It was small-scale devastation. Burning pieces of unidentifiable material and searing hot broken beams of steel chaotically arranged around an area that was once the foundation of a building. Gray clouds were beginning to roll through the skies, slowly growing darker and larger, to cover Ivory Glade with shadows. Screams and sirens pierced the calm yet restless air, but rescue crews dared not approach the site of the disaster. The few who had played heroes earlier now lay several feet away, their blood staining the blade of Sir Vesper's trusted sword. Winds were blowing down from the mountain now and catching his cape in their gusts.
Pseudo Ranger was poised in the center of the destroyed structure, fist pointing toward the cloudy sky and metallic voice muffled in the breeze. Vesper detested being assigned equal footing with the reckless duplicate of his enemies, but after his last two confrontation with Arcanza he was lucky to be alive at all.
The self-proclaimed Lord of Earth and New Omnis, Emperor of the Twilight and Rapture Legions, first figure in the Trinity of Darkness, now occupying an incredibly elaborate throne room on top of "Digireign Spire," the heart of Neo Twilight City, had become dangerously irate lately. "Since you have failed the one and only assignment I have given you, dear Commander, I am sending you back into the field with an equal. Four Legionnaires will draw the Rangers out to assess them, since both teams have been idle for some time now. Then my Pseudo Ranger will attack. When it has chased the children away, you will relieve it of its position so it can return to mount my next strike. Do you think you can handle that simple task, Vesper?"
"I will redeem myself, Lord Arcanza," the Shadow of War promised.
Arcanza snorted and dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
Now Sir Vesper, conqueror of countless worlds, loyal to no single man for thousands of years until he discovered what Arcanza's ultimate ambitions were, was doing secondary work. "Trinity damn this lineage-forsaken world," he muttered under his breath.
With an air of menacing silence, Pseudo Ranger passed Vesper and made a broad gesture to encompass the entire surrounding area. "They will be back," it promised. "Remember. Your job is to keep them occupied. And if you even come close to destroying them, you will answer to me first, then to Lord Arcanza...if you survive." With the threat hanging, Pseudo teleported in a cloudy gray beam of energy to its destination.
Vesper kicked a close piece of the rubble and followed the trail of the beam with his eyes. "I will not be treated as a pawn," he growled.
"Where does this tunnel lead?" asked Alex.
The teenagers, accompanied by Laurasia and Talyserys, had been following descending planes of underground catacombs for the better part of half an hour now. A hidden door behind the main computer in Control Point led into them but still there was no sign of an exit. A pale blue light was being emitted by a thick tube embedded in the ground, also serving as a guiding line. Cecil walked as his friends did, nervous and jumpy, suspicion keeping him alert of every minor peculiarity.
The dark woman turned around and answered, "You'll see." Talyserys, who had also looked back, was quite a fearful sight, with his well-defined rugged profile, deathly pale illumination, and shining golden eyes. "It's not much further," he added.
Michael was silent and alone behind everyone else. His right hand was clutching the Omni Morpher around his left wrist so tightly that, had the power source not been made of steel, it might have shattered. When he noticed Cecil was watching him, he froze in place and did not move until Cecil looked away. His behavior was not assuaging the Red Ranger's growing suspicion.
For another minute or two they continued walking until, finally, Laurasia announced brightly, "We're here." A dead end. She pressed a black panel in the side of the cavern and the wall before them fell away, revealing—for lack of better description—a garage.
It resembled a garage because of all the mechanical tools and spare parts laying in random places around the floor. Sunlight from above, filtered through skylights that increased its intensity enough to see everything within, also warmed the place and circulated the smell of oil. Most breathtaking, however, were the five marvelous vehicles in the center, large enough to match the size of their OmniZords, each painted a different familiar color.
A man in greasy clothing approached them with a surprised look on his face. His dark hair was buzzed and he looked in every way the part of the traditional mechanic. "Using them now?" he asked. "I say it's a little too soon, but knowing you, you probably have reasons." Laurasia nodded contentedly.
"This is Rade," Talyserys introduced. "He was saved by the Professor also. He was not in the twenty-year cryogenic sleep with us, and made a life for himself somewhere until we called him back recently to finish this group project."
Laurasia motioned to the vehicles. "I present to you: the CrusaderZords!"
"These are fine machines, powerful and sturdy, capable of withstanding any number of hardships," Rade explained. "I'll show you." The Rangers followed him as he moved from Zord to Zord, describing them. "This is the Cerulean Crusader, specifically designed for underwater travel. Over here is the Emerald Crusader for mountain and rough terrain movement. The Gold Crusader there was specially built to channel heat and shifting surfaces, like deserts."
"This," said Laurasia, pointing to the next Zord in line, "is the Rose Crusader. I modified it myself for maximum flight power. It owns the sky." She gave a satisfied smile to Rebecca, who returned it.
Rade stood before the final and turned directly to Cecil. "The Crimson Crusader has no specialty, but was made to perform well in all types of areas. Each Crusader has two distinct forms. The first, as you see them now, are independent vehicles. They also have the ability to transform into warrior mode. Sadly we have not been given enough time to modify them to create a Megazord, so you'll have to make due with five independent Zords."
"These," Brittany said breathlessly, "give us even ground with the Pseudo Ranger."
Each of the Omni Rangers walked toward their respective CrusaderZord and teleported inside to examine the interiors. Cecil, however, remained on the floor of the giant garage with the Omnians. Addressing Rade, he wondered, "The Omni Megazord was severely damaged in our last battle. Are you capable of fixing that?"
"I can fix anything," the handyman answered with a cocky tilt of his head.
Cecil smiled. "That is what I wanted to hear," he said, then boarded the Crimson Crusader and, via the communications system, he told the Rangers, "Get ready for our rematch."
In his entire seventeen-year lifetime in the boring town of Ivory Glade, Colorado, Patrick had never seen a sight this exciting. Holding his breath, hiding behind a broken down wall, he watched the armored person—or was it a creature?—pacing back and forth among the wreckage of the building he had destroyed, stopping occasionally to spare a glance for one of the four monsters idly on the look-out, most likely for the Power Rangers. The warrior was incredible, arrayed in shining blue-black armor except for his burning red eyes, turning an upside-down thin curved sword idly in his hand, blood red cloak dangling behind him.
A uniformed police officer was approaching. With his heart pounding wildly, Patrick slid lower against the wall and moved his head back into the shadows to avoid being seen. He watched the policeman stop, a considerable fifteen feet away, and announce, "Under the authority of the Ivory Glade Department of Police, I place you under arrest..."
"Under arrest?" the cool armored guy laughed. "Do not play your silly little Earth games with me. I am Sir Vesper, the Shadow of War, the Fallen Star Conqueror, intergalactic terrorist of the highest positions. No one, especially you silly Earthlings, can place me under anything." Only then did Patrick realize that Sir Vesper's voice seemed to mesmerize both himself and the officer, for now Vesper stood arm's length from the authority. He had distracted in order to get close to his target. In a space of time less than the blink of an eye, his blade had been thrust directly through the officer's stomach. "Oh," the demonic alien laughed. "It seems as though I've missed. Silly me." He moved the sword upward, opening a lethal wound in the policeman as easily as cutting butter. "I must study Earthling anatomy and the position of the heart before anyone else places me 'under arrest.'"
Patrick's own heart felt like it was heaving up his throat. He knew he was going to be sick, but pushed the feeling down with all his strength, desperate to avoid being caught.
Then the earthquake came.
Vesper and the four monsters were thrown off their feet, but Patrick was close enough to the ground to avoid falling. He did lose sight of them, however, as the ground trembled. Soon he realized it was not an earthquake in truth, but rather the echoes and vibrations of the footsteps of five enormous man-like machines. Robots. And the colors were clue enough: the Power Rangers were back!
Suddenly Vesper was increasing in size, too, to the same proportions as the Rangers' five robots. His company was growing at a somewhat slower rate. Soon five heroes were face to face with five villains.
"Come on," Patrick whispered, scrambling away from the coming battle. "Go Power Rangers! Go!"
If the outside appearances of the CrusaderZords were impressive, then the interiors were spectacular and then some. The seats were comfortable and yet uninhibiting while the controls were specially designed for the grip and reach of a person. Although the window was gone and the piloting chamber was a little stuffy, at least fifteen or twenty monitors encircled Cecil, giving him several views of the battle from different angles and every imaginable vital statistic about the Zord. It was almost as if this were more of a high-tech video game than an actual battle.
Sir Vesper was already moving in for an attack, but Michael and Alex flanked him on two sides and used weapons—a giant trident for Michael and an axe for Alex—to repel his charge. The female team members had weapons too, a crossbow and a spiked club; they had definitely carried this Medieval "Crusade" theme too far.
"We should split up," suggested Brittany.
"I agree," Cecil replied. "Alexander, you keep Forestron occupied. Rebecca has Shockahn, Michael has Tidalion, and Brittany has Sunymrod. I will handle Vesper; I owe him one for Craig. Keep an eye out for the Pseudo Ranger."
The Crusaders divided.
Emerald Crusader grabbed Forestron with one hand and smashed the axe into the monster's side with the other. The Legionnaire snarled angrily as it broke away and charged forward with all its power, taking Alex by surprise. Both Zord and beast crashed to the ground, their fall broken by a block of commercial businesses. People ran screaming in every direction. As quickly as possible Alex maneuvered his Zord to stand, pulling Forestron with it. Again the ground began to shake, but this time it truly was an earthquake, as the Crusader slammed its opponent with incredible force straight into the ground. The monster trembled until it exploded, showering the battle site with monster parts.
Rose Crusader sprouted wings on its back and lifted into the air. It circled Shockahn once, twice, three times, striking the electrified beast with its club each time it passed. Finally the Legionnaire caught the Zord and administered a dangerous discharge of energy directly into its main computer. Instead of overloading, however, the CrusaderZord challenged it into more force and attacked again. It returned all of the electricity it had absorbed, and then more, causing Shockahn to self-destruct.
Cerulean Crusader thrust its trident at Tidalion, who dodged and roared a challenge. Carefully sliding back and forth, the Twilight Legion monster avoiding being struck and at the same time managed to damage the Zord. Michael eventually caught onto the pattern and, the next time Tidalion lurched forward, he swept the weapon around. The monster impaled itself on the three-pronged spear and fell lifeless to the ground. A final roar preceded its explosion.
Gold Crusader kept its distance from Sunymrod. The last of the four monsters was the most human-like, having the form and flexibility of a man shining with the brightness of a star. It (or he?) tossed some type of small discs that hit the Crusader to cause small detonations against the armor. Brittany countered with shots from her crossbow but it seemed a futile attempt to fight back. Soon Sunymrod began slacking on its assault, so she quickly converted from warrior mode to vehicle mode and raced full-speed toward him. The desert-roving CrusaderZord slammed into the monster, flinging it back into another building, causing even more destruction. Energy beams began firing from different locations on the Zord and vaporized the Legionnaire threat.
Cecil drove the Crimson Crusader forward, drawing its short sword weapon, toward Sir Vesper, who readied his own weapon. The two blades met, sparks flying in all directions.
"Do you think you have won now?" Vesper demanded with a laugh. He parried another attack, almost casually, and continued taunting. "On many planets I conquered, I employed a distraction technique that went a little something as follows: engaged your enemy in battle, sacrifice a few soldiers to occupy their time, then send in your main force to surround them. Well, Arcanza's tactics are a bit eccentric, he has higher ambitions than conquest, after all, but at heart the idea is the same. Take a look." With that, Sir Vesper back away, sheathed his sword, and disappeared completely from view.
Curious, Cecil teleported to stand atop his CrusaderZord, while his friends moved their vehicles closer to his and followed his lead. "What did he mean by 'take a look'?" wondered Becky.
Pointing in the distance to the south, Michael gasped, "There!"
Slowly the Red Ranger turned around and terrifying reality began to sink in. Just outside the city, a massive army was gathering, men and women in violet and orange dark clothing, circulating and preparing themselves for an attack on Ivory Glade. In the center of the action, a round area had been cleared, where a figure—probably Sir Vesper—was stepping onto a small platform. "There must be a thousand of them!" Brittany exclaimed.
Thinking back to how Craig had described it to him, Cecil mentally strained for the OmniTech powers and activated the "Analysis!" Statistics began to spring up out of the air, words hovering just far enough out of his reach that only he could see. The numbers that he read were so incredible, he could not bring himself to report the bad news to his companions.
"Red Ranger!"
The five Rangers responded as one, looking straight down to where the voice had called from to behold the Pseudo Ranger watching them in return. "What do you want?" Cecil cried back.
"I am challenging you," it said, spreading its arms out and back, "to a one on one battle. Just you and I. Your friends are free to watch if they think their stomachs can handle seeing you pummeled." The black falcon launched itself off Pseudo's shoulder and flew south toward the gathering forces.
What would Craig do? The thought was foremost in his mind, but Cecil knew he had to begin thinking for himself sooner or later. What he wanted to do was defeat this phony Ranger, then use the CrusaderZords to stomp Twilight Legion out of existence.
"...sider this carefully," Brittany was warning. "It's most likely a trap of some sort..."
Michael had crossed his arms and was staring down at the Pseudo Ranger. He was muttering something to himself and he did not sound too happy.
"It's a master of every discipline I'm familiar with," warned Alexander, "and that includes the Omnian styles of martial arts that Talyserys taught me. You have to think quickly to keep up, let alone win."
When he looked to her, Rebecca just shrugged and shook her head.
Finally he called back in response to the challenge, "I accept, Pseudo Ranger!" With a final prayer that he would at least survive the encounter, he leaped off the Crimson Crusader, letting gravity carry him to the grow below. "Battle Shield!" He summoned his signature weapon on the way down.
On the ground, the Pseudo Ranger posed with its foot elevated on a piece of wreckage and its arms resting on its knee. "You are not as cowardly as you seem."
"One condition," demanded the Red Ranger. "You reveal your true identity."
"True identity," Pseudo Ranger bellowed, throwing its head back and chuckling. "You fools walk around without knowing your own true identities and you expect me to reveal mine?"
Blue Ranger lurched forward, but the Green Ranger pulled him back. "You're too afraid to take us all on at once!" Michael taunted.
Slowly the Pseudo Ranger relaxed its dramatic stance and approached Cecil. "My challenge was posed and you accepted; there will be no conditions."
In response, Cecil lifted his leg and kicked Pseudo in the stomach, the surprise opening attack knocking it back and away. It countered with a sweeping leg that the Rangers's leader jumped over, leaving him open to receive a series of blows, eased only slightly by his shield. "Omni Blaster!" he exclaimed, the weapon materializing in his hand and firing. The blasts bounded off Pseudo Ranger's own shield.
"Pseudo Blaster!" the darker combatant summoned. It discharged a series of shots of its own, but none of them connected with Cecil.
The Red Ranger tightened his fists and invoked, "Pulse Wave!" As he moved in to deliver a powerful punch, the summoned added strength created a shockwave that sent Pseudo Ranger flying several feet backward. Not wanted to lose this upper hand, Cecil chased after it, readying the "Riot Cannon!" as he ran.
"Nifty device," Pseudo Ranger growled, lifting itself up holding a duplicate weapon. "Pseudo Cannon! Fire!"
Cecil felt himself pushed back by an incredible surge of energy, dropping him to the ground and sending a biting tingle through his back. Without the superhuman vitality the OmniTech supplied him with, he was sure that would have paralyzed him forever. He wished he had Craig's talent for creating impenetrable barriers. Then, as if the thought of talents with the Omni Power brought it back to him, he remembered a trick he himself used earlier. Holding his breath, he watched as Pseudo Ranger moved over him, looking down, while he played dead. Then, in a torrent of life, he cried, "Psycho Trance!"
Pseudo staggered back, clutching its helmet and shivering like a frightened child in pain. "How do you do that?" it demanded, just before screaming, losing its footing, and falling to writhe in agony on the jagged pieces of the ground.
"Nooooooo!" Brittany's scream pierced the air.
"What's wrong?" Cecil asked, standing and brushing off his costume. "I won..." As the scene before him became clear to view, his voice trailed off into a breathless whispered. Rebecca, Alexander, and Michael were de-morphed and on the ground with torn clothing and dirty faces. The Yellow Ranger was struggling as Sir Vesper, one hand holding her up in the air, opened the compartment of her Omni Morpher and removed the Hypercoin, the source of the OmniTech Abilities. When he had the coin, he looked over and saw the triumphant Ranger, then flung Brittany in his direction. Cecil caught her carefully and held her until she regained her bearings. "You okay?" he asked.
She shook her head, a distant look in her eyes as though trying to recall some memory. "The others...?" she muttered, trying to turn and look at them.
Together they approached their friends and revived each one. None of them had serious injuries, but the long cut in Alex's arm had been re-opened and he had several new scratches and bruises to add. Michael seemed unharmed and the most lucid of the group; he helped move the more injured members of the team to a safe three-walled shelter. Activating his communicator, Cecil told Alpha System, "Auto-pilot the CrusaderZords back to base."
"Vesper got the Hypercoins," hissed Michael, lifting a stray rock and flinging it at the wall behind them. "Damn it! We fell for the same trick again."
"Distraction," agreed Brittany. "First those monsters distracted us while the Pseudo Ranger got into the city, then Sir Vesper distracted us while the Legion assembled, and now Pseudo Ranger distracts us while Vesper steals our source of power."
Cecil stood, suddenly remembering to ask, "What happened to the Pseudo Ranger?" Quickly he turned and began running back to the site of the battle.
"Wait!" cried Becky, but her voice failed her after that.
He considered turning back, but he had to find out what happened to his opponent. Common sense told him Pseudo was long gone; hope compelled the desire to finish the job he began. The villain had been at Cecil's mercy, now it was on the loose once again to resume its reign of evil. Reaching the battleground, he found it deathly quiet and deserted.
"I will finish what I started," Cecil vowed. "Pseudo Ranger, if you can hear me, I will finish what I started!"
The answer came in the form of black clouds, plunging Ivory Glade into mid-afternoon darkness, the light sprinkle of rain trickling down from the heavens, lightning flashing in the sky.
Original Publication Date: 8 September 1999
