It was a hazy feeling, staring at himself in the mirror bright and early on a cold November Monday morning, the sleep still not fully fleeing his system. For as long as Alexander could remember he had been a late riser, definitely not the morning person type like some of his friends, Rebecca or Patrick, for instance. He had mastered the art of waking up at eight—or sometimes after eight—and reaching his first class at half past. But now, thanks to an impassable job opportunity at a company that just moved into Ivory Glade, Alex was rising before the crack of dawn to prepare for a first-thing-in-the-morning seven o'clock interview with the company president, Jackson Fisher. Snapping himself out of his complaining, he rinsed his razor and continued shaving, making himself as presentable as he could be. Finishing up slowly, he slipped on his olive green undershirt, tucking it into black dress slacks, and stretched to adjust his clothing more comfortable. Quickly he raced through the checklist in his mind to make sure he had finished everything he had intended and headed downstairs for breakfast. His mother Myra, part Japanese and part Hawaiian, gave him a quick smile as she set his place next to Grandfather, who, as long as Alex had known him, was awake to see the sun rise and set every day.
"Good morning, mother," he said, but ending up more yawning it than saying it. Sitting down, he added, "Good morning, Grandfather," in Chinese.
Grandfather smiled, a both comforting and satisfied expression that touched his eyes, and answered in the same language, "Good morning, Alexander." He was an elderly man of average height, with long white hair that still had streaks of silver, gray, and even some black. Nobody knew where Grandfather had been born, he was fluent in several languages and knew more about the differences among cultures and could recite the way the world turns if you gave him the time to listen. He purchased the Sharpened Senses dojo the same day Alex had been born, telling his son Paulo and Myra, "Now that you have a child to occupy your time, I will need something to occupy mine." Today Alex considered his elder's business as a part of himself and hoped to carry it on after Grandfather retired.
"I have never seen you at the kitchen table this early, and not in a hurry," Myra observed.
Grinning, Alex helped himself to a basket of rolls. Noticing Grandfather with his head bowed, he copied the action and said a quiet prayer of thanksgiving before beginning eating. Perhaps the greatest difference between elder and youth was the matter of Alex's Catholicism and his grandfather's unidentifiable religion. As he finished, he began leisurely eating...
An hour later, he was hurrying to shake himself into his sport coat and dash through the front door, with a quick kiss to his mother and a bow of respect to his grandfather. The car parked in the driveway had been honking for five minutes, and as Alex opened the door, Amber Donaldson wondered, "Running late as usual?" with a sly smile.
"Old habits die hard," he sighed, fastening his seat belt and slumping into the passenger seat. "Thanks for the ride. You know where the new Genetopia building is?"
Nodding, she replied, "Sure do," backed out onto the street, and soon they were cruising the intersections of downtown Ivory Glade. Glancing at him every so often and noticing he was increasingly nervous about the interview with Fisher, she stirred up light conversation along the way. "It's pretty quiet without Soleron and his friends causing us trouble, huh?"
"The last two weeks have been the quietest and most enjoyable of the entire year," answered Alex. "Although not as much as they could be. I wish Craig wasn't out there somewhere, being hunted..."
"Do you ever wonder what happened that night?" Amber asked him softly. "I know Craig would never do something outrageously hideous like murder his parents, but who would?"
"Michael." He was aware of her turning to stare more questioning looks at him, but all of Alex's attention was on the sidewalk alongside the street and the person they had just driven by. That brief glimpse had sent a shiver up his spine, just thinking the traitor was alive for a split second could do that, then he dismissed the notion entirely. "Never mind," he added uneasily. "Just tension making me see things, I suppose."
Amber accepted his explanation and turned into Genetopia's parking lot. "You're starting to sound like Cecil now, insisting Michael is alive and well and planning some revenge on us. Just relax, Alex, and worry about impressing this Jackson Fisher guy. I heard he's called 'the Shark' and rose to his position literally overnight."
The car slowed to a stop in a fairly close parking stall and both teenagers climbed out and began walking toward the building's entrance. "Well, the Shark is about to meet the Dragon. Although I'd be more confident with another hour or two of sleep."
Jackson Fisher towered over the ordinary man, he had a least a foot on Alex alone, and his presence seemed to fill the entire spacious office. A sweet smell that was certainly coming from him permeated the air and filled the mere applicant with a generic excitement. Seated behind his desk, holding a phone up to his ear, Fisher lifted a finger to say Alex should wait and pointed to a seat before him. The man composed himself incredibly, an African-American with close-cut jet black hair and a stare that could encompass the world if he wanted it to. "My company is still small and on the runway of commercialism. We may never take off, we may crash after an hour in the air, or we might have an emergency landing or two along the way. It is too soon for such a venture to happen. I want to continue at a cautious pace, not forge ahead at the speed of light. Unless you want to wish me and my company luck, I suggest we end this call. Why, thank you, and good luck to you, as well." Fisher hung up and turned his stare toward Alex, who swallowed a lump in his throat. "Mr. Revell?"
"Yes," he replied shakily, holding his hand out. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Fisher." His hand was grabbed and shaken firmly by the president. "I'm here about the open..."
Fisher finished his sentence, "The opening in the packaging department. Of course." A pleasant smile formed on his lips and he continued, "We all have to start somewhere." He paused, waiting for Alexander's response. So this was a test, was it?
Nodding, his reply was, "More of a 'passing time' thing than a 'starting somewhere' thing. I have already decided to take over my grandfather's dojo when I am of age. Don't worry, I'm not here to take over your company, Mr. Fisher."
For some reason, the Shark's smile grew bigger and he tapped the application on the desk in front of him. "How soon can you start? And, please, call me Jackson now. All my employees are on a first-name, casual basis; I find it increases productivity when everyone is comfortable."
"I can start this afternoon after three," Alex answered. "Thank you, Mr. Fish...I mean, Jackson, it will be a honor to work for you."
When the clock above city hall began ringing to announce the third hour of the afternoon to everyone downtown, Alex was nervously beginning his new job, but Amber was more focused on the strange feelings hanging in the air. The first had been there since Craig had disappeared, like a cold, empty void in the pit of her stomach where something warm and familiar used to exist. The second was also a type of coldness, but it was the temperature of her surroundings falling, and she was not the only person to notice. The third oddity, and perhaps the one that worried her the most, was a sense something was wrong with the sky, almost like something was being pulled toward it, but not something from the ground.
She had hoped Cecil would be able to snap her out of her dismal suspicions, but he had missed their usual afternoon practice at Sharpened Senses. After changing back into her street clothes, a dark sweater striped with different bright colors and black jeans, Amber settled down on the other side of Grandfather Revell's desk and asked, "You wanted to see me?"
"Just to thank you," Grandfather replied with a smile that touched his eyes. "Alex really enjoys your company, now that that other friend of his is gone. You look a lot like him; are you two related?"
"Cousins," she answered with a nod. "My father and his mother are...were brother and sister."
Scratching his jowl, the old man nodded and switched subjects quickly. "Looks like the wind is picking up. I feel a storm coming; I feel it in my bones. Old bones can predict the weather better than any newspaper, you know."
That settled her mind. "Well," she hurried, "I'd better get home before that storm or mom and dad are going to worry. I'll give Alex a ride home too, okay? Bye, Grandfather." Letting his farewells slip in one ear and out the other, Amber hurried outside and dashed into the alley between the dojo and the abandoned building next door. Lifting her communicator, she teleported in a beam of dark-shaded energy to Alpha Complex.
Three hours into his employment at Genetopia, Alexander was ready to stay forever. All of his co-workers treated him with patience and understanding as he adjusted and, before very long, he knew everything he needed to. It was relatively easy packaging the medicine bottles into tall boxes and adding a folded brochure and instructions. He put the sticker on and sent it on to the next person. As simple as that. Even more simple except for his burning arm.
The scratch he had received what seemed ages ago often reacted at odd times, which the Omnians, before they left, had explained by suggesting the people who Arcanza had controlled would still have pseudoine in them and that would trigger the burning. Someone he worked with, Alex assumed, must be an ex-Legionnaire. Better an ex than an active one.
Around six o'clock, Jackson Fisher appeared and greeted everyone, thanking them for doing an excellent job and improving Genetopia's private and public reputation. As he reached Alex, he asked nearby workers, "Has anyone told Alexander exactly what he is packaging?" When nobody answered, the Shark continued, "This medication is a cure."
"For what?" Alex asked curiously.
Fisher smiled. "For everything. Headaches, sore muscles, arthritis. Even insanity. Cancer. AIDS. High cholesterol. Name it."
"That's not possible," laughed Alex and immediately the entire room went silent. His breathing caught as his eyebrows rose and he whispered, "Is it?"
"Genetopia will make every man and woman virtually immune to anything and everything that has, does, or ever will infect them." Fisher motioned toward the door and beckoned, "Come, I will show you our miracle."
In the next room, the burning sensation is Alex's arm swelled to inferno proportions. Lining the walls were containers, people in white lab coats circulating between them and shuffling samples, dispensing solidified fluid into the bottles he had been passing along for the last three hours. It was obvious what it was.
"I discovered this natural substance in one of my employees before I became successful," Fisher explained with a grin in his voice. "She was hit by an automobile and made a full recovery before her husband could dial the emergency number. She agreed to let herself be tested, and that's when we discovered her DNA contained a chemical base most others lack."
Alex shivered, a complex reaction combining his fear, irritation, and rage. "You have no idea what that stuff is," he growl-whispered. "It's dangerous."
"Aside from some memory loss she experience, and that was from before the accident so we have no way of connecting it to this chemical, there were no side effects. All of the tests we have performed give us amazing success rates. At least a ninety-five percent average."
His heart pumped arctic blood through his veins, flowing from his chest to his mouth, which froze and locked it tight. Did this guy not know what he was doing? Fisher had discovered the presence of pseudoine in an ex-Legionwoman and was planning to manufacture and sell it as a miracle drug! The consequences could be earth-shattering. He gathered his will to unleash resentment to Fisher, but suddenly the communicator around his wrist beeped.
Fisher lifted an eyebrow as Alex shifted, unnerved. "Excuse me," he apologized and began heading for the exit. Scouring the corridor he found a custodian's closet and disappeared inside, teleporting as quickly and smoothly as possible to Alpha Complex.
Amber was the only one paying attention as he arrived; Rebecca, Brittany, and Bane all followed the computer screens with their eyes, soaking in the situation that had called them here. Oriquin, seated calmly at a consol, spoke without looking at him. "The weather is acting out of the ordinary. The source is a monster, and we have locked on to its coordinates. Amber will lead the team until...if Cecil arrives. Good luck, Omni Rangers."
"I couldn't get any solid readings," Brittany informed them, almost apologetically.
Assuring her, Amber replied, "We'll take care of it," and called, "It's morphin' time!"
"Omni Dragon!" It felt as if the ground below yawned after a long sleep as Alex morphed into the Green Ranger.
"Omni Pegasus!" Becky morphed into the Pink Ranger in a explosion of electricity.
"Omni Hydra!" A shower of blue light energy acting like water fell on Bane as he became the Blue Ranger.
"Omni Sphinx!" An aura of light sprang up around Brittany and when it faded the Yellow Ranger stood in her place and pose.
"Omni Cerberus!" Shadows embraced Amber and shifted, instilling the image and presence of the Black Ranger into her.
The five Rangers touched down at the given coordinates, some place outside Ivory Glade, but it looked completely unrecognizable. Snow drifted down, along with large chunks of frozen hail, and all the while bright lightning flashes with their thunder screams blasted in the skies. In the middle of the vicious storm, a half-human, half-creature wielding twin weapons that looked like round shields with yard-long katana blades emerging from their centers. His dark eyes reflected the lightning in the sky, and his sharpened snarling smile offered a silent challenge.
Amber took up her position as leader immediately. "Are you responsible for the weather change?" she demanded. If Alex did not know who it really was, and closed his eyes, and lowered the pitch a little, it almost sounded like Craig leading them once again, like the old days. "If so, I order you to stop now, or you will meet the same fate as your fellow fallen Legionnaires." A fiery safeguard materialized around her, the Zenith Aura, as she anticipated an aggressive answer.
With a bark of a laugh, the monster growled, "Somehow I doubt it."
"What do you mean?" Becky called out. "We've beaten Fiertoth, Sir Vesper, Univerouge, Ego, and Arcanza! You don't have a chance."
Twisting his mouth into a grin, it dismissed the statement with, "I am different." Straightening its poise, the pale stone-fleshed creature raised its voice and proclaimed, "Beware, Omni Rangers, for you have challenged Gan-Ust, a veteran member of Rapture Hold, the most powerful collection of warriors in the universe."
"And Varron," a voice that slinked as well as its speaker as she appeared from behind him, a dark skinned alien creature that rather frightfully resembled an Earthling woman, "also a Rapture Hold soldier. Prepare yourselves for destruction."
Brittany, Bane, Alexander, and Rebecca gathered around and behind Amber, who was leaning forward ready to begin fighting. Varron glanced up toward the storm in the sky with a quick smile and fell back, putting Gan-Ust on the spot. It was clear that one or both of them was causing this. Alex conjured his signature weapon, the familiar blade of the four-bladed Gaia Star materializing in his hand, and nearby the others were doing the same. Hefting the Storm Lance, Bane reported, "I have never heard of these names before. They are not Twilight Legion and, in my opinion, are telling the truth." Aiming his weapon at Gan-Ust he added, "And I am sure he is the one controlling the storm."
Suddenly the wind burst, blowing all five of them backward and off their feet, while the hail began to fall with more velocity and greater frequency. Alex felt something hard smack into his helmet, making his ears ring uncomfortably, but he fought the feeling and struggled to his feet regardless. Amber was already up and leaping into the air, executing a jump kick to collide with the mysterious creature. Her opponent swung its weapon and her furiously, but it touched the Zenith Aura and the blade snapped in half. The Black Ranger's attack knocked Gan-Ust to the ground as she used him to flip away and land gracefully.
"I'm going to use my Surge power," Rebecca told him. "Watch my back." When one of them used their Surge power it took concentration and temporarily drained them of energy. Only Cecil, Becky, and Alex had unlocked those incredible powers so far, and only Cecil and Becky could use it at will. Thinking of it, using Environment Surge sure would help right now, but the last time he used it was in the desperate all-out battle with Sir Vesper and he had not even known he had done it until reviewing the fight.
Alex held her arm and replied, "The thing creates lightning. What good do you think giving him more electricity will do?"
He could tell a defensive response was ready, but the Pink Ranger sighed instead and conceded, "You're right. I'm not thinking."
"Could you channel the Surge power through me?" The question came out of the blue, even to Alex himself as the words came out. "Like Cecil used our powers to hide from the Pseudo Ranger, like we use to teleport other people with us when we teleport. Do you think you could use Environment Surge if you used this?" He held his Omni Morpher out to her.
Rebecca looked at him and he wished he could see her face. "If I did, would you be okay? If I draw too much..."
Not wanting to think of how that sentence finished, Alexander extended his arm more and assured her, "I'll be okay. Someone has to stop them."
She touched the Morpher gently and whispered, "Here goes." Several heartbeats later, still nothing had happened. "It's not working. All I feel is..." Suddenly Becky's Pink Ranger costume vanished, reverting her back into her street clothing, but before Alex could say anything he felt cold air wash over him and blinding green light pierce his eyes. Slowly the green died out and was replaced with black.
And then he was choking. Jumping to his feet—When had he fallen?—he took a long, deep breath of cold, frigid air, mixed with ice and snow and water. When his vision returned, he saw the Black and Yellow Rangers far in the distance. Bane and Rebecca, now morphed, helped him to his feet and Bane's non-emotional voice instructed, "Morph or freeze."
Alex choice the former, but although he felt himself morph, he did not feel the usual rush of power that accompanied it. "What happened?" he asked groggily.
"The ground underneath Gan-Ust turned over," explained Bane. "He just emerged from the rubble and the snowstorm is worsening by the second. That has become a somewhat more insignificant detail, though."
"I used Environment Surge," Becky elaborated. "I had to release my hold on my power to draw yours out, though."
Taking in everything he was told, Alex turned back to Bane and asked, "What do you mean it's insignificant now?" The Blue Ranger pointed up, and Alex's gaze followed. Somewhere above them, a bright ball hung behind the clouds in the storm-filled sky. "That's not the sun, is it?" he groaned.
"Varron thought Gan-Ust was dead. She nicely informed us she was summoning a comet to collide with Earth, then self-destructed. That appeared shortly after, then Gan-Ust resurfaced and skewed the weather again." Bane sounded as he usually did, but Alex got the feeling he was as nervous as unflappable Bane could be. Turning sharply, he finished, "We should help them."
Together, the Green, Pink, and Blue Rangers joined the battle with Gan-Ust, with a wild winter storm ravaging their world and an Earthbound heavily body ready to destroy it.
Original Publication Date: 28 July 2000
