The pilot's quarters onboard Gemini Destiny was spacious and comfortable, similar to the room next door occupied by Oriquin, and something about the layout and decorations reminded Cecil of Craig Hopwood, probably because they had once belonged to his birth father Professor Abner Donaldson. A single lamp positioned between the bed and the cushioned chair emitted enough light to illuminate the room and at the same time offer a small elevation in temperature. Normally the ship was cold because of its constant presence high in the atmosphere; this was one of the warmest rooms here.
Brittany was sitting in the chair, looking down at a folder containing at least fifty sheets of paper, a fraction of the raw information they were slowly but steadily retrieving from various sources around the world. Near the entrance, positioned as to guard the others from any unwanted intrusions, Bane sat cross-legged, eyes closed, but other senses on heightened alert. At the dresser Amber stared with a melancholic look into her reflection from the mirror but what she may have been thinking about was impossible to guess. Rebecca laid back on the king size bed, hands resting on her stomach, staring at the plain gray ceiling.
Sitting up on the other side of the bed, keeping close watch over his friends and companions, Cecil concentrated on breathing evenly and lightly. "Who wants to begin?" he asked suddenly.
Amber sighed, then began, "Craig convinced me to return home after being gone for so long, and for some reason after I did I got the feeling he was ready to do the same. But...something happened. The Hopwoods turned up dead and Craig turned up missing. And the Omnians couldn't help, because that High Lady Feilia returned and asked them to accompany her back to New Omnis to take up their fight there."
"Alex got a job at Genetopia," Becky recalled. "And discovered that the company's owner was planning to mass manufacture pseudoine as a miracle drug. That was when we met the first Rapture Hold members, too, and fought them in the worst winter storm in history, then sacrificed one of the CrusaderZords to prevent a meteor from slamming into Earth. Corout, Rapture Hold's boss, Arcanza's friend, and our new worst enemy, slaughtered the people at Genetopia and stole the pseudoine."
The smooth voice of Bane picked up the story: "The next Holders we fought were more advanced then us, so I entered the Zord Holding Bay subchamber and retrieved our new weapons and vehicles."
"Then my mother's cancer got a lot worse," Brittany whispered, barely loud enough for them to hear, "and Craig let us know he was still alive through a secret message to Cece. I rescued you from being trapped inside the Megazord then we destroyed that giant virus monster."
Cecil rubbed his hands together slowly as he tried to bring back all of the memories of past adventures. "We went skiing and got trapped underneath the mountains in a giant ice cube. Thankfully Amber and the girls saved us just in time by killing the Rapture Holder with the Triple Umbra Attack."
"What about Tunsul?" Becky groaned beside him. "There was no way to even fight him, with his unbreakable armor and all. It was pure luck that you, Oriquin, and me came up with a good strategy. Then the Pseudo Ranger reappeared and threw us for another loop; we still don't know who it is now, or what it wants."
"I still need to find out," announced Bane in a tone laced with unquenchable rage. "Then, after I know and settle the score, I can finish transferring the Blue Ranger powers to Patrick. It is unfortunate that Arcanza's other son, Salodis, invaded Alpha Complex during the last ceremony, and we were forced to completely crush it to make sure he was killed. His ability to increase in power after each battle was too dangerous to leave unchecked; I'm sure he was already the most powerful among their ranks."
Amber pulled back some of her hair that had fallen in front of her eyes and adjusted it carefully in the mirror as she spoke. "Fhare used her power to turn Alex against us, and when she was destroyed he went completely insane, allowing himself to become a living conduit to nature itself."
"Then Devus sent Alex somewhere through one of her portals," Cecil finished. "We have no idea where he might be now, or if he is in control of his own mind again. And now that Devus, along with a large portion of the southern edge of Ivory Glade, is destroyed..."
Brittany tapped the paper on top of her pile and recounted, "Only one Rapture Holder remains, in addition to Corout and the Pseudo Ranger. Our best estimates put the current Twilight Legion count at around three hundred people." She paused to catch her breath for a moment. "The structural remains of Alpha Complex are under intense military investigation, but I think all potential damaging evidence was cleaned out. Oriquin and Alpha-S2 are keeping a close eye on all of the situations."
"So what do we do now?" Becky sighed. "There are just too many problems to handle all at once." Turning away from the mirror, Amber wordlessly asked the same question, as did they all in one mannerism or another. Bane tensed up in preparation of the answer. Shifting in place in the armchair, Brittany clutched the printouts as though she were clinging to life itself.
Throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, Cecil stood up and stretched out, working some of the stiffness that had accumulated as he sat. "We have spent too much time farting around and that is why things suck now. No more." He heard Rebecca stifle an amused laugh, and ignored it. "Bane, you have to move the OmniZords and CrusaderZords to a new location before the government finds the underground tunnels to the mountains. Amber, you are going to the site where Neo Twilight City rose from underground, search both above and below for any clues as to who the Pseudo Ranger is or what he may want. Brittany and Rebecca, both of you will scour Ivory Glade for any Twilight Legionnaires or people you suspect to be in league with them." Cecil paused to let his commands sink in, then added, "I am going to return to the Genetopia building and try to figure out what part Corout is playing. We will meet back here in three hours and determine if our efforts are worth continuing at that time. Understood?"
"Of course," Bane acknowledged coldly. Brittany nodded quietly.
"Good plan," remarked Amber.
Placing his hand out, Cecil waited patiently for the others to react. Rebecca jumped off the bed and placed her hands on top of his. Brittany left her papers on the chair and stood to join them. Gliding across the room, his pale appearance and smooth motion giving him the impression of a ghost, Bane laid his hand on top of hers. Last, but not least, Amber came over from the dresser and sat her hand on top.
"Twilight Legion," promised Cecil, "is about to go down in flames."
The Ivory Glade clock tower was a focal point of the city. It was taller than most of the skyscrapers along the skyline, and from its pinnacle one could see all the way to the city limits. "This is where Arcanza conducted the invasion of Ivory Glade," Michael reminisced darkly, "and it is where I will destroy it from." He laughed to himself as his view took in all the terror the Legion had already instilled in this forsaken place.
"Shall I begin now, Lord Tracer?" Xe'ex asked eagerly.
"Please do," answered Michael.
Corout, standing motionless with arms crossed as far away from Michael as the balcony allowed, exhaled sharply and watched helplessly as another plan began its path to failure. Xe'ex was going to use his talent of controlling emotion to make the citizens of Ivory Glade hate one another to the point of civil chaos. But, when the Omni Rangers killed the last Rapture Hold soldier, as Corout was positive they could with the frightening amount of power and determination they had demonstrated repeatedly, the spell would be broken, and the reign of the universe's most powerful collection of fighters would be officially ended.
Michael turned around quickly and motioned in Corout's direction. "We have to return to the Genetopia building now," he announced. "Xe'ex, continue until the spell is cast, then follow us back. You don't want to miss it."
"The Rising," Xe'ex sighed with a child-like smile.
Corout snorted his contempt. The Rising, indeed. Betrayer or not, Michael Tracer was an inexperienced child who had spent his entire life on this little polluted planet and had been manipulated by Arcanza to believe he was something important. There was no way in hell Michael could pull this off; it was a doomed project from the very beginning. As they took their leave of Xe'ex, Corout allowed himself a relieved grin, thinking about how great it would be to betray the "Betrayer."
Downtown Ivory Glade was eerily deserted and silent. What once was one of the busiest business streets in the city now contained only five people milling about, lost in their own worlds of thoughts. And foremost among those thoughts was probably fear of another devastation, like the one at Southlake Mall, another busy locale. An unshaven man, with a muscular contour and a proud stride, came out of one of the stores and spotted Cecil as he scanned the vicinity.
The Genetopia Building was a little ways further down this street, so Cecil focused himself on avoiding any more attention from the muscle man. There were short bursts of a chilly wind that occasionally caught him by surprise. High in the sky, a jet contrail was making its way east; angrily, Cecil wondered if its purpose was to fly over the destroyed Alpha Complex.
He heard a noise behind him and turned around. Muscle man accidentally bumped into an old woman wrapped in a thick, gray wool sweater holding two paper bags filled with groceries. The woman landed hard on the ground on her backside, and her items scattered across the sidewalk and into the street, while the man never lost his footing. "Watch where you're going, grandmaw!" the guy shouted, never stopping.
"Up yours, screwball!" the woman shouted back.
Cecil hurried to the scene and extended his hand to help the old lady up. She looked up curiously at him but never made the move to accept his help. "Are you alright?" Cecil prompted in a gentle manner.
The woman opened her mouth, and he anticipated she was going to answer, but instead she cried, "Get away from me! Police! Po-leeeeeeeee-ce!"
Others, who numbered three he could count but voices that seemed to come from more than three directions, began calling, "Leave her alone!" "Back off, you little turd!" "Get that druggie teenager away from her!" "Run, bag lady, run!"
Frustrated, Cecil withdrew his hand and snorted, abandoning the attempt at kindness. It was not worth the trouble, anyway. He had his own problems. Lifting his communicator, he opened a channel with the other Rangers, and announced, "I am tired. If you want me, I will be at home taking a nap. Keep me informed of your progress."
"Screw that," Becky swore through the communicator. "If you take a break, we all do. I'm going to one of the malls you didn't let get destroyed."
"That was not my fault!" roared Cecil, oblivious to passers-by who either blatantly ignored him or figured he was rambling insanely.
Amber's voice sounded disgusted as she replied sarcastically, "Right. I'm pretty sick of you, too. Let's just stop trying to work together and get real. Since you don't have the balls, I'll save Alex by myself."
"Fine with me," Cecil snorted, and terminated the transmission. As he did so, however, something strange happened once again. The communicators were powered by energy from the OmniTech Ability Band so when communication was turned off the Omni Morpher reverted to a dormant neutral state. But this time, the OmniTech sprang to life of its own accord, burning Cecil's arm as it acted independently of his command....again!
Psychic Stream, one of Cecil's talents enabled by the Red Ranger power, activated itself, and he could feel it ripping through his mind. When it was finished, Cecil stumbled forward, dizzy, but realized what just happened. Something—most likely something from Twilight Legion or Rapture Hold—had altered his consciousness, and the OmniTech Band sensed that and automatically corrected it.
"I do not get it," he whispered to the silver bracer around his forearm. "Are you sentient? Or are you some kind of alien technological homeostatic device?"
Four colored columns of light suddenly touched down near him and, as his friends materialized, the surrounding onlookers simultaneously passed out. Bane examined his Morpher thoroughly, Amber and Becky looked around in bewilderment, while Brittany looked as though she were completely ignoring her surroundings altogether.
"What happened?" Cecil asked.
"Hell if I know," came Brittany's sneered answer.
Amber's gaze shifted down to her arm, and she eyed the Shadow Morpher as if it were a living poisonous snake. "These things forced us here, didn't they?"
"Good," Bane injected coldly. "Now I can renounce my affiliation with all of you." He struggled to detach his blue Omni Morpher and flung it carelessly onto the ground with a sinister smile that vehemently reminded Cecil of Arcanza.
Brittany did the same, but it was a little more difficult for her to get the yellow Morpher off. "See you," she laughed and walked away quietly.
"I can't believe this!" Rebecca exclaimed.
"Me neither," agreed Cecil, thinking she meant something else.
"No, I mean I can't believe none of us thought of this earlier!" With clenched teeth she removed the Ability Band of the Pink Ranger from her left arm and abandoned it aside the other two. As she walked away, her light brown hair was picked up and tossed in another unexpected gust of wind.
Cecil reached out to grab Becky's arm but just barely missed it. "Wait," he ordered sharply. "Who is going to protect Ivory Glade? None of us can quit until..."
An emotionless, cold, inverted laugh interrupted his plea, and, with Omni Morpher at the ready, Cecil turned around to discover its source. The air had gotten even chillier than normal in late winter, but that was nothing compared to the chillier than ever sensation that shot from the base of his brain straight down to his tailbone. A lone bird soaring above must have had a similar experience because it dipped down sharp, losing its balance in flight, and smashed into the window of a building. Brittany, Rebecca, and Bane did not even turn around to look back.
Descending from the sky, the Pseudo Ranger's hands were folded in front of it, its stance straight and at attention. A surging aura of blue and silver energy circulated around it, encompassing the evil Ranger in a protective barrier. Its laugh faded away, but Cecil imagined whoever it was was still smiling at the turn of events.
"No way," Amber groaned, removing the ShadowTech Ability Band and completing the pile of deserted Morphers. "I'm through fighting other Rangers. I've got fifty-plus years left to live."
Cecil's knees got extremely weak, and he was unable to move to save his life. Pseudo Ranger watched in quiet glee as Amber walked away and Cecil made no move to stop her or fight his opponent. "What have you done?" he demanded.
"The final Rapture Holder," Pseudo Ranger replied in its mechanical voice. "Xe'ex has the innate ability to change moods. He has turned the entire city against itself. We anticipated there would be no effect on you five." It turned to look in the direction Bane had deserted. "Apparently we were wrong."
"I still have control over myself," Cecil growled, breaking his petrifaction and lifting his Omni Morpher as it emanated with bright red light. "I will undo all of your damage within the hour."
Pseudo landed on the street and suddenly disappeared. "Then I will have to kill you, Cecil Mercuric," it threatened from behind. Cecil turned around again to see the Pseudo Ranger standing in front of the Genetopia Building. Dark clouds began gathering high in the sky, short and thin sheaths of lightning beginning their attempts to strike downward.
"It's morphin' time!" Cecil exclaimed. "Omni Titan!"
A torrent of raw power exploded into him from the Ability Band, and he could feel a blending of insanity and serenity seize his mind. His body felt more powerful now, faster as well, protected by the thin costume of the Red Ranger. The Battle Shield formed over his chest, the Chaos Sword materialized upsidedown in his right hand, while the Omni Analysis displayed the information that Pseudo's power level was increasing to match Cecil's own.
"When Bane was the Pseudo Ranger, last year, I nearly defeated him," recalled Cecil out loud. "The only deciding factor for him was that he and Sir Vesper double-teamed me. You will not be so lucky."
"Do not be too sure," Pseudo replied with a laugh. "Corout!" To the its left side, Corout's teleportation beam touched down, the evil Omnian commander of Rapture Hold looking less than anxious to participate in a battle between two Rangers.
Lifting the Chaos Sword, Cecil charged forward with a scream. Casually the Pseudo Ranger dodged but, expecting it, Cecil swung his weapon wide, striking his opponent square in the left side, then followed through with three instant sharp strokes. Pseudo stumbled back, not from pain but from the force of the blows, and summoned the Pseudo Saber to parry Cecil's subsequent attack. The Sword and Saber shook the world every time their blades struck each other.
Cecil backflipped out of the swordfight and held out his free hand to fire a concentrated Pulse Wave blast. The ball of fiery red energy rocketed toward Pseudo, whose Saber, conjoined with its sinister aura, bounced the attack toward the ground underneath Cecil. As he jumped away to avoid being knocked over, Pseudo appeared behind him, grabbed him, and slammed a balled fist directly into his stomach.
With a loud intense swear, Cecil used Psychic Trance to disorient the Pseudo Ranger, enabling him to break free of its hold and recollect himself. Flowing like water, he moved into a powerful forward thrust, intending to drive the Chaos Sword directly through Pseudo's heart. In a blink, however, the silvery aura vanished, absorbed into its hands and converted to unearthly blue fire. Its flame-covered hands grabbed the Sword, stopped it, and suddenly the weapon burst aflame itself.
Struggling to wrench the weapon free of the evil Ranger's grasp, Cecil tossed his sword away before the blue fire could touch his hand and spread to his body. "Shadow Numb!" its mechanic voice invoked. Cecil braced himself for something terrible to happen, but realizing nothing noticeable was occurring, he seized the opportunity to fire three consecutive fully-powered Pulse Waves. All of them exploded against Pseudo's chest, driving it backward, and putting some distance between the combatants.
Something hard smashed into Cecil's lower back, causing him to bend backward involuntary, and two strong arms, each of which was equipped with a humming wristband, wrapped around him, holding him in place. Corout whispered threateningly, "I could kill you now." Cecil was about to break free, but the Omnian continued quickly, "But I will not. I want the Pseudo Ranger destroyed so Twilight Legion will be all mine. So here is a tip that will come in handy. You have a talent called Psychic Bond, use it if the Pseudo Ranger uses his Trinity Critical power, or you will die."
Of his own accord, Corout let go, and threw himself backward, falling hard on the ground and crying out in imaginary pain. "How pathetic," Cecil groaned, and fell into a defensive stance to continue his battle.
"This whole world is pathetic," the Pseudo Ranger remarked, amused. "I look forward to the day when the Trinity of Darkness plunges it into a nightmarish living hell." Slowly it extended its arms, palms outward, joining thumbs and forefingers to form a hollow triangle with his hands. "Trinity Critical!"
Cecil felt something strange, all around him, something erratic on a level so small it reverberated to an infinite degree. Without thinking, he took Corout's advice and counterstruck with "Psychic Bond!" Instantly Cecil's and Pseudo's life forces were conjoined.
Every molecule in his body began to rip away from every other molecule, and he screamed with a painful cry more intense and desperate than anything he had experienced before. All the mental anguish, physical torment, and emotional instability he had undergone as a Power Ranger was nothing compared to this. His breath ran out, he de-morphed against his will, his heart stopped beating, muscles gave up reacting, nerves tingled coldly, and his body was unable to support his weight anymore as he collapsed horizontal on the ground.
It was hard to believe when it ended, partly because it had seemed to last forever and partly because he was too weak to do much more than think at a basic level. Lifting his head enough to look up, he saw the Pseudo Ranger also lying helplessly on the ground. It must have gone through the exact same anguish he did.
A firm hand tightened around Cecil's upper arm and pulled him up into a standing position. Very slowly the dizziness faded enough for him to be able to remain upright on his own. Turning, expecting to see Corout, what he saw took his breath away again, forcing him to gasp and choke down another lung-load of fresh air.
"Are you alright?" Craig asked. He looked very much like he did on the monitor of Gemini Destiny, with the longer and darker hair, sharper features, paler skin, and concentrated luminescent blue eyes. He wore a black sweater over a long-sleeved violet dress shirt, the sleeves unbuttoned and rolled up above his forearms, coupled with black slacks held up by a leather belt. Despite a feeling of malaise about him, he was very clean, smooth-shaven, and extremely composed.
Cecil opened his mouth to welcome his best friend back, to thank him for coming to his rescue, to spill months of thoughts and feelings into some concise, all-encompassing sentence. But, instead, all he said was, "No."
The Pseudo Ranger stood up on its own and took in this unexpected turn of events. "YOU!" it screamed, anger coming through clearly even with its toneless robotic voice.
Craig lifted his right hand, palm forward, and suddenly he began to change. His hair changed from brown to dark, deep black, while his eyes became an unnatural crystalline color, like Arcanza's or Bane's. An invisible but detectable power began to flow over the contours of his shape, unseen winds blowing his thin hair in every direction and rippling his clothes in a bizarre fashion. Instantly a bar of black energy shot out from in front of his hand, striking the Pseudo Ranger's helmet in the space of half a heartbeat. Just as quickly as he had transformed, Craig became himself—or, at least, his new self—once again.
The helmet of the Pseudo Ranger flew backward, falling onto the ground behind it with a dull metal thud. Yet again, Cecil was stunned motionless as its identity was revealed at last.
Michael Tracer looked like wrath and rage personified. His dark eyes were focused solely on Craig, and it was clear there was no thought but anger surging through that evil stare. Then, switching his emotions faster than possible for a normal human, Michael laughed, smiling to himself to follow the image through. "I've waited a long time for this moment," he said.
"As have I," Cecil growled. "It's morphin' time!" The Morpher did not respond.
"You're still too weak," observed Craig. "Thankfully, so is Michael."
Narrowing his gaze, Michael took one quick glance at Cecil, then took in Craig's presence one more time. In a flash, he disappeared.
Cecil exclaimed, "Damn it!" realizing their chance to stop the Legion for good had just slipped through their fingers. He scoured the rest of the area and discovered, "Corout is gone, too."
Walking forward, Craig stared at the empty space in front of him where Michael had been standing moments earlier, then looked down at the ground below him. He nodded to himself, then returned to Cecil and grabbed the OmniTech Ability Band.
"Are you finally taking it back?" Cecil asked excitedly. "It is about ti..."
Suddenly the Psychic Bond power activated itself, through a different mechanism than usual but accomplishing the same effect all the same. Somehow Craig must have supplied some of his strange powers to it and activated one of Cecil's talents. "Very soon, the others are going to come back. Tell them Michael is alive. The way to break Xe'ex's mood spell is to unite people behind something. I think stopping Michael will be more than enough to unite them."
"What if they do not believe me?" wondered Cecil. He could tell without asking that Craig was not planning to stick around.
"Oriquin recorded the battle," Craig answered. "But I think they'll believe you without resorting to watching the record."
Cecil wanted to shake his friend's hand, but the part of him that was afraid of the incomprehendable power he witnessed just minutes ago was warning him against doing something so foolish. "Alright. What are you planning to do now?"
Looking up into the sky, Craig blinked and looked as though he were deciding at that moment. "I'm going to follow Michael. He's planning a way to travel into the past and save Arcanza from being incinerated, but I don't understand many of the specifics. Then I'll spy on him, until I do understand, and kill him so I can use the method to travel into the past and save Alex from being pushed into that gateway."
"Thank God," Cecil sighed. "Knowing that will unite the Rangers five hundred times faster than knowing Michael's alive."
"I suppose," allowed Craig. "Right now, concentrate on destroying Xe'ex and continue capturing Twilight Legionnaires. I won't keep you in the dark anymore."
He turned to walk away, intending to make good on his promise, right before Cecil spoke up with, "Craig, w-wait a second." Briskly the other young man circled back and made eye contact. "We have been friends literally forever," Cecil reminded him. "Our lives are intertwined in so many ways it is unbelievable. Before I allow you to leave again, I must know. What happened to your folks?"
The look Craig gave him stung his heart. Tilting his head curiously, the prodigal son appeared to be listening to something...or someone talking to him. Finally, he blinked, the unemotional equivalent of a sigh, and answered. "Michael killed them. In front of me as I arrived home."
"I am sorry," Cecil apologized in a low, confidential voice.
"The others are almost here," announced Craig. "Good luck." Again he underwent his strange transformation, calling upon some unknown power source, and teleported away instantaneously.
Once Brittany, Amber, Rebecca, and Bane had returned to the street in front of the Genetopia Building, Cecil sat down on the curb and motioned sharply for them to do the same. When none of them acted to sit, he attached, "Please," in as covertly a threatening voice as possible. Eventually Rebecca gave in to his wishes and sat down beside him, but maintaining her bad attitude the whole time. Amber and Brittany followed suit eventually, but Bane remained standing with arms crossed and forehead creased.
"I just had a confrontation," Cecil informed them. "The Pseudo Ranger realized I was alone, so he and Corout attacked me. Craig came back to save me. During the battle, he knocked off the Pseudo's helmet to expose who it was." He shifted his rear end against the hard cement because of his intense discomfort. "The Pseudo Ranger is Michael Tracer. Michael is alive and well, and now that he knows I know, he is going to be hell bent on destroying us."
"Michael!" gasped Becky. Her eyes were shaking nervously.
"How's that possible?" Amber wondered.
Bane clenched his teeth, his normally pale complexion flushing with red-hot anger, and his arms fell to the side with hands balled into fists.
"I remember how jealous he was of the Pseudo Ranger when we fought it the first time," Brittany observed. "I guess he finally got his wish."
"There is more." Cecil drywashed his hands and stared intently at the grayness of the unnaturally unused downtown street. "Michael's mission is to use time travel and bring Arcanza back from the past into the present. Craig is letting him complete his plan, then is going to sabotage it and use it to save Alexander instead."
Amber jumped up, off the curb, to her feet, and exclaimed happily, "Craig's really planning to save Alex? Thank goodness! If anyone can do it, he can."
Producing the four Morphers and setting them down carefully on the ground, Cecil made a motion to indicate their presence and draw his friends' attentions to them. "And while he does that, he wants us to finish our job of stopping Rapture Hold."
Nodding emphatically, Amber reached down to retrieve her ShadowTech Morpher and reattached it to her forearm. Using his Analysis power, Cecil confirmed that Xe'ex's mood spell over her had been broken. Then, one by one, Rebecca, Brittany, and Bane reclaimed and replaced their own OmniTech Morphers. Without losing a beat, Cecil stood up and cried, "It's morphin' time!"
"Omni Cerberus!"
"Omni Pegasus!"
"Omni Hydra!"
"Omni Sphinx!"
"Omni Titan!"
Together once more, the Omni Rangers teleported onto Gemini Destiny as it hovered still above the mountains to the west of Ivory Glade. On the ship's bridge, posed with his hand on the railing of the piloting stage, Oriquin silently watched them arrive. After a moment he spent examining each of them, he announced, "I am glad you are a team again, but unfortunately your city is still a shambles. At least seven people at last count have been killed in angry skirmishes, ten times that number are injured. Police are apathetic and unwilling to prevent or stop fights between people. Doctors and nurses, likewise, are unenthusiastic about attending to those hurt."
"This is terrible," Brittany sighed. "While we were fighting amongst ourselves, we completely forgot the rest of the city was affected as well."
Cecil stepped forward and asked, "Do you have a location on Xe'ex?"
"No," Oriquin sighed. "And Alpha-S2 is dedicated solely to doing that. If we are going to save Ivory Glade, we must do it the same way all of you were saved. With an event so big it brings them all together."
Shifting back and forth, Rebecca wondered, "How can we do that? There's nothing that could unite everyone."
"Actually," Cecil thought aloud, "there is. They all depend on us."
From his perch, the Omnian lord bit his lower lip as he considered that and followed through with ideas of his own. "We could use television to broadcast something to that effect. Maybe a plea to help you fight Twilight Legion?"
Bane shook his head sharply, and added, "Not going to work. Half the city knows nothing about Twilight Legion, and the other half probably think the Omni Rangers are the real threat. After all, we have destroyed a legendary building, left a giant crater where a shopping mall used to be, allowed the city to be invaded, and fought several destructive battles in our Zords against alien monsters."
"Then we have to let them know we're on their side," Amber concluded.
"By revealing our identities," finished Cecil grimly. "It would put us at great risk, but at least it would save our home."
Gripping the rail tighter now, with both hands, Oriquin started to protest the idea, but before he spoke he must have remembered one of the several times his and Cecil's ideas of leadership conflicted. "You would have to be released from your oaths," he informed them coldly.
Cecil pushed Brittany, on his left, and Rebecca, on his right, forward with both of his hands on their backs. "Just them, actually. The rest of us joined on less formal terms." Behind his helmet, he smiled intently.
Closing his eyes and accompanying it with a deep breath, Oriquin allowed, "As Soleron Naelra's superior, and acting in his name, I release you from the oath that prevents you from revealing your identities. In exchange, however, I ask that all of you swear a new oath: complete honesty to me. Not fidelity, or anything of an acquiescent nature, just truthfulness from all of you."
"Agreed," Brittany replied.
"I swear," added Rebecca.
"I don't need to give such an oath," Amber said, "but I will for your peace of mind."
Bane hesitated, but quickly realized the safety of Ivory Glade, including Rachel's own safety, was at stake, and added, "I agree."
Staring his question at Cecil, Oriquin patiently awaited the Red Ranger's response, fully expecting him to agree to the condition. "No," Cecil answered.
"Come on, Cecil Mercuric!" Rebecca screamed, punching him hard in the shoulder to emphasize her anger. "People are in danger! Craig wants us to stop Rapture Hold and you're holding us up. There's nothing malicious in Oriquin's request. Screw you and your pride!"
Sighing, Cecil rubbed his shoulder absent-mindedly and announced, "Alright, I agree also." Lifting his Ability Band, he quickly continued, "We are teleporting to the Channel 7 newsroom. Oriquin, find the coordinates and send us there."
"Of course," the Omnian acknowledged with a satisfied smile.
Grabbing a fistful of curly blond hair that was not her own, Rachel Manus pressed her teeth together tightly and made a fierce growling noise deep in her throat. Reaching up to grab her wrists and try to free himself, Patrick hissed back, "Let go of me, you little shit, before you make me...OW!" Her teeth against the back of his hand hurt as much as they could without drawing blood.
"Then tell me where you hid the remote," pouted Rachel. "I'm not watching no Emeril cooking shows when MTV is showing the concert of the year."
Breaking free, Patrick pulled away and turned around, forming fists and shaking them at her in a threatening pose. "You're gonna wish you hadn't done that," he told her.
Rachel turned her nose up and sniffed contempt at his unimpressive display of non-existent superiority. "The only reason you're so strong," she informed him coldly, "is because my boyfriend, who knows every style of martial arts in the universe, took pity on you and trained you for months. He didn't care about you, he just wanted to have an excuse to see me." She smiled as his face flushed red with irritation.
Just as he was about to lurch forward, Emeril vanished from the television set, and the words "Special City-Wide Announcement" flashed at the bottom of the screen. The Blue, Yellow, Red, Pink, and Black Rangers stood against the Channel 7 news background, staring into the camera.
"Why is Bane on TV?" wondered Patrick, who dropped his offensive and stared in bewilderment at the unscheduled broadcast.
The voice of the Red Ranger began speaking on camera. "Greetings, people of Ivory Glade. The cable company has helped us reach you through its emergency broadcast system, but unfortunately this is not a test. A member of the evil beings we fight, those called Rapture Hold, has cast a spell over the entire city, turning our peaceful and civilized way of life into chaos and anarchy."
"Even we were affected by this spell," the Black Ranger continued, "but we broke the mind control over us by coming together as a team. Now we're asking you to come together as a city and do the same."
Next, the Yellow Ranger motioned to show she was speaking. "Up until now, there's been no reason to help us, or even believe us. We have kept secrets for more than a year now, we failed to prevent an invasion of the city by those called Twilight Legion, and because of our presence here several places have been destroyed and several lives have been lost. Including some..." She stopped suddenly, unable to continue.
"Including some people close to us," the Blue Ranger finished in her place.
"We are all asking for your trust now," picked up the Pink Ranger in a smooth transition, "because we are all in this fight together. The battle's not going to be won by Power Rangers this time..."
The Red Ranger reached up, detached his helmet, and removed it. Cecil Mercuric's brown hair was tangled and messy, but it was obvious who we was, and his dark eyes were glazed with deep resolution. "It is going to be won by Ivory Gladers."
Amber Donaldson removed her helmet next, followed by Brittany Elliott, then Rebecca Spencer, and finally Bane, whose name was Henry Vaughan to those few in town who knew him. His long light blue hair was pulled back into a pony tail and tucked into the back of his suit, and the glasses he wore with his disguise were on his face to hide menacing crystal eyes.
"Now is the time to unite and rise up against Rapture Hold and Twilight Legion," announced Rebecca. "Fight their magic spell and show them what our city is made of."
Rachel looked up at Patrick, who was staring dumbstruck at the events unfolding on the screen in front of them. Realizing she was looking at him, he looked up with tears in his eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Rachel, I didn't mean anything I said."
"I'm sorry, too, Patrick," she sniffed.
And in the dim glow of a television displaying history in the making, the two Manus siblings shared a brother and sister hug that signaled the beginning of the end for Rapture Hold's universal dominion.
The entire universe trembled.
Craig fell to one knee, lowered his head, and closed his eyes to stop the sudden and forceful spinning he was subjected to. Every time he used that terrible power, he experienced the backlash, and it made him sick to his stomach in the space of time it took a thought to jump across a brain synapse.
"Are you ready to experience the Prelude to Hell?" Arcanza asked from his new home in the back of Craig's mind.
"What's the Prelude to Hell?" Craig asked back in a thought.
"It is also called the Rising. It is the event in which Rapture Legion will accompany their god to the center of the universe, the Nexus." The god of destruction laughed villainously to drive the ominous definition home.
"They can't bring you back," accused Craig. "If they are going to succeed, your consciousness wouldn't be tormenting mine every time I use the Bla..."
"Xe'ex is scared and desperate," laughed Arcanza. "The Rangers have revealed their secret and are now at the mercy of your planet's machinations, Michael is a few mere steps away from completing his project, Corout is following in Sir Vesper's footsteps and becoming an extremely dangerous loose cannon, Oriquin feels he has lost control and is all but useless, one of your benefactors is dead and the other has lost all his memories, the rest are occupied with trivial happenings at the opposite end of the universe, and the only home you have known is in the midst of a massive emotional modification. And you, poor Prince, are standing at the center of it all, immobile." Another flood of taunting amusement followed, but it faded away quickly, giving back sole control of his mind Craig.
Pulling himself up to his feet once again, Craig exhaled a large volume of air he had been holding inside his lungs since collapsing. "Prelude to Hell be damned," he told himself quietly. "Michael Tracer's ass is mine."
Original Publication Date: 3 May 2002
