Never done a Power Ranger fiction before. I always liked this couple and decided to run with it using this plot.
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
In a distant time and place, the names of all that was good means absolutely nothing anymore. People live in fear and despair, wishing that a miracle would show itself. Now this is where our story takes place. Evil is battling for control of the universe, slowly succeeding as planets surrendered one by one. The planet Earth, an advanced technological planet where the human race resides was currently battling evil one-step at a time. Earth, known for its history of vanquishing evil, found itself to be the main target of a powerful evil force.
People have come to know of this great evil as Dark Specter, the Grand Monarch of Evil. He has been trying for months to conquer Earth but there was one small problem standing between his forces and total domination, the Astro Rangers. They have been thorns at his side since the beginning of his invasion, successfully repelling him but now, it was all about to change.
---
"MS-201. The time has finally come." A mysterious voice spoke. The sounds of a cage door opened slowly and faint footsteps started to walk out slowly. The man looked around his surroundings, the same room where he spent the last few years. It was a dark and gloomy room, where light hardly entered. He walked up to the man who let him out.
"Sir." He saluted to the man in front of him. He had known the man almost his entire life. He was the only one who ever conversed with him, the one who saved him from the grasp of death, the one who gave him a new purpose to life.
"2 hours ago, we received a distress signal from the planet Earth. It seemed like their last line of defense is failing. The Astro Rangers…" The man chuckled a bit. "Aren't what they were rumored to be. It is finally our turn. Be prepared for launch in 5 minutes. You won't be coming back for a while soldier." With that, the man walked out, leaving the soldier alone.
---
"Zhane! We can't keep fighting any longer. We're all exhausted." TJ stated as he entered the Command Center.
"I know TJ, I know. I hate to admit it but they really got us this time." Zhane sighed as he stared into the viewing globe. He could see the other rangers falling back, trying to remove people from the danger area. "Call them back." TJ nodded and began pressing several buttons. Soon, flashes of black, pink and yellow were teleported back into the Command Center.
"We can't keep this up any longer Zhane. Isn't there anything we can do?" Cassie leaned against Ashley's shoulder, clearly worn out from the fight.
"Yeah man, we're taking a beating out there." Carlos commented. He could feel his body aching from the bruises.
Zhane sighed. "I know we're tired but I sent out a distress signal hours ago. All we can do is hope and pray that there are people out there who can come lend us a hand." The teens resumed to watch the viewing globe, as monsters continued their assault on the city.
It was a silent moment for the Astro Rangers. They were supposed to be the protectors of their city, the protectors of Earth but they failed. Failed to protect the people from the forces of evil. Each of the rangers was feeling regretful, as they stood by helpless, unable to do anything.
"Hey Cas?" Ashley asked softly.
"Hm…?" Cassie answered without turning around. She was feeling disgusted as she saw the monsters beginning to hunt down several civilians.
"Do you think we will make it through this nightmare?"
Cassie turned her head and smiled. "Without a doubt Ash." She squeezed her friend's shoulder, letting her know that everything was going to be all right.
---
"We will be arriving in Angel Grove in about 1 hour." An automatic voice responded.
The man abruptly woke up from his dreamless sleep. It was better this way; his dreams were always filled with nightmares. "Thank you." The man answered, feeling a bit lightheaded.
He stared out from the window of his ship. He could see the blue planet that was known as Earth. It was only a matter of time now before he met up with the enemy. The words of his mentor echoed through his head.
Flashback
"What is your mission soldier?" The man shouted at him.
"To destroy the forces of evil." He calmly replied.
"No!" The man punched him in the stomach. "I will ask you again, what is your mission?" He raised his voice this time.
"To eliminate and destroy Dark Specter and his forces." He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain. He couldn't show the man his weakness right now. It was something he can't afford to do.
"Correct soldier." The man kicked him in the ribs. "Do not forget it. You are our soldier, whose only purpose is to do what we say." The man left him lying on the ground, letting him recover slowly.
Flashback End.
"My fight will soon begin." The man sat back and stared at the thing on his wrist. It was an unfamiliar feeling, the cold metal device attached to his wrist. He closed his eyes and began to mediate as he prepared himself for the upcoming battle.
---
Carlos paced back and forth, feeling restless. "We can't sit back and do nothing Zhane. They need us out there." He watched as the monsters demolished several buildings. "I'm going back out there." Carlos started to walk away, intending of joining the fight.
"Don't be a fool Carlos. Rushing out there without a plan is just plain suicide." Zhane put his hand on Carlos's shoulder. "I understand your feelings but…"
"We are rangers Zhane. We are supposed to protect them in trouble times." Behind him stood the rest of the rangers, determination clearly written across their face.
Zhane lowered his head in defeat, knowing that this was one verbal argument he wasn't going to win. "Okay fine but I'm going out too." He looked up with a smile on his face. "We're friends and friends always stick together." He stood along side with the other rangers, prepared for what could be their last battle.
---
"Take no prisoners my quantrons!" Crocotox shouted in a scaly voice. Human screams would be heard as the quantrons rampaged through the city, destroying everything in their path.
"Not this time Crocotox!" Several beams hit the monster, stopping it from advancing.
Crocotox sneered as he recognized his opponents. "Rangers… How nice of you to finally show up." He opened his mouth slightly and a beam shot out from it. The rangers rolled out of the way, dodging the beam. They stood in front of the monster and his army.
"Zhane, where is the other one? The reports showed two monsters." TJ whispered quietly. He looked around, trying to locate the other monster.
"I'm right here rangers!" Horror Bull emerged through the ground, catching the rangers by surprise.
"Take this!" Crocotox assaulted the rangers with another blast from its jaws. The rangers covered themselves with their hands, minimizing the damage taken but it left them wide open from an attack by Horror Bull. The bull like creature charged and speared the Yellow Ranger into an abandon warehouse.
"Get… OFF ME!" Ashley brought her fists down on the creature's head, causing it to drop her. Ashley rolled off to one side, buying time to catch her breath. She felt her ribs hurting but she couldn't let it bring her down. She ignored it and stood up, calling forth her weapon. "Star Slinger!" The weapon materialized in front of her. She felt a lot safer when she had her weapon out. She moved along side the wall quietly, trying to catch the monster by surprise.
"Gotcha!" A rough voice spoke through the darkness. Ashley literally felt her heart jump when she heard the creature's voice. The monster caught her by surprise, elbowing her in the stomach before flipping her over his back. Ashley landed in the middle of the warehouse, in a wide-open area with no place to hide.
---
"We have to save Ashley!" Cassie shouted over the fighting.
Zhane jumped over a fallen quantron but he was tackled back by some more quantrons. "Argh." The Silver Ranger landed on his back, feeling the force of that kick. "I'm trying Cas but it looks like Ashley would have to hold her on for a while."
The rangers looked around, completely surrounded by Quantrons. As the rangers looked on, they saw a sea of Quantrons, just waiting for their turn to battle the fallen rangers.
"We can't hold out much longer Zhane." Carlos shouted before running to support TJ.
---
As both forces battled on, a bright red object shined from the sky, catching everyone's attention. They watched as the red object slowly entered the atmosphere and finally hitting the ground, causing a loud explosion. The force of the impact shook everyone up, causing everyone to be momentarily distracted. From inside the warehouse, both Ashley and the creature heard the explosion, momentarily stopping their fight. Horror Bull came back to its senses and slashed Ashley across the chest with its mighty horns, sending the Yellow Ranger to the ground, causing her to demorph.
---
"MS-201. We have arrived at our destination." The man stepped out of the capsule, taking a look at his surroundings. He narrowed his eyes, the destruction before him was depressing. He felt his anger building up from inside him, his fists shaking from it. He banished his own thoughts from his head and began his mission. He heard the sounds of fighting coming from a nearby warehouse and rushed off to see what was going on.
---
Ashley slowly scooted back until she was hit a dead end. The creature slowly advanced towards her, intending of ending her life. "Cassie… TJ… Carlos… Zhane… Anyone… Please help me." Ashley cried out. She was trapped between a box and a monster with no way out. She felt tears forming in her eyes, unable to believe that she was going to die like this.
Horror Bull snorted through its nose as it stomped on the ground, getting closer and closer with each passing second. A red beam of light shot through the darkness, stopping the creature from going any further.
The mysterious figure leaped and grabbed the bull by its horn, dragging it away from the girl. Ashley watched as her savior wrestled with the bull, using nothing but brute strength. 'Who is this person?' She tried to get a good look at the person but all she could make out was the color red. 'Is he friend or foe?' The person kneed the bull in the stomach and performed a smooth roundhouse kick to the head, sending the bull through the wall and out of the warehouse. The other rangers looked in surprise when they saw Horror Bull coming straight out of the warehouse and into Crocotox.
---
The mysterious figure slowly exited the warehouse, with Ashley walking behind him. He stopped in front of the warehouse, surprised by the sheer amount of Quantrons that was outside. He spotted the other rangers in the middle of the fight, taking a brutal beating from the sea of quantrons.
"Ashley!" Cassie shouted when she saw her friend standing next to the person in red. "Thank god your okay!"
"Is he another ranger?" TJ wondered. The person was dressed in the color red. Red was usually reserved for the leader, the one who has the courage to pull through any situation.
"I don't know guys but let's consider him an ally until we get out of this mess." Zhane spoke up. They were seriously outnumbered and they could use all the help they could get.
---
Both monsters growled, clearly showing their annoyance. "I wasn't informed that there would be another ranger!"
The bull only snorted, not caring. "Ranger shanger. I'll tear through him either way!"
Crocotox raised his arm, signaling the quantrons to focus fire on the intruder. "Fire!" The metallic army raised their weapons and fired a single beam that had enough power to wipe out a monster.
Ashley's eyes widened as she saw the beam coming straight at her. "Don't worry, you'll be safe." She heard the voice coming of her savior for the first time. The person didn't say it in a cocky heroic way. The voice said it in a safe, reassuring tone, as if everything was going to all right. The Red Ranger gently pushed Ashley behind him before he summoned his weapon. The man held out his right palm and gently said the name. "Spiral Saber."
Ashley stared at the weapon that materialized in his hands. It was beautifully crafted. As the beams came closer, the Red Ranger skillfully deflected the beams, reflecting the beams back to where it came from. The beams hit the monster dead on. The other watched in amazement as the Red Ranger began to move.
---
'Left, right, duck.' The Red Ranger moved skillfully through the mass of quantrons, bringing each one down with a quick swipe from his saber. "You guys are not my target." He whispered into the air as he made his way towards the creatures. Pretty soon, the Red Ranger single handedly brought down about 55 percent of the quantrons. He quickly slashed another quantron and kicked himself into the air. "Spiral Saber - Whirlwind Slash." The Red Ranger shouted while in the air. He began to spin in air, causing blades of wind to emit from him and hitting the quantrons, eliminating them quickly.
The other rangers had already demorphed, feeling exhausted from the fight. The boys had their jaws dropped slightly as they watch this man single handedly wipe out the metallic army. "This guy is unbelievable." Carlos commented.
Ashley only nodded her head. She was very impressed with how fluid the guy moved.
Cassie saw her friend staring at the new ranger. "Earth to Ashley…" The Pink Ranger saw no response coming from her friend so she decided to poke her.
Ashley snapped back to reality when she felt several pokes to her ribs. "Hey cut that out." She swatted away the prying finger.
"He is amazing isn't he?"
Ashley just nodded. "Yeah…" She continued to watch the mysterious ranger in action, mesmerized by his actions.
---
"Just you and me now monsters." The Red Ranger stood in front of the monsters, clearly having the upper hand.
"There are two of us here and there's only one of you. Do you take us for fools?" Crocotox stepped forward, not intimidated by the ranger's action.
"Where is Dark Specter hiding?"
The croc sneered. "Don't you dare speak the lord's name. Only his loyal subjects may speak his name."
"I don't give a damn." The Red Ranger shot the reptilian creature with his blaster, sending him to the floor. "I'll ask you again. Where is Dark Specter hiding?" Horror Bull started to move forward but his movements were predicted. "Wrong answer." The Red Ranger fired several more shots at the monsters, keeping them at bay.
"It looks like you guys don't know either way. You're just wasting my time here." The Red Ranger began charging his saber, intending of ending the fight. "Spiral Saber - Red Cross!" He performed two quick strikes on the monsters chest, instantly destroying them. "Useless." He quietly whispered as he destroyed the two monsters.
---
The other rangers ran up to the lone ranger, impressed by the way he worked. Zhane walked behind the other rangers, taking his time to analyze their new ally. He saw a symbol on the Red Ranger's shoulder. It looked vaguely familiar. The shape of a cross. He saw it somewhere but couldn't put his finger on it.
Carlos and TJ patted their savior on the back. "Good job man. You totally kicked butt."
TJ put his hand on his shoulder. The Ranger immediately grabbed his hand and flipped him over, pointing the gun to his face. "What is your business here?"
"Woh, woh, we're all friends here." Carlos waved his hands, trying to show that they meant no harm. The Red Ranger slowly lowered his gun and started to walk away.
"Who are you?" Ashley spoke up, wanting the name of her hero. The red ranger continued to walk away, not answering her question.
"Hey! Didn't anyone teach you any manners? All she wanted to know was your name! Jerk!" Cassie shouted, angry that the man just walked away just like that.
"I know that symbol from somewhere…" Zhane muttered to himself. "Guys, lets go back. I need to confirm something."
End of Chapter 1. So what did you all think?