Six- Flight 536 The wind roared by him. Tommy was seated by window 6a first class, Anton being just a few seats behind. Everyone had their headsets on, listening to the movie "Fists of Fury." They were passing over the Atlantic Ocean under the clear night moon. As hours passed, Tommy was the last to sleep. The good blue book propped open on his lap was his companion, but the words blurred across the page. With every passage, memories flooded back from "those days." When, as chaotic as it was, it was safe. He had friends going through the struggles of being a hero. There was an understanding that he cherished, and the weight of the world wasn't entirely on his shoulders. Days with his best friends who took in the new kid who was originally used as a pawn against them. And of course, whenever he thought of his old friends, he had to think of Kim - what she and he were... ...and what they weren't. He never did express to her how he felt about that fateful letter. Nor of the thoughts of the man she chose over him. Tommy cherished the memory of their love too much to ever have it tarnished by hateful gestures or such. She was a song writer and artist for AJJ Records these days; a company that his student Kira Ford was hoping to launch her career with. There was Jason, strong of body and mind. His brother in armed and unarmed combat. They'd spoken once or twice since the Red Rangers demolished the leftovers of an empire. He ran a Marital Arts academy now that had gained international recognition. The Zackman DJ'd for a few years at some of the country's most prestige hip-hop dance clubs on the weekends. The pay was decent, but nothing long term. Emotionally, he was on a downward spiral due to his cousin being killed in a freak car crash. Then one day, he received news abut his father, who'd came down with a stroke and was hospitalized for several weeks. Zack used his collected earnings to provide the best care possible. Billy visited every now and then, though his biography had him in Valencia, California. His inventions were always from another world. For someone who was so shy, he sure had his share of the ladies. His books made him filthy rich. He even set Zack and his father up in a new $300,000 house with a devastating view of the ocean. And then Trini- they lost her five years ago. All it would have taken to save her was a seatbelt. Her funeral was the last time the six of them were together. It's why he and Jason had barely spoken, and probably wouldn't for a good while. 28 Those days...days of adventure, challenges, courage, loyalty and perseverance. They were indomitable in spirit. These days he still had cherished friends, just of a different variety. Anton Mercer fed his desire to unearth some of Earth's longest mysteries. They found a commonality in paleontology. But with some discoveries, a disastrous consequence can ensue. In the case of Anton, a split personality was forged. And when the other one took control, a monstrous mutation followed. Anton, or "Mesogog" as the other personality went by, proved to be one of Tommy's greatest enemies. Mesogog's forces tested all of his abilities as Tommy accepted the responsibilities of the Black Ranger, utilizing the powers of invisibility and the strength of the Brachiosaurus, and the wisdom needed to train his own team of Rangers to combat this foe. It was these efforts that neutralized the Mesogog portion and restored Tommy's colleague. From out of nowhere, something jerked his body forward. It was happening once more. The book plummeted to the ground. The nightmare had returned. People around him were being blurred out and the lights were lost to him. Tommy had been returned to the dream. Kimberly was still there next to him; he still felt the pressure of her lips being on his. In her hands she was readying a weapon that converted from blade to blaster. As Tommy looked around him, the other fifty-plus Power Rangers were doing the same. Side arms were loaded by the dozens, swords were energized and only the powers coursing through the veins of those Rangers were lighting the night. This was all-out Armageddon. It seemed like half the people weren't expecting to make it back alive. "Oliver," spoke the voice of the adversary at long last. It was a voice of two vocals overlapping one another, one deep and one screechy. It was speaking inside the mind. "I know that you can hear me, Black Ranger, as all your comrades can individually." This entity had created a separate congruent telepathic link with every person on the field. "You have come with your army to stop me, and I will admit that the courage to stand before oblivion is quite commendable. Undoubtedly you were at a lost right now." What the hell was this? "What is all of this? Identify yourself." Tommy was getting somewhat twitchy himself. "This," he complied, "is the inevitability of salvation. Your unconscious mind has been more than aware of my arrival for some time now. My presence is undetectable by your technology, save for the anomalies that you have been tracking." 29 "You're the one attacking the Morphing Grid." He didn't want to be right on that theory. "That is incorrect, Oliver. To attack something would require me fighting another for personal gain. There is no gain in destroying myself." Just what he needed- an enemy who talked in riddles. He was halfway expecting the line "riddle me this" to come in. "I don't understand. What is it you want with the Morphing Grid?" "To warrant an understanding of that, I must first reveal the truth behind your second question. I am the embodiment of that which is used by the forces of good and evil. I am a mere extension of the oneself you call the Morphing Grid." Wait...was he hearing this correctly? Tommy had met his share of nutcases in the past, but none would ever claim to be a prophet of the Morphing Grid. Had there ever been a historical figure who was a messiah to energy? "Not a prophet, Oliver. I am the progression of genesis. Upon the evolution of the universe, its birth began here on the virtuous planet of Eltar. "It also housed the first living organisms which, much like the homosapiens over the course of several millennia, evolved from microscopic cells to sentient beings. As time passed, and life spread to other planets and galaxies, a book was discovered on Eltar that told of this beginning of time and the source of a power beyond measure; fueled by the very life forces themselves. "The purpose of the Grid was to sustain the life by unifying echoes of souls from all ages so that life and wisdom would prosper eternally. It was never meant to be a tool manipulated in war. For it was this discovery that doomed life itself. "The book was produced to test the wise Eltarians by revealing, in an underground cave, a portal that resided in which would link the possessor to the point of origin, where this Morphing Grid began. Two individuals sought to possess this- your wizard Zordon and his former ally Zedd. "In their battle, they were both endowed with the responsibility of maintaining balance and harmony to the Grid. I believe the rest of the story resides in your records, Oliver. "But as the Morphing Wars progressed over the course of time, the power of the Grid had been so altered and misused that its self sustenance has weakened. It has come to the point where the vitality is no longer safe, and thusly, as with all things in the universe, it must be destroyed. Life will begin anew. I am more than the messenger of the Grid. I am its voice. You may call me Unagi." 30 The teal bars of the Grid slowly emerged from heavy fog surrounding the entire area. "Look," where was Tommy even to begin? "I'm sorry if this wasn't the plan intended for the Grid. But if we didn't use its power, then Zedd's forces would have twisted it into a living nightmare. No sentient being would have found any purpose in such a world, and the Grid would have been destroyed along with all life." "You're right. But what you've yet to realize is that it was the decision made by Zedd, a representative of the species, who sealed the fate of all life. From then on, it was merely inevitability. I do feel for your kind, human. There was a lot of potential that could have seen light. But there is no other way." "If you know about our potential, then you must also know that we're not going to stand here and let you carry out this mission." "I would assume not. In fact, I know not. For even though the plot had not been revealed to your conscious minds, your unconscious self has brought your astral forms here to Eltar for the final stand. As commendable as it is, I must not let you proceed. The Morphing Grid is to be obliterated, and you must all die with it." Tommy felt the telepathic link being severed, as did all the Rangers simultaneasouly. How were they to fight this Unagi? How were they to fight what had saved them on too many occasions in order to save and preserve life? There was a chiming sound coming from Tommy's wrist morpher. At first he didn't acknowledge it. He wasn't even sure he could breath, but he overcame it. Another voice came through on the Morpher. "Tommy, this is Cam. I may know of a way we can fight this thing." Tommy acknowledged the remark, but he then looked overhead and saw what had to be Unagi in physical form, but it was so distant and distorted; fazing in and out of existence. But there was something that remained a constant- the pitch black eyes of the creature that were starring straight at Tommy. The vision was disrupted as Tommy's chest tightened up. He saw Anton there trying to revive him as the other passengers panicked at the sight of him convulsing on the ground. It was so timeless. 31 Seven- The Last Stand Armors, Battlizers and combo weapons engaged simultaneously in an orchestra of clicks and hums; all defenses targeted a single mark. Unagi stared with a cold stillness, ready to deploy weapons that could level numerous nations. When the tension almost seemed too much, Unagi gazed straight into the eyes of the Black Ranger, Tommy. Behind those soft brown eyes of Tommy Oliver was a man about to lead an army. There were very few times Tommy doubted his team's victory. For this time, it wasn't a matter of if they could win. It was how they even stood a chance. The telepathic link with Unagi produced the strongest migraine he'd ever had. It told that Unagi's power was an anomaly of the Grid. Unagi wasn't bent on revenge. He was justifiying the selfishness of the universe by taking away what was first given. The Morphing Grid was meant for the greater good of all species. Now it was in the Rangers' duty to protect not only themselves and not only the innocent, but the enemies they'd battled in the past. For every act of good the Rangers had done, his power was meant to balance it out. If that were true, then everything Tommy had ever loved was about to die. He listened to Cam's plan, but Tommy had one of his own. For the moment, however, it was time to make the ultimate stand. Tommy opened a communications link to all available Rangers, who in turn listened intently. "Power Rangers," he hesitated a moment, knowing ahead of time, thanks to the brief telepathic link, that Unagi would not attack until afterwards. Tommy spoke into his morpher. "Rangers, I wanted to first mention the honor it's been to fight along you during these years, and to represent, as a team, a force that has sustained evil in the darkest corners of the galaxies. But the enemy before us means to erase any memory of that past. If it's our duty as Power Rangers to save the universe, then now is that time. For the memory of those who've been lost, and for the memory of all races..." As he starred into the design of the morpher, an overwhelming calmness came over him. He couldn't help but smile for a moment. "Be careful, but let's get it done." Tommy ignited the energy buried within his staff. It glowed fiercely with an echoing hum, shining in a dark magenta hue. With that, the Brachio Staff was elevated to shred the pressing darkness of the sky. Like a chain explosion, the weapons of the other Rangers then mimicked the stand. He momentarily looked at this armies- the fortiutus representatives of their kind willing to meet a complete demise to protect the stability of life. "Gods among men," he thought. Then looking back towards Unagi, Tommy could only think of one final words of encouragement. "For life!" Tommy cried out until his chest felt compressed. 32 Up above were those who possessed flight either by wings, jets or aerial gliders. Any Ranger with a motorcycle at their current disposal boarded them and revved the engines. And with one booming command, he found himself say "Charge" as if colonies were charging against the British in the American Revolution. The intensity of the moment coursed his body like nothing of this world. Liberation would start with a roar, with these Gods among men. All of this reflected in Unagi's black pupils. Coming to him. A universe of power coming to him. Five hundred feet away, they were here for their world and their right to protect it. Three hundred and fifty feet away now, they would not cease until he was destroyed. One hundred feet. He would not stop. The Rangers in aerial pursuit were the first on the offense. The wings of one's red armor lit up as the hawk emblem on his chest energized. Behind him, another launched four missiles from his wings. The one with the power of the hawk projected the power from the wings and chest, trailing behind the missiles. Unagi lifted from the ground, his appearance was masked by the distortion of his body phasing in and out. He levitated forty-feet off the ground in under a second and clasped his hands close to the forehead. A translucent field generated around Unagi and spawned thin tentacle-like appendages that leeched onto the energy's firepower. They siphoned the power with lighting reflexes and rendered them useless. The tentacles then grabbed the two Red Rangers' astral spirits, dragging them towards him. They were demorphed on contact and their bodies vanished as they reached Unagi, as if absorbed into the very essence of Unagi; absorbed back into the Morphing Grid from once they came. Another Ranger heaved piercing darts from her feather-like wings. They were too fast to be grabbed by the lethal tentacles, but they nonetheless shattered when impacting the energy field. The Ranger fell back and escaped capture. Cam's voice reemerged on the morphers' com links. Cameron Watanabe, the Samurai Ranger, boarded a White Ranger's ATV. On Earth, he was the driving intellectual force and digital manufacturer behind the Wind, Thunder and Samurai Rangers. But here on Eltar, he reviewed his theory with the rest of the army. "Guys, Unagi's offense is primarily draining the power thrown at him. My amulet would be able to counter this attack and siphon his own power. It should neutralize his abilities and stabilize the Grid itself." It was one of the very natures of the amulet. 33 Tommy was nearly at the point upon being convinced that no tactic would prove feasible against such an opponent. But it was the unresting defiant spark that he saw in Cam and himself and so many others that gave him the last boost of strength needed to carry forth. "Do it, Cam." Tommy hid his hesitation as best he could "Have the Rangers around you tap into the amulet to boost its power. The rest of us will cover you." "Alright." Patient Cam evaluated his surroundings. Closest to him were Rangers running as fast as the speeding ATV. Past them was a group on their cycles. Collectively, they materialized their wrist Morphers and pointed them towards Cam, who presented the amulet in his open hand. The amulet glowed with a fiercely intense forest green. In Cam's mind, there was no alternative if this failed. They continued a direct course towards the death dealer. "Let's show him what angry teens in spandex is all about," shouted the driver who revved the ATV to its top velocity while at the same time allotting the turbo-speed Rangers beside him to expel power in a link from their morphers to Cam's. Cam had to smile a little after the spandex comment. On the other side of the battle, Tommy observed as he mounted his own black ATV. "Rangers," he called into his morpher. "Provide Cam's circle with all the cover we can offer, but remain out of range from Unagi's tentacles. Whatever weapons you brought, put them to use." In the sky, a Blue and Yellow Ranger in aerial gliders aimed a cannon-like weapon comprised of their signature weapons. Below them, the Crimson and Navy Rangers set their cycles to overload on energy, which caused an immediate sizzling of electricity. Beside Tommy were his original allies, minus Trini and Billy. Another group of five aimed their laser-staves, one of them included Dana, the doctor from Mariner Bay Hospital. For another group, daggers with jeweled centers were ready to spear their energy; they were the protectors of nature he'd created weapons for long ago. One Red Ranger, the Silver Guardian named Eric, aimed his prize shooter called the Quantum Defender. But there was a blinding light caught their attention. To his horror, Tommy realized that one assembly of Rangers had not gotten his message to hold back beyond Unagi's range. This team, using a commanding force known as the Lights of Orion, converted their bodies into energized light, rocketing through the atmosphere and nearly ripped it in two. Damon Henderson, the mechanic, was one among this force. They passed Cam in an instant on a crash-course to Unagi. This had to be salvaged now before the momentum shifted to Unagi. "Fire now!" screamed Tommy. 34 The two Ranger teams beside Tommy jointly launched their firepower, the energies of which merged with one another as they shot with incredible force. One by one, energies were torpedoed creating an electrical echo so intense it deafened the area. Through all of it, Unagi remained patient. Prior to impact, time slowed. The powers that rushed by were dwindling down to a walking pace. All around Tommy, movement was fading. The more time slowed, the more light burned into the area. But it wasn't light from the area. It was that of his reality forming back. The remarkably realistic vision was ending again. 35 Eight- Old London "Stop him!" Tommy's eyes opened like his life depended on it. He took in a very deep breath; his chest felt as if someone were sitting on top of it. The arms and legs moved wildly trying to find something, anything, to grasp. His breath was returning to him, but not before realizing that a group of airline employees were hovered around him, taken back by Tommy's sudden outburst. He was lying in the middle of the aisle three thousand feet about the ground. One of the young attendants bravely spoke up stating, "Don't worry sir. You're safe now from the mean man." "What?" He felt a sudden rush of blood go through his head. The lady was just looking at him with a sort of pitying passion. It was like she was trying to baby talk a delusional person. Maybe he was delusional. Anton Mercer was there, always by his side. It was the first words he spoke that gave some solace. Anton said, "You and I have been crazy for many years now. Everything's going to be just fine." His friends never failed him. Tommy allowed that to sink in for a moment as he pondered the possibilities of the visions. Was there any truth to them? Unagi mentioned that it was their astral forms that were on Eltar, which would explain the convulsions. Though he was a man of science, Tommy was intrigued by the supernatural and, like Udonna said, the natural wonders of the world. He'd done some sporatic studying of astral projection, or outer body experiences. He was amazed at the volumes of eye witness accounts documented world wide over the centuries. When separated from the physical being, the astral self was not bound by the natural laws of gravity and time. They were free roam anywhere in the world at any point. Some went as far as intergalactic travel within seconds. Tommy always felt a sense of flying when he recalled his dreams. Now he wondered if that was more of the memories of his astral self. That would explain Eltar, particularly if what Unagi said was true, and Eltar was the birthing place of life and, thusly, the Morphing Grid. Planet Eltar had certainly seen its share of warfare over time. Lord Zedd's master had once conquered the planet and captured Zordon. Maybe they sought to control the Grid back then but were without a means. The convulsions Tommy experienced when exiting the visions could be explained by an event known as astral catalepsy. It was essentially the astral form trying to re-enter the body, but the transition was radical and rough rather than a smooth process. 36 During such events, it's difficult to breathe and the body can sometimes lash out. And it was getting worse with him as every vision passed. He still heard Cam's voice as clear as day. And Kimberly's kiss remained fresh on his lips. Was it possible for the end to come like it did in the vision? It surely wasn't possible to go on without knowing this answer; without knowing how much truth was present. There was, however, a correlation between the battle and his illness. In his heart, Tommy knew that they'd both end at the same time. And he honestly didn't see himself coming out of this one. A voice came up on the intercom thanking the passengers for using their airline, announcing that they had finally arrived in London, England. And it wasn't soon enough. Had someone told Tommy that the possible fate of humanity rested on the knowledge possessed by the man he was about to see, he wouldn't have thought it conceivable. Yet here he and Anton were, standing before a behemoth waiting for such a person. They starred in awe at a castle. The price it took to construct it in this day and age put any wealth of Anton's to shame. Carrying a classic old stone look, the design was more or less based off modern Japanese castles which had finished construction within the past decade. It was as wide as the city of Troy, and just as monumental. It famously housed a museum of rare and exotic reptiles and insects found from the most sweltering regions of Death Valley to the Egyptian deserts. The owner was like the late Steve Irwin, minus the personality. The castle was presently immersed in thick fog. The first thing that came to Tommy's mind: "See, this is where Storm from the X-Men would come in handy." The first thing in Anton's mind: "Psh, his castle is overkill compared to my old one." The two companions made their way over a draw bridge - the owner had part of the land actual demolished so that a bridge like this could be made possible- and they could only see two feet before them. It took nearly five minutes of constant walking to reach its end. "Okay, the guy likes his theatrics." Tommy snickered. "So this is it, huh?" Anton followed Tommy up the two-story stars that lead to the front gate. The granite looked as if it had been imported internationally. "Somehow the word "charming" doesn't strike justice." "Well, he used to eat live snakes." "I see." Anton was silent after that. 37 Past the gates and at the ten-foot front door, Tommy and Anton grasped the knockers, which were molded after a golden griffenzor, and beat them against the oak. They heard deep bellowing echoes. Anton said with a smug, "I could have used one of these at the old base." With eerie quickness, the doors swung inwards and revealed a young woman of Japanese descent, in formal attire and flowing brown hair. "My name is Samantha. And he's ready to see you." She kept a cool smiling composure that sent chills down Tommy and Anton. Endless hallways were marked with majestic paintings and statues that embarrass Bruce Wayne's collection. Each footstep down these hallways rippled with echoes. Anton thought it was the coolest thing. Something else he admired was that every room they passed was a habitat for reptiles and insects. He was a kid in a candy store. Many of the species had never been defined by his extensive studies. From snakes to scorpions and bats to alligators, all the creatures had a very comfortable life and wouldn't dream of disowning it... Tommy then asked, "They're all pets...right?" Samantha turned to him and smiled gingerly. "He'll be with you in a moment." Then she was gone before the blink of an eye. Tommy thought that was cool. Though the castle was a shrine to those with scaly skin, they had been lead into a room absent of reptilian life, but rather the most extravagant ballroom they had ever seen. Tommy didn't know much about architecture, but even he knew this put everything else to shame. And for a moment, he almost expected a large amount of people to bust out doing the "Timewarp." "It's amazing, isn't it?" Anton studied the room. "The detours in life that make us better people." Tommy slowly nodded. "Don't I know it." They both then heard something tunneling their way. With pattering little echoes, it was growing louder, but he couldn't distinguish the source. Tommy was reminded of the "Jaws" theme. And from seemingly nowhere, a tiny Yorkshire Terrier sped into the room and growled by their feet, sporting a series of baby teeth. "Well," Anton said with admonition, "I guess all the money went towards the decoration rather than the help." 38 "Rito!" yelled a voice from afar. Entering the room was a slender man with thin hair and broad cheeks wearing a custom made Armani. "My apologies, he's unfamiliar with visitors." He went over and picked up Rito with one hand, and then took a look at Anton. "I believe we've not met before." He extended his hand. "Lord Zedd von Goethe at your service." 39 Nine- A Lord's Ransom "I bet Tommyboy here hasn't told you much of me," Zedd said sarcastically, opening the curtains to reveal an enormous thirty feet pane window that displayed the full power of the moon. And what's more was that the window itself was in a rather unusual shape. It was carved as an exact replica of the letter "Z." The moonlight made the ballroom a masterpiece to behold. "On the contrary." Anton admired the view of the moon. "And by the way, it seems you stopped picking that sore." Zedd smiled like the Grinch. "It wasn't so much a sore as it was exposed flesh from head to toe. Neosporin works wonders. Well that, and the life force of an intergalactic wizard." He turned his eyes over to his old rival. "Don't worry, Tommy. My days of pettiness are happily behind me." "Yeah, I gathered from my surveillance teams." Tommy held a sarcastic tone of his own. Zedd starred out the window for a moment in silence. "He was a good man, your Zordon was. With the weight of worlds on his big blue head. But in the end, he saved me." The comment completely through Tommy and Anton off. They weren"t sure how Zedd would even take the subject of Zordon being brought up. "He saved us all," added Tommy. "But times are different now, and it can't be ignored anymore." "Ah, so Moses needs to part the sea once more?" His voice was as deep as the old days. Anton stepped in. "What Tommy means is-" "I know precisely what he means, doctor." Zedd turned and looked at the perplexed look on Anton's face. "My link to the Morphing Grid is no more, but I can still sense disturbances in it. I believe Tommy here is in need of information." Tommy looked towards Anton for a moment, feeling uneasy once again. He didn't see this coming. He turned to Zedd. "How do we stop this illness?" Zedd grinned. "And finally, the reason we're here. Dear Tommy, I know of your visions. I know of Unagi and his purpose." The chills never stopped running through Tommy's body. 40 "The balance of the Morphing Grid is maintained by more than the battles of good and evil. A representative of both sides carries that burden, and they alone. For hundreds of years, Zordon and I were those chosen for the task. Chosen by whom, it's difficult to say. And it was irrelevant to dwell. But now, as you decisively stated, times have changed. Zordon and I no longer hold the position of gatekeepers to the Power." "Then who does?" He masked the uncertainty as best as he could. "My, we're slow to catch on, aren't we?" Zedd cackled under his breath. It was then that the intergalactic light bulb lit. Tommy couldn't believe it. All this time he had wondered why his life had been so scattered. Why, for no reason, he felt pressure from all corners of life. From Stone Canyon to Angel Grove to Reefside. And the answer was with him, inside of him, all along. Zedd capitalized on the moment. "Zordon always knew you'd be his predecessor, Tommy. Even when my wife had you in the clutches of her spell, it was written on the fabric of fate. Otherwise, his death would have shattered the Grid years ago. And life, dear Tommy, is a delicate thing. All things are connected to each other. Including Morphing Grids of other realities." "Other realities?" It was a subject Anton had never dealt with. "I've seen them before. Worlds like ours riddled with struggles and using their own version of the Grid. And Tommy, ours is not the only one where we've met in the field of battle." He was tired of the damned riddles. "I don't understand. What does this have to do with the crisis on this world?" "Everything, you fool!" Zedd slammed his fist on a nearby dining table, rendering it to shards of wood. He looked at Tommy with a bloodshot stare. "If our Grid goes, so will the others. We are talking about the life energy that keeps our universe from extinction. An energy shared by all those who walk with life." He shouted with intensity in his eyes. Tommy stormed up to Zedd and grabbed him by the shirt. "Tell me how to stop it!" "You can't!" Zedd said with held back laughter. "It is far too late for the great Tommy Oliver to save the day. It was too late the day Unagi was born!" "Unagi..." Tommy said to himself. "You don't mean..." 41 Zedd bopped his smiling face in agreement. "Ah, you do catch on." Tommy released his grip and slowly stepped back in the shadows of the Z from the window. Anton went up to Tommy and yelled, "What is it?!" He only got a blank stare from his friend. He then turned to Zedd. "You're playing a dangerous game, friend." Zedd laughed with a slight gravely sound. "Zordon stripped me of my power and title when he died, but not of rights to the Grid. So I took steps in assuring such. Would you like to meet him?" He stepped into the room without a sound, a tall man who looked over a hundred years old. Stringy white hair reached his shoulders, and his black trench coat dragged the floor as he approached the three. The skin was burnt-brown and wrinkled with age. Eyes were sunken. And it looked as if he had a black tongue as well. "Allow me to introduce my son," Zedd raised a glass to his honor. The creature took slow steps towards his father and stood idly. Zedd, in as proud of a voice as he could render, said, "My son, Unagi." Tommy was beyond any capability of words. His visions were true. Unagi...was true. And so was the threat to all life. "Shh..." Unagi said with his finger to his mouth. His voice was smooth and soft spoken. "Mother's asleep in the back. She has an awful headache." Tommy lost the feeling in his legs. He'd been taken for a fool all these years. Anton then realized, "Unagi took your place." "As heir to the Grid," Zedd boasted, "Unagi had to be kept safe in a galaxy lost to time. He survived Zordon's purification as I and my wife were not able to, those his aging had obviously accelerated in the meantime. "Tommy...it is over. As with its creation, the Grid will decide what destiny will come to pass." "Father, is he the one?" Unagi pointed in Tommy's direction. "It is, my son. And it is he who must die first." 42 Anton screamed now as he charged Unagi. The heir shifted his eyes to him and placed his hand on Anton's chest, burning it like an iron. An energy pulse shot from Unagi's hand and sent a screaming Anton fifty feet through a stone wall. Unagi, with flames from the eye sockets, turned to Tommy. "No!" Tommy screamed, helplessly looking at the rubble left by his best friend's body. God, this couldn't be happening. It was impossible for this to be happening. His friends. His love. His everything. It was all a glass ceiling waiting to collapse. Hands shaking, Tommy looked into the fiery eyes of death. "I've stopped better than you," he shakily tried maintaining a battle-ready stance. "Irrelevant." Unagi responded immediately. "It is I who you cannot." Gathering what remained of his strength, Tommy leapt over the stone ground. Utilizing all his flexibility and speed from the years, he landed a hard left foot against Unagi's face, spewing flames out in several directions. One of the flames gripped Lord Zedd, who screamed in laughter as he flung against surfaces trying to put himself out. Wildly, he crashed from one wall to another, screaming maniacally. Finally, Zedd pressed his body against the large Z window and broke through. The flaming mass fell over a hundred feet in the pale light of the moon. The screaming then ceased. "I sense your fears, Tommy." Unagi kept his patience, ignoring the demise of his father. "I will help you end them." He thrusted his hand and a series of thin tentacles crept from his palm and spiked through Tommy's body, penetrating through his back. As his breath escaped him, and his body became paralyzed, Tommy could only think of the people he cherished. For once, the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders. It all faded into white. 43 Ten- Shatter With the whiteness came echoes of distant sound. A universe of images rushed by him too fast to comprehend. He felt suspended. His foot was on something. Looking down, there was a faint visual of a surface. Color resurfaced all around him. Soon, the night sky was revealed once more. A scent of smolder filled the air. His mind was losing the weightless feeling. And as a final flood of consciousness came to him, Tommy knew where he was. It was the threshold of his purpose, staring down Unagi in a battlefield littered with other Rangers, most of them injured or recently vanished in the grips of the beast. Kimberly was at his side. With desperate speed, she loaded another arrow to her bow and launched it. Her hair swung around like he remembered. The eyes of a warrior, the essence of an angel. The entire area had the essence of an atomic bomb that had just gone off. Cam's plan had worked! The energy from his amulet, boosted by surrounding allies, had absorbed and negated that of Unagi's energy barrier. Hand to hand combat was now within the realm of possibility, save for the numerous tentacles at large which still kept the ability to render the Rangers' astral forms useless. Tommy had a plan of his on already in motion. Cam's back was against the ground and his body felt no less than paralyzed after the ATV he was riding on imploded. Two of Unagi's tentacles stalked the Samurai Ranger with satisfying ease; a cobra ready to strike. The tentacles themselves were extremely mandible with an intellect separate from their master. The pointy ends opened up like a mouth of a prehistoric beastial carnivore. Each tentacle had their own sets of vocals comprised primarily of low screeches which heightened in anticipation. Cam's saber was out of reach and the protective gold shield was all but shattered in the implosion. He'd always prided himself on having the edge with his technological advances, but now he was devolved to a cripple with barely a muscle to move. The next thing he sensed was a huge hissing sound and a flash as the tentacles moved in for the killing strike. "Cam!" screamed the Crimson Thunder Ranger from his morpher, witnessing his friend's demise less than a few feet away. A blinding light originated from over Cam's body and it held its consistency. But the event that was to occur was even more unprecedented. Cam Watanabe, the Green Samurai Ranger, breathed heavily as the light consumed. Between him and the tentacles was a figure that had emerged from the light. This figure had completely deflected the force of both tentacles from reaching. As Cam started to slowly regain control over his body, the blurry image of the protector was coming into focus. 44 It was a man standing taller than himself sporting a long black leather coat and dark pulled in a ponytail that stretched down the back. He wore a thick leather mask with tiny horns protruding and an insignia marked on the forehead with that of a red serpent-like creature. As hard as it was to believe, this man was once known as Kiya Watanabe, uncle in relation to Cam. But he was better known as the nemesis of the modern day Ninja Rangers; codename: Lothor. And with a deep southern draw, mixed with natural sarcasm and unnecessary emphasis on syllables, Lothor exclaimed, "Hope ya don't mind if I drop by unannounced." Cam was confused- was Lothor saving his life more of an oxymoron than anything else? "Lothor, how-" "Let's save the jolly reunion for a time when we're about to meet our demise, shall we?" Lothor, for the first time, turned his back to the Ranger and turned his attention to a more common enemy. His hand charged with compacted red energy derived from the dark force of his inner self, Lothor thrusted his hand towards Unagi and set free the power. Upon impact, the two tentacles were spliced into and resulted in black blood squirming from underneath a thick scaly texture. The light that Lothor had emerged from held two other figures walking into the field. One of them leapt with swift agility- a feminine creature of green skin and insectoid qualities. They were rather a mutation from a former human evolution. As gravity forced her down, she spat venomous darts the core of the master himself. The darts piercing the bleeding flesh of Unagi's outer skin, causing an instant side effect of green venom to spread along the lining of the muscles and tissues. This momentarily weakened the leg enough to bring Unagi off balance. Another of the figures summoned a small dagger and quickly readied it in his hand, removing it from the sheathed with a smooth spinning transition. He looked into the tip of the blade. "Find out why they call me the ' Master of Blades.'" The dagger wielder had long blonde hair and wore a costume equivalent to a jester with large pointed shoes and baggy arm and leg coverings. His face, solid like a white mask, had a single long horn on the forehead. He smirked maliciously as he felt the edge of his dagger. "Ouch, that's sharp," he pulled back his finger after accidentally cutting it. He started to suck on it while letting out a small whimper. "Oh, right." He suddenly remembered his present state and proceeded to throw a succession of blades towards the unananymous enemy. Two. Four. Eight. Twelve- the daggers generated from thin air as the Master of Blades hurled them like a juggling act. The combined forces of Lothor's blast, the venom darts and the numerous blades made quick history of the tentacles as all were severed and left a whimpering mess on the ground. 45 Cam hastingly grabbed his saber and activated a com link at the blade. "Tommy, what the hell did you do?" The message ended on Tommy's morpher. He grinned saying "When Unagi had his telepathic link locked in with us, something was triggered that gave me the same ability. So I used it to scrounge up some of Earth's last surviving forces. Once I explained Unagi's threat, these three were the only ones who volunteered to help." It was their astral selves that had been summoned to Eltar, just like that of the Rangers. And they too were succumbed to the strange boundaries of gravity and touch and were in the same danger as any of the Rangers. War was a time for any force to unite no matter what side they're on. Unagi looked around at the opposition who had just slained his primary defenses. But he looked at the three new arrivals with a fantastic curiosity- what measures drove a man to abandon his own perception for that of the greater sacrifice? It was a wisdom he, as an aberration of the Morphing Grid, had witnessed over the span of galaxies and time. He addressed them saying, "Lothor, Trakeena, Jindrax..." to the ninja, insect and jester respectively, "you lay down your lives for those who cause you strife and grief?" "Hey buddy," Jindrax spoke up first. "Those 'enemies' made me realize that we're stronger than you know and that amount power in this world is worth the price of free will." "Save the lecture, clown." Lothor interrupted. "The only way to achieve world domination is to make sure no one else blows up the world first! And I just don't see ya fitting into the grand scheme of things in that case." "You fool," Trakeena hissed as she spoke with a long raspy voice, her body twitching inhumanly. "I've lived as a slave to others too long to let it happen again. I'll fight with the Ranger so that I might feed on your carcass." Unagi, bleeding from the leg, rose up and smirked sadistically. "Your trivial petties concern me no more." Opening his mouth, Unagi's vocals emitted a piercing tidal wave of discomfort as everyone on the battlefield desperately covered their ears. The sound wasn't to last, but it gave Unagi enough time to generate a reverse vacuum of air that provided a different kind of shield. Spawned two feet away from Unagi's rotting flesh, pressurized air pushed away from the body; preventing any one from getting within a twenty feet radius. Lothor and his companions were flown backwards until hitting hard ground. "I'm afraid it's time to come home. The final march of oblivion is upon you." Unagi started his march towards the Rangers. 46 A Yellow Ranger bearing the emblem of an eagle on the left side of her chest retracted her wings and landed beside Jindrax, whose forehead horn was stuck in the ground. "Come on, Jindrax. Your ass isn't doing us good if it's sticking in the air." "Help me up!" he cried hysterically. From above, fiery arrows were raining horizontally towards Unagi. The barrier prevented any of the arrows from penetration, but the master of the Morphing Grid looked up to see where it was come from. Kimberly shot two arrows at a time. As they launched, Dana and the rest of her team blasted the arrows with thermo-driven blasters which ignited the arrows as they made their ascent. The talented marksmanship of the team made this an easy task. Every remaining Ranger and ally shot at Unagi in hopes of breaking the barrier. It was the last defense guarding this apocalyptic foe, who continued his march towards them. As he neared a Ranger, Unagi blasted them with one remaining tentacle that had remained hidden from the rest on his back. The barrier made viewing Unagi different- the air pressed against the body with the force of a hammer. He absorbed the energy of Zack and Wes- their bodies dissipated within seconds. Next he caught within his grasp an entire group of alien Rangers suffering severe dehydration. Deprived of water, a resource as crucial as air, they made for easy pickings as they were assimilated back into the Morphing Grid. Trakeena was the next victim of such; her maneuverability was overcompensated as she too was snatched by the tentacle. Energy blasts lit the area like Las Vegas. The march continued. The Eagle Ranger took notice of one of the flaming arrows actually striking enemy's body. With the epiphany of why, she turned to Jindrax pointing out that if the firepower where coming from directly above, the shields aren't able to deflect it as well. "Got some more blades handy?" "Listen, there's a reason they call me the Master of- whoa!" Jindrax found himself being lifted off the ground in the arms of his life long competitor. The ascent brought them high above the ground almost instantly. When looking down at his feet, Jindrax realized he was dangling over Unagi himself. "And I wonder why we don't work together more often." Unagi abrasively noted the presence of the Ranger and Org above him, and the flames in his eyes began to rise. "The end," he calmly stated, "is not to be feared or attacked." He readied a heavy burst of fire aimed at the adversaries. A piercing screech distracted him momentarily, but long enough. It came from one the Dino Rangers, Kira - the musician - applying her sonic scream at full force. It wasn't enough to breach the pressurized barrier, but it allowed a needed window. 47 On that mark, several bladed objects hammered from above. They slashed the atmosphere and made primary contact on three areas of Unagi's body- the shoulders, the back and one blade entered the crown of the head. The march was ceased. With seven blades nesting in exposed flesh, the entity fell two steps behind. Gripping the handle of the first blade, one of the three in his shoulder, he ripped out the object without any sense pain. Tommy viewed this from afar, and only one thing came to his mind. "Aw man." However, Tommy did realize that as Unagi was distracted by the blades, the pressurized barrier was in a state fluxuating stability. He retained his order of heavy firepower towards the barrier, but he also knew of the physical limits of using so much energy for so long. If long enough, it would drain all physical energy to the point of exhaustion. This was the time to end it. In the midst of being blown several dozens of feet, Cam was horrified to realize that his morpher was lost to him. "Great, Dustin will never let me live this down." Searching for it was a chore in this condition. The raging winds from Unagi was cycloning dirt and debris everywhere, and it was more than likely that the device was hundreds of feet... "Lose something, nephew?" Cam was looking down at the time, but the smug expression from his uncle was less than comfortable. In fact, on top of the other gut-wrenching feelings that came with this fight, a new one came into focus. He looked up to see the truth. Lothor stood with Cam's morpher in his right hand, starring at it like a jewel lost to time. "It's funny how things simply fall into your hands." He laughed with a deep familiar bellow with the object of his affections squarely in his pupils. The morpher was orb-shaped with a green metallic casting. Its power was legend to Lothor and resulted in some very key alterations in transformation from student to master. Back within his grips, Lothor smirked and turned away, walking towards Unagi himself. "Lothor!" Cam protested, jumping from the ground with his Samurai Saber in hand, the bladed end aimed towards Lothor's back. At all costs, that morpher could not be allowed to unite with Unagi's power. Cam made his charge The morpher was lit with Lothor's inner power, red flames rising as high as those did within Unagi's sockets. The blade of Cam's saber reached the ninja master's back. 48 The very tip of the weapon remained still against the bare fabric of Lothor's coat. Cameron had stopped his charge. It was suddenly making sense now. Lothor had stopped walking approximately thirty feet from Unagi, safe enough to not be effected. The morpher was surrounding by energy, and Lothor had positioned his body in such a way to suggest a pitch. Cam lowered his weapon. Now glued to the image of Unagi tearing out the fifth blade, Lothor positioned his fingers around the morpher like a baseball. "One fastball special, coming up.' Lothor wound back his arm, Cam's morpher radiating in the hand, and launched it in a powerful throw. It hurled through the darkness. Combined with Lothor's power, the morpher broke through the wind barrier! It set off an energy distortion that made the entirety of the barrier glow momentarily. Finally, the shield collapsed like shattering glass. Once Tommy saw this, he gave his final command. "Charge!" he shouted to the heavens as every available man and woman ran. The devil of Eltar looked into the sheer audacity of the men and women who lived life accustomed to a forbidden power. But it wasn't the legacy of Lord Zedd that he was protecting. This was Unagi's fight for survival as much as anyone else's. The grotesque misuse of the utopian balance spelled doom. For if the Grid were gone, so it would be with his very own existence. This was his right to survive, his long-awaited stand against the strongest of foe. In this mindset, he pulled the last remaining dagger from his forehead. Unagi's energy field had been breached by the resistance as Rangers were now combating hand to hand. The Gold Ranger used his ancient staff to unleash three consecutive energy spheres; each impacting Unagi and forcing him to step back. Rangers who ran like lightning encircled Unagi and gashed him with their blades. Four Rangers from above on surfboard-like gliders initiated their blasters and hit him head on. To Tommy's other side was Jason, itching to lead in the final battalion. "Ready, bro?" Tommy said, touching fists before readying his staff. "Since the day I wore armored spandex." Jason couldn't help but smile. Even from a distance, the flames from Unagi's eyes were seen clearly as he rose up. The rest of the body was less of a distortion now, but his eyes were crystal clear. Tommy and Jason were off once more. Unagi's teeth turned to daggers, and his coat had been synched revealing his flesh as Lord Zedd's was. His hair was long and white. 49 Gold used the spear end of his staff to stab Unagi in the chest. With inhumanely fast reflexes, Unagi ripped out the weapon and snapped it in half with the squeeze of his hand. He then thrusted his palm against Gold's chest armor and cracked it open. With the staff gone, Gold was completely demorphed. A simple backhand slap slung him several feet. Immediately following, Unagi snatched the blades from the quick Rangers and hurled them at the gliders above, knocking them down as if shot by a rifle. Unagi burrowed his palms into the earth and heated them; heating the ground that four Rangers were riding on. The intense heat popped the tires and hurled the bikes through the dank air. The Rangers, whose connection to the Grid was from a powerful artifact called the Zeo Crystal, leapt from the bikes in time and used the momentum to project themselves towards the enemy. Bodies and weapons energized brightly and the Zeo Rangers struck Unagi like missiles. The sheer force of Zeo drove Unagi to his back. While he was down, Crimson and Navy ripped into the field with their bikes in midair, bypassing the heated dirt. On the ground was a Ranger of the earth who used his power to dive into the dirt. A small earthquake ensued to keep Unagi unstable on his back. In the air, Crimson and Navy released their machines, allowing them to crash onto Unagi. Seconds later, the sky ignited in a towering inferno. The Zeo Rangers shielded their eyes but remained ready, and the bikers joined them. The other Ranger emerged from the ground and stood with them. Suddenly, the flames began to envelope and swallow themselves within the crater just made. In its center, the dripping flesh figure of Unagi walked towards them at a steady pace. The Quantum Ranger came up to a Blue Ranger near the Zeos. "You're the water girl, right?" "Sure, we'll go with that," she scoffed. His was the opinion he cared about. "Listen, we've got to take advantage while he's burning hot." He looked back and saw the steam rolling off Unagi's body. "Hurry up!" With her hands glowing baby blue, she gathered the surrounding moisture from the cold night and fortified a source in her hands. Thrusting both forward, she pushed a pressured stream of water forward, blowing back her blonde hair. Quantum initiated the blade of his Quantum Defender. "Freeze strike mode," he cried out as the blade's energy turned frigid. With one swoop, the blade sliced into the water path and that which thrashed onto Unagi was turning into hardened ice. He was frozen instantly. 50 Sprinting past both Rangers was Jason Lee Scott. Running faster than he knew possible, he was on a direct course with an iced Unagi. If there was a time to prove his legacy as the first Red Ranger, this was the moment. That in mind, he jumped off the ground. "Let's show you some old school." It must have been ten feet off at least, and Jason performed one of his favorites- the diving corkscrew kick. Like a horizontal tornado, he was. His feet touched the exterior body. And in the mili-second to follow, they shredded through. A chain-reaction shattered Unagi's body and projected it in all directions. Jason landed on his feet, out of breath and exhausted. The shards rained around him. "That's what I call a power-swinging ass-kickin'." Rangers were gathering all around, the few that were left standing. They watched the icy pieces of flesh melt into a bubbling mass all over the area. Then the piles began crawling with electricity, all of them one by one. The stirring feeling in Tommy was back again. "Guys..." All at once, the piles exploded with great devastation. Jason, with eleven other Rangers, was shot off the ground. The fall was forever. All over the field, explosions stole the night. The Quantum Defender burned to a crisp. The Zeo Rangers fell demorphed; their bodies thrashed like dolls to the earth. And it was the scene all around them - there was a hardly a body left standing. Jason's head smashed against a rock. It was two bodies that remained conscious. Unagi, his body reformed, stared once more into the relentless eyes of Tommy Oliver. "Father was right," Unagi never lost the calm tone. "Look around you, Ranger. Whoever is still alive is slipping into the embracing hand of death. It is over." Tommy was slightly hunched over, his black battlesuit torn and shredded, and his staff snapped like the Gold Ranger's. His body was bruised and cut, and his breath was drawn out. Unagi's figure was becoming a blur, much like the sequences of this battle. "You know what?" "Do tell." 51 "You need to learn how to shut your mouth." As quick as he could, Tommy raised his hand and, with stillness unknown to him, he jammed it down Unagi's mouth and into his throat. There wasn't any room to scream. The other hand had the remains of his staff glowing vibrant maroon. Starting above his head, Tommy encircled the staff to his feet, creating an energy orb. The orb itself contained both Tommy and Unagi inside and became increasingly unstable with power. Tommy glared into Unagi's eyes. "Kids never learn." The orb shot off spears of electric power. They struck against the bars of the Morphing Grid and twisted them into a warp. After they were bent enough, the bars began to shatter. So it was with everything connected to it. The orb grew blindingly bright before it exploded. Pulse waves shot out and mowed everything in its path. The light consumed it all until there was nothing. Out from the light spewed crushed fragments of the Grid. 52 Next: Volume Two- Island of the Self, What becomes of the Morphing Grid and the life attached to it? Does Tommy survive in his astral form, or is he one of endless casualties in this unfortunate, yet inevitable, circumstance? And if so, what becomes of a world - of a universe - after the end has come to pass? All the answers reside in Volume Two, soon to be released to Force Factor Entertainment! Back | Fanfic Center | Homepage