Work Text:
Venus’s Arrow
Eleven teens pulled their bikes up to a shady beachfront bike parking lot together. The spacious lot was already mostly full despite the mid-morning slant to the light through the trees around it. A large banner at the edge of the lot, next to the sand, proclaimed the reason: “Welcome to the 5th Annual Stone County Water Ski Competition!”
The eleven newcomers found a spot to park together at last, nearly filling up one dozen-bike, two-sided bike rack by themselves. As they unbuckled helmets and clipped them on to the bikes’ handlebars, their identities were revealed: on one side of the bike rack, Red, Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Gold-detailed black helmets revealed Tommy Oliver, Kat Hillard, Tanya Sloan, Adam Park, Rocky DeSantos, and Jason Lee Scott; on the other, Purple, Green, Black, Orange, and rainbow helmets revealed Kimberly Ann Hart, Trini Kwan, Rita DeSantos, Aisha Campbell, and Moira Douglas.
“What a ride!” Kim laughed, shaking out her short, light brown bob to catch the bright Saturday morning sun. She beamed at Tommy across from her, but he didn’t seem to notice. A few other Rangers did, though.
“Yeah – they expanded the Coastline Trail so much,” Trini added. Coincidentally or not, her comment smoothed over the potential awkward moment neatly.
“Wait ‘til you see the Beach Club,” Jason grinned at both his former Teammates. “Ernie just opened it this summer, but it’s already the place to be.”
The teens started to move away from their bikes toward the sand. “Wait,” Moira said, her voice lightly colored with brogue and confusion. “Bike locks?”
Everyone paused. Jason, Rocky, Adam, Trini, and Aisha seemed puzzled by the question. Kat, Tanya and Kim looked like they’d suddenly been reminded of a piece of esoteric trivia long forgotten. Tommy just smiled and clapped the White Eagle Venusian Ranger on the back, making her thin frame bounce slightly. “Welcome to Angel Grove,” he said with a wry smile.
He turned to walk toward the beach. The rest followed. After only 10 steps, though, he stopped in his tracks, staring at the banner. “Oh no. That’s today?”
Several of his Teammates and former Teammates rolled their eyes. “I just reminded you last night,” Tanya complained.
“You did?”
“That’s why we’re here this early?” Kat added.
“It is?” Tommy gulped. “Right. Ok.”
Adam grinned broadly and gripped his leader’s shoulder. “It’s fine if you’re not ready. If Angel Grove’s short a team, you can always try to beat us next year.” The two Zeos stepped forward onto the sand. The other nine Rangers followed them.
“You still play for Stone Canyon?” Aisha asked Adam and Rocky excitedly.
The only two cities in desert-and-mountains Stone County, Angel Grove and Stone Canyon had been playful rivals for more than a century. Most of the Rangers had come from Angel Grove, but Adam, Aisha, and Rocky had grown up in Stone Canyon and only moved to Angel Grove in sophomore year, a bit before becoming Power Rangers.
“Always,” Rocky assured her.
“Yes, well, don’t get too attached to that trophy,” Kat said to Adam and Rocky primly. “We’re more than ready.” She turned glowing eyes on Tommy, but he didn’t seem to notice that either. Kat frowned, glanced at Kim, frowned more deeply, and walked ahead of them both.
The Beach Club came into view: a sea of beach umbrellas clustered between a stretch of lakefront and a brightly-colored island-themed bar set on the sand. Behind the bar, they saw a figure familiar to most of them: a portly middle-aged man wearing a vast, vivid Hawaiian shirt and an apron around his waist.
“Hi Ernie!” Kim called out, happily jogging up to him with her friends.
“Hey guys!” he said automatically, then did a double-take. “Whoa! Kimberly! Trini! Welcome home!” Beaming, Ernie stepped out from behind the bar to give each a hug. He followed up with more restrained hugs for Aisha and Rita. Moira refused with a sweet smile.
“Don’t see you here much,” Jason said. “Are you here ‘cause of the competition?”
“No, Emily’s out sick and her substitute never showed. Hey, maybe you all know her – the new girl, Felicia?”
Looks shot from one teen to the other. “Uh… I think she transferred,” Tommy ventured.
“Really? Seems like she just got here. Oh well,” he shrugged. “Can I get you all anything?”
Five minutes later, shaved ices in hand, the group started moving toward the shoreline. “We gotta meet up with the other Stone Canyon teams. See you on the water!” Rocky said.
“You coming, Aisha – oh, sorry, I mean Ish?” Adam corrected.
Ish looked from them to her Teammates and back. “Sure thing!” she smiled.
“All right!” Adam grinned. He looped an arm around her waist as they left with Rocky. All three missed the concerned look Tanya gave them. The Yellow Zeo turned that look on Kat instead. As roommates in the Hillards’ house, Tanya and Kat had grown very close, almost like adoptive sisters. They could usually read one another better than the rest could read either of them. Kat replied with a frown of her own, agreeing with Tanya’s worry.
“So, who are the teams for Angel Grove?” Kim asked.
“Me and Tanya,” Jason said as he scanned the beach for something, “Tommy and Kat, and- there they are!” he said as he found the something. “Come on!” he told the rest excitedly.
They jogged after him to the water line of Lake Cahuilla. The Lake was vast enough that it was hard to make out the far shore and so peaceful that it was almost waveless. However, the magnificent Lake only drew a little admiration next to the strange jet ski in the wet sand right in front of them. The craft had about 10 times the expected number of lights and dials, and its shape was only vaguely reminiscent of a jet ski. The letters on the side explained why to most of the Rangers: “RADSKI 2.0.”
“What did who do to this poor ski?” Moira murmurred, eyes wide.
From within the RADSKI 2.0, a voice said, “Okay, I think the fuel injection subroutine is debugged. Try it now.” A curly-haired head popped up from inside. “Oh! Hi guys!” the teen boy said happily. He had long, dark brown hair that curled profusely, pale skin, and excited brown eyes, and he was wearing a wetsuit.
“Everyone, this is our friend Raymond Goldstein. He’s AGH’s head computer whiz,” Tommy introduced.
The description made Raymond beam. “Well, only because someone graduated early,” he said modestly.
A second head emerged: a touch shorter with short blond-brown hair and blue-gray eyes. “Okay, thought so!” Kim grinned at Billy Cranston.
“Finally, you’re here,” Billy said. He gave only a small smile. “Come check it out.”
The teens didn’t need to be asked twice. They approached eagerly to touch the extra fins, dials, and, oddest, mini satellite dish. “This isn’t exactly a standard ski,” Tanya said with concern.
“Strictly within the rules,” Raymond grinned, guessing why. “We haven’t changed out any major parts.”
Now Billy’s grin echoed Raymond’s. “We’ve just improved their efficiency and functionality. And added a shipboard computer that Raymond designed. Subroutine checks out now, by the way,” he added to Raymond.
“Great!” Ray disappeared again into the RADSKI’s panels.
“Why 2.0?” Trini asked.
Billy flushed a little. “Well. Ah. The first model was really just a prototype.”
“And then it exploded!” added Ray’s muffled, cheerful voice.
Billy looked faintly annoyed, then shrugged, confirming it. His friends tried not to look too amused.
Quietly, to avoid Ray’s notice, Jason asked, “Does it fly?”
“Was that an option?” Moira asked with alarm. Apparently she had sharp hearing.
“The RADSKI 2.0 is equipped with a multitude of experimental features,” Billy said, “that it definitely won’t utilize in any way that would compromise the integrity of the sporting event.”
“So,” Trini said, “probably, but it won’t use them for today’s match.”
Jason, Tommy, and Kim gave nostalgic smiles at Trini’s translation. They expected Billy to too, but he frowned instead. “That’s what I said, but less accurate and using an elementary schooler’s vocabulary,” he said.
“Hey!” Kim protested. After all, Trini had most often translated for her benefit. Trini herself didn’t say anything, but she looked surprised and hurt.
Newer Rangers missed the subtext. “It’s almost 11. Jason, we should get ready too,” Tanya said.
“Right,” Jason answered reluctantly. He didn’t want to leave the odd moment without saying something. He didn’t really know what to say, though, so he let his Teammate pull him away.
“We should go too,” Kat said to Tommy.
Tommy was looking out over the water. He gulped. “I… I don’t know.”
Kat looked at him, expecting it to be the set-up of a joke, perhaps. His expression was serious, though, and she shifted to concern. “You don’t know what?”
“I’m just… I’m not sure I’m up for it,” he said with great difficulty.
Kat’s jaw dropped. A moment later, her eyes blazed with indignation. “You’re backing out?!”
A loud thunk sounded from inside the RADSKI. Raymond reappeared, massaging his head. “What?” he gasped. “We’ll lose for sure if we’re down a team!”
“Aww, does widdle Tommy have cold feet?” sneered a basso voice. Several of the teens jumped.
Farkas Bulkmeyer and Eugene Skullovitch, former bullies turned junior detectives, had come up behind the Rangers in a rare moment of stealth. They were both wearing wetsuits that fit a lot less well than Billy and Raymond’s: Bulk’s was hanging off of him so it jiggled when he moved, while Skull’s barely covered his thighs and elbows. Bulk clapped a hand on Kat’s shoulder, making her jump. “Never fear, babe, you can team up with me,” he leered.
Skull’s tenor giggle gnawed at their ears. “Yeah, Kat, you can join our team!” he echoed.
Kat lifted Bulk’s hand off her shoulder with annoyance. “You have your own team?” she asked skeptically.
“With the best ski in Stone County,” Bulk boasted. “Come on over, you can check it out.”
Kat’s polite smile was more of a grimace. “I don’t think so.”
“Come on, Kat. We’ll show you how a real ski handles.”
Tommy’s expression darkened, and he shifted as if to put himself between them.
Someone else got there faster. “Hi,” Rita said brightly, sliding between them and Kat. “You must be Bulk and Skull.”
The two dim teens looked at each other, then at Rita. “Yeah, that’s us – how do you know that, New Kid?” Bulk ventured.
“Oh, I’ve heard all about you,” Rita beamed. “You’re famous.”
“We are?” Skull said with blank surprise.
Bulk smacked him across the chest. “Of course we are!” he said haughtily.
“Oh yes,” Rita said. “I am so excited to meet you. Maybe you could show me around your jet ski?”
“Sure!” Skull said enthusiastically as Bulk said, “No w-“ then stopped to look at Skull. They had an intense debate made of small grunting sounds.
“Pleeese?” Rita added. The sweet smile on her face was a good imitation of Moira’s standard wholesome-yet-slightly-shy one. That fact didn’t seem to escape the White Venusian’s notice: the redheaded girl rolled her eyes.
“Well… sure, honey. Let’s go,” Bulk decided. Skull extended Rita his arm in a chivalrous gesture that Bulk looked at incredulously. Rita, for her part, beamed and waved to the other Rangers as she left.
“What…” Billy boggled. Here was an approach to dealing with Bulk and Skull they’d never tried.
Kim giggled. “She’s heard enough stories, I think she just wants to see for herself. Probably hoping there will be some kind of accident with a pie.”
The other Rangers laughed. Raymond, though, was not to be distracted. He turned back to Tommy. “Now what’s this about backing out?” he frowned.
“Ah. I just… I can’t. Do it. It’s hard to explain…” Tommy said, his voice again oddly uncertain and halting. He looked deeply embarrassed. It was all so out-of-character for him that his discomfort wiped away the smiles from the other teens’ faces. Most looked confused but empathetic.
Kat, though, looked angry. “Oh sure it is,” Kat fumed. She threw Kim a dirty look.
The Purple Venusian bristled. “And what is that supposed to-“
“I’ll do it,” Moira’s quiet brogue cut in. Everyone paused, surprised.
After a moment, Kat said politely, “That’s very generous of you, but we’ve been training for weeks. I don’t think it would work to trade out at the last minute.”
Moira gazed out over the nearby water. There were floating platforms and ramps set up for the competition. “Looks like parallel rounds, obstacle course with two 20-degree ramps for tricks per team. Point-based, not timed, right?”
Kat blinked. “Right.”
“You water ski?” Trini asked, surprised.
Moira gave her sweet smile. “I went to junior high in the Keys.”
Kat glanced at Tommy, but he was looking away. Raymond, meanwhile, was nodding frantically and mouthing ‘Do it!’ at her. “I… guess…” she said reluctantly.
“Maybe just show me the ski to start?” Moira said.
Kat smiled back more confidently. “Sure.” They walked off toward a white jet ski with Pink and Red detailing.
The remaining three Rangers – Kim, Trini, and Tommy – went together to find a seat around one of the small umbrella’d tables. En route, Trini asked Tommy as quietly as she could, “Do you want to ta-“ but she stopped mid-sentence, because the Red Zeo was already shaking his head. He sat down at their chosen table for about three seconds before getting up again.
“I’ll get snacks,” he said, then walked off before they could protest.
Kim closed her mouth on the cheerful comment she’d been about to make to him about the weather. Instead, she dropped her head into her hands. “This is not going well,” she said.
Trini gave her leader a soft, sad smile. “Hey,” she said quietly as well, putting a hand gently on Kim’s shoulder, “don’t worry. It’s only day 2. He can still come around.”
“He hates me!”
“He’s angry. It’s not the same. Deep breath,” Trini advised. Kim took one and whuffed it out, then brushed at a tear that was threatening to fall.
“Day 2. Deep breath. Thanks,” she smiled at Trini.
Trini smiled back and opened her mouth, but whatever she’d been about to say was lost as Rita came bouncing back to them with a, “That was amazing!”
“What happened?” Kim asked.
“It was perfecto – like one of your stories! They did have a jet ski – until this big surfer dude came up over the hill and started yelling at them about borrowing and not returning. And then he got a look at what they did to it – apparently it didn’t used to be blue and black with spyglasses and other equipment all over it. They said they needed it for a case they were still working on, but then the little one-“
“Skull,” Trini supplied because Kim was too busy giggling.
“-got in and started revving the engine like he was going to run off with it, and I thought it was a good time to get out of there. Oh look, there they go,” Rita pointed to a jet ski speeding across the Lake. Two people were in it and a third figure, tall and muscular, was holding on to the dangling rope, gradually pulling himself in to board the ski. They seemed to be arguing, judging by the immense flailing of arms from the two in the ski.
Tommy came back then with 3 orders of nachos. “Hey, where’s mine?” Rita asked cheerfully.
Tommy blinked. “Oh. Sorry. I’ll go get-“
“No, it’s okay, I’ll just eat yours,” Rita said, scooping one of the nacho baskets out of his hands.
“We can split one, I’m not so hungry,” Kim offered while Tommy was still trying to decide whether to protest. She smiled up at him. Again, he hesitated.
“Oh no, look,” Trini groaned and pointed out at the Lake.
The jet ski trio were about out of sight now, but still they could see that one of the ski drivers had fallen out and the other was trying to fish him out, but inattentively was driving the jet ski in circles because of the angle.
Kim face-palmed and Rita laughed out loud. Tommy, though, went rigid. “Who is that? Do they need help?” he asked. His tone was more than just concerned – it was scared.
“It’s just Bulk and Skull,” Kim blinked. “They maybe stole a jet ski.”
Tommy relaxed, but only slowly. He sat down at the table with a distinct effort to look calm. A ripple of insight ran around the table. When it reached Rita, she said, “Oh. Oh. You mean backing out of the competition wasn’t about- ow!” she broke off abruptly and glared at Trini, who had the grace to look embarrassed. Tommy looked much more embarrassed, though, and grateful that Rita’s sentence was incomplete.
“Do you want to talk ab-“ Kim tried tentatively.
“No,” Tommy snapped.
Loudspeaker squeals stole their focus as, “WELCOME TO THE FIFTH ANNUAL STONE COUNTY WATER SKI COMPETITION!” boomed across the beach.
The four Rangers oriented on the source: loudspeakers set up beneath the lifeguard tower, where an athletic young Black man spoke into a handheld receiver. He waved at the assembled people below him. “I’M YOUR HOST, MIKE ‘SHARKFIN’ JONES. IF YOU’RE READY TO GET THIS DAY STARTED, LET ME HEAR YOU MAKE SOME NOISE!”
All across the Beach Club, the crowd let out cheers, hoots, and applause. Kim, Trini, and Rita had little choice for the moment but to accept Tommy’s reticence. Ish plopped into the empty seat they’d left for her, and the five spectators turned to focus on the match.
One team from each city drew straws, with the result that the Stone Canyon teams would go first. Rocky waved from the front of his and Adam’s jet ski as they took off along side their two fellow Stone Canyon teams. Sharkfin Jones announced the other teams as Max and Rennie Collier – a brother and sister team – and Marina Rodriguez and Samantha West, instructors from the Stone Canyon Youth Center. Rita and Ish cheered on Adam and Rocky during their first trick while Tommy and Kim playfully booed them. Trini just rolled her eyes, above it all.
“Hey, you’re sitting at an Angel Grove table, you shouldn’t cheer the competition,” Kim mock-scolded the Black Venusian.
“No she’s not. You can clearly see she’s on the Stone Canyon half of the table,” Ish shot back.
Rita just laughed. “I cheer both! Wooo!” she added a moment later as Adam pulled off a full cartwheel stunt. “Let’s just cheer when someone does something good!”
“Ugh!” Kim said with a smile. “We haven’t been able to get through to her about sports and supporting teams yet,” she added to Tommy.
“Not for someone’s lack of trying,” Trini added with another tolerant, slightly superior smile. “Rita does have a p-“
“WOOO!! Yeah!” Rita shrieked suddenly in response to Adam’s final trick, drowning out Trini’s words.
“Okay, but my ears’ll need a rest,” Tommy half-joked. Ish and Kim both laughed.
“THANK YOU, STONE CANYON! ROUND ONE MARKS WILL BE GOING UP IN A MOMENT, AND THEN WE CAN CHEER ON THE TEAMS FROM ANGEL GROVE!”
The marks were good, to say the least. Adam and Rocky, with the most technically-impressive trick, Rocky’s pair of wake jumps, led the scoreboard, followed by Marina and Samantha from a nifty footwork series. Max and Rennie trailed, but not by much, and the Stone Canyon teams had set a high bar indeed for the Angel Grove teens. The announcer was happy to point this out:
“THOSE ARE THREE TOUGH ACTS TO FOLLOW, BUT NOBODY GET COLD FEET OUT THERE. LET’S SEE WHAT YOU’VE GOT, ANGEL GROVE!”
The three Angel Grove teams high-fived the returning Stone Canyon teams as they entered the waiting area, a small sectioned-off bit of water next to the competition zone. Sharkfin Jones announced the teams, then Jason and Tanya set out, Jason driving. The savannah-raised Yellow Ranger had clearly been practicing and, though her tricks were simpler than Adam and Samantha’s, she crossed the wake, did a few simple jumps, and caught a lot of air on the trick platform for a solid overall performance.
Raymond was the first driver for his team. Billy showed that his time off the Rangers had, if anything, improved his athleticism: he did several tricks, including a trio of one-after-another backflips across the wake that set the crowd cheering in awe. The RADSKI was unremarkable by comparison: Raymond seemed to have better maneuverability than the other drivers, but it certainly didn’t fly like its four-wheeled Volkswagen cousin.
Last, Moira drove for Kat. The Pink Zeo put her ballet skills to full use with a few footwork tricks that put the other teams’ footwork to shame.
Scores came in. Angel Grove had pulled ahead, especially because of Billy’s flips. However, the scoreboard was close enough that either team could easily win by the end of the day. The Stone Canyon teams high-fived the returning Angel Grove ones, then headed out for the second and final round.
The Collier siblings’ second round was shaping up quite well – until the boy, Max, overbalanced and fell into the water. Disappointed groans filled the Beach Club – despite the day’s competitive spirit, no one would cheer someone wiping out. They came back to the waiting area early.
Adam and Rocky started out once they were back, with Rocky driving now. A nice footwork sequence later, Adam and Rocky were heading toward their first trick ramp at the far end of the competition space from the Beach Club and the waiting zone.
A splash. At first, it looked like Adam had wiped out, too – but then Rocky, even as he turned the jet ski around sharply to retrieve him, blew the whistle on his Blue life jacket. At once, Sharkfin Jones was on his feet, looking through binoculars, and everyone else who had a pair was looking too. Their host announced, “SHARK IN THE WATER, EVERYBODY OUT!”
The beach dissolved into a panic.
While dozens of people ran past their table, Tommy burst to his feet. “I knew it!” he cried, furious with himself. “I knew something was gonna happen!” He started sprinting toward the beach, but he only got a half-dozen steps.
“How perceptive of you,” said an oily voice beside him.
Tommy spun around, then backed away, falling into a ready stance. He was face-to-face with a figure he knew all too well. Vaguely piratical, the tall robot had a tricorn, white scarf, and red, silver, and green “clothes” all made of metal. New screams sprang up all around them as civilians started fleeing Cogs, the Machine Empire’s foot soldiers, in addition to the theoretical shark.
Tommy wanted to make a snappy retort, but it died on his tongue. “Gasket,” he breathed.
“Tommy!” Kim ran up beside him, followed a half-beat later by Ish, Rita, and Trini.
“Well, well, well, my King. Introduce me to these fair damsels,” Prince Gasket said. He had a British accent, oddly.
“Go damsel yourself,” Ish snapped.
“Get out of here,” Tommy told them, eyes fixed on Gasket.
“No way, we’ve got your back,” Kim said.
Tommy whirled on her. He looked suddenly furious. “I don’t need you here!” he yelled.
For the space of a few rapid breaths, the teens all stared at one another, shocked. Gasket’s low chuckle echoed between the screams of civilians.
“Tommy!” Rocky’s voice yelled out distantly. “Adam’s hurt!”
Tommy looked to the shore. Rocky had pulled in his ski and was laying Adam on the sand. Without a glance to either Team leader, Rita sprinted for her brother, but she quickly got waylaid by Cogs. The competition waiting zone was emptying out: two teams – Moira and Kat and the two Stone Canyon Youth Center instructors – were headed for a nearby shore to get out of the water as fast as possible, and Jason and Tanya were taking their ski into the water. Tommy looked back at Gasket. No doubt the Machine prince would take advantage if he left to see to Adam, or to find out what Jason and Tanya were doing… unless…
Quietly, but with just as much conviction as before, Kim said, “We’ve got your back.”
Tommy met her eyes directly, just for a moment. His expression was unreadable. Then he nodded and sprinted for Rocky and Adam.
“My, that was quite rude!” Prince Gasket said. “I shall have to introduce myself instead, I suppose. I am Prince Gasket, future King of the mighty Machine Empire! And you, ladies?”
Kim looked from one side to the other. Between shark threat and Cogs, there were no civilians left in sight. She looked back at the villain and smiled. “We’re the Venusian Rangers,” she answered, “and it’s Morphin Time!”
“PURPLE VENUSIAN RANGER POWER!”
“GREEN VENUSIAN RANGER POWER!”
“ORANGE VENUSIAN RANGER POWER!”
In bursts of light, the three girls turned into three diamond-patterned Power Rangers.
“I see,” Gasket said grimly as he fell into a ready stance of his own.
*****
“Adam! Adam, talk to me!” Rocky called out, shaking the Green Zeo’s shoulder. Adam was curled protectively around his side, his face contorted in pain. A two-foot-wide half-circle on his side glowed in jagged points of red light like a bite mark made of neon lights. Adam groaned in response to Rocky’s efforts but didn’t even open his eyes.
“Mira!” a frantic yell in Spanish made Rocky look back toward the Beach Club. Rita was running toward him, waving her arms around wildly. “No, no! The water!” She pointed toward the Lake, and Rocky spun around the other way.
Speeding toward him and Adam was not the shark monster, as he’d guessed, but a strange contraption: a watercraft in the shape of an open giant clamshell. Standing on a gem-strewn metal pillow inside was a human-shaped figure that glittered pink, white, and silver in the bright sun. Rocky had a second to identify the figure as Archerina, Gasket’s wife, see that she was aiming her bow at him, and spot the bright pink energy bolt shaped like an arrow that was already flying toward him before Rita dove between him and the energy arrow. Instead of hitting him in the chest, it hit Rita in the neck. Rita hit the sand like a sack of potatoes.
“No!” Rocky cried, horrified. He scrambled to his feet to crouch over her and Adam protectively and shook his sister’s shoulder. “Rita. Rita!” There was no response from her. He couldn’t find a wound, either; the arrow had vanished.
Rocky looked up again. The villainness’s watercraft was bearing down on him. He got an excellent view of her nocking another energy arrow and aiming for him and realized he wasn’t going to dodge. He’d rather take the hit than leave her open to injure the others more.
The rumble of a water ski engine made him glance past Archerina. A black and yellow water ski was rushing toward the shore from an angle. Jason was piloting, and a dark-skinned, Yellow-clad figure was draped across the back of the ski. They were rapidly pulling up to Archerina’s level, but Jason wasn’t so much as glancing in her direction. “Monster got Tanya too! Billy went after it!” he yelled.
“Billy?” Adam groaned with groggy incredulity. The glowing bite was beginning to fade.
“Jason, look out!” Rocky yelled back.
He was too late. As Jason looked away from the shore and saw Archerina, she whirled and shot at him from about 50 feet away. It turned out she was an excellent shot. The arrow she’d knocked for Rocky flew between them in a sliver of a second and hit Jason full in the chest.
Jason’s back arched. One of his hands slipped off the handlebars of the ski, and the ski turned in a sharp circle. Tanya made a weak grab at the ski, missed, and tumbled into the Lake.
Tommy skidded to a stop next to Rocky, Adam, and Rita. “It’s Morphin’ Time!” Tommy yelled. Rita didn’t even stir, but Adam, though his side was still pulsing faintly with red light, dragged himself to his feet in time to join.
“ZEO RANGER III, BLUE!”
“ZEO RANGER IV, GREEN.”
“ZEO RANGER V, RED!”
Red led the charge into the water to get Tanya, followed closely by Green. Blue stood guard over Rita and was engaging with Cogs in a matter of seconds.
*****
“Jason, darling,” Archerina’s voice sang out sweetly.
Jason blinked and looked up. He straightened the handlebars and took his foot off the gas, then, blinking more, looked around.
When he saw Archerina, he realized that she was the most beautiful creature in all the universe. “Goddess – vision – queen!” he gasped.
The shapely droid giggled. “Princess will do.”
“My Princess, I adore you! Please, how can I show you my love?” Jason begged.
“Follow me,” she replied.
“Until the end of the world!” Jason cried, delighted.
She giggled again. The cheery, delicate sound was somehow malevolent. “That’s the idea,” she said.
Archerina turned her clamshell vessel toward another shore of the Lake and set off. Jason eagerly followed her on his ski. As he did, he wondered vaguely why they were going in this direction. There were other jet skis over there – perhaps they would meet up with these other people? Help them? Kill them?
He let out a happy sigh. He was with his beloved. Nothing else mattered.
*****
A handful of seconds later, Red and Green Zeos reached the area. “Do you see her?!” Red called out. Green shook his helmeted head and dove, and Red did likewise. The water of the Lake was murky and muddy, and both were reminded of an afternoon not two weeks ago when they’d been diving not far from here to rescue the injured former Gold Ranger, Lord Trey of Triforia, from the Lake. The race against time felt even more keen with a Teammate’s life on the line.
Green saw the flash of Yellow first. Tanya’s life vest was caught on some tangled reeds under the surface, and she was either unconscious or… Green summoned his Power Hatches and rushed forward, hacking the reeds apart to free her as fast as possible. By the time she’d come loose, Red had found them, and the leader helped Green bring Tanya up to the surface.
As they broke the surface, Tanya drew in a vast lungful of air, to her Teammates’ immense relief. She coughed up lakewater, drew in a second breath, and used it to call,
“ZEO RANGER II, YELLOW!”
The light cleared to reveal the Yellow Zeo Ranger. “Are you okay for this?” Green asked her worriedly, treading water beside her.
Yellow nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, get back to shore and back up Rocky,” Red ordered. Yellow started swimming back to the beach. “Where’s Jason?”
“There!” Green said after a moment’s search, pointing. “Looks like he’s going after Archerina, but he’s not Morphed!”
A flash of Gold-edged black light briefly obscured Jason from view and revealed the Gold Ranger in his place. “Nevermind,” Green added dryly.
Red hesitated. Gold Ranger was the most powerful of them; if there was anyone who could tangle directly with Archerina, it was Gold. Still… “I have a bad feeling. Nothing’s ever simple with these two,” he said, meaning Gasket and Archerina.
A rumble beneath them reminded them of the still-unsighted monster in the water. They looked down, hoping not to see a giant shark monster about to bite them. There wasn’t one, in fact. Instead, they saw a underwater vessel rising toward them. It looked approximately like a jet ski, but it had a clear, domed roof. Just before it surfaced, they could make out Billy and Raymond seated side by side before an elaborate panel of controls. As the craft bobbed onto the surface of the water, revealing the “RADSKI 2.0” printed on its side, the domed glass roof folded itself away and disappeared without a trace, and it looked again like it had at the start of the competition.
“Power Rangers!” Billy called out. “Come aboard!”
They accepted a hand each from Billy and Raymond and balanced carefully on the small watercraft. “Civilians should get out of this area,” Red said neutrally, rather than the blistering rant he wanted to give Billy for taking Raymond into danger.
For a second, Billy’s blue-gray eyes flashed rebellion, but then he nodded. “Yes sir,” he said formally, “we’re on our way out. But you might need the data we just collected on the monsters.”
Red and Green glanced at each other. That was why Billy had gone out? “Go ahead,” Red said.
“Our computer analysis shows this monster is especially resilient, but only while it’s fully immersed in water. That’s why it’s only attacked skiiers and not pilots,” Raymond said. “Its bite cripples, but the immediate effect wears off in 3 to 4 minutes, and there’s no sign of longer-term effects. Readings from the other monster – the one shooting those arrows – show the arrows have a mind-affecting enchantment.”
Red and Green looked over their shoulders at Gold. Sure enough, there was no evidence that Gold was attacking Archerina. Red’s stomach rolled, and it was all he could do to keep his voice steady. “Thanks for the info. We’ll get our expert working on a solution right away.”
They reached the shore and piled out of the overcrowded ski. Second thought struck, and Red scanned the shore for Rita. He couldn’t immediately spot her, which was very unreassuring. He paused, then, “Can we borrow your jet ski?”
“Sure!” Raymond said, looking thrilled.
Billy, though, grimaced. “Uh,” he said. “It’s just… you… you don’t happen to have someone who’s more skilled with unusual technology like this on your team, do you?”
It took them a second to figure out Billy’s code. “Oh! Yeah, we do. One of the visiting Venusian Rangers,” Red said.
“Yes! Perfect!” Billy seized on it enthusiastically enough to confirm that Red had understood him right.
“Wow, really? Great!” Raymond said, all but glowing. “A Power Ranger techie!”
“Green Venusian Ranger, please meet us at the shore,” Green Zeo said into his communicator, hidden beneath his gauntlet.
Green Leopard made it to the shore as they pulled up. Her teammates were holding off the Cogs trying to block her path. Past her, Red saw to his great relief that Rita was back on her feet and Morphed, fighting Cogs along side her Teammates and Blue and Yellow Zeos. It didn’t look like the arrow she’d taken from Archerina had affected her mind. To his great lack of relief, though, he couldn’t spot Prince Gasket.
“Yellow Zeo Ranger, take these two civilians and get them to safety now,” Red ordered. Yellow downed a last Cog and ran to the RADSKI. “Green Venu-“
“Wait, we have to show her the controls!” Raymond protested.
“Yes please,” Green Leopard agreed.
That was when the Cogs broke through the line of fighting Rangers and rushed toward the RADSKI. “Gah!” Raymond squeaked, shrinking back.
“She’ll figure it out. Go!” Red ordered.
“Come on,” Yellow Zeo urged Raymond.
“Coming!” Ray replied. He stuck himself so closely to the Ranger’s side that there could’ve been glue involved. Billy was obviously reluctant, but after Yellow Zeo and Ray had gone a few steps, he followed them.
“You will figure it out, right?” Red asked with a hint of uncertainty as Green Leopard jumped into the RADSKI.
Green Leopard strapped in and started fiddling with the controls experimentally. “It’s been awhile,” she admitted. The RADSKI hummed to life only a second later. Sounding pleased, she added, “But he still puts the cyclical proton regenerator control in the same place.”
“You need a copilot!” Orange called back from the battle.
Green Leopard froze. “I’m fine. You have your hands full!”
Red frowned. “Are you sure?” Billy and Ray had clearly both been operating the craft.
“I’m fine,” she replied, but it had a edge to it that was unlike Trini. At least, he realized, unlike the Trini he’d known. It had been most of two years.
“Ai ya, chica!” Black exclaimed as she flipped over a Cog to join them. “I’ll go then, you shouldn’t be out there alone just because-“
“Rita,” Green cut her off tensely.
Black glanced back at Red. Red frowned to himself – clearly he was missing something, and Trini was deliberately not letting him find out what. “All aboard,” Black said, and somersaulted over Green to land in the copilot’s chair on her opposite side.
“Careful!” Blue Zeo worried.
“Sí, gracias, Mamá!” Black replied in a scoffing tone. Green pushed at more dials and buttons, and the glass dome sprang back up into place, cutting off further dialogue. The RADSKI slid into the water.
*****
Meanwhile, in another part of the Lake, a second battle was going without the benefit of Morphs. Moira and Kat had followed the other two Stone Canyon teams to another stretch of sandy shoreline to evacuate. When they’d arrived, that shore had been free of Cogs and looked promising as an escape route. However, no sooner had Kat finished giving the disoriented Stone Canyon competitors directions to the nearest monster shelter than Cogs had teleported in to surround them. It was a small Cog patrol, only 6, but they’d cut off the four civilians’ escape, and that meant that neither Ranger could Morph.
It was bad, but it could have been worse. Only one of the four unknown Stone Canyon people, Samantha West, was panicking. The other three appeared to be competent in martial arts, and they followed Kat and Moira’s lead in engaging the Cogs.
“Don’t let them hit you directly!” Kat called out a reminder. “They can break bones!”
“Oh God,” Samantha, an attractive blond woman, moaned from where she cowered beside a stand of bunch grass.
“Wimp,” her teammate Marina Rodriguez scowled at her. The pale-skinned Latina was taking the attack largely in stride. She had to have a black belt in something, because the Cogs hadn’t managed to land a single one of their bone-breaking blows on her, but her kicks and throws were more than adequate to the task of discouraging Cogs from approaching her friend. She kept criticizing her friend’s fear, though, which seemed unfair.
Beside them, the Collier siblings were holding their own. The two apparently Asian-European-American teens seemed less skilled at martial arts than Marina, but they wore serious, unintimidated expressions as they dodged and kicked.
“Here! Come on!” Rennie Collier called out. The Cogs had been battled away from a small gap in the bunch grasses, enough for them to slip through. Rennie ran to Samantha, trying to pull her to her feet. By the time she’s coaxed the terrified woman up, though, the Cogs had reoriented and sealed the gap closed.
“Ugh, seriously?” Marina complained.
“Monster!” Max Collier yelled, pointing at the water.
The floating seashell craft had just pulled in to the shore. Archerina stepped off of it, bow held at her side. A low, metallic chuckle rang from her as she stepped toward them.
Moira and Kat took the front positions, standing between Archerina and the civilians. Kat gulped privately. She hadn’t fought Archerina hand-to-hand, but if fighting Cogs unMorphed was bad… Unless Archerina was much less powerful than her husband, this was about to get ugly. Not to mention that Archerina might still be sore about Kat defeating her single-handed so recently...
“Go if you have a chance,” Moira called behind her, “we’ll hold it off!”
“Great!” Marina agreed readily.
“But what about you?” Max said worriedly.
Marina rushed for an opening, but Cogs closed in, and she had to back off to avoid their blows. “Damn!”
Archerina raised her bow again, aimed quickly, and shot. Kat dodged easily – but despite appearances, it hadn’t been aimed at her.
Max gave a small grunt of pain behind them. Kat turned to look, horrified, to see Max sinking to his knees, hands weakly grasping at the energy arrow glowing pink in his chest. Moira didn’t even look: her attention stayed fixed on Archerina.
His sister knelt next to him and put a hand on his shoulder worriedly, but then she glanced up and sighed with relief. “Look!” she called out to the others, “a Power Ranger!”
The low chuckle from the robot didn’t pause. Archerina didn’t so much as glance over her shoulder as the Gold Ranger pulled his jet ski in and hopped off.
“Gold Ranger! Help, please!” Kat called out.
Gold walked up to Archerina’s side. He made no move to attack her, and neither did the villainness attack him.
“Don’t you think,” Archerina said sweetly, “it’s time for a Gold Rush?”
To their horror, Gold drew his Golden Power Staff and aimed it, not at the hostile machine, but at them. “As you wish, my love,” he said.
“Screw subtle!” Marina yelled as if it were a kamikaze cry. She hauled Samantha into a fireman’s carry and bolted, scrambling straight over the sandy dune fast enough that she slipped between the surprised Cogs.
Marina hadn’t looked like she had the strength to turn her leggy companion into luggage, but if that had been improbable, it was completely absurd to think that Rennie could do the same. She was nearly a foot shorter than her brother and slender, while he had layers of muscle. Kat just looked at Rennie in horror for the second they had left, wanting to help protect her from the Rangers’ most potent energy attack but with no idea how.
“Get down!” Moira ordered. Rennie looked at her brother, who clearly couldn’t defend himself, then back at Moira, eyes flashing rebellion.
“It’s Time for a Gold Rush!” Gold cried.
A dozen small, blazing-bright spheres of Golden energy arced from his Staff toward them. They impacted against the sand and exploded. Everything around the four teens became light, noise, and pain.
*****
The door to the Power Chamber opened. Billy ran inside, out of his wetsuit but with hair still wet. He didn’t bother to greet Alpha or Zordon but ran to to the nearest console. “What do we know?”
“Ay yi yi, not much beyond your sensor readings!” Alpha cried. “There is an enchantment in the arrows, but it didn’t come from Archerina. Until we know the source, it will be impossible to find a cure for Jason!”
“How do we know it wasn’t Archerina?” Billy asked as he poked the controls, pulling up the readings from the RADSKI onto the console. He pored over them.
“Robots can’t do magic,” Alpha said. He sounded proud and a touch indignant. Billy blinked at him. The robot’s hands were on his round red hips.
“I didn’t know that,” Billy said. His mind immediately offered about 20 follow-up questions, but he restrained himself. “What about that bow?” he asked. “Can robots use something that has its own magic?”
It was Zordon who answered this time. “MAGICAL DEVICES GENERALLY REQUIRE A MAGE TO ACTIVATE THEM. POWERFUL DEVICES CAN SOMETIMES BE USED BY THOSE WITHOUT ANY TRAINING OR ABILITY IN MAGIC, BUT THEY STILL REQUIRE THAT THE USER CAN CHANNEL THE POWER THROUGH THEIR BODIES. ROBOTS CANNOT,” Zordon summarized.
“Can we teleport them out?” Billy switched tactics.
“No, Billy!” Alpha said anxiously. “There is some kind of interference preventing teleportation from that location. I can’t track down what it is!”
Billy grimaced. “We don’t have time to be this confused. The Gold Ranger is the most powerful Ranger on Earth. If we don’t fix this fast, he could kill someone.”
*****
“That’s the last of them!” Blue called out as his Cog opponent hit the sand, sparking. The Beach Club’s stretch of sand was clear now except for the Rangers themselves.
“Great, let’s get to-” Green started to say, but:
“He’s still here,” Red interrupted. The Zeos’ leader was twisting around, trying to see in all directions. “Where are you?”
“Who are you talking to?” Purple asked, her voice uncertain.
“Here, my King!” Gasket’s voice rang out. The elder Machine Empire prince stood with his back to the sandy hills that separated the main knot of Rangers from Moira, Kat, and the two civilians. Behind him, they could see Gold-toned light from explosions but nothing else.
“I’m not your king!” Red’s temper snapped at last.
There was something satisfied in the way Gasket’s posture shifted despite the lack of expression on his metal face. “Very well, Red Ranger: let us be enemies then,” the evil machine said with a smirk in his voice. “Surrender the Zeo Crystal at once and we will release Gold Ranger. Continue fighting, and you doom Gold Ranger to the fate you just escaped – and his first victims will be Pink Ranger and the other humans.” A feminine scream sounded with the next explosion and burst of Gold light. “If they’re still alive now,” he taunted.
“Damn you, Gasket!” Red swore, startling the other Rangers. He was shaking with anger. “Call him off now!”
“Why ever would I do that?”
“Call him off right now or no deal,” Red growled.
“Deal?” Green Zeo protested, shocked. “But-“
Gasket chuckled, low and ominous. “I see. Very well, Red Ranger. I suppose it costs me nothing to give you a few moments to prepare yourselves for surrender.” He pulled out a small box and spoke into it. “Dearest wife, have Gold Ranger cease his attack. Hold the four humans hostage without harming them for ten minutes. If they try to escape or the rest try to rescue them, kill them all and take Gold Ranger with you.”
Archerina’s high, fluttery giggle sounded from the box. [Right away, dearest husband.]
Gasket returned his attention to the Rangers. “I expect your four Zeo Crystal Shards in my hands in ten minutes. Don’t disappoint me.”
He and the Cogs vanished in flashes of light. For a moment, Red sagged and seemed he might collapse, but the next second he straightened.
“We can’t give Gasket the Zeo Crystal!” Blue protested.
“Let’s get to the Power Chamber,” Red said.
“But-“ Blue protested again.
Orange put a hand on his shoulder. “Rocky. This isn’t the place.”
Blue looked at Orange, then nodded. Five Rangers teleported in a rainbow of Red, Orange, Green, Blue, and Purple.
*****
Under the surface of the Lake, the battle against Shark Attack was slow going. The pair of Rangers in the RADSKI had their hands too full to notice what had happened above. Green and Black Venusian Rangers were having no luck seeing through the murky lake water to try to find Shark Attack. It had sideswiped them twice, dinging the RADSKI slightly, but each time it dodged away when they fired their engines to pursue, and they didn’t have a way to track it.
“Come on, come on… I know you installed sensors somewhere…” Green muttered. “Billy, can you answer me yet?” she asked into her hidden communicator.
[Affirmative. I’m in the Power Chamber. What do you need?]
“I need to see. Where’s the sensor display control?”
His voice oddly halting, Billy replied, [Uh… copilot controls, second panel… uh… two down from the gyro-stabilizers, I think?]
“You think?” Green protested as Black tried to find the control. “You built this thing!”
[Sorry, doing a…] Billy’s voice died abruptly. [Oh.]
“What’s happening?” Green asked keenly, the heat gone from her voice.
[They have hostages. I’ve gotta go. If you can’t find Shark Attack, just get back here, okay?]
“Okay, Billy. We’ll do our best,” Green said. She closed the communication channel, leaned across to Black’s console, and pointed out one of the controls.
“Thanks!” Black said and pushed it. The seemingly glass dome showing little but murky water suddenly changed and became overlayed with red outlines. Most were attached to the sandy lake bottom beneath them or small and fast-moving, and one shape came close enough to them that they could see it was a little fish before the creature spotted them and sped away. In the distance, though, they saw the outline of a much larger shape. “That the one?” Black asked.
“I think so,” Green said in satisfied tones. With a quick flick of several controls, she set the RADSKI moving quietly but swiftly toward the shape.
*****
Kat had hit her head on a rock during the Gold Rush, and trying to track exactly what was happening around her had become impossible. When the world stopped whirling enough that she could open her eyes, she saw two Cog faces staring down at her.
“Uhhh,” she groaned in protest. They hauled her to her feet, which made the world go right back to whirling. Her stomach clenched up, and she couldn’t do much but fight to keep her breakfast down. They dropped her again quickly. As soon as the world settled enough, Kat pushed herself to a sitting position. The side of her head pounded. Lifting her hand to it, she found blood.
“No no, keep your eyes closed,” Moira’s voice said near her.
“Why?” Kat asked, closing them.
“Not you,” Moira said dismissively.
Yet more confused, Kat opened her eyes again and looked around. There were still Cogs, but they were further off now. Near at hand were Rennie, Max, and Moira. Moira was sitting up rather than standing, but her eyes were darting around, taking in everything, and she looked ready to spring to her feet at the slightest opening. Max had his eyes shut, and his sister was sitting with one hand on his shoulder. She hadn’t looked scared during the fight, but there was panic dancing at the edges of her eyes now. From the way Cogs and Gold Ranger were pointing weapons at them, Kat guessed they were hostages.
Why?” Rennie asked fearfully. “Why can’t he open his eyes?”
“Because I know what this is,” Moira said. “He’s going to be fine if he keeps his eyes closed until the Power Rangers come help us.”
“What is it?” Rennie pursued, sounding more frightened rather than less.
For some reason, Moira pitched her voice a little louder as she answered, “It’s an artifact from another planet. This will sound a little weird, but bear with me. Long ago, there was a civilization on Venus, and they created a lot of amazing things. Most of them were destroyed after their planet’s environmental collapse, but some survived and even helped inspire our own mythology. That’s a Venusian bow. You know about Cupid?”
“No,” Rennie said.
“Yes,” Kat said. She blinked at Rennie in surprise.
“That kind of bow is where the legend of Cupid comes from,” Moira said. “Venusians liked to solve problems by making their enemies forget about fighting them instead of killing anyone.”
Rennie stared at her. “Ookay… so if we assume you’re not completely crazy… what does that mean we do?”
“We? Nothing,” Moira said.
“What? But then why did you even say anything?” Rennie cried.
*****
“You brilliant, brilliant girl,” Kim murmurred in the Power Chamber. Grinning, she turned to Billy. “Tell me that helps us.”
To the relief of all 6 Rangers – Tanya had joined them – Billy nodded. “Absolutely. Zordon?”
“IF MOIRA IS CORRECT THAT THE DEVICE ARCHERINA USES IS A VENUSIAN ARTIFACT, IT CONTAINS ITS OWN POWER SOURCE. THIS INTERNAL POWER SOURCE WOULD ALLOW ARCHERINA TO EMPLOY IT. BILLY, I AM SENDING DATA TO YOUR CONSOLE ON VENUSIAN ARTIFACTS WHICH SHOULD ALLOW YOU TO CRAFT A MEANS TO DISRUPT THE EFFECT ON JASON AND MAX.”
“What about Rita? Is she going to be okay?” Rocky asked worriedly.
“I BELIEVE SO. SOME VENUSIAN ARTIFACTS WERE CRAFTED TO AFFECT ONLY CERTAIN GENDERS. I HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE BOW ARCHERINA CARRIES ONLY AFFECTS MALES.”
“Okay, so the part where we rescue them?” Tanya asked.
“Once a cure is crafted, we still need to disrupt the energy field preventing teleportation,” Alpha piped.
“Let’s try. But Gasket’s going to be lifting that field in 8 minutes anyway,” Tommy said grimly.
“Any chance of a chocolate Coins kind of solution here?” Ish asked.
“How would chocolate help?” Alpha asked, puzzled.
Billy cracked a grin even as his fingers kept flying across the controls of his console. “No, Alpha, she means can we make fake Zeo Crystal Shards.”
“Oh! Maybe!” Alpha said excitedly. “They won’t feel like real ones – but a robot can’t sense that kind of thing.”
Tommy shook his head. “Gasket’s smarter than that. He’ll have some way to know.”
“We can try,” Adam said, looking at his leader with concern.
Tommy met Adam’s eyes squarely. Something passed between them. Adam put a hand on Tommy’s arm, and the Red Zeo didn’t shrug it off. “We’re going to get them back,” he said quietly.
“I know,” Tommy said only a little too quickly. “If we have time to make up fake Shards, let’s do it. But focus on disrupting the effect on Jason. We don’t want to fight the Gold Ranger.”
*****
Under the water, Black and Green Venusians had finally spotted Shark Attack and were cruising up behind it slowly, hoping it wouldn’t see them and dart away. “Hey, what are those other shapes?” Black asked, pointing to a half-dozen red blobs near the water’s surface that Shark Attack was rapidly approaching. “They’re too big for fish.”
Green frowned at them, puzzled, then growled. “At a guess? They’re the right size for kids.”
“Oh no,” Black groaned.
“Billy,” Green said, “tell me you installed weapons.”
[Ummm… did the RADBUG ever have weapons?]
“Ah.” Green closed the channel.
“Wait – there are no weapons?” Black protested. “Then what do we do? Hit it in the nose and run away and hope it follows us?”
Green thought a moment. “Good plan.”
“What?” Black cried. “That wasn’t a plan! That was a terrible idea to point out that we don’t have any good ones!”
“Sometimes,” Green said as she accelerated the RADSKI toward the monster, “that’s all a plan is.”
Black watched the Shark Attack blur grow bigger on their display as they shot toward the monster. “Meep,” she said.
*****
“Two minutes,” Rocky said tensely.
“Billy, what do you have?” Tommy asked.
“Just… a…” Billy muttered, his concentration on the console. Suddenly, his focused frown burst apart into a radiant smile. “Got it!”
In a swirl of white light sparkles, a small device somewhere between a gun and a syringe appeared on the upper edge of Billy’s console. He picked it up. “This should break Archerina’s hold,” he said happily.
“Oh thank goodness,” Kim sighed. “How do we get it to him?”
“Ay yi yi, I haven’t been able to disrupt the interference around Jason, Moira, Kat, and the others!” Alpha bemoaned. “The most I can give you is a window large enough to teleport in, but not out! And only one person can fit!”
“But Jason’s set to attack if it looks like we’re trying to rescue them. If that one person can’t get the antidote into him instantly…” Adam worried.
Tommy shook his head. “He could just blast that device out of someone’s hand, and then…” He didn’t quite shiver, but only out of sheer stubbornness.
“What if,” Tanya said, “we just send the device? Maybe one of them can do it.”
“UnMorphed? They’d never get close!” Rocky protested.
“No, Tanya’s right,” Ish said. “They’d have a better chance than one of us ‘cause it won’t look like an attack.”
Kim nodded decisively. “Send it to Moira. If anyone can pull this off, it’s her.”
“Are you sure?” Tommy frowned at her. He’d much rather send it to Kat, whose skills he knew well.
“I’m sure,” Kim looked up at him. She was tense, too, he saw, but perfectly certain and serious. When had she ever looked that confident making decisions in battle? He looked away again quickly from those doe-brown eyes.
A little beeping signal started at one of the consoles. “It’s time,” Rocky said.
The six looked at one another worriedly. Most eyes turned toward Tommy. “Okay. Send Moira the device. We take the fake Shards and go. Maybe we’ll distract Gasket and Archerina enough to give Moira an opening,” Tommy decided.
Kim nodded to him. “Agreed. And remember-“
Tommy stiffened but quickly let out the tension with a sigh. He gave her, just for an instant, one of his trademark sideways smiles. “You got our backs,” he finished.
Kim beamed. “All right everybody,” she called, “Back to Action!”
*****
Six Rangers – four unMorphed Zeos, two Morphed Venusians – teleported to a thoroughly deserted Beach Club with about five seconds of their allotted 10 minutes remaining. The Zeos each held a long, pointed crystal that flashed subtly in their Ranger color and wore expressions of grim defeat.
Gasket was waiting for them. As they arrived, the two dozen Cogs seated around the Beach Club abandoned parasoled machine-oil drinks and came to attention with various mechanical noises. One was wearing a plastic lei.
“This is a wise decision, former Zeo Rangers,” Gasket gloated. “Now, hand over your Zeo Crystal Shards at once!”
“No way,” Tommy said, dark eyes flashing angrily. “Not while Archerina’s with Jason. How do we know she wouldn’t just order him to kill everyone after we hand over our Powers?”
“Hm. I suppose your point is valid,” Gasket conceded. “Let us compromise. Hand over the Crystals, and they won’t kill everyone right now.”
“Tell them to attack and you don’t get a single Shard,” Tommy returned, clamping down hard on his own panic as he did so. Had he just killed them?
“True.” Gasket seemed to think for a moment. “Very well.” He pulled out the small box again and spoke into it. “Archerina dearest, a change of plans...”
*****
The RADSKI got within 10 feet of Shark Attack before the monster seemed to notice. It was only a few feet further from the dangling ankles of the half-dozen kids by then and very focused on them. When it did finally notice the RADSKI coming up behind it, it spun around to look at them, snapped at them, then turned back to the kids.
“Sorry, Billy,” Green muttered as she drove the RADSKI forward into the monster’s side.
It could have been worse. The RADSKI definitely jostled the monster, and the modified jet ski’s nose didn’t entirely crumple in. Both Rangers had braced for the impact and stayed securely in their seats. Shark Attack definitely turned to look at them again, and Green reversed course fast enough to evade its jaws. Once they’d backed off, though, Shark Attack returned its attention to the kids.
“What?” Green cried. “Come on, we’re threatening you!”
Black thought hard, dredging up fourth-grade science lessons as fast as she could. “Wait – are sharks the ones that smell blood?”
“Yes,” Green answered, puzzled. “Why?”
“It has only gone after humans. What if it smells blood to target?” Black said.
Green thought about it. “Maybe. Does that help us?”
Black dove out of her seat and under the co-pilot controls. “Tell me you were in that much of a rush…” she muttered. “Aha!” She emerged holding a sharp-edged tool rather like a screwdriver.
“Rita?” Green said warily.
“Keep following it. When it gets to the shore,” Black said, cheerfully ignoring Green’s skepticism, “ram it the rest of the way out of the water.”
“Rita!” Green said with more alarm.
“Nos vemos pronto!” Black farewelled cheerily and teleported.
*****
The Black teleportation streak landed only a few away, on the water’s surface right above the RADSKI, and turned into Black. She quickly oriented on the kids. They looked to be middle-schoolers – a perfect age for deciding to ignore a monster alarm. “Hey, kids!” she cried, “there’s a monster under you! Get out of the water!” she cried.
“What? A monster?” one kid protested. “How do you- Hey!” he added, seeing that all his friends had left him behind as they swam to the shore. He hastened to follow.
The water was clear enough here for Black to make out the large shape of Shark Attack following them. There was no way they’d make it to shore without a distraction.
Black pulled off her left glove, letting it sink into the murky water below, and brought the tool up to her palm. With little hesitation, she drove it into her skin. At once, the water around her colored with a small plume of bright red blood. Black gritted her teeth against the pain of saltwater in the cut.
She looked down. “Come on, come on…”
The vast shape following the kids stopped. It turned.
“Yess! And now for the swimming really fast part!” Black said to herself as she dropped the tool and broke into the fastest freestyle swim she could manage toward the Beach Club. Shark Attack’s vast shape followed her, with the RADSKI dimly visible in the rear.
*****
“No, please, my Princess of Perfection!” Gold protested, grabbing her silver-and-pink arm. “I can’t bear to be parted from you! Please stay – or take me with you!”
“Don’t worry, Gold Ranger,” Archerina giggled, “absence only makes the heart grow fonder.”
“It does?” Gold asked desperately. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely! Now, watch the captives. Remember that the Rangers may try to rescue them. If they do, kill them all.”
“I… of course I will, but…”
She pulled his hand off her arm with such effortless strength that it seemed she could have broken it just as easily. Instead, she planted a kiss against the side of his helmet. “Prove your love, and we’ll be together again soon.” Then, in a flash of pink, she vanished.
As Gold gazed after the flash of Pink, a far smaller stream of white light landed at Moira’s feet and turned into a small gun-like device with a tiny note taped to it. Moira’s constant scan around the area paused as she froze, staring at it.
“What’s that?” Rennie whispered.
“I don’t know,” Moira said thoughtfully.
“What?” Max asked worriedly.
“It’s okay, just keep your eyes closed,” Kat said.
Moira unfolded the note. “What does it say?” Rennie whispered.
“Ssh,” Moira said. She folded the note again and closed her eyes for a slow four-count. Then she opened her eyes, passed the note to Rennie, tucked the device into the back of her jeans, and stood, facing Gold Ranger.
“Moira?” Kat whispered.
The White Venusian didn’t acknowledge her but took three slow steps toward Gold. Kat turned toward the note that Rennie was unfolding. Over the girl’s shoulder, she read: ‘This will cure Gold Ranger. Close range only. Good luck. ~The Power Rangers’.
Both girls looked at Moira in horror, but it was too late to stop her. Anything they said to Moira now Gold Ranger would hear. “Why us? The Power Rangers should fix this,” Rennie whispered to Kat instead. She sounded more scared than angry. Kat silently gripped her hand, the only reassurance she could offer without drawing Gold’s notice.
Gold Ranger was quick to orient on Moira anyway. “Stay down,” he commanded, pointing the Golden Power Staff at her.
Moira stopped at once. “It’s okay,” she said soothingly, perhaps to the other hostages as much as him. “I was just thinking. About love.”
That startled Gold. The Staff lowered a little. “What about love?”
“That’s what all this is about, right? You want to prove your love to Archerina?”
“More than anything,” Gold answered eagerly. “Can you help?”
Moira took a step forward. “Yes. You’ll have to know how love works. What love is.”
“It’s what I feel for Archerina,” Gold said.
Moira just smiled. “Aye. And so much more. Love is one of the fundamental forces in the universe.” Her brogue had thickened slightly, and her thin, tall shape was moving in slow, dreamy motion toward him. “Love sets the stars to shine. Wakes the sun in the morning and the moon at night. Love gives us courage through our darkest nightmares.” Though the words sounded like ridiculous hyperbole to the other teens, Moira’s tone was so utterly sincere that they were tempted to think she was serious. Gold listened rapturously, nodding along.
“She can’t possibly-“ Rennie whispered a protest.
“Ssh,” Kat reminded her. Behind her back, she crossed her fingers and hoped as hard as she could. She’d taken almost this same gamble to break Gasket’s brainwashing of Tommy. With a lot of luck, Moira’s would work out as well. Though Jason didn’t know her...
Moira had crossed a third of the distance between her and Gold now, and Gold’s Staff had dropped to his side, forgotten. “True, deep love makes us capable of impossible things – like when a mother pulls a car off her child. No one can measure it or see it. Science doesn’t understand it. Yet it’s as important than the air we breathe. Love gives life and color to the world.
“They say love is patient, love is kind. But love is also ragingly badass. Love doesn’t lift us up where we belong – it drives us to crawl one bloody inch at a time up an endless hill toward our highest potential just so that we can be a little bit more what our beloved deserves. Love is what transforms the human race from a bunch of warlike, selfish, cruel, cowardly little ape-cousins…” she closed to stand bare inches from Gold “…into heroes.
“What you feel for Archerina? That,” her soothing smile dropped into hot anger, and as she snarled the last word, she thrust the barrel of the device into Gold’s gut and pressed the trigger. Waves of light rippled up and down his costume. The Zeo Ranger doubled over with a cry of pain. Moira didn’t let up the pressure but followed him down until the device shut off. Gold was left flat on the ground, stunned, Moira leaning over him. “…was never love,” she finished.
“Alert! Alert!” the smartest of the six Cogs started flailing its arms in panic.
“Oh alert yourself,” Moira snapped. In one smooth movement, she drew the Golden Power Staff out of Gold’s unconscious hand and pointed it at the Cogs. They all took a step back. “Anybody says one more bleeping word, I turn you into scrap metal. Kat, Rennie, get everyone over here,” Moira ordered.
“Come on,” Rennie said to her brother, pulling on his arm to get him to his feet. “It’s pretty level…”
“Anyone going to explain what just…?” Max asked, sounding frustrated.
“No,” Rennie and Kat said together. They each took one of his hands and tried to guide him quickly across the sand. As they retreated, the Cogs took a few tentative steps forward.
Moira gestured the Golden Power Staff at them again. “I’m warning you!” she said. They halted.
The other three teens arrived and stood behind Moira. “Just shoot them,” Rennie encouraged.
“I can’t,” Moira whispered through clenched teeth. “There isn’t exactly a trigger.”
Rennie stared at her aghast. “You’re bluffing?” she said… a little too loudly.
“Bluff registered,” the nearest Cog said.
“Trickery.”
“Advance. Capture the humans.”
“Rennie!” Max snapped.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Rennie wailed.
Moira kicked Gold. “Wake up!” she hissed. He didn’t even react. She dropped the Staff to the sand beside him and sank into a defensive stance.
“Here we go again,” Kat groaned, dropping into a stance of her own.
*****
Billy, meanwhile, had picked his jaw up off the ground from Moira’s flawless trick and darted to the communications console. “Tommy, they did it!” he announced.
It wasn’t Red who replied but Green Leopard. [Billy!] the Green Venusian’s voice called to him urgently.
“What is it?” Billy asked.
[Thrusters! You have thrusters or rockets or something, right? I need a lot of speed for about three seconds!]
Billy blinked in surprise for a moment before shaking himself. “It’s the big red button,” he answered.
Green, too, paused before answering. [You mad science genius, of course it is.]
Billy blushed all the way to his ears.
*****
A few moments earlier, as Billy’s message to them piped through their communicators, Gasket crowed with laughter, holding up the four crystal pieces in his hands. Tanya was just backing away after giving him hers. “Whatever deception you attempted has come too late, former Zeo Rangers!” he cried.
Archerina, at his side, laughed too. “How delightful!” she preened.
Tommy’s grin practically glowed. “That’s what you think! IT’S MORPHIN TIME!” he called.
“ZEO RANGER II, YELLOW!”
“ZEO RANGER III, BLUE!”
“ZEO RANGER IV, GREEN!”
“ZEO RANGER V, RED!”
As the four’s Morphs completed, Purple and Orange Venusians shifted to stand in line with them. All six sank into defensive stances.
Gasket looked from them to the crystals in his hands, then clenched both hands to shatter the fake crystals to dust. He let out a cry of bitter anger and hatred.
“Get out of here,” Red said. “You’ve lost.”
“Do you think so?” Archerina asked. Her glowing yellow eyes narrowed as she raised her bow to aim at him.
“My love, don’t be vulgar,” Gasket said, turning to put a hand on her extended arm. “We need not fight them directly. We are not menial combat robots. You have won this time,” he said, addressing the Rangers. “Next time, you will not even know that our attack has begun until it is too late. Until then, Power Rangers.”
“Hmph!” Archerina added, her tone somewhere between angry and pouty. She lowered her weapon and took her husband’s hand, though. The two villains teleported out in flashes of gold and pink light. From the other side of the sandy hill that had blocked their view, four other, Cog-like lights flew away into the sky. The Rangers let out sighs of relief.
“Come on, let’s-“ Purple started to motion toward the sandy hill and their former-hostage friends.
“What’s that?” Green Zeo interrupted, pointing at the shore. A purplish-black, human-sized blur was moving across the surface toward them very fast. It was pursued by a metallic fin.
“No way,” Blue groaned.
“Get out of the water!” Purple yelled, rushing for the shore instead of the hill. The other Rangers followed her.
Not ten feet from the shore, silver-white teeth flashed and the blur slowed into Black Venusian Ranger, yelling in pain. She was dragged under the surface.
“Idiota!” Blue yelled furiously as he rushed into the water. He ducked his helmet under the water, about to dive in, but he straightened almost at once. “Oh,” he said blankly.
A surge of orange-white light glowed suddenly under the surface. The next second, Blue was thrown back onto the beach by a huge wave. Also caught in the wave were Black Ranger and the fifteen-foot-long, hideous metallic shark monster holding her in its mouth. At the back of the wave, the Rangers could see the RADSKI bob to the surface. A fiery orange glow was just fading from rear thrusters that hadn’t been visible before.
As the monster went sailing through the air, it lost its grip on Black Ranger. She hit the sand and managed to pull herself into enough of a roll to get clear of the falling monster before she collapsed in pain from its bite. The monster landed only about ten feet onto the sand, but it was enough to give six Rangers a clear shot.
“Zeo Weapons!” Red called, hoping Billy’s original readings on the monster had been accurate. A monster this large shouldn’t be particularly hurt by their individual weapons, but without Kat they couldn’t call the Zeo Cannon. If it wasn’t as vulnerable out of the water as Billy thought…
The four Zeos drew their weapons, leveled them at the monster, and shot simultaneously. The monster went up in a firework-like explosion. Everyone cheered.
Before the lights of the monster’s demise faded, the six Rangers were running. “We’ll get her, go get the hostages!” Purple ordered.
“Not a chance!” Blue shot back angrily.
“The other Zeos, not you, duh,” Purple returned.
“Oh. Good.”
Red, Green Zeo, and Yellow vanished quickly over the sandy hill. Purple, Orange, and Blue knelt next to Black. Just like earlier bite victims, she was curled up in pain around glowing red teeth marks.
“None of my other siblings,” Blue half-growled.
It sounded like it took a huge effort to get past the pain, but Black managed, “Because… I’m… special…”
“Don’t do that again,” he demanded.
“Sure… next time… different monster.”
“Come on, let’s get to the Power Chamber,” Purple said, fighting hard to keep the grin out of her voice. The four Rangers teleported in streaks of Blue, Black, Purple, and Orange.
*****
“Is the fight over? Can I open my eyes now?” Max’s patience was wearing thin.
“Yes and no,” Moira answered. Somehow, Max managed to glare at her with his eyes closed.
“We should wait for the Power Rangers. I’m not sure if the same cure will work for you, but if not, I expect they’ve worked out something else,” Kat elaborated.
Max sat heavily in the sand with a whuff of frustrated breath. Rennie gave the other girls a sympathetic half-smile and then went to comfort her brother.
While the two civilians weren’t paying attention, Kat said quietly to Moira, “That was… I don’t know how you pulled that off. It was amazing.”
Kat expected one of the younger girl’s trademark sweet smiles. Instead, Moira’s lips trembled for a moment as if trying to smile but failing. She settled for a sad resolve that reminded Kat of Moira’s story the day before. It seemed more vulnerable and, Kat thought, maybe more honest than Moira’s sweet little smile. “I’m sorry,” Moira said. “I shouldn’t have… I don’t… get like that often anymore. It’s dangerous.”
Kat blinked at her. “Dangerous? What do you mean?”
Moira pulled her hair away from her face and fashioned a ponytail by the simple expedient of wrapping one bit of her curly hair around the rest as a hairtie. It wasn’t until Moira finished that Kat realized she’d done it to delay having to answer. “Well, it stopped the most powerful Ranger on Earth, didn’t it?” she said, her tone light and her usual smile back.
“True,” Kat agreed, because it was – though she was also quite sure that that wasn’t what Moira had meant. The quick changes in mood confused Kat. Was it some kind of an act? Why?
Gold gave a groan, and Kat forgot about Moira’s strangeness at once. Both Rangers rushed to him.
“Wait, what if he’s not safe?” Rennie asked. “You shouldn’t get so close!”
“Gold Ranger?” Kat asked. Both ignored Rennie.
Gold sat up carefully, shaking his head as if to clear it. “My head…” he groaned. “What happened?”
“You were under a spell,” Kat answered. “How do you feel now?”
“Like someone hit me with a tree,” Gold said.
Over the sandy hill came three Zeo Rangers, Red, Green, and Yellow. “They’re here, Max!” Rennie said with immense relief, then stood. “Rangers, please, help my brother! He got hit by an arrow from that monster too!”
Yellow went to her. “Has he been acting strange?”
“No, he kept his eyes closed the whole time.”
“Oh,” Yellow blinked under her helmet. “That was really smart thinking.”
“Yeah, yeah – the part where I get fixed, please?” Max complained, arms crossed over his chest even though he couldn’t see where anyone was standing to look annoyed at.
“Sure thing,” Yellow said, a grin in her voice. “Base,” she said into her communicator, “will the same cure work on this civilian?”
A pause, then, [A different one is better for him. Sending it to you now,] Alpha piped. Another little gun-like medical device appeared in Yellow’s hands in a shower of white sparks.
“I’ll take that,” Rennie said, reaching for the device.
“Uh- that’s okay, I probably should-“
Rennie’s eyes flashed, and she looked for a moment more intimidating than a bedraggled teen a shade over five feet tall should be able to look. “I’ll take that. Now. Thanks.”
“Ookay,” Yellow said. She passed the device to Rennie, and the small teen shot Max in the arm with it without hesitation.
“OW! Hey! Who did that!” Max cried.
“Me, and you’re welcome. You can open your eyes,” Rennie said, rolling hers.
“I can?” Max popped his eyes open. He found himself staring up at Yellow Ranger. “Wow,” he sighed. “I mean, uh, thanks.”
“Our pleasure,” Yellow returned politely. “Now, you two should get out of here.”
“No complaints here!” Max agreed brightly.
“Oh, that’s rich,” Rennie grumbled. She waved farewell and followed her brother at a jog away from the beach.
Meanwhile, Red and Green Zeos had gone to Kat, Moira, and Gold. They’d asked what questions they could while the civilians were still around, mostly just confirming that Gold felt un-enspelled now and didn’t remember anything much about the last 30 minutes. When Max and Rennie were out of sight, though, the pretenses finally dropped.
“God, that was scary,” Kat wilted, throwing her arms around Red. If he hesitated to return the hug, Kat didn’t notice. The two sat in an embrace for a long moment. Red smoothed her long blond hair. Kat pulled away at last, sniffed, and said, “But Moira was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”
“Thanks,” Moira smiled sweetly.
“Let’s get back,” Red said, and they all set communicators to return to the Power Chamber.
“Er… little help?” Moira asked, as she didn’t have one.
In an instant, Gold had stretched his arm out toward her. “Take my hand,” he said.
There was a moment that passed between them. Moira’s innocent smile faltered. The rest didn’t notice the sudden tension, and Kat, Red, Green and Yellow teleported away. Unexpectedly, this left Moira and Gold alone on the beach.
Moira still didn’t put her hand in his. “Venusian bows,” Moira said very quietly, “don’t usually cause memory loss.”
Gold deMorphed in a silent flash of light, revealing Jason’s dark, troubled eyes. “Simpler,” he admitted worriedly. Would she tell the others?
Moira nodded a little. “It’s your right.” After a moment, she added, “We’re okay, you know.”
Jason shuddered, but he didn’t answer. Looking squarely at Moira, he said, “Thank you.”
Moira hesitated for a long moment on the verge of something, but then her little smile was back. “Any time,” she said cheerily. She put her hand in his. They teleported together in White and Gold-flecked black streams of light.
*****
Billy descended on Jason instantly when he arrived, and Moira could easily slip away to the edges of the crowd. She did so at once. Most everyone else held their breaths until Billy pronounced Jason completely freed of the enchantment.
“Man, guys, I… I’m sorry,” Jason said.
“No way!”
“It’s okay!
“That was so not your fault!”
“I know,” Jason sighed, “but still.”
Tommy clapped a hand to his best friend’s shoulder, smiling sadly. He understood. “We’re just glad you’re back.”
“Me too, bro,” Jason agreed.
“Okay, I don’t know about anyone else,” Rocky said, “but I say we earned our paycheck today!”
Rita looked at him aghast. “You get paid??”
Everyone else, except Moira, broke up in laughs. Even Alpha put in a pair of mechanical titters. “What do you say we get some lunch, I’m starving,” Tanya asked the group.
“Yeah, someone ate all my nachos,” Tommy said, mock-glaring at Rita.
“I think that was the Cogs,” Kim smiled.
“I’ll stay here, I have some work to do to finish- ack!“ Billy said instead. The Green Venusian had grabbed his left arm just as he was diving under a console, stopping him.
“Oh, no. You’ve done enough. Now you’re hanging out with your friends,” Trini declared.
“I… am?”
“Absolutely,” Kim beamed at him. “One way or another.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look threatening. She failed spectacularly, but she didn’t seem to mind.
Billy blinked at her, then at Trini. A tentative smile spread over his lips, then strengthened into something that looked deeply moved. The smile was every bit as warm as he hadn’t been that morning. “Okay, I’ll come quietly,” he promised. He set his tool down on one of the consoles and let Trini drag him into the knot of teens.
“All right everyone,” Ish grinned, “relaxing Saturday, take two!”
Laughing, the twelve teens teleported together back to Angel Grove.
After they left, the Power Chamber was quiet and calm for about two seconds. “Ay yi yi, Zordon!” Alpha burst out then. “Why didn’t you tell the Rangers what we discovered?!”
“IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO UNDERSTAND THE FULL MEANING OF THEIR PRESENCE,” Zordon responded. “HOWEVER, GIVEN THE NATURE OF THE COLLIERS’ SIGNATURES, THERE IS NO REASON TO SUSPECT A THREAT.”
“Yes, but what about-“
Zordon sighed. “ACTING AGAINST HER WITHOUT FIRST UNDERSTANDING HER GAME HAS NEVER ENDED WELL, FOR ANYONE.” He waited, but Alpha refused to lower his stubby arms from his hips. “VERY WELL. YOU MAY TRACK ALL THREE OF THEM, IF YOU WISH.”
“Yes I do wish!” Alpha said, waddling immediately to the sensors. “Ay yi yi, Zordon. Everything so complicated all of a sudden. What are we going to do!”
Zordon thought. He thought of the three strange Stone Canyon “teenagers.” He thought of the shockingly deep knowledge Moira possessed about matters he tried to shield humanity from and her suicidally bold ploy against Gold. Especially he thought on one part neither the Rangers nor Alpha seemed to have noted: the mysterious way that Tommy had known ahead of time that a battle was coming and then had tracked Prince Gasket without being able to see him. Then he contemplated what of all of those concerns he should voice to his assistant.
“TRUST IN THE POWER, ALPHA,” he said. “ALL WILL COME OUT AS IT SHOULD.”
Alpha paused setting up the sensor tracking to look up at Zordon, but there was very little expression to evaluate through the time warp. His contemplation algorithms fired for three long nanoseconds, thinking it through himself. In the end, though, his answer was the same as it had been for thousands of years: trust. “If you say so, Zordon!” he said cheerfully, and he hummed as he got back to work.
The End