a frustrated breath and used the wall of a building behind him to push himself to his feet. "Why are you so stubborn?" he demanded.


    "That''s my charm," Chloe said. The Puttie hulk pushed itself into the ally. Chloe took a calculated risk and stepped out to face it. Mason didn''t seem to be able to run anymore.


    "What are you doing?" he demanded.


    Before Chloe could answer him, a blast of energy exploded the Puttie hulk into a cloud of black dust. When the dust dissipated, they could see the male Red Ranger holding the BrontoCannon while the female Blue Ranger, the male Pink and Green Rangers, and the Silver Ranger were engaging other Putties beyond him. "Everyone all right here?" Red asked.


    "Thanks to the Power Rangers," Chloe said.


    Red cocked his head. "Whatcha holding there, kid?" he asked Mason.


    Chloe glanced at Mason. He seemed puzzled to find himself holding a metal coin with a Mastodon emblazoned on it. "Uh...does it belong to you?" he asked.


    Chloe groaned. "Really? Him?" she asked.


    Red chuckled. "Are you really that surprised? He''s a Hart," he said. She made a sour face. "It belongs to you," Red said to Mason.


    "We got another big one!" Pink shouted, hovering and firing at another hulk with his Power Bow.


    "I hope Little Foot has another blast in him. Grab your partner and let''s go," Red said to Chloe and ran out of the alley.


    "What''s...happening...? Was that...Tai?" Mason asked slowly.


    "Say Mastodon and let''s go help," Chloe told him.


    "Mastodon?" The word activated the Power Coin. It dissolved into him. A communicator and Morpher appeared.


    "Do what I do and don''t ask a bunch of questions. It''s Morphin'' time!" She waved her hand over her communicator and spun her Power Coin. "Mastodon!"  A black power suit appeared with a black mastodon themed helmet that had pink eyes.


    Mason, still confused and unsure what he could do with his nearly useless leg, followed suit. He spun his Power Coin. "Mastodon!" A black power suit appeared with a black mastodon themed helmet that had yellow eyes. He was startled when the pain in his leg had disappeared.


    "Let''s go, new guy," female Black said. "Power Axe!" she summoned the large axe and ran out of the alley in order to help the other Rangers.


    "Power Flail!" The new male Black Ranger summoned a spikey black ball that connected to a shovel handle by a retractable chain. He followed her into battle because...that''s what he did now?


    --x--


    Palace on the Moon


    "Was there any use in this?" Rio scoffed, watching the proceeding through the telescope on the balcony overlooking the earth.


    "Finster wanted to test something, so I let him. If it took out a couple of Rangers off by themselves, then it would be all the better," Widow said.


    Rio smirked slightly. "But that''s not what happened, is it? Instead, they filled in their missing pieces," she said.


    Widow looked at Rio steadily. "I only tolerate you because Roki allowed you to serve us. Do not test my patience. You aren''t my cousin," she warned and followed her warning with a cold smile. She quietly walked away.


    Rio made a face and silently mocked her behind her back. She turned her attention back to the action on Earth. She''d get her revenge one day. On all of them. Power Rangers and Repulsas alike.


    --x--


    The new female Yellow Ranger was handling herself pretty well. She seemed to have the fundamentals of karate and a few other things thrown into the mix. She was also extremely agile, and light on her feet, almost seeming to react before the enemy could make a move. She turned a handless flip and landed gracefully in a crouch when a Puttie tried to pummel her with a hand that formed into a large heavy club. She struck out with the Power Grips before headbutting it in the forehead making it disappear.


    "How are you doing that?" male Yellow asked his new partner.


    "Dunno, bro. Just kinna happens," she answered.


    "Not quite as impressive as sweep kicking the Skeleton Ranger without a power suit, but I approve of the new girl," Blue stated. While he was fighting with one Puttie, he threw out a hand toward Green, and a force-field protected her back.


    She dispatched the first Puttie, and swung around and got rid of him. "Thanks," she said.


    "Did yours and Wood''s Powers evolve?" Pink asked, taking out another Puttie.


    "Looks like it," Red said as she stretched herself further than ever before in a bid to slip around behind a Puttie to lop off its head with her Power Sword. There was a beat as everyone sort of watched it fly through the air as it crumbled away.


    "Beheading works, too!" Electrum announced. She forgot about accuracy and used her VelociRapier to whip heads off left and right.


    As the strongest member of the team, Gold was holding off the Puttie Hulk. He used his StegoMace to block blows, but he never could get the upper hand. Regular Dark Putties kept trying to distract him. "Knocking them off also seems to work," he said and crashed the weapon into one''s head and watched it roll. "I''m not sure how it''s going to work out with our friend here," he ducked out of the way of a massive swing.


    "Let''s give Duckie a test drive, then," Blue said.


    "You mean the new Team 2 Cannon?" Red asked.


    "That''s the one."


    "Let''s get on with it. Not sure how much longer Taran can hold him off," Electrum said.


    Red held out a hand. "Saurolophus!" she called. The duck-billed dinobot digitized before them. "SauroCannon Mode!" The R.A.D. shifted into a single barrel team cannon that seemed to hover on its own power but Red aimed it. "Spidey senses working?" she asked Gold.


    "Go!" he assured.


    "Sauro Blast!" She fired the weapon. There was a slight recoil with the amount of energy released from its single barrel. Gold kept the hulk distracted until the last possible moment when he disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. The energy plowed into the hulk and it exploded.


    There was quiet for a moment, then the remaining Putties began merging together, creating more hulks, then the hulks merged together creating a giant Puttie the size of a building. "Um, Tai, sweetheart, trade you Wood for Sora," Red said into her communicator.


    "Send Danny along, too, and it''s a deal," he responded.


    "Deal," she agreed. Blue and male Yellow teleported.


    --x--


    As it turned out, the BrontoCannon took a while to recharge, so male Red let it go back to the Command Center. Instead, he summoned his Tyranno Sword. "Sora! Split up, bring the big sword, and help me out," he said.


    Silver gave a jaunty wave and triplicated. The one still holding the CeratoSword ran toward Red.


    Going on pure instinct, because his rational mind was still trying to process everything, the new male Black Ranger grabbed the chain of the Flail, spun it, holding the handle end, whipped the ball toward one of the Putties. The chain expanded, smacked the Puttie right in the forehead, and contracted back to him.


    Male Green summoned his Stygian Blade. The triangular bladed sword was handier than for combat than his Stygian Dagger by far.  The Flail seemed to take out Dark Putties creeping up on either side of him as he plunged the Blade through one''s forehead. "Whoa. Thanks. Nice...flail-ing," he said.


    Male Black gave the head of the Flail a little spin. "Mrs. Manahan''s fifth-grade yo-yo champ," he stated.


    Female Black gagged. "Stop showing off," she said. She axed a Puttie, Cleaving off a leg. Even though it grew back, she already moved beyond it. "Billie, watch out!" She sprang forward to help out the female Blue Ranger, densing herself, but the Puttie that was about to strike Blue was behind, knocked her off balance. She fell into the Blue and they both hit the ground like a ton of bricks.


    "Did you just dense me?" Blue demanded.


    Female Black let it go. "Kinda felt like it," she agreed as they got to their feet.


    "We''ll come back to that later," Blue said and winked out of sight. One thing she''s always had on her side is a dead-aim. And also the capacity to create Grid generated duplicates of her Power Sais. Which then seemed to appear out of nowhere and stick into the foreheads of the Dark Putties. She fizzled back into sight in the middle of several Putties. They turned on her. "Inconvenient," she said.


    The Putties were too close to stab. Instead, pink energy bolts opened up their foreheads. Male Pink landed gracefully in a crouch as they disintegrated. "Thanks. How long were you," she made a hand movement indicating to his levitation.


    He shrugged. "I didn''t keep track. Awhile," he said. He quickly raised his Bow and took out a couple of Putties coming up behind her just as she tossed a couple of Sais that were coming up behind him. They separated to go back to working independently.


    The hulk swung a big fist to swat at Red, but he ducked. The other came to try to crush him. He brought his arms up to take the blow. He groaned and used every bit of his strength to push up.


    The CeratoSword cleaved the arm in half. The Puttie hulk made a muffled roaring sound. The arm disintegrated but another Puttie joined the hulk and helped reform the arm.


    "Is Little Foot ready for another blast?" Red asked into his helmet.


    "Afraid not. Sora should be able to use the Pterodon recon Rads," Nyo answer answered him since he''d had a hand in designing the R.A.D.s. Red gestured for Silver to get one with it.


    The other two Silver Rangers were using their smaller swords to take out what they could as they covered the other Silver and Red. Since they shared one mind, they began closing in. "Pterodon! Petrie!"


    "Percie!"


    "PeeWee!"


    Swooping in after digitizing, three small flying dinobots flew to each of the Silver Rangers. They transformed from dinosaur-shaped robots to handheld blasters. "PteroCannon!" The three Rangers assimilated as the PteroBlasters stuck together to create a long barreled rifle cannon that Silver rested on his shoulder like a rocket launcher. "PteroBlast!" He fired the Cannon at the hulk.


    A powerful blast of energy ran through each of the R.A.Ds and gathered at the opening of the last one. Once enough energy had built up, it blasted into the hulk and exploded it into black dust.


    "Brilliant," Silver declared.


    "Let''s not celebrate too soon," Blue said when the Putties they''d been engaging suddenly abandoned the fight and ran toward each other. They joined together and began growing, surpassing even hulk status, and going on to giant size.


    "Uh-oh, I think we need a bigger gun," male Black said.


    "Uh-huh." his partner agreed.


    "Um, Tai, sweetheart, trade you Wood for Sora," female Red said to her partner through his communicator.


    "Send Danny along, too, and it''s a deal," he responded.


    "Deal," she agreed.


    "Good call," female Blue said giving two thumbs up. Silver teleported and within moments male Yellow and Blue arrived.


    "It''s Zord time. TyrannoZord!" red summoned.


    "TriceraZord!" male Blue summoned.


    "MastoZord!" female Black summoned.


    "PteroZord!" male Pink summoned.


    "SmiloZord!" male Yellow summoned.


    "StygiZord!" male Green summoned.


    "Alpha Megazord!"


    The large mechas began appearing from digital matrixes. Each of the Zords was a dinosaur in a corresponding color as its pilots. The pilots teleported into the cockpit of each Zord. The six Zords came together to form a humanoid robot.


    "Okay, that''s kind of cool," male Black said. "So are there designated pilots or..." he left his question hanging.


    "We usually let whichever team needs it have it, but some of us are much more skilled than others. My partner for example. Ok, new guy. Let''s get out of the way," she said. She reached over and activated his teleport and he disappeared in a glow of energy. She followed suit almost immediately.


    --x--


    When Silver arrived on the scene to join Gold and Electrum he looked up at the giant Puttie. "I met his twin," he declared.


    "Let''s not keep yakking," Electrum said.


    Gold nodded. "StegoZord!"


    "VelociZord!"


    "CeratoZord!"


    Three large mechs began digitizing into existence. The pilots teleported to their cockpits. "Legend Megazord!" They combine into a vaguely humanoid robot.


    "Sweet. As," female Yellow said succinctly. "But where did the Silver one come from? Where''d the other two go?" she asked, confused by the teleporting.


    Green draped an arm around her shoulders. "All in due time," she said.


    "We should get out of the way," Red stated.


    Pink hesitated. "I''m...going to speak with DF. Now. See you at the CC," she said and teleported away.


    "That was very un-Tori-like," Green said.


    "She''ll fill us in when she''s ready," Red said. "Let''s go." She teleported in a burst of red energy.


    "Choice," Yellow said.


    "Our turn," Green activated the other girl''s teleport before following herself.


    --x--


    The giant Putties had the ability to mold weapons out of their own clay. The Alpha Megazord discovered this when they sliced off one of the hands. Not only did the hand grow back, but the Giant Puttie pulled a glob of clay from its own body and formed a wicked looking scimitar with it.


    "Well, that''s..." Pink put up his hands, unable to accurately articulate what he was thinking.


    "Balls. I think the word you''re looking for is balls," Black stated.


    "Mad balls," Blue said, agreeing with his sister.


    "Yeah, well, let''s see how much he likes getting blasted into nothing," Red stated. "Sharp-tooth Bazooka!" The weapon appeared on the Megazord''s shoulder. "Aim," he lined up his shot.


    "Here goes," Green said hopefully.


    The bazooka''s mouth opened up. "Fire!" Six-multicolored projectiles hit the Giant Puttie in a circular pattern, exploding through him. individual Puttie Patrollers exploded from the creature and dissipated into dust as they fell to the ground, leaving nothing in its wake.


    --x--


    The Legend Megazord had a spikey lance that wasn''t doing much against the Giant Puttie. It was having fun trying out different weapons against them. Their trio wasn''t as large or powerful as the Alpha Megazord, but they still should have had some impact.


    "Let''s stick it to him," Electrum suggested.


    "Right," Gold agreed. The Megazord dropped the lance as if to joust. "Legendary Lance!" The lance began to glow and the Megazord zoomed forward, crashing through the Giant Puttie.  Appearing on the other side of it, the Megazord rested the Lance against its shoulder. Energy from the lance exploded a hole through it''s middle but wasn''t powerful enough to destroy it completely.


    "That''s not good," Silver stated.


    "No, it''s not," Electrum agreed grimly.


    "You don''t think we left you guys out of our new upgrades do you?" Holly''s voice asked. "Just summon the Spike-Tail Silo," she instructed.


    "Spike-Tail Silo!" Gold immediately summoned as the Megazord spun around. A stego-saurus faced rocket-launcher looking cannon digitized onto their shoulder. "Aim!" The stego''s mouth opened. "Fire!" Three balls of metallic light where launched from the Silo in quick succession. Each hit the Giant Puttie, blowing it into smaller Putties in chunks before they disintegrated into black dust.


    --x--


    Palace on the Moon


    Rio thought about rubbing Widow''s nose in the fact that her pitiful creature''s creations had failed, but Widow was too calm. Though Rio didn''t know the girl that well, her calmness was more frightening than a rage she was known for. "You don''t seem...disappointed that your plan failed," she said hesitantly.


    Widow raised her brows. "Who said anything failed?" she asked and walked away from the observation post, leaving Rio even more uneasy. She really needed to get off this rock.


    --x--


    Back in the Command Center, everyone gathered after the battle. Not only was the debrief of Widow and Roki''s upgraded Putties, but also their newest team members.


    "I know we all miss Rex, but don''t you think cloning him was a bit much?" Autumn asked pointedly, eyeing Billie suspiciously.


    "And poor Tori hasn''t even gone anywhere. Why her?" Lammy agreed.


    Billie pursed her lips and put her fists on her lips. "First of all, that''s not a clone of Rex. That''s his little cousin, Mason," she said. "As for Tori''s clone, not my doing," she said.


    "She''s not a clone either. She''s LaKeisha Woods. She''s an actress from New Zealand that I always thought looked a lot like Tori," Wood stated excitedly.


    "Thus, you''re a big fan, huh?" Win teased.


    Nathan snapped his fingers. "Yes, she''s been in all those movies and TV shows that film down there," he said.


    "I didn''t think I was thet famous," the new female Yellow Ranger said. "I go by Kiki, bro," she said. "I cannot believe thet I''m a Power Ranger," she said, looking around in amazement. It was going to take some time to get used to everything and learn who was who.


    "Same here. Gee, I know a lot of people in this room," Mason said, crossing his arms over his arms over his chest. "For those that don''t know me, I''m Mason Hart, Olympic Gold Medalist, teen heartthrob," he said and gave a winning smile.


    "Are you sure somebody didn''t clone Rex?" Autumn asked.


    "I can''t vouch for that," Billie stated.


    "So, Kiki, tell us a bit about yourself," Lani suggested.


    "Not much to tell. I''ve been acting since I was a kid. I haven''t been in almost every American film and programme that films down there as a guest or an extra. I recently finished as a series main about mermaids when my dad and mum decided to come to California for their jobs," she said.


    "So..." Nathan tried to find the right way to ask how she looked so much like Tori.


    "You look like Tori. Any idea why?" Chloe asked bluntly. Tori was her best friend and delicacy wasn''t her forte anyway.


    "Because she''s my sister. My..twin sister. We were Parent Trapped when we were little," Tori said, making her entrance moments after teleporting. "DF learned through mutuals that our father moved to Angel Grove, and with him, my sister," she said and gestured to the other girl.


    Kiki blinked. "I need to go home. We''ll do this whole thing later, eh?" she said. She fiddled with her communicator for a moment before teleporting away.


    "This is going to take time to sort out," Tori said. "I need to go, too."


    "Totally understood," Tai assured her.


    "You need some moral support?" Wood said.


    Tori nodded and held out a hand. He took her hand and they teleported out.


    In the quiet that followed, Mason cleared his throat. "So...who can tell me why my leg doesn''t feel like it''ll fall off at any given minute anymore?" he asked.


    "I got this. Come with me to the Medi-Lab," Billie told him. He nodded and they walked out of the Power Chamber.


    "If anyone needs me, I''ll be in Red One," Tai said, effectively dismissing everyone to do their own thing.


    Sure, Widow and Roki had upped their game but so had the Power Rangers. With a full and capable team, he had confidence that whatever was thrown at them, they''d rise to occasion.


    -x-End 02-x-

 Chapter 03: Thats a Raptor

    Command Center


    Rei eased into Red One where Tai was sitting at the round table, looking at something on a laptop. He glanced up at her to acknowledge that he knew she was there. She smiled nervously and sat down at one of the chairs. He glanced at her again when she was silent for too long. Finally, he closed his computer and gave her his full attention.


    She let out a short sigh. "So...Zita''s back," she declared.


    "I know," he said and began to open his computer again.


    She blinked. "You know? How do you know? I just found out," she said.


    Tai rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Before she left, Grandpa apparently told her that if she ever needed a place to stay and sort things out, she was welcome at our place. So, she took him up on it," he said. He honestly still couldn''t believe it. When someone knocked on his door at the crack of dawn that morning, the last person he expected to see was a downtrodden, bedraggled Zita Repulsa.


    Rei was silent a moment. "Oh, dear. We were wondering why she didn''t even contact Mori," she said. Then something occurred to her. "How did Lani take that?" she asked.


    Tai sighed again. "However, you think she took it is pretty much how she took it. Then I reminded her that I was going to be sharing an apartment with Rex near campus."


    Rei snickered but she sobered again and got to her feet. "We should go talk to her," she said more to herself than to him.


    Tai got to his feet as well. "Leave her be. She''ll reach out when she''s ready. Pass that on to Moriko, please. One Repulsa crashing my home is more than enough," he said.


    She nodded. "I''ll do that. Sorry if I interrupted you," she said, glancing at his computer.


    "You didn''t," he said. He didn''t elaborate that he was hiding out at the Command Center because of her sister. She nodded and scurried out. Whether to find Sora or her other sister, he wasn''t sure. He wasn''t sure if even wanted to know. He started to sit back down and play another round of solitaire when Beez asked him to go to the Medi-Lab.


    The Medi-Lab wasn''t large, and there were several people crowded into it. Mason Hart, one of their two newest members, was laying on one of the beds. Several screens were displaying medical images, charts, and information. "Do I even want to know how you people got my medical files?"


    "Beez is a supercomputer. She hacks better than I do," Billie answered.


    "What exactly are we looking at here?" Kimberly Hart asked. Kim was Mason''s cousin, former Pink Ranger, owner of Think Pink, and currently in charge of Mason.


    Kat Hilliard, who co-owned Think Pink, was also a former Pink Ranger, and having a nursing degree with some med-school under her belt, was the closest thing they had to an actual doctor since Billy Cranston had to return to Aquitar. "An unheard-of regeneration of bones, nerves, and muscles," she stated.


    Beez smiled at Tai when he walked in. "What''s going on?" he queried.


    "Did you know Mace was in a serious car accident a few months ago?" Kim asked him testily, as if he should have. It was while Rex was still around, so she figured maybe he knew and let Tai know.


    "No one else knew, Kim. Mom didn''t tell anybody because she didn''t want reporters bothering me," Mason said and sat up. His leg had been wrecked. It was the end of his career. It was a miracle, and months of intensive rehab, that he could even walk.


    Kim pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn''t know. I was preparing to have you put on a demonstration at the studio," she said with a grimace.


    Tai was looking at all the medical charts. "If I''m understanding what I''m seeing, you might be able to after all," he said. "Billie?"


    Billie nodded. "I compared his DNA to the rest of ours. He has the same genetic anomalies that the rest of us have. After Kat drew his blood, the puncture healed almost immediately," she said.


    Kat nodded. "The extensive damage to his leg is taking longer to heal, but it is healing," she said.


    "How are we going to explain that one? It may have been a well-guarded secret, but his mom, doctors, and nurses know about his injury," Billie said.


    Tai sighed. He turned to look at Mace. He grimaced. "Lose his files. We''ll make sure the hardcopies are lost as well," he said.


    Billie nodded. "Beez and I can take care of the digital footprints," she said.


    "So... I can...compete again?" Mason asked.


    "No," Beta Z said before Tai could. "I am sorry, but you can never compete again. We can lose records, but we can''t make people forget. No one can find out about your ability," she said.


    Mace rubbed the back of his neck. "I was afraid of that," he said. He understood that, but he didn''t have to like it. "Are we done here? Can I go now?" he asked.


    Tai nodded. Mace stood up dejectedly and teleported out. Kim and Kat excused themselves as well. "Take care of the online records. I finally found something useful for Griff and Moriko to do," Tai told Billie. She nodded. He was about to leave but hesitated. "What about Kiki?" he asked.


    "Wood brought her by this morning. She has the same markers. We haven''t quite pinpointed her ability yet, but she couldn''t stay long. Family stuff I guess?" she said.


    Tai nodded. "Keep me posted," he said and walked out. When he got back to Red One, he sent Lani a text inviting her for an outing when she was available. Within minutes he got an affirmative reply, and he left to prepare.


    --x--


    Palace on the Moon


    Widow found Roki pensively staring at the Earth from the overlook. He wasn''t looking through the telescope. He wasn''t looking at anything in particular. She knew what was on his find. She slipped her arms around one of his and rested her cheek against him. "You and Zita went through a lot together. I can''t even imagine how hard her betrayal is on you, husband," she said.


    "After we were sent away, it was only the two of us. Thrax was...well, he was a monster and we weren''t. He never let us forget we were different from him. We looked out for each other. Uncle Rito isn''t exactly a responsible guardian," he said.


    He took a deep breath. "Besides, I don''t think she betrayed me. Moriko, yes, but she was never fully with us. I always figured that. Zita only joined the other two stop our Aunt. I understand that she probably won''t be back here, but I don''t think she''ll ever actively fight against us and with the Rangers," he said.


    Widow nodded. "I hope you''re right, my love. I really do. But unfortunately, my siblings are Power Rangers. I will do everything in my power to destroy them," she said.


    He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I''ll help you, always," he assured her.


    "Do quit sulking, husband. I must go find Finster," she said. She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek and walked away. She''d been plotting a delightfully wicked scheme and wanted to put it into motion to cheer him up.


    Not far away, Rio watched. She sneered. So, Zita was back. She clenched her fist. She''d avenge her mother and leave this place as ashes if it was the last thing she ever did.


    --x--


    Command Center


    The Power Chamber was quiet. Not even Nyo or Danny was piddling around. Only A hologram of Beta Z was there to welcome Fox Oliver when he arrived in the Command Center. "Welcome home, Fox," she greeted with a smile.


    "Beez. Where is everyone?" he asked.


    "Do you need me to give you everyone''s exact locations?" she asked.


    He held up his hands. "Nah. Is anyone here?" He had his luggage with him, and he''d come straight from the airport without anyone knowing. He''d managed to catch an earlier flight. He was eager to find out what was happening while he was lost in a jungle with his parents.


    "Billie is in the Blue Lab. I believe Nyo and Danny are in the Zord Lab," she answered.


    It wasn''t quite the welcome he was expecting, or hoping for, but it''d do. He was headed for the Zord Lab when alarms began going off. Several screens lit up showing Dark Putties in various places in the city. "What the deuce are those?" he asked.


    "You''ve missed a lot," Billie declared sourly when she came out of the Lab. "And you aren''t like all of it," she added.


    "Why?" Fox asked warily.


    Danny clapped Fox on the back. "You get to help Nyo quarterback for us," he said. Still confused, Fox returned Nyo''s grin almost automatically when Danny and Billie teleported away. "Wha-wait! Where''s my Morph--who the devil is that?" he demanded when a male Black Ranger showed up on one of the view screens.


    "Billie did say you wouldn''t like all it, friend," Nyo said apologetically. He wondered if the two Blues left him here to explain what happened on purpose.


    "Yeah, I''m getting that," Fox said. He sighed. He''d been in this position before. He knew how to handle it.


    --x--


    When Tai stopped by his house to change for his outing with Lani, Zita ambushed him at the bottom of the stairs. She was a shell of former self. Her long dark hair was flat and lifeless, no longer done up in her big fluffy, curly pigtails. Her face was bare of her usual dark make-up, making her resemblance to Rei even more pronounced. She was engulfed in what looked like an old sweatshirt of his, with a pair of leggings, and fuzzy socks. Her Victorian-esque Gothic Lolita look was nowhere to be seen.


    He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned away from her slightly. She rolled her eyes. "I''m not going to bite you," she said. "I''m here because Grandpa invited me," she reminded him.


    He nodded. "But that doesn''t mean I have to like it," he said.


    "No one said you did," she retorted pulling a slight pout. She cleared her throat. She held out a hand and something appeared in it in a puff of smoke. "I found this while I was...away," she said without looking at him. She glanced when he didn''t immediately take it. She scoffed. "Look, you know this symbol, right?" she asked, and waggled it magically.


    The object in question appeared to be made of amber. It was slightly shaped like a flattened ball, and no larger than his hands. Emblazoned in the amber was a three clawed lizard footprint inside a circle. He took the object and looked at it in detail. He could faintly make out darker spots within the blob. "Where did you get this?" he asked.


    She looked around a moment. "My grandfather''s treasure planet," she all but mumbled. He stared at her and she fidgeted. Then she put her hands on her hips and straightened her back, looking a little more like the Zita that had attempted to conquer Earth for nearly a year. "If Roki and Widow can go to M-51 Galaxy and get super powers, why can''t I?" she demanded.


    "Did you get any?" he asked.


    She made a scoffing sound. "That''s not the point. Point is, I found that. I can''t use it, might as well give it to someone who can," she said, and gave him a smile that was about as far as gracious as possible.


    "Someone you''ll be mooching off of for the foreseeable future?"


    She huffed. "There''s that," she said. She turned and stretched. "I''m going to watch my shows," she declared and headed for the den.


    Tai rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Instead of watching TV all day, go talk to your sisters," he called after her.


    "Can''t. I need to see if Romana has amnesia or if it''s secretly Romana''s twin brother, Reggie who had surgery to become Regina, and is pretending to be Romana because he''s in love with Romana''s fianc¨¦e Todd," she said.


    Tai wiped a hand down his face. He just did not know how to deal with situation at all. He went upstairs to change. He studied the object in hands. He went to a window and held it up to the sunlight and there were definitely six distinct darker spots within it. He sent Lani a message to let her know that he may be a little late because he wanted to drop it off at the Command Center, but then his communicator sounded.


    "Putties are appearing around Angel Grove," Beez informed him.


    "How many?" he asked.


    "At least four."


    "Send the Pinks and Yellows. Blues and Blacks. Lani and I will meet up with Autumn and Win, and the Legends will be together," he instructed. "There''s a thing on my bed. Teleport it to the Command Center for study," he added and tossed the amber on his bed. It disappeared in a flash and he teleported as well.


    --x--


    Kiki and Tori had been with their father and step-mother, and Dawn Feather for a quiet, awkward. There were so many things wrong with the situation neither of them knew how to start. For one, Tori never knew her father. The only father she ever knew was the Reaver her mother her mother was married to. He''d been from the Bahamas. The opposite was true for Kiki. She never she had a white mother. She also figured her eyes were recessive or something. Dawn Feather, Tori''s foster mother, who''d raised Tori after the parents she knew died in action, was just as unsettled and disquieted by the entire situation.


    She hadn''t known Tori had a twin. Their mother had stayed on Earth, in New Zealand while she was pregnant, and when she came back to work, she''d divorced and only had the one child. As for their father, she hadn''t known him well, but from what she knew, her friend''s career as a Sol Reaver was the main reason for the split.


    Finally, the awkward meal was concluded, and Kiki and Tori could leave and let the grown-ups chat amongst themselves. For her part, despite whatever circumstances surrounded it, Tori was thrilled to have a sister and wanted to show her everything and all at once. Kiki was a little more reserved.


    "They can hash out the who''s, why''s and how''s all they want. It''s done, you''re here and omigosh!" Tori said, practically bouncing. She wrapped an arm around Kiki''s.


    Kiki gave a short laugh. "Yeah. It''s bit choice," she agreed. "So, what do in Angel Grove?" she asked.


    "All sorts of things. You definitely need to check out the Youth Center first. Not only does it have some of the best shakes and smoothies in town, but you can do all sorts of things there. Lani, that''s the cute one in red, leads a yoga class every Sunday morning with Holly. You can occasionally get Tai to do a kendo demonstration. Gymnasts sometimes practice there as well. Like I said, all sorts of things," she said excited. "Plus, Autumn and Winter are the best. Although I dunno what you''re into, it always has cute guys and girls in and out," she said.


    "Aren''t you with Wood?" Kiki asked.


    Tori giggled. "I was letting you know," she said.


    Kiki giggled as well. "Well, thanks for that," she said. "And besides the Youth Center where all sorts of thing, happen?"


    "The mall. Chloe and I are almost always at the mall. There''s Pink, it''s a gymnastics and dance studio. There''s just always something happening, despite the frequent giant monster attacks. How do you feel about cheerleading?" she asked. "Since Manny left, we have a huge hole on the team that''s going to be hard to fill," she said.


    "I played a cheerleader once. Cheerleader Number Two," Kiki said. "I ain''t thought much about it as a thing to do," she admitted.


    "No pressure," Tori assured her. During their trek toward the Youth Center, their communicators went off.


    "What''s that?" Kiki asked, looking at her wrist.


    "Trouble. Let''s go," she said and teleported. Kiki teleported right behind her.


    --x--


    Command CenterStolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    While the Rangers confronted the Putties, Nyo and Holly were studying the object Tai sent while Fox kept an eye on the action. He was still a bit confused about the two replacement Rangers, but he knew it wasn''t the time to ask his questions.


    Nyo and Holly were in the Blue Lab scanning the amber object. "Where on Earth did he even get this?" Nyo wondered aloud.


    Holly shook her head. "There''s machinery inside and this stuff isn''t amber," she said, looking at the readouts on a screen. "If I''m reading this right...it''s some sort of polymer that..." she squinted, scrunched her nose, and made a face. "Compressive compound," she concluded finally.


    Nyo rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. "You mean, whatever''s inside has been miniaturized?" he asked.


    "Highly probable," Holly said. Still the thing was perplexing.


    Holographic Beez appeared. "I''ve finished searching my father''s memory banks. If he helped Zordon create whatever is encased in the compound, it was done after my creation," she said.


    "Any idea how to get whatever is inside out?" Nyo asked.


    "Only exposure to a massive blast of a certain type of energy," Beez answered.


    "What kind of energy would that be?" Holly asked.


    "Grid energy. The Rangers will have to combine their powers to open it," she answered. "But they''re a bit busy at the moment.


    As if on cue, Fox saw something strange on the monitors. "Guys, those Putties are acting weird. A bunch of them are appearing where Wood and Tori are," he said. "Bloody--since when can they do that?!" he exclaimed as the Putties began combing to create a Giant Putty.


    "We told you, you missed a lot," Danny informed him.


    "I was only gone like a month!"


    --x--


    "Danny, Mace, Win, head to the Giant Putty," Male Red instructed.


    His partner nodded at him. "Autumn and I''ll finish up here," she assured him.


    He nodded. He and the male Green Ranger teleported to the scene where the Giant Putty was. "Megazord time! TyrannoZord!"


    "TriceraZord!"


    "MastoZord!"


    "PteroZord!"


    "SmiloZord!"


    "StygiZord!"


    "Alpha Megazord!"


    The large mechas began appearing from digital matrixes. Each of the Zords was a dinosaur in a corresponding color as its pilots. The pilots teleported into the cockpit of each Zord. The six Zords came together to form a humanoid robot and began fighting the Giant Putty.


    The Megazord swung the MegaSword at the Giant Putty. The Putty''s arm morphed into a club and swung it at the Megazord. It was deflected by the shield, but the Megazord shuddered.


    "These things are strong," Blue grunted.


    "Let''s finish it quickly," Yellow suggested.


    "Whoa, what!" Pink exclaimed when another mass of Putties formed another Giant Putties.


    "We need back-up," Red declared and the Megazord began defending itself from the two Giants.


    --x--


    "We''re on our way," Gold said. "Sora, can you handle the rest?" he asked.


    The Silver Ranger split into three and nodded. He was suddenly hit by a dark blast and his three selves were forced into one being again. "Augh!" he exclaimed and went to his knees.


    "You''re not going anywhere," Widow declared as more Putties surrounded them. "Oh, I''m sorry, did that hurt?" she asked Silver without even pretending to be sincere. "Good," she added with a little smile. She was dressed for battle in a black on black combat suit.


    "Widow," Electrum said.


    "What are you up to?" Gold demanded.


    Nonchalantly, Widow studied her fingernails. "Where would the fun be if I went around telling all my plans?" she asked. "Putties. Attack," she said. The Putties converged in the Rangers. Silver, recovered from the shock of being forcefully reunited, was able to hold his own against them, but it was impossible to get free enough for even one of them summon the Legend Megazord and help the other Rangers.


    --x--


    "Those guys are bogged down. So are everyone else. Those Putties just keep coming," Fox stated to the Megazord that was getting it from both sides.


    "Then we''d better do something. Danny, can we also use the Silo?" Red asked.


    Blue nodded. "Yeh."


    Red nodded. "Sh--" he didn''t even begin to summon the Sharp-tooth Bazooka when one of the Giant Putties attacked the other with a beam from its moon shaped forehead crest. The other Giant shuddered, gurgled, and suddenly liquified, falling over the Megazord in a wave of a tar-like substance.


    "We can''t move!" Green stated as he attempted to swing the Sword again. Even the attempt jarred the entire Megazord and the cockpit sparked and smoked. Unhealthy mechanical and electrical sounds shuddered the Megazord again. The remaining Giant began to hammer it with an arm that had been turned into a club. More sparking and smoking.


    "Abandon Megazord!" Red shouted.


    --x--


    Widow smirked. "Aww. Looks like you''re all a Megazord down," she said tauntingly.


    Gold gritted his teeth and blew a breath through his nose. "Widow!" He suddenly crashed his StegoMace into the ground, causing a blast of concussive energy around him to blow the Putties off their feet. He ran toward Widow while. She held out a hand with dark energy gathering around it.


    He was faster and thrust out a hand with a massive explosion of white energy. It crashed into her, then seemed to absorb into her middle, while knocking her off her feet, flying for several yards before landing with a crash.


    "Get the Megazord!" Gold told Electrum and Silver. They didn''t argue.


    Widow staggered to her feet, holding her middle, Roki appeared in an angry crack of red lightning. "What did you think you were doing in your condition?" he demanded. He scooped her up despite her protests and they disappeared.


    Gold froze. "Condition?" he wondered out loud even as the Legend Megazord destroyed the Giant Putty in the distance behind him.


    --x--


    Palace on the Moon


    Widow tried to placate Roki. "I''m fine. It was Tarantules. He''s so good," she spat the word, "that he''d never actually hurt his sister, not even me," she said soothingly. "I was the best distraction," she added.


    Roki wasn''t easily placated. "You can''t know what kind of adverse effects his magic would have on the children," he said.


    Widow pouted and rubbed her middle. "I didn''t even think about that. What if his goody-goody magic made something weird happen?" she said. "Can you handle the monster? I think I''m going to lay down for a while," she said in an uncharacteristically quiet tone.


    Roki kissed her forehead. "Of course. Rest well, my dear. We''ll make sure everything is fine after you''ve rested," he assured her. She smiled at him and headed toward her room. Roki went to Finster''s workshop to unleash a monster on the Rangers since they''d been dealt a critical blow.


    --x--


    Command Center


    Holly abandoned Nyo to check on the damage to her Zords. Nyo briefed Tai and the others about how to get into the object. "Hopefully there''s something inside that''ll be helpful. We''re a Megazord down and a seemingly endless supply of Putties that can combine into Giants," Tai said.


    "Did you really get that from Zita?" Rei asked. She''d arrived when they left the battle. She''d wanted check on Sora. Luckily, from what she could tell, there were no lingering adverse effects. To make him permanently unable to triplicate would take a spell so much more complex.


    "We decided to consider it rent. She said she found it on your grandfather''s treasure planet in the M-51 galaxy," Tai answered.


    "That''s not surprising. He collects objects of power to keep others from using them," Rei said.


    Meanwhile, Fox got to meet Mace. "Sorry for replacing you," Mace said a little unsurely when he realized that Fox was the Black Ranger before him.


    Fox shook his head. "It was only temporary anyway. We both replaced Rex," he said. But he knew that wasn''t exactly true. Rex had chosen him, but the coin had chosen Mace. Still, he chose to believe what he said. He''d never really expected to become a Power Ranger in the first place when he found out about everything.


    Billie and Danny had their heads together figuring out how to use their power energy to open the compression compound.


    Taran and Lammy had something else on their minds. "Roki actually said ''in your condition''?" Lammy asked her brother.


    Taran nodded. "Since I know my magic and her magic are incompatible, I only sent a blast to knock her back, so I don''t think I hurt her," he said rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.


    Lammy rubbed her chin. "Maybe Finster knows something. I''ll see if Moriko and Griff will investigate," she said. She was a little less sympathetic. If Widow was pregnant and still chose to combat Taran, then she deserved whatever happened. She was tactful enough not to say anything to him, however, because he seemed genuinely worried.


    The alarms went off.


    "A monster has appeared in downtown Angel Grove," Beta Z announced.


    "They certainly aren''t missing their opportunity," Lani declared.


    "Did youse expect ''em to?" Chloe asked.


    "As if that could happen," Nathan sighed.


    "Let''s go," Tai said. The Rangers teleported to where the monster was in downtown Angel Grove.


    --x--


    A fat cat on a peg-leg appeared in downtown Angel Grove. The Giant Puttie attack was still fresh, so there weren''t that many people to attack, the ones who were about found themselves caught up int smoky prisons created by the oversized cigar the fat cat puffed on. He''d take a long drag and blow it out.


    "Didn''t anyone ever tell you smoking was bad for you?"


    The monster whirled around toward the sound of the voice talking to him. He suddenly realized he was surrounded by Power Rangers. Very unhappy Power Rangers. He grinned and laughed in a deep guttural way. "Well, ain''t that cute," he said. He took a drag on the cigar and then blew out a willow of toxic smelling smoke. "But you''re wrong!" he laughed again.


    The Rangers coughed and stumbled away from toxic cloud. The male Pink Ranger floated above it. "Power Bow!" he summoned and began to fire arrows at the monster. Despite the wooden leg, he was surprisingly agile. The male Yellow Ranger braved the cloud and sprang forward with his Power Daggers, but the monster swung his leg like a baseball bat and knocked him away.


    "Power Flail!" Through the cloud came the spiked ball and bashed the monster in the face, making him stagger back. "That ain''t cute!" he spat. He held up the fake leg and it turned into a wicked looking laser gun, and he began firing it like a machine gun, hopping around in erratic circles. "They don''t call me Machine Gun Willy for no reason!" he laughed again.


    The Rangers took cover. "I got an idea," the male blue ranger said.


    "We''re listening," male Red declared.


    He hands his Power Lance to his partner. "Get the Mega Power Cannon ready," he said.  If he was right, it would be enough. He wrapped a forcefield around himself and ran forward. "Teleport the object to me on my mark," he told the Command Center. He ran into the Cloud.


    "You heard the man. Mega Power Cannon!" Red said. The Rangers began combing their weapons.


    Machine Gun Willy was firing on the Blue Ranger as he approached even though the energy bullets bounced off. He grunted, stopped firing and put his leg down. "Well, you ain''t cute at all," he declared.


    "Mark," Blue said and lowered his force-field. The amber-esque object appeared his hands. "Hey, buddy, catch!" he said and tossed it at him. When, surprised, the monster caught the object, the Ranger dove out of the way.


    The male Red Ranger aimed the Mega Power Cannon with the other Rangers behind him. "Fire!" his partner called out, and he fired. Six points of energy swirled at the monster, though the compression compound and into the monster. He staggered but didn''t go down. As for the objects within the compression compound, six of them went flying, looking like some sort of tiny dinosaur figures.


    "Pterodon! Petrie!"


    "Percie!"


    "PeeWee!"


    Swooping in after digitizing, three small flying dinobots flew to the Gold, Electrum, and Silver Rangers. They transformed from dinosaur-shaped robots to handheld blasters. "PteroCannon!" The three Rangers assimilated as the PteroBlasters stuck together to create a long-barreled rifle cannon that Gold rested on his shoulder like a rocket launcher. "PteroBlast!" He fired the Cannon at the monster.


    A powerful blast of energy ran through each of the R.A.Ds and gathered at the opening of the last one. Once enough energy had built up, it blasted into the monster and it exploded with arcs of electricity and toxic smoke.


    Roki threw down his scepter. "Make my monster grow!"


    Machine Gun Willy grew to an enormous size.


    "StegoZord!"


    "VelociZord!"


    "CeratoZord!"


    "Legend Megazord!"


    While the trio battled the monster, the other Rangers retrieved the tiny mechanical dinosaur figures. They were tiny color-coded raptors. "Okay, what do we do with them?" male Pink wondered.


    Female Blue took the blue one. "It looks like a Dakotaraptor. There''s something written along the body," she said. She tapped her helmet, and a digital display flashed before her eyes. She magnified the writing. She quickly handed it to her partner. "RaptoZord 2," she said.


    She quickly took the others. "RaptoZord 1," she tossed the red one that looked like a utahsaurus to the Red team. "RaptoZord 3," she tossed the even tinier microraptor to the black team. "RaptoZord 4," the pink ventosaurus to the pink team. "RaptoZord 5," a green hesperonychus for the yellow team. "And finally, RaptoZord 6," was a green dromaeosaurus for the green team.


    "And to activate?" male Red asked.


    "Just give it a shot?"


    He nodded. "RaptoZord One! Activate!" he said and tossed it in the air. The small zord began to grow and grow until it was the size of a regular zord. He teleported into the Zord''s cockpit.


    "RaptoZord--Activate!" male Blue, female black, female Pink, male Yellow, and female Green activated their Zords and they grew to full size, some larger than others. Red''s RaptoZord was the largest, Black''s RaptoZord was the smallest. "Raptormax Megazord!"


    The Red RaptoZord changed into a lithe humanoid figure base, its long tail becoming a sword. The Pink RaptoZord broke and formed leg armor. The somewhat winged Blue RaptoZord transformed into chest armor. The little Yellow RaptoZord became almost spiny gauntlets. The four-winged Black RaptoZord became a helmet with side flares. Finally, the Green RaptoZord transformed into a smaller sword.


    The female Red Ranger sighed. "I guess we owe Zita one."


    --x--


    The monster was even more free with his machine gun leg at giant size. He was also freer with his smoke. He drew a large puff of smoke and blew it at the Legend Megazord. He was obscured in a cloud of noxious smoke. "Where did he go?" Gold demanded.


    The Megazord rocked when he began firing at them. They threw up the CeratoSword to block the shots.


    The Raptormax appeared behind the monster while it was distracted by the Legend Megazord. It slashed him with the Raptormax Sword and the reverse slashed with the Dromaeomax Sword. Willy cried out and whipped around, firing as he went. The chest shield threw up a crackling forcefield of its own and deflected the blasts.


    "That was fabulously awesome," Pink declared.


    Willy tried once again to throw up an obscuring cloud, but the wings of the helmet expanded and flapped, blowing the cloud, dissipating it harmlessly.


    "Now to finished," Red said and the Megazord hooked the swords behind it''s back. "Sharp-tooth Bazooka!"


    "Spike-tail Silo!"


    The two large cannons digitized into existence and were aimed at the monster. "Fire!" Six-multicolored projectiles hit the monster in a circular pattern, exploding through him from the Bazooka. "Fire!" Three balls of metallic light where launched from the Silo in quick succession. The monster exploded into a dark dust cloud that blew away in the breeze.


    "A bit overkill but satisfying," Black stated.


    "Extremely so," Yellow agreed.


    --x--


    Palace on the Moon


    Against her own best interest, Rio couldn''t help pointing out the obvious in front of Roki. "Well, that was a lot of trouble for only the Rangers to get new toys."


    Roki didn''t even look at her. He just held up a hand and flicked it, tossing her into one of the thrones. He whirled around and stalked past her to check on Widow. He was very worried about her.


    Rio sulked as he walked past her. She clenched her fist again. She had to find a way to surpass them and get her vengeance for her mother.


    --x--


    Command Center


    Tai, Lani, Billie, Danny, Nyo, and Holly sat in Red One. Holly was briefing everyone on the status of the Alpha Zords. "Out of commission until we can figure out how to remove the gunk. It''s everywhere in the machinery. We haven''t even been able to disassemble the Megazord," she explained.


    "It certainly was convenient that we had back up Zords," Danny said.


    "I''m not convinced that Zita would have given them to us if she knew what they were," Lani said.


    "Only she knows. I doubt she''d say one way or another," Tai said. He sat back with a sigh. "Okay. Don''t drive yourself crazy over it. Danny, take her out," he said.


    Danny grinned. "No prob," he said. "C''mon, babe. Let''s get some fresh air," he said and helped her out of her chair. She nodded. They left Red One.


    Billie stood up. "I''m going to go, too," she said.


    "Not to the Lab," Tai said. She made a disgruntled face and tromped out. Tai snickered and shook his head. He leaned toward Lani. "Weren''t we going to do a thing before all this happened?" he asked her.


    She smiled. "Mm. It''s kind of late for the plans we had," she said.


    "Then let''s skip the end. Pizza and soda at the new apartment?" he asked.


    "Through in some frozen yogurt and you got yourself a date," she agreed.


    "Deal."


    She grinned and hopped up. She gave him a quick kiss before he stood up, so she didn''t have to find a way get tall enough. He chuckled as he stood. He pulled her close and kissed her again. "Let''s go," he said. She nodded, and they left the Command Center.


    --x--


    Somewhere in Outer Space


    A small craft traveled through space, heading toward Earth. They were still awhile away. A blond man and a younger man with dark hair manned the craft. The craft was pretty well on auto pilot, so they sat around a tiny recreational area just behind the cockpit playing a card game. Something on the main console began to beep.


    Zhane Rahl stood and went to check it. "What is it?" Rex Hart asked him.


    Zhane frowned, scratching the back of his blonde head. "I''m not sure. There''s a phantom ion trail that seems to be following us," he said.


    Rex got up and looked at the read out. "How far away?" he asked.


    "A few parsecs, but it seems to be taking our exact path. I''ll try randomizing our energy output energy, see if that helps lose it," he said.


    Rex nodded. "We''ll keep an eye on it," he said. He went back to his hand. Zhane followed. They settled in to their cards again as they hurtled through space faster than light toward Earth.


    And, it seemed, something was following them.


    -xEnd 03x-