Author’s Notes: This is the final
story in the Ranger Scrolls series. It took me over ten years to
write out all the stories, but now we’ve made it to the end.
This particular story follows along almost exactly with “Countdown
to Destruction”. It is a tale told through the eyes of the
Ninja Zeo team. This is how it ends for the characters you’ve
followed from the beginning.
I would like to thank everyone who has followed the series. It
means a lot to know that people out there have enjoyed what I
have come up with. I hope you all enjoy the final tale in the
lives of the Ninja Zeo rangers.
Power Rangers
“Armageddon”
Carri Hillard sat at a table at the Angel Grove Youth Center watching Tommy and Rocky spar. It had been a long time since the last time she had sat here and watched them like this. Carri had been in Angel Grove that morning to fix her nails after a recent accident involving pink nail polish. Afterwards she decided to go watch Rocky, and that afternoon he was going to join her back in her apartment in Los Angeles.
As she sat there she couldn’t help but think about how much she missed the Youth Center. When she was younger she hung out here all the time with her friends and her brother and his friends. Of course her brother was never one to admit that she was with them, at least not until he got a little older and his protective sense kicked in. When they moved to New York, this was one of the many things about Angel Grove that she missed. Coming home and hanging out every afternoon after school with friends new and old brought back fond memories. Her schedule now didn’t allow for much time to drive down here an hang out, with the exception of the occasional weekend or time during the summer.
“Carri, hey.”, Kat said as she joined her cousin at the table
Carri was startled at first. She hadn’t seen Kat at all, she was concentrating on the boys and deep in her own thoughts. “Hey. How are you?”
“Good. I take it your memory’s better?”, Kat questioned
Carri sighed. “Oh God let me guess I saw you on Saturday too?”
“Not me.”, Kat said as she smiled at her. “You did see Chris though. In fact Chris was a little disturbed. He said you tried to hit on him.”
Carri moaned and threw her head back, forcing herself not to be sick. Not only was she a crazy flower picking Barbie with no fashion sense, but apparently she had no taste in men either. “I hope you told him I wasn’t myself.”
“Something like that.”, Kat replied with a giggle. “So what are you doing up here?”
Carri gestured to the boys. “Hanging out. Watching.”
Kat smiled. “Just like high school.”, she said. Kat spent most of her senior year in high school sitting at that very table with Carri, drooling over Tommy and wondering if he liked her the way she liked him.
Rocky and Tommy took a break as Rocky jogged over to his girlfriend and threw his arms around her, giving her a kiss. “Hey babe. Glad to see you could make it.”
“I told you I’d be here.”, she replied giving him a kiss back. She watched as Rocky headed over to the counter, grabbing some water before coming back over and sitting down. “You guys still going?”, she asked
“Yeah we’re just taking a break.”, Rocky replied. They had been going at it all morning, and they needed to stop and catch their breath sometime. Although they weren’t going to go at it too much longer once they got started again. Both boys had plans for the afternoon.
The door to the Youth Center opened, and Jason and Emily walked in hand in hand. “Hey guys.”, Jason greeted as he walked over to the table where his three friends sat
“Hey Jase. Hey Emily.”, Carri said greeting them both
“Hey bro you’re just in time for round two.”, Tommy said as he walked over to the table
“No thanks.”, Jason said
Emily smiled at Tommy. “We’ve got plans.”, she added
“Don’t let me interrupt.”, Tommy said with a smile. He looked down at Rocky. “You ready to go again.”
“Yup.”, Rocky said jumping out of his chair. He gave Carri a quick kiss before heading back out to the mats with Tommy.
“So what do you guys have planned for today?”, Carri questioned gesturing for them to sit down
“Not much.”, Emily said as she and Jason both took a seat. “Just a nice peaceful afternoon together. Interruption free.” Or at least she hoped it would be. She yearned for the day that they could be together when he wasn’t being called off to be a ranger.
“So don’t try to get a hold of me.”, Jason said smiling over at Carri
“Even if the world is ending?”, Kat asked. She had meant it as a joke, she didn’t know how upset Emily was that she never got to spend a moment alone with Jason without that blasted communicator going off.
Carri and Jason cringed as Emily answered. “Yes. Even if the world is ending.” It seemed like the world was always ending. She knew well enough that there was real potential for the end, but that didn’t make her feel any better about it.
“Rocky and I are going to the deli for a bite to eat later. You guys want to come?”, Carri asked quickly changing subjects
Jason looked at Emily and she smiled and nodded. “Sure we’ll go.”, Jason said
Kat frowned. “I’d love to but I already have plans.”
“With Chris?”, Carri asked and she nodded. Chris was welcome to come too, but Carri decided not to mention that. She didn’t care for him in general, and God only knows what happened on Saturday. She continued to hope that someone would come along and turn Kat’s head so she didn’t have to worry about him anymore. “That’s too bad. Maybe some other time.”
“Yeah definitely.”, Kat said smiling at her. It would be fun to go out, although she would love the chance to go out with just Chris, Carri and Rocky. They had never really gone on a double date before, every time they had hung out it had been with everyone. Carri kept such a busy schedule that the few times she had suggested it she had made other plans. She didn’t blame her, they weren’t as close as they used to be and it was hard to find time to get together anymore.
“Oh,” Emily said her eyes lighting up. “You guys have to come to the beach club in two weeks. Ernie’s throwing a summer party.”
“Is it going to have a theme?”, Carri asked
Emily nodded. “Hawaiian.”, she said with a smile. Ernie had said for years that he wanted to do that again. But after the disaster with the cogs and the last one, he just hadn’t felt like doing it. He wanted it to be perfect, and until he thought it could be he wasn’t going to try.
“That’s awesome. We’re going to have to hit the mall to buy outfits.”, Carri said excitedly
Jason laughed. “Like you needed an excuse.”
Carri rolled her eyes. “I don’t exactly have a lot of Hawaiian garb sitting in my closet on the rare chance that I get invited to a Hawaiian party.”
“What about the outfit you wore last time?”, he questioned
“I can’t wear the same thing to both parties.”, she said with a sigh shaking her head
Jason laughed. To him it made no difference if he wore the same outfit or not. Emily looked over at her boyfriend. “She does have a point. She wore it to the same event once, it’s been two years, and she needs something new.”
“Besides Kim didn’t go to the last party and she’ll definitely need to go shopping for this one and I might as well buy something too.”, Carri added as if she needed to keep emphasizing her point
“What am I going shopping for?”, Kim asked as she walked up behind the group
“Hawaiian outfits for Ernie’s party.”, Emily explained
“Count me in.”, Kim said as she pulled up a chair and had a seat. She really didn’t need an excuse to go to the mall but as far as excuses went, the Hawaiian party was a good one.
“So what are you doing out this way?”, Kat asked although she probably knew the answer
“Tommy’s taking me to the lake for lunch.”, Kim said as she smiled at her. She turned to face the others as she always felt uncomfortable sharing her plans involving Tommy with Kat.
“So then I guess the deli is out?”, Carri asked
Kim giggled. “Yeah but he’s getting food from there for lunch.”
“Well then I guess we’ll see you on the fly.”, Carri replied with a grin. It would be a nice day to go down to the lake. It would be a nice afternoon to rent a jetski, or better yet head down to the beach and go surfing. Maybe she and Rocky would head down to the beach once they got back to LA.
Leaning back in her seat Kim smiled at her friend. She turned to watch Tommy and Rocky spar. Here she was watching her boyfriend spar, and sitting in the Youth Center with some of her closest friends. Nothing could make her happier. Now all that was left was to sit back and wait until Tommy was ready, and they could head off to their perfect afternoon.
Astronema stood on the Dark Fortress. Everything was going according to plan. Her troops were getting ready to move in on Earth. She had just given the order for the invasions on Triforia, Aquitar, KO-35 and Eltar. It wouldn’t be long before those rangers had perished and those planets belonged to Dark Specter.
Now she had to concentrate on the attack on Earth. Her primary concern was the team of rangers that lived there. For that she had a solution. Ecliptor had created a weapon for her, which used against the Ninja Zeo rangers would drain their Zeo Crystal’s, leaving them useless. She had a warrior on the way who she was going to hand that weapon to.
Her next concern was the Astro Rangers. But then again, she didn’t think they’d turn out to be a problem at all. One team of rangers would be down, and it would take much more than the Astro Rangers to fight against all of her Quantrons and the hybrids Rita and Zedd left.
“You wanted to see me.”, a voice called from behind
“Yes.”, Astronema said as she turned and smiled. She couldn’t believe that Rita and Zedd hadn’t found much use for such talent. “I have a mission for you.”
Scorpina smiled at her. It was about time she was going to get back in on this fight. “What is it?”, she asked
“I want you to join my armies on the surface of Earth.”, she said holding out a weapon. “Hunt down the Ninja Zeo rangers and fire at each of them with this. It will destroy their Zeo Crystals and their morphing powers.”
“It would be my pleasure.”, Scorpina said as she took the weapon from her. “So when are we attacking?”
“Soon.”, Astronema said with a smile. Hundreds of Quantrons were waiting, with hundreds more behind them. Elgar was serving her, and now with Scorpina there was no possible way the rangers would succeed. Earth was about to be destroyed.
Rocky and Tommy walked out of the locker room, fresh from having taken showers, and took seats at the already crowded table. “Miss us?”, Tommy asked sitting and leaning over for a kiss from his girlfriend
“Not really.”, Kim joked as she smiled at him and returned the kiss
“Did you boys get a good workout?”, Kat asked
“Of course.”, Rocky replied with a smile. Tommy flashed her a quick smile as well, but didn’t say anything. He always felt strange talking to his ex-girlfriend, especially when Kim was there.
“Well I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving.”, Carri said as she looked around at the group
Rocky laughed. “That’s usually my line.”
“So what, you’re not hungry this time?”, she asked. As long as she had known Rocky he had a never ending appetite. As much as he could eat one would think he would have a hard time staying in shape. But between work and sparring and going to the gym he managed to stay fit.
“Well I certainly didn’t say that.”, he replied wrapping his arms around her and bringing her into him. “You guys care to join us?”, he asked unaware that Carri had invited them earlier
“We’re going.”, Emily said as she pointed to herself and Jason
“Other than that everyone has plans already.”, Carri informed him
Rocky gave her a kiss on the cheek. He should have realized she would have asked already. “Then let’s get going.”, he said standing and holding his hand out for his girlfriend. She let him pull her up, then Jason and Emily got up too. He was going to enjoy lunch with his friends, but then he couldn’t wait for it to be over so he could whisk his girlfriend away. He had plans that afternoon and he was planning on surprising her.
As Jason and Emily stood, Tommy stood as well. “We have lunch plans, so we should probably get going too.”, he said. The last thing he wanted was to be left alone at the table with Kat. Besides, he was excited to get out to the lake with Kim. He didn’t see her most of the weekend, as it was hectic and Buffy was in town. The slayer had left that morning to go take care of urgent business at home, and Carri and Jason were out with their significant others, leaving him with Kim all to himself.
As they stood they heard loud noises and felt the ground vibrate. “Not again.”, Jason said groaning. Every time there was a simulated earthquake something bad happened and it usually involved the worst evil you could think about.
The vibrations stopped for a second and started again. “This isn’t an earthquake. Something’s wrong.”, Kim said. Even the simulated earthquakes felt like real earthquakes, this was something completely different.
The rangers ran out of the Youth Center with Emily and Kat close behind them. Looking around it wasn’t hard to find what was causing the commotion. “My God.”, Carri whispered. Astronema had unleashed an all out attack on the city. The noise and vibrations came from the destruction that the Velocifighters were causing.
“We have to help them.”, Kim said as the city streets were flowing with Quantrons and hybrids. Normally Angel Grove and Astronema’s attacks were reserved as the Astro Ranger’s territory, but something this big couldn’t be ignored.
“You’re right. You guys morph and head into the city. I’m going to try to fend off some of those Velocifighters.”, Tommy said as he looked at the others.
The Youth Center quickly emptied in all the commotion and the rangers ran back in, finding a secure place to morph. “It’s morphin time!”, Tommy called as the Ninja Zeo uniforms took over and they all teleported to the middle of downtown Angel Grove. Tommy watched as his teammates took off in different directions. “Billy is my zord still working?”
“Yes but hurry. We’re under attack. I’m going to put up a barrier, that will protect the Command Chamber. But nothing will be able to get in or out including communications, rangers and zords.”, Billy said. Part of the new security features of this new Command Center was the protective barrier. It was part technological and part magical and nothing would penetrate it. Of course he wouldn’t be able to help the rangers so even if Astronema couldn’t destroy the place, she still did her job.
“I need Red Battlezord power now!”, Tommy yelled as his zord came barreling toward him. He hadn’t used that zord in forever, but Billy had recently told him that it still functioned. And it would be perfect to use in this situation. As the zord arrived Tommy jumped into it and tried to destroy Velocifighters as quickly as possible.
The other rangers watched as the Red Battlezord tried to contend with the Velocifighters. They were busy with their own task, trying to defeat the Quantrons and hybrids and save the citizens of Angel Grove. It was a task that seemed nearly impossible. It felt like every time you destroyed one, two more were there to take its place. They had never before seen and advancement of forces like this.
While they were fighting, the sounds of the city being destroyed lessened. Dozens of Velocifighters had instead turned their attention on the Battlezord and Tommy. He fired and swatted, but it was no use. Eventually the Velocifighters overtook the zord, and it collapsed on the city streets.
“Tommy!”, Kim yelled as she watched his zord fall. She had no time to react as more and more Quantrons advanced on her. Suddenly they stopped and took a step back.
“It’s good to see you again pink ranger.”, a voice said from behind
Kim spun around and much to her surprise saw Scorpina standing there. “What are you doing here?”, she asked harshly
“Dark Specter is taking over the universe with the help of the best fighters in the galaxy. And I’m one of the best.”, she said as she fired Astronema’s weapon on Kim
The blast hit the pink ranger in the stomach. She fell back and immediately powered down. As she tried to crawl to her feet, she was covered in Quantrons. “Hold on Kim!”, Jason yelled as the black ranger ran in her direction. He first attacked Scorpina with his axe, then turned it on all the Quantrons surrounding Kim. He pulled her to her feet just as Scorpina shot him from behind.
“Two down.”, she said disappearing as he powered down as well
“There’s too many.”, Kim pointed out helping Jason up. As he stood they heard shots being fired overhead. Looking up they saw that reinforcements had arrived. “The megaship!”, Kim exclaimed
“Come on, we can do this.”, Jason said feeling more energized now that the other rangers were there. “It’s morphin time!”, he called but nothing happened
“Our powers....”, Kim said in disbelief. “Scorpina must’ve stripped them.”
Jason knew there was no time to waste. “Come on.”, he said grabbing her hand and rushing her away before the Quantrons could do any damage
Elsewhere on the battlefield, things were not going any better. Carri found herself surrounded by hybrids and Quantrons, and was trying to slash them back as quickly as possible. She finally made a small opening and as she scooted through it to try to take a breather, she ran into Scorpina.
“Happy to see me?”, she asked
“Not really.”, Carri replied clicking her daggers together and attacking, flinging Scorpina back.
Scorpina stood up and pulled out a weapon, firing at the yellow ranger. Before Carri even had time to react, Rocky managed to get in between the two taking the hit. Carri rushed over to him as he hit the ground. “Are you ok?”, she asked as his powers faded
He nodded and she looked up, barely escaping a blast from Scorpina. She moved out of her view and got caught by some Quantrons. She fought for a few seconds before being spun around and to the ground. Looking up she saw Scorpina standing there, weapon in hand. She fired and hit Carri square on. Carri flew back and watched as Scorpina did much of the same.
Rocky jumped up after hitting Scorpina, running over to Carri. He put his arms around her and quickly brought her to her feet, before taking her and leading her off. “Why are we running?”, she asked not at all amused by leaving the battle
He stopped for a second and looked at her. “Scorpina just stripped your powers.”, he explained. As soon as he was off of Scorpina’s radar, he tried to morph but with no luck. He was going to tackle Scorpina to save Carri from the same fate but it was too late.
“Shit.”, she said with feeling as she caught the Mega Winger out of the corner of her eye trying to tackle the Velocifighters.
Rocky took her hand in his as the Quantrons were starting to close in. “Come on, we need to get out of here.” Nodding Carri allowed him to lead her off as they went looking for somewhere safe.
Scorpina had all but destroyed the Ninja Zeo team. The green, blue, pink and yellow shards of the Zeo Crystal had been stripped of their powers, making the black, red, pink and yellow Ninja Zeo rangers useless. There was only one Zeo Crystal left, and that was the red crystal. Somewhere around there was a White Ninja Zeo ranger who drew part of his powers from his red zeo shard.
She walked through the streets, not paying much attention to the action going on around her. There were Quantrons and hybrids attacking humans, who were all running in fear. At one point she was almost positive that the red and yellow Astro Rangers ran by her un-morphed. As she walked down the street she saw a hybrid go flying in front of her. She turned to see her final victim.
“Hello.”, she greeted coldly as she walked toward him
“Scorpina.”, he replied gripping his sword tightly and preparing for battle. He ran toward her and jumped through the air.
Scorpina waited until he was close, then fired at him watching as he powered down and fell at her feet. “That was too easy.”, she replied. This time she wanted to actually finish the job.
Tommy rolled out of the way to avoid being stabbed by Scorpina. He quickly tried to morph again but with no luck. As she advanced on him he pushed his way through some Quantrons and took off. Scorpina was disappointed, but he would get what was coming to him soon enough. Now it was time to go back to Astronema and report the good news.
Scorpina walked around the Dark Fortress until she found Astronema. The princess of evil looked her over. “I hope you’re here with good news.”
“But of course.”, Scorpina replied. “I have stripped the Ninja Zeo rangers of their powers. They will no longer be of use in the fight.”
“Excellent.”, Astronema said as she smiled. Things were going perfectly. Her troops only had to hold off a little while longer before her super torpedo was ready. Then she was going to destroy the whole miserable little planet. “Go back down to the surface.”, she said looking toward Scorpina. “Make sure things are still going according to plan.”
“Yes princess.”, Scorpina replied as she took off
Zordon’s tube was quickly filling. It wouldn’t be long now before the end.
Rocky and Carri quickly maneuvered around the Quantrons and tried to find the rest of their team. It felt like they had been running forever and hadn’t seen anyone yet.
“Do you think the others have their powers?”, she asked as they stopped in an intersection and tried to look down the city streets
“I don’t know.”, Rocky replied as he gripped her hand a little tighter. They looked around until Rocky spotted someone he recognized. “Andros!”, he yelled calling out the red ranger
Andros looked up and saw him before making his way to them through the debris, Ashley in tow. “I don’t know where they’re all coming from.”, Andros said. “We can’t fight them though, there’s too many.”
“Scorpina stripped our powers.”, Rocky told him
Andros looked at him in disbelief. “How?”
Rocky shook his head. “Some sort of weapon.”
“Guys I think we should keep moving, searching for the others.”, Ashley said as she looked at her boyfriend and her two friends
“Yeah let’s go. If we stand here too long the Quantrons will find us.”, Carri pointed out. None of the rangers were in any shape to be dealing with them right now.
“We’ll find somewhere safe. Somewhere we can regroup and come up with a strategy.”, Andros said agreeing with her. The last thing he wanted to do is run from the battle, but at this point they had no choice. Out of eleven rangers, at least four of them were down and there was no telling what had happened to the others.
“This way.”, Rocky said pointing down the safest looking street
The foursome pushed their way around the giant slabs of concrete that were laying in the streets. The downtown of a city that was thriving just hours ago was now in shambles, and it’s people afraid for their lives. The very people that were assigned to protect the planet were among those hiding in fear. A day the rangers thought would never come was here, and noone was quite sure what to do.
As they were jumping around the debris, Carri’s foot caught a metal pole and she tripped, falling to the ground. She was agitated with herself for falling as Rocky gently grabbed her arm and helped her up. “Are you ok?”, he asked
“Yeah.”, she said brushing herself off. She felt Rocky’s hand as he started to guide her back in the direction that Ashley and Andros were walking in. Spinning back around, something caught her eye. “Wait!”, she called getting everyone to stop and look at her
Carri took off in the direction she was looking and ran to meet two figures halfway. “Kim!”, she called out
“Carri?”, her friend yelled back as she and Jason both worked to meet her
“Thank God you guys are ok.”, Carri said as they approached. She smiled at both of them giving them each a quick hug. “And your powers?”
“Gone.”, Jason replied. Seeing the look on Carri’s face he could tell she hadn’t fared much better.
Carri frowned. “Well Ashley, Andros, Rocky and I are trying to find somewhere safe to figure this out.”
“Sounds like a good a plan as any.”, Jason said as he let Carri lead them off toward the other three rangers
Kim was paying close attention to the rubble at her feet as she thought about her boyfriend. “Have you heard anything from Tommy?”
“Not since...”, Carri let her voice trail off. “I’m sure he’s ok.”
“Yeah.”, Kim said softly. She knew what Carri was going to say. Not since his zord went down. That was the last anybody saw of him. Kim didn’t know if he made it out or was hurt or... she didn’t even want to think of the other options. She took a deep breath to hold in the tears. She had to assume the best. And until she heard, she had to be strong. For her team, for Angel Grove, and for the world. “So where are we going?”, Kim asked as they reached the other rangers
“This way.”, Andros said as he pointed and led them off
Kim and Jason followed the pack through the city streets. The pink ranger watched as Andros stood protectively by Ashley and Rocky did the same to Carri. She couldn’t help but think of Tommy again. Sighing she crossed her arms over her chest. Not knowing was killing her.
“Are you alright?”, Jason asked looking over at her
“I’ll be fine.”, she replied smiling at him as they continued on
As they were walking a voice called out the Astro Ranger’s names. The group stopped and looked around to see Cassie, TJ and Carlos come running toward them. “Cassie!”, Ashley called out to her best friend, her attitude slightly improving. “Are you guys alright?”
“We’re fine. We couldn’t handle the Quantrons though.”, TJ replied. He was frustrated that they had let them get the best of them. They were supposed to be the Power Rangers, the Earth’s defenders, and here they were cowering from the enemy.
“Noone could. There was just too many of them.”, Andros said gesturing to himself and Ashley, and the four rangers they had in tow. Andros looked over at everyone. “Let’s keep moving guys.”
They started walking off, each of the rangers in their own thoughts. As they marched through the rubble, something strange happened. Giant flaming balls started to fall out of the sky and into the city streets. The rangers scrambled to avoid getting hit as the chunks of whatever it was were falling all around them. As quickly as it started, the falling chunks stopped. The rangers went to examine the debris.
“What the hell is this?”, Carri asked as she got down on one knee to look at it
Rocky knelt down beside her and took a look at the chunk of matter. “I have no idea.”, he replied as he glanced over toward the other rangers
As they stood a voice interrupted them. It wasn’t just any voice, it was Ecliptor’s as he had projected himself high above the planet. He told them that Dark Specter was destroyed, and that Astronema was the Empress of Evil.
“You think that’s what all this is?”, Jason questioned, pointing to the remnants of what fell through the sky as Ecliptor’s face disappeared
“If I had to guess, yes.”, Andros replied
“If Astronema’s in charge, we may need to step it up a notch.”, Kim replied. The others nodded and the rangers kept moving, looking for a place they could rest and try to figure out how they were going to stop Astronema.
Tommy wandered through the streets of Angel Grove looking for the rest of his team. He was hoping that they weren’t all without powers, but he knew that the chances of that were slim. He was worried about Kim, he hoped that she was alright. This was the day that he had always feared would come as a ranger. The day that he would be powerless to stop the forces that were invading Earth. He had hoped the Astro Rangers were doing better, but from the bits and pieces he was picking up from the public there wasn’t a ranger in sight.
As he walked through the crowds, everyone’s eyes were focused on the top of one of the buildings. He looked up to see Astronema standing there making demands. She said that she wanted the Astro Rangers, and that if she didn’t get them she was going to destroy Earth.
Tommy sighed as she disappeared. This was good news and bad news. Her interest in only the Astro Rangers meant they still had powers and they were a threat. But if they gave themselves up to save Earth, there was noone left to protect it from her.
For once as the leader of the Power Rangers, he didn’t know what to do or where they stood, or even if they were going to all make it out of this alive. He had been in some bad situations, but they had all presented them with new opportunities. Where he stood now he saw no light at the end of the tunnel, only a wall. That frightened him more than he thought possible.
As he pushed through the crowd he felt someone grab his arm. Turning he saw Kat standing there. “What the hell is going on?”, she asked
He paused as he looked her over. It was obvious she had at some point been crying, and now was fretting as bad as the rest of their community. “I don’t know.”, he replied
She got close to him. “Where are the rangers?”, she questioned. The one thing she took from being a ranger was to never abandon Earth, and to never quit fighting the good fight. Yet here Tommy was dressed in civilian clothes walking around as if he was just as lost as the rest of them.
“I think my team has lost their powers.”, he informed her. “I don’t know I haven’t seen any of them in a few hours.”
Kat’s eyes were wide. “Do you think they’re alright?”, she asked. Noone could fight this kind of army without powers, not matter what kind of ranger they were.
“Honestly I have no idea. I know as much as you do.”, Tommy replied. She wasn’t the only one who was concerned with the condition of his teammates. His friends, his girlfriend were out there most likely powerless, and God only knows if they’re hurt or trapped or even worse.
“What are you going to do?”, Kat asked. She spoke softly, and the fear in her voice came through. If the rangers weren’t able to stand and fight this, then it may really be the end.
“I’m going to find the team. And we’re going to figure this out.”, he assured her, although there wasn’t much confidence in his words. He had a hard time getting her to believe something he wasn’t sure he believed.
Kat surprised him by throwing her arms around him. “I’m sorry. About everything that happened between us, between me and the rest of the team.”
Tommy was reluctant at first but returned the hug. “If you really want to make amends, wait until this is all over. Wait until we’re sitting in the Youth Center joking about the world almost ending.”
“I wanted you to know.”, Kat said as she let him go and stood back. “I know things will never be the same between me and, well, the Ninja Zeo team, but I wanted you to know that I am sorry.”
Tommy nodded unsure of what to tell her. She was right in a way, things would never be the same. It was nice of her to apologize, but he wasn’t sure if she was sincere or if she was afraid the world was about to end and she would never get this chance again. “I have to go find the others.”, he said as he noticed the sun was setting
“Good luck.”, Kat replied smiling at him. “Wish the rest of the team luck for me too.”
“I will.”, Tommy replied. He smiled back at her before taking off, trying to find everyone else.
Tommy felt like he had walked every corner of the city with no luck. Finally he saw a small group of people huddled together. One of them he recognized instantly. “Hey guys.”, he called jogging up to them
“Tommy!”, Kim exclaimed spinning around and running into his arms
He kissed her throughly as she held him tightly. “I was worried about you.”, he confessed
“Me too. Where have you been?”, she asked looking up at him
Tommy walked with her over toward everyone else, noticing for the first time that the rest of his team was there along with the five original members of the Astro team. “After the Battlezord went down I had a run in with Scorpina. Then I’ve been looking for you guys the rest of the day.”
“And your powers?”, Rocky asked hoping for a bit of good news
“Gone.”, he replied frowning, taking Rocky’s question as an admission that noone on his team had any powers
“Damn.”, Carri swore under her breath. She was hoping that at least one person on her team had some sort of powers. Now they were down to five Ninjetti, whose powers wouldn’t hold up against the army surrounding them, and five Astro’s who have already proven that they couldn’t stand up to Astronema’s forces.
“So what now?”, Jason asked glancing at the looks on everyone’s faces. They were all plotting, trying to figure out some way to keep the end from coming. But it was obvious from everyone’s expressions that they were drawing blanks.
Their thoughts were quickly interrupted when someone else came staggering into their group. “Are you alright?”, Ashley asked as the rangers turned their attention to Zhane
The silver ranger nodded his head yes as he looked everyone over. “They’ve all surrendered.”
“What do you mean?”, asked Tommy. The Ninja Zeo’s weren’t aware that this battle had been going on throughout the galaxy, and that they weren’t the only planet fighting a losing battle against Astronema and her forces.
“Triforia, Aquitar, Eltar, KO-35.... they attacked them all.”, Zhane said looking over at Tommy. “We’re all that’s left. I just got word that KO-35 surrendered.”
“So you’re saying Earth is the only planet with rangers still fighting Astronema?”, Rocky asked trying to clarify Zhane’s statement. He watched as Zhane nodded in response.
“Great now the fate of the galaxy is in our hands.”, Carri said as the severity of the situation hit her
“We’ve got to do something. We can’t just sit here while Astronema rules the world.”, Kim pointed out. To hear that their friends on other planets had been attacked and had surrendered was not only sad but frightening as well. These are the people that had helped them out of tough situations before, these were the people they considered senior rangers, and now they’ve all surrendered.
“I’m going to go to the Dark Fortress. Karone is still in there somewhere. Maybe I can get through to her.”, Andros said looking over the other rangers
“Andros that’s crazy.”, Cassie pointed out
“Not to mention dangerous.”, TJ added. The last thing they need right now is for their leader to go to the Dark Fortress and get himself killed.
“It may be our only chance.”, Andros said
“It’s just too risky.”, Carlos told him
Andros sighed and took a step back, dropping the topic as the others tried to come up with some sort of plot that would allow them to be successful.
“Maybe we could use the powers we still have and strategically attack.”, Jason suggested as Andros quietly slipped away from the group
“That might not be a bad idea. Andros still has a lot of power at his disposal.”, Zhane pointed out as Ashley slipped away as well. “We could get into teams. Put an Astro Ranger with a Ninjetti and attack.” Fighting side by side would be the strongest way to attack. And since the other team wasn’t at full power, putting them each with an Astro would increase their chances.
“We could let Andros fight by himself since he has more power than the rest of us.”, Kim added to Zhane’s thoughts
“That won’t be happening.”, Ashley said returning to the group and brushing a stray tear off her cheek. “He went to find Astronema. To talk to her. To talk to Karone.”
“He’s crazy he’s going to get himself killed!”, TJ exclaimed
Tommy thought for a moment. “He knows what he’s doing. Let’s give him a chance.”
Carri nodded in agreement. “Maybe there’s still some good in there. If he can get to Karone, this whole thing will be over.”
“So then that’s our plan?”, Rocky asked as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. “Wait and see if Andros can pull this off then play it by ear?”
“We have to give him the chance.”, Zhane said confirming Rocky’s thoughts
“If nothing happens by morning, when Astronema’s calling for us, we’ll have to figure out what to do then.”, Cassie chimed in. She had faith in their leader, she knew he could get through to his sister and save them.
“Let’s try and get some rest guys.”, Tommy suggested. It had been a long day and the battle was sure to intensify in the morning. If they were going to have any chance at all of saving Earth, they would need to try and rest. Ten zombie rangers would be no good to the planet.
“He’s right.”, Carlos said looking over his fellow rangers. “Hopefully everything will be over in the morning.”
The rest of the rangers agreed and everyone took a seat on the asphalt, trying to shut their eyes for a few minutes of rest, hoping that the next day would bring good news.
The rangers awoke as soon as the sun broke the horizon the following morning. None of them had got any kind of sleep worth mentioning, but they were all ready to fight again that day.
“Do you think he’s alright?”, Ashley asked looking up at the sky. There had been no word yet from Andros, and she couldn’t help but fear the worst.
Ashley continued to look up as Cassie put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure he’s fine.”, she assured her
“Let’s go see what’s going on.”, Tommy suggested as he stood in front of the other rangers, leading the way. They quickly found their way back to the bulk of the population, who were all standing in front of a building. Looking up they saw that Astronema had returned, once again demanding the Astro Rangers reveal themselves.
Carri glanced back at the Astro team before looking up at Astronema. This wasn’t going well for them, as the fact that the new empress of evil was still there meant that either Andros had failed or he had yet to get the chance to try. They stood there wondering what was going to happen next when all of the sudden a voice from the front of the crowd stepped forward claiming to be a ranger. A voice that Carri easily recognized.
“I’m the pink ranger.”, Kat said as she stepped forward toward Astronema. She knew the others wouldn’t reveal their identity, that they couldn’t without risking being caught. If they were caught, it would be the end for everyone.
“I’m the yellow ranger.”, Emily added as she walked over to Kat. Jason was probably going to kill her for doing this, but she was doing this to protect him, to protect her friends. Any little bit of help she could give was good.
“I’m the blue ranger.”, Ernie said stepping out to join Kat and Emily. He knew the rangers well, and he knew that they had always been there to protect the city. It was the least he could do to protect them.
“I’m the red ranger.”, Skull said as he and Bulk stood forward
“And I’m the black ranger.”, Bulk added. They had spent years trying to figure out the identities of the Power Rangers, but the truth was it didn’t matter. The rangers had personally saved them so many times they were beginning to loose count. Now the rangers needed help, and they were glad to give it.
“I”m the silver ranger.”, Matt Drake proclaimed as he stepped forward and stood beside the others. The rangers had saved his hometown and his college so many times before he felt like he owed them.
The Ninja Zeo rangers were amazed, they had no idea that the people would stand up for them like this. They were even more amazed as just about everyone in the crowd stepped forward, claiming to be another ranger.
“What should,” Tommy started turning his attention back toward the Astro Rangers. To his surprise, they were long gone.
“Destroy them all.”, Astronema called from the top of the building
“We have to do something.”, Kim said starting to feel slighting panicked
“Wait!”, a voice called from the top of another building. Everyone turned to see the Astro Rangers standing there.
“What do they think they’re doing?”, questioned Jason
“We’re the Astro Rangers.”, Zhane proclaimed as he glared at Astronema
“Oh shit.”, Carri said looking at her friends. She never thought they would give up their identity. Although none of that team had ever served under Zordon, she remembered the secret identity as one of the cardinal rules of being a ranger.
“Guys this way.”, Rocky said tugging on his girlfriend and moving everyone back out of sight. They continued to watch the show as the rangers morphed and jumped off the top of the building, heading down toward the center of the action.
“If they’re going in we’re not going to let them do it alone.”, Jason said as he looked over at his teammates. The Astro’s were fighting and even the civilians were getting into it.
Tommy watched as Astronema took off in disgust. “You’re right. I don’t know about you guys but if I’m going down I’m going down fighting.”
“Let’s do this. For Zordon.”, Kim said looking over at the others
The other four rangers echoed her sentiments and Tommy stepped forward and took control. “Ninjetti, falcon!”
“Crane!”
“Cougar!”
“Panther!”
“Ape!”
The five Ninjetti’s jumped into the heart of the fight. They didn’t have as much power as their friends, but they weren’t going to let that be a deterrent. They were able to use their Ninjetti abilities to confuse both the hybrids and the Quantrons, attacking when they could. Although the armies kept coming they felt revitalized, as there were two teams of rangers and a town full of people out there on the battlefield. Noone was willing to give up yet. No matter how grim it looked they were going to fight to the bitter end.
The Yellow Panther Ninjetti found herself standing beside Kat. “Thank you.”, she said quickly as she kicked a Quantron back, knocking him into several hybrids
“Just because I don’t want to be a ranger anymore,” Kat started as she ducked an oncoming attack from a hybrid, “doesn’t mean I want to see the world end.” She finished speaking as a Quantron came up to her. She kicked him and rolled out of the way. “Do you think we have a chance?”
Carri thought for a moment. “I’ll let you know.”, she said just as she disappeared out of the middle of a pile of Quantrons and hybrids, reappearing several feet away and continuing the fight
Jason ended up near his girlfriend, who had picked up a piece of wood off the ground and was smacking anything that moved. “I hope you’re not mad at me.”, she said as she hit a hybrid in the beak, sending it backwards
“You were protecting me. How could I be mad.”, he replied as he attacked a Quantron that was about to surprise Emily
Emily smiled as she continued fighting. “All the times I worried about what you did, I figured it was time to return the favor.”
Jason couldn’t help but laugh as he continued the fight. A few seconds later he and Emily were separated. He knew she was strong, and he didn’t have time to worry about her as he had to concentrate on the armies in front of him.
Across the battlefield the Ninjetti’s and the Astro Rangers were fighting hard. They were hoping that some good news would come from Andros soon, but the more the fight went on the more they were afraid he had failed. Rocky had caught up to Carlos and was having fun throwing hybrids and Quantrons right into the path of his blaster.
Kim and Tommy were fighting near each other, and finally realized it after clearing out a few of the Quantrons in their way. “I think we’re doing alright.”, Kim said, a cheery tone in her voice
“We’re not dead yet so I’ll count that as a plus.”, Tommy replied leaping up into the air and allowing two of the hybrids to attack each other
“We’re not going to die. We’re the Power Rangers, we always come through.”, Kim countered trying to remain optimistic
She continued the battle hoping that Astronema would give up, that something good would come out of this. As she stood fighting the final battle she heard a noise, and felt a wave of energy rush through her body. The Quantrons in front of her disappeared, and the morphing rangers powered down.
“Zordon.”, she said in a whisper as she fell to her knees. The people around her were celebrating the sudden disappearance of their enemies, but she knew what happened. Zordon was dead. The wave that wiped over her, that wiped over everyone had destroyed Astronema’s forces and interfered with the morphing energies of the Astro Rangers, having no effect on the Ninjetti’s as their powers were not morphing powers.
The reason she knew this was that the wave that crashed over her filled her with Zordon’s final thoughts. What his wave had done for them, his gratitude for the Astro Rangers, and his undying appreciation for his rangers and what they have done for him and for the planet throughout the years. She felt it as he said goodbye to her, and to the others, leaving them with one final message, “good luck and my the power protect you”. A tear slid down her cheek as she realized that the man who had been like a father to her was now gone.
Tommy ran over to his girlfriend and scooped her off the ground, throwing his arms around her. “I know. He’s gone. But we did it.”
“We did, didn’t we?”, she questioned smiling as the other three Ninjetti’s ran toward them
“I can’t believe,” Carri started as she shook her head. Each of the rangers had gotten the final message from Zordon as the wave ripped through the planet. “But it’s over, it’s really over.”
Rocky put an arm around her as they looked up to the sky, the Dark Fortress looming overhead. The rangers tensed up as it landed, with Andros walking out his sister in his arms. The rangers looked at each other as everyone else’s attention was on Andros. Tommy pointed to his communicator and everyone nodded, teleporting back to the Command Chamber.
“We did it.”, Billy said looking at everyone as they came in and powered down. “Andros and Zordon did it.”
“And the other planets?”, Jason questioned. It was clear to the rangers what had happened on Earth, but none of them were sure what had happened elsewhere.
“The hybrids, Piranhatrons, Tengas and Quantrons have all been destroyed. Everyone else was purified.”, Billy explained
“What do you mean by purified?”, asked Tommy
“The Zordon wave made them human again, turned them good.”, Billy said as he brought up several images on screen and shuffled through them. The rangers looked as Billy pointed out what used to be Rita and Zedd, Master Vile, and Divatox.
As they watched their former enemies, several transitions started to come though. They received thanks from Delphine and the Aquitarian Rangers, Lord Trey of Triforia, and the Phantom Ranger on Eltar. Everyone was gracious that Earth held off Astronema’s forces and ended the war.
They finished speaking to the rangers across the galaxy. Everyone was in a good mood as Tommy turned to Billy. “What about our powers?”
“The Zeo Crystal was stripped of its power by Scorpina. There may be a chance it can be regenerated, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. If we could ever restore the morphin gird you could use your coins again, but for now their useless and yours to keep.”, Billy informed them as they nodded. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it though. The enemies we’ve been fighting for years are no longer, and the Earth is finally safe.”
“So you mean we can go on a date without being interrupted?”, Rocky questioned as he smiled at his girlfriend
Billy laughed. “Take a month long vacation if you want.”
“I can’t believe it’s actually over.”, Kim said. Her life in Angel Grove has been ruled by the struggle of good versus evil for as long as she could remember. Now she was actually going to get the chance to be normal.
“Believe it.”, TJ said as he and the other Astro Rangers teleported down
The former Ninja Zeo’s spun around to see their friends as they ran and congratulated them, exchanging high fives and hugs all around. Andros looked at the other team of rangers and nudged his sister forward. “This is Karone. My sister.”, he introduced her
“Hello.”, Karone said smiling at them, feeling uncomfortable as they stood and stared at her
“I’m Carri.”, the yellow ranger said extending her hand to Karone. Although the woman in front of her was once Astronema, empress of evil, she felt as though they shouldn’t shun her now. The woman standing in front of them wasn’t evil, and was only a victim of evil. That was something the other rangers knew too well.
Karone smiled at her and took her hand. Slowly the other rangers approached, introducing themselves and shaking hands with Karone as well. As they finished Karone smiled at her brother. She never expected to get this kind of reception from any ranger, let alone two teams.
“So what are you guys doing now?”, asked Kim as she looked over at the Astro team
“We’re taking them home.”, Cassie replied gesturing to the others. “But when we come back we’ll definitely have to get together.”
“Absolutely.”, Kim said smiling and nodding. “I think now we might be able to even take in a movie.” Ashley and Cassie laughed, recalling their last movie experience with the other two female rangers.
“So if you guys are going home, I guess this is goodbye.”, Tommy said as he looked over at the leader of the Astro team. He wasn’t sure about the other man as a leader at first, but Andros had managed to prove himself time and time again as a strong red ranger.
“It is.”, Andros replied. He and Zhane said their goodbyes to the four Ninjetti’s, then as quickly as the Astro Rangers arrived they headed back to the ship.
“So what do you guys want to do?”, Jason asked
“Personally I want a shower.”, Carri said as she and the others were grungy from top to bottom
“I vote we celebrate.”, Rocky suggested. Their fight was finally over and it was definitely time for a party.
“Let’s go get ready and meet back at the Youth Center.”, Kim suggested. The others agreed and all six Ninjetti’s left the Command Chamber to celebrate their victory.
The next night Kim and Carri were sitting on the couch in the Hillard’s livingroom. They had gotten dressed and ready to go to a party. As they sat there gossiping, the doorbell rang. Carri was quick to hop up to answer it. She opened the door and saw Rocky standing there.
“You look beautiful.”, he said as he leaned in and gave her a kiss. She smiled at him as he peered past her and saw Kim sitting on the couch. “You girls ready to go?”, he asked
Kim nodded and jumped up as Rocky put a hand around Carri’s waist, leading both girls out toward the car where Tommy was waiting. Rocky and Carri climbed into the back of Tommy’s jeep, while Kim sat up front with her boyfriend.
“Are you guys ready for the party?”, Tommy asked as they pulled off
“Yeah. Although it seems like we’ve been here before.”, Kim said as they headed toward their destination
Tommy laughed. She was right, this was a bit of deja vu. But this time it was much more important than the last. This time with the help of some friends they had saved the world and defeated the bad guys for good.
The foursome chatted as they drove down the road until they reached their destination. They climbed out of the car and headed toward the huge party that Angel Grove was throwing. As they entered they saw the banner up front that read “Thank You Power Rangers”. On one side of the banner was a giant picture of the Astro team, with their pictures below the image of the morphed rangers. On the other side of the banner was a giant picture of the Ninja Zeo team, with a picture of the Ninjetti below that.
Tommy smiled as he led Kim off with Rocky and Carri following. He walked them back to the same spot they had sat almost exactly four years prior, the last time the city had thrown the power rangers a party. As they had a seat they found Jason and Emily along with Billy and Trini waiting for them.
“Hey guys.”, Tommy greeted as he sat
“Hey bro.”, Jason replied with a smile. It was so nice for it to finally all be over. Of course part of him already missed being a morphing ranger, but there was the part of him that was starting to enjoy spending all of his time with his girlfriend.
“I can’t believe Angel Grove is throwing this party.”, Carri said as she looked around and absorbed all that was going on
“It’s not the first party we’ve had.”, Rocky assured her as he wrapped an arm around her, leaning her toward him and giving her a kiss on the cheek
“I was hoping you guys would show.”, Kat said as she headed over toward their table taking a seat
“We wouldn’t miss our party.”, Carri replied smiling at her cousin
“Where are the others? They’re Angel Grove celebrities now.”, Kat said referring to the Astro Rangers. The last two days they had been on the cover of every area newspaper. California couldn’t get enough of the rangers that revealed their identities and saved their lives.
“They’ll be here.”, Billy said. The rangers had left for KO-35 when the mayor made the announcement about the party. They sent a transmission and they had promised to be back in time to make an appearance.
Suddenly the crowd of partiers roared. Everyone looked up to see the Astro Rangers standing on the stage up front, dressed to party. They were surprised to see Andros, Zhane and Karone standing with them.
“I thought they were staying on KO-35.”, Carri said to noone in particular
Kim glanced over the rangers and noticed how Andros stood side by side with Ashley, who had the biggest smile on her face. “I’m glad they didn’t.”
They watched as everyone got excited over the arrival of the rangers, and people started to ask them questions. Most of the questions were directed toward the team and their adventures, which the team was happy to answer. One of the questions involved trying to get the identity of the other team of rangers. Cassie responded that they were aliens, and had gone back home, and that the Astro’s had been Earth’s only team of rangers.
The Ninjetti’s looked at each other and smiled. The world would never know who they were, and that suited them just fine. They had always been Earth’s hero’s, and had never wanted any credit for it. After thirty minutes of the rangers answering questions, the mayor stood and said it was time to let them enjoy the party too. They left the stage and ten minutes later found their way back to the table.
“I can’t believe our dear friends were the power rangers.”, Carri said with a smile as they sat. They had been seen in the community with the members of the Astro team before so they couldn’t very well lie and say they weren’t friends. Now all they could do is pretend they didn’t know the identity of the Astro Rangers.
Ashley shrugged. “Sorry to keep the secret from you.”
“We’re hurt.”, Jason said as he looked sternly at them. The others could almost see the hint of a smile but he tried not to show it. They had to try and be in as much awe of their friends as the rest of the community was to keep suspicion off of them as rangers.
“If we had told you we might have gotten you killed.”, Cassie pointed out looking back over at Jason
“Enough talk about power rangers.”, Kim said with a smile. “They saved the world, and now we’re here to party.”
They continued laughing and carrying on amongst themselves as the mayor called everyone’s attention to the lake. The females in the group were quick to stand up and go lean on the railing. Ashley stood at the end and Karone walked up next to her, with Andros coming up behind them and putting his arm on Ashley’s back while standing between his two favorite women in the universe. Carri stood next to Karone and Kim beside her, both having their boyfriends come up and lean on them from behind. Cassie was quick to jump up and stand beside Kim, with Trini, Emily and Kat filling out the rest of the railing.
Jason stood with Emily as Billy stood with Trini, and the rest of the male rangers finding a place to stand around. They watched as the fireworks show started, brilliant colors filling the sky. The only colors that they saw in the fireworks were ranger colors, and that was the city’s tribute to the hero’s that had saved them for years.
The rangers enjoyed the tribute as they thought about all the things they were grateful for. Some were grateful for Zordon’s influence in their lives. Some where grateful for the time they would now have to spend with significant others, time that was almost never there in their lives as rangers. They were all grateful for the friendships they’d made over the years, and for the ability to fight the good fight. They were all grateful that they had the experience and had been tapped as rangers, some as young as fifteen. The most important thing that they were all grateful for was the fact that they had saved the world. That Angel Grove would keep going, that Earth and the universe would keep going.
Andros, Ashley, Cassie, Carlos, TJ and Zhane were now known throughout the world as heros. They had never wanted that distinction, but they wouldn’t deny who they were. They did what they did to save the planet, and if given the choice they would do it all over again. Their lives would be different now, but they accepted that as part of saving the world.
Tommy, Kim, Carri, Rocky and Jason’s story ended a little differently. They would never be recognized for who they were or what they did to save the world. To them, that wasn’t important. Their lives as rangers gained them something much more important than appreciation. Kim and Carri gained a sibling like bond, one that grew to include Jason. The boys were also best friends, something that wouldn’t have happened without the rangers. Most importantly they had all found love through the rangers. Being a ranger led Jason to Emily, and it introduced Carri to Rocky and Kim to Tommy. They were the happiest they’d ever been in their entire lives, and they didn’t need the community behind them to feel that way.
The fireworks show continued as the rangers watched. As it ended the rangers found themselves in for a surprise. The fireworks formed the helmets of the uniforms they wore over the years. They saw the original rangers in the fireworks, then the Ninjetti’s and the zeo’s, followed by the Ninja Zeos and finally the Astro’s. The final fireworks spelled out “Thank You Power Rangers” and was accompanied by a large, beautiful display of fireworks in the final seconds.
Carri leaned back into Rocky’s arms and smiled over at her best friend. “We did it.”, she said
“Yeah. We did.”, Kim replied smiling as well. Five years and it was finally over. It was almost impossible to believe but she couldn’t be happier.
As the fireworks finished the rangers took their seats back at the table. The conversation continued and the rangers laughed and carried on until the early hours in the morning, enjoying the party and each others company, thankful that the world was still standing and they could be here to celebrate it with their best friends in the galaxy.
The End