DISLAIMER: Power Rangers in its original version belongs to Saban. No profit is intended, however all ideas not apparent in Saban's universe belong to me, including Internaught and the CyberForce powers themselves. On a lighter note, when Word tried to make me correct the spelling of "Saban," one of the correctional choices was "Satan."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'd like to welcome all of you to the first installment of my new fanfic series, "Power Rangers CyberForce." I hope you enjoy it, and any and all feedback you have can be emailed to me. I went through a pretty long writer's block and I'd like to thank those who, through their fanfics, helped get me out of it: the incomparable Ms. Rachel Dawson, the extremely talented Dagmar Buse, the amazingly creative Hellfire, the inspirational Cynthia, and the awe-inspiring Ellen Brand. Thanks, guys, for showing me that fanfic DOES mean something. I'd like to dedicate this fanfic to my best friend and true brother Brandon, who always encouraged me to be myself. Brandon, through your encouragement I have indeed found myself and my calling. Thanks bro, I love ya. I'd like to also make a note that having two jobs sucks. =) A.C. 12/07/00, rewritten 3/14/01.
TIMELINE: You'll find out. =)
A New Call to Battle
By Aaron
Cameron
~It had been a week.
A week since the infamous "Countdown to Destruction," a week since the unmasking of the Space Rangers. Now everyone knew who they really were. Not that it mattered, just a lot more recognition. Not to mention the fact that when the Space Rangers started attending school again (it was their senior year), they would be overwhelmingly popular. They had just saved the Earth, so why not?
Ashley Hammond, clad comfortably in black biker shorts, yellow t-shirt, and bare feet, slowly but surely made her way through her house, looking for any more damage that was done during the Countdown. It wasn't that bad, just one broken window and a few articles of clothing strewn everywhere. She huffed as she realized there was nothing left to do, and threw herself down on the couch. Her boyfriend was on KO-35 for a short time, and she felt like she was all alone. Although she briefly considered calling Cassie, she thought better of it, because Cassie lived closer to the center of the destruction, and therefore had more cleaning up to do. With a sigh, she turned on the television.
I can't believe I am SO bored! Ever since Zordon wiped out all the evil, we've had nothing to do but sit on our butts and watch television! School won't open for another week thanks to Astronema, and none of my friends whom I knew BEFORE I became famous are able to go out with me! Ashley thought. She tossed her brown hair back over her shoulder, and realized there was a faint beeping coming from....somewhere. She thought it was the TV at first, and then she pressed the "mute" button on the remote. The beeping continued. She walked into her kitchen. Nothing. As she looked around, she noticed that the family computer was on.
"That's weird," she said aloud. "I thought that thing was off." She walked closer to it and noticed that the "new email" message was blinking. She sat down in the large black desk chair, and clicked on the message. As her Navigator window popped up, she noticed the user's address.
"Zord-1 at cyberforce.mil?" she asked. "Who's that?" As she scrolled down, she read the body of the message. She repeated the message aloud, as she did constantly, which irritated her parents. Fortunately, they weren't around right then.
"Ashley Hammond, Yellow Space Ranger, please report to the former location of the Power Chamber as soon as possible. No signature, though," she said to herself. "I wonder what's going on."
It was then that Ashley noticed the message wasn't only sent to her. Thanks to Zordon, each Ranger was given an email address through an ultra-secure ISP (Internet Service Provider) that allowed them to keep in touch. The server was, of course, "PowerRangers.com." Since Ashley's parents knew that she was the Yellow Ranger now, she of course decided that she'd tell everyone to use the easiest and most accessible email address to her, the one given her by Zordon. However, she was more than surprised when she saw who the other recipients were.
"Oh my gosh.....'RedRanger1 at powerrangers.com' ....'BlackRanger1 at powerrangers.com' ....'BlackRanger2 at powerrangers.com' ....PinkRanger2 at powerrangers.com' .....that's five people!!! That's enough for a team! Oh, I don't know what's going on here, but I'm about to find out!" Ashley exclaimed with a smile.
Hitting reply, Ashley typed a message to the sender. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Have the others wait for me," she whispered out loud as she typed. Hitting "'send,' Ashley grabbed her yellow coat, her white running shoes, slipped both things on and headed out the door. She'd call Mom and Dad later.
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**</center>
Ashley's yellow compact Dodge Neon pulled into the parking lot at the Angel's Bluff National Park. She took notice of the two other cars, a red Chevrolet Blazer and a forest green Ford Mustang; they were the ONLY other cars in the parking lot. She looked around, surveying the situation, and started walking in the direction that the giant, proud Power Chamber once stood.
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**</center>
At the Power Chamber's location (if you could call it that), two longtime friends walked around the various debris, looking in disgust at the pirate flags that still flew in the area and throwing them to the ground.
"Man, this place got totaled," Zach Taylor, the former Black Morphin Ranger said. The young man's dreadlocks were tossed about his face as the wind blew. He looked around at the area, then back at his friend.
"Yeah, Zach, I know what you mean. It's too bad we had no powers," Jason Scott, the former Red Morphin and Gold Zeo Ranger said. "Maybe this wouldn't have happened."
"Maybe not, bro, but there wasn't much we could do about it. Everything's got its destiny. Thanks goodness there's no need for Power Rangers anymore."
A voice from far away replied to Zach. As two figures were coming over the horizon, Adam Park loudly proclaimed, "Maybe, but who knows after that email we all got."
Jason smiled and went to greet Adam and his comrade, Kat Hillard. They exchanged handshakes and hugs, and Zach, who shook hands with Adam, stopped short when he got to Kat.
Zach smiled his trademark "Hi-I'm-the-charming-one" smile and addressed Kat, his hand extended. "I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure of meeting you. My name's Zach, original Black Ranger."
Kat smiled back and took Zach's extended hand. "I'm Kat Hillard, second Pink Ranger up through Turbo. It's nice to meet another person from the original team."
Adam spoke up then, saying "So what are you guys doing here? Did you get the email too?"
"Yeah," Jason replied. "Zach got it first, and then called me to see what was going on. We figured it probably had to do with Ranger business, so I picked him up and here we are. Who knows what will happen now."
As the four friends part and begin walking around the debris, looking for any signs of life around the area, Ashley walked up quietly next to Adam, and then gently elbowed him, making her presence known. Adam smiled at her and gave her a hug,
"Hey Ash, how are ya?" Adam asked.
"I'm good," Ashley replied. "You guys are here too, huh? Got the email?"
"Yup. C'mon, the others are right over there," Adam said, grabbing Ashley and taking her to his other friends.
Jason was poking around in a place where he saw a metallic glint among the debris, when he heard Adam shout "Hey guys!" Jason turned as he stood up straight, and watched as Adam led a girl in yellow over to him, Zach, and Kat.
"Who is this?" Jason asked.
"Man, Jase, you don't recognize her? This is Ashley Hammond, the Yellow Space Ranger! Part of the final stand against Astronema!" Zach said.
Ashley blushed a little at Zach's comment, her smile never fading. "Well," she said, "I prefer the term "'former' Yellow Space Ranger. We left our morphers on the Astro Megaship, and therefore cannot morph. But hey, it's nice to meet you!" She shook hands with Zach and Jason. Kat rushed over and hugged Ashley.
"Hey girl!" Kat said. "What's up?"
"Not much Kat, just that I'm here about the email," Ashley replied. "Do you guys know anything about it?"
Jason said, "Nope, we're in the same boat as you. We're just waiting around for signs of life."
Adam was looking behind the rest of the group when he pointed in that direction, towards the general center of the Power Chamber debris.
"Uhm....guys.....does that qualify as a sign of life?" Adam asked. The others turned around, and paid witness to a bluish-yellow shimmer of light that seemed to be floating at least three or four feet above the ground. The light moved, slowly, and appeared in front of each person. As it left the person, a color-coded watch appeared on their hand. Zach received a black watch, Adam a green watch, Kat a pink watch, Ashley a yellow watch, and Jason a red watch. As the light faded after seemingly completing its task, Jason looked around at the others in confusion. Then, a familiar six-toned chime came out of Jason's watch, and the others looked at it in awe.
"It can't be," Zach said.
"Someone's reactivated the communications system," Adam said.
"This is too cool!" Ashley exclaimed.
"Well, are you going to answer it? It's getting annoying," Kat calmly said.
Jason had to smile a little at that, and was once again all business. He raised the watch/communicator/whatever to his lips, and pressed the call button. "This is Jason," he softly said into the device.
^Jason! I'm so glad to hear from you!^ the voice on the other end said. It was strangely familiar, and it took the group a few seconds to recognize it. ^I've been waiting for you guys to respond to that email for ages!^
Zach looked at the communicator for a moment, breaking into a smile. Soon, Jason did the same, and Adam and Kat followed suit. Ashley was the only one who seemed perplexed, and her questions were soon answered when Jason responded to his communicator.
"Billy! It's good to hear from you, man!" Jason exclaimed. "What's going on?"
"A lot, Jason," Billy replied. "Time is of the essence. I need you guys to activate your teleporters as soon as I'm done talking to you. They will take you to........where I am. From there, I'll explain everything."
"Gotcha, Billy," Jason said. He cut the connection and turned to his friends, instinctively taking up the position of leader. "Are you guys ready?" he asked them. Upon their nods, he turned back around. Then as a group, they pressed the teleport buttons on their communicators. However, instead of the usual teleport trademark-streak-of-light the Rangers used to use, the five friends/heroes simply glowed the color of their respective communicator, and seemingly blinked out of existence.
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**</center>
Deep in a dark and mysterious place, loud, crackling energy was heard emanating from a singular fortress in the area. It was the only sound coming from the area, the only structure present in the area.
Inside the fortress, an imposing figure looked on as an ugly monster worked diligently on what appeared to be a giant personal computer. The giant figure addressed the ugly monster as it neared the completion of its work.
"How goes the completion of the portal, Incarus?" the figure asked.
"It is almost done, my Lord Internaught," the monster replied. "Soon, you will be able to access the Cyberworld of your own free will whenever you want, without having to expend your massive power!!!"
"Good. Continue, and let me know when the project is finished. I will attempt to contact our potential ally as soon as it is complete."
"Master, you can't possibly mean....."
"I do. There is no doubt that the forces of good will be ready to stop me. That is why I need his help. He has the most experience with the Rangers, and I believe I can keep him in control."
"But Master, Deviot arranged for the destruction of his own home planet!!! Spectre knows what he could do to you!!!!"
"Like I said, worm, I believe I can keep him under my control. The task I have at hand is too great to not have decent help."
Incarus sighed, and returned to his work. "Whatever you say, Lord Internaught...."
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**</center>
After the Rangers teleported, or "blinked," off the Power Chamber's ruins, they reappeared in new and fresh technological surroundings. Before they could take it in, and ask what it was, and do everything else they did when they were overcome with a new situation, they fainted.
Except for Jason.
Having a bit higher of a tolerance for strain than his friends, Jason was able to withstand most of the effects of the new teleportation system. Except for one very important side effect.
Jason vomited, and only after that did he too pass out.
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**</center>
Bright light shined into her eyes, and she quickly regained awareness. Ashley Hammond's eyes fluttered open, and after her vision cleared she found herself staring at a most familiar sight.
"ALPHA!!!!!" she yelped, startling the little robot. She quickly sat up and gave Alpha a hug, and Alpha returned the hug, if not a little awkwardly.
"Hello, Ashley," Alpha said. "It is good to see you are finally awake."
"Finally?" Ashley asked.
A voice from across the room answered this time. It was the same one that spoke to her and her colleagues after they had received their new communicators.
"You were out for over two hours. The others woke up shortly after they arrived, but it appears that your bodily constitution after being a Ranger is not the same as those who have held the power for long periods of time," Billy said, hunched over a computer console.
"Come again?" Ashley said.
Jason walked over to her bed, and started to help her up. "He said," Jason translated, "that we woke up soon after we were blinked here, but the Power you once held didn't make you strong enough to handle the effects of the teleport."
"Oh," Ashley said.
Billy walked over, a smile on his tanned face, and his sandy-blonde hair in a slight mess. He extended his hand, and offered his warm greetings. "My name is Billy Cranston," he said. "Welcome to the Power Sanctum."
Ashley shook his hand, smiling, and then got a puzzled look on her face. "The Power Sanctum?" she asked.
"It's the base for the latest group of Power Rangers, built beneath the old Power Chamber, if you can believe it," Billy replied. "I didn't know Zordon had a backup-backup base, but it is here. And here," he extended his arms, indicating the entire massive chamber, "is where you will find the most technologically advanced evil-battling weaponry in the galaxy. We have access to massive amounts of power thanks to the combined power sources that Zordon was able to utilize."
Ashley fully stood, and observed the giant base of operations. It was much more massive than any of the previous Rangers' bases, and the technology looked far beyond what was even in the last Power Chamber. The entire room seemed to be done in a dove blue that reflected the massive amounts of light from the ceiling perfectly. Seven consoles stood in the room, each aligned so it would face the massive forward viewing screen. The screen took up a majority of that wall. Behind the consoles were the uniforms of each Ranger team, standing in monument to the legacy of Zordon. Surrounding those were five huge luminescent tubes, each color-coded and seemingly belonging to a Ranger, much like the Turbo version of the Power Chamber. The Red one was in the center, the Black and Green tubes surrounding it on either side, and the Yellow and Pink tubes on the outside. Off to the side of the consoles was an office, presumably where Billy did his work, and Alpha's recharging chamber. Also on that side was a massive double door, obviously leading to another section of the Sanctum. On the other wall, there were various touch-screen monitors, such as one showing the seven continents of Earth, one showing the status of the moon, and three others. Also on that side were two sets of large double doors. Billy smiled as Ashley marveled at the Sanctum Zordon had so laboriously designed, and brought her out of her stupor.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Billy asked.
Ashley looked around and sighed. "But Zordon's....dead," Ashley simply stated.
"Indeed he is, but his legacy, and the fight, lives on. Alpha Five contacted me shortly after The Wave, and he told me of the single surviving evil threat that lived on after Zordon's death. We teleported here from Aquitar, and started the CyberForce program. The rest is up to you, and your other four teammates."
"By teammates," Ashley said, "I take it you don't mean Andros, Carlos, T.J., and Cassie, do you?"
"No," Billy said, "I am afraid not. Before he was captured, Zordon knew of this threat that was coming, and he compiled the most effective Ranger team from his databanks. That's the five of you."
"Oh," Ashley said, studying Billy for a moment. She looked him up, and down, and up, and down, and finally said, "Well, why do you have a communicator too?"
Billy smirked, and held his left arm (the one with his communicator) in his hand. "I have to get out of the Sanctum sometime. And Blue is the color of the mentor, in this case."
This brought the other four Rangers in. Billy had told them the story, about how Zordon had planned for the new evil threat (but he didn't say who), how he had combined some of their old powers (but he didn't say which ones), and how the Sanctum was created (but he didn't say when). But Billy didn't say that he was going to be their mentor. It was a huge challenge.
"Billy," Jason said, "I think it's time you told us the whole truth."
"Everything, huh?" Billy asked. He then smirked, and said, "Okay, but I doubt you'll like it."
Billy sighed, took a long look at the five Rangers and Alpha, and then began his story. "Zordon knew of a threat that was evil personified, evil without a name, evil without shape, or sound. This evil was hidden far away in a dark and dreary dimension, one that did not permit this evil being's escape until the time was right. The only people that knew about this threat were Alpha and myself. Zordon charged us with designing the Power to combat this threat, as he designed the Power Sanctum you see before you, charging it with the very essences of the Thunder Powers, the Zeo Powers, and the Turbo Powers combined. Before Eltare went to war with the United Alliance of Evil, Zordon gave me the password to the Sanctum should the evil ever be freed, and a way to detect that evil. After The Wave, it was freed. You remember how we all felt Zordon touch us as he passed on? Well, he told me, very quickly, that the evil was freed and that I was needed on Earth. I got here with Alpha, activated the Sanctum, and a week later, here we are. Zordon chose me to be the mentor because, well, he thought I was the best man for the job."
"Billy's right," Alpha said, "Zordon chose him because he has the most technological experience. And with what we'll be doing, we're going to need it."
"Wow," Zach said. "That's pretty deep. So who's this new evil threat?"
"Probably one evil monstrosity," Kat observed.
"You're right Kat, he is very evil," Billy said. "And very powerful. He used a lot of his power to get to this universe, but he is no doubt building a way to get back to his own dimension through technological means."
"So what does he look like?" Adam queried.
"Well, if you really want to see him," Billy sighed. He walked over to a computer console, punching in a sequence of commands, and the giant viewscreen lit up. It zoomed onto the face of a truly evil-looking creature. The hulking creature was about 8' tall, and had a fanged sneer on its horrid-looking face. The creature was black, with blood red highlights. Red horns and red eyes with no pupils highlighted its black face, and its mouth held evil red teeth. The computer's camera zoomed back out and it was revealed that the monster had no raiment, but his entire body was still black. The creature's long fingernails were red, as were its toenails, and it had a patch of red over its crotch. The creature held a blood-red metallic staff, with twin daggers at either end. The creature looked like a beast straight out of a horror movie.
"Ew," Ashley stated.
"This," Billy said, "is our adversary. His name is Internaught, self-proclaimed ruler of the digital realm. He was born on and draws his power from the internet."
The Rangers looked stunned. "The internet?" Kat exclaimed. "No way!"
"It's true, Kat," Billy replied. "Internaught has a firm hold over the internet and its evil ways. All the porn, vulgar, or flagrant sites? He owns them. Internet propaganda? He facilitates it. And to top it all off, he owns Yahoo!."
That statement coerced a stifled laugh out of most of the Rangers, except Jason, who wasn't really an internet buff because he believed that, although some of it was used for good, most of it was bad.
Zach was laughing hardest, although he tried not to show it. "He owns Yahoo!?" he said.
"Precisely," Billy stated, a patient look on his face. He had expected this reaction out of some of the Rangers, and was prepared for it. "You know how Yahoo! keeps taking over websites? You know, like the WebRing, or SimpleNet, or eGroups? He's trying to conquer the internet. He believes that if he buys out the companies and offers the best services, he'll be able to place enough subliminal messages in his services that he will have the entire world under his control before long."
"That's really......logical, if you think about it," Jason said. "You know how people will flock to whatever's easier and whatever is the most accessible. Yahoo! already has a hold on the internet, cellular, and paging worlds. We've got to stop this guy."
"And that is where you guys come in, Jason," Billy said. "You five have been chosen to combat this threat. Now, it's time to introduce you to your powers."
Billy walked over to the computer console once again and typed in a different series of commands. A giant lightning bolt with the words "CyberForce Project" superimposed over it replaced the image of Internaught. The display screen slowly started to cycle, as Billy narrated.
"You five are to become the Power Rangers CyberForce, the latest in Ranger tech and the most advanced Ranger team ever. Your powers will be drawn from three sources: the different parts and sections of a computer, the internet itself, and the Thunder powers."
Five color-coded squares appeared on the screen: Red, Yellow, Pink, Black, and Green. The Pink, Black, Yellow, and Green squares took over the main part of the screen, and the Red square fixated itself above them. In each square appeared a name: "Jason" in the Red square; "Zach" in the Black Square; "Ashley" in the Yellow square; "Kat" in the Pink square; and "Adam" in the Green square. The Green Square, with the Adam name, was enlarged first, to take up the majority of the screen.
"Adam," Billy said, "You will once again be the Green Ranger. As the Green Cyber Ranger you will control the power of the modem, the method of communication. Your power will allow you to communicate across great distances and even through light years, thanks to the power of something that's being developed called "'subspace.' Adam, please step forward."
Adam did as Billy said, and a green light enveloped him. "Adam," Billy said, "do you accept the power of the Green Cyber Ranger, ready to aid in the ongoing battle against evil?"
"I do," Adam said modestly. The green light faded and a green and black morpher replaced Adam's green communicator. The morpher featured a bright green ball near the back of the device, and two buttons next to it. In addition, the strap was green.
The screen changed, and the green faded to a darker shade and the word "accepted" appeared under Adam's name. Then, the pink square came to the forefront, with Kat's name featured on it.
"Kat," Billy said again, "you have done your job as a Pink Ranger, and now we call upon you again to do it. As the Pink Cyber Ranger you will control the power of DOS, and be able to control people's thoughts. Please step forward."
Kat did so, and a pink light enveloped her just as it did Adam. "Kat, do you accept the power of the Pink Cyber Ranger?" Billy asked.
"I do," Kat said. The light faded, and just as it did with Adam, a morpher appeared on her wrist. It was exactly like Adam's, except it was Pink where Adam's was green.
Once again, the screen changed. Kat's square turned a shade darker and the word "accepted" appeared under her name. The yellow square flashed and took up a majority of the screen, this time with Ashley's name on it.
"Ashley," Billy began, "although your time as a Ranger has been short, you have proven your worth time and again. As Yellow Cyber Ranger, you will control the power of the video card, and will be able to project images and make people see things that aren't there. Your powers can work in conjunction with Kat's. Please step forward."
Ashley did as she was told, and a yellow light enveloped her. Ashley accepted Billy's offer, she was given her morpher, and her square went back to the background of the viewing screen's display, darker and with the word "accepted" under her name. The screen then changed to show Zach's square complete with his name on it.
"Zach," Billy started again, "you have proven your selflessness, courage, and fighting prowess time and again as the Black Ranger. Now, Zach, you have been called upon once again as the Black Cyber Ranger. You will harness the power of the sound card, and through it you will be able to control sonics. Your power will work in conjunction with Adam's communications abilities. Please step forward."
Zach did so, and in passing Jason, he said "Cool, I always wanted to be my own stereo," prompting a smile out of both Jason and Billy. The three old teammates seemed happy to be together again. The process went through, Zach acquiring his all-black morpher and accepting his powers. Zach's square, since it couldn't get darker, simply returned to the back of the screen with the word "accepted" under his name. Then Jason's square came up front, the final Ranger to have to accept his powers.
"Jason," Billy said once more, "you have been the archetype Ranger for those that followed in your footsteps. The greatest thing anyone could have said about you came from Tommy. I asked him one day how he stayed so strong in times of crisis. He told me simply, "'I learned from the best, and the best's name was Jason Scott.'" As Jason smiled at that, touched by his longtime friend's words, Billy continued. "Now, Jason, you have been called upon to once more lead this team to victory. Through you, the Rangers will see the day when good will truly reign in the universe. As the Red Cyber Ranger, you will control the power of the motherboard, and have access to each of the other Rangers' powers. Do you accept this responsibility?"
Jason smiled, and his friend Zach patted him on the back. "You know I do, Billy," he said. Then Jason's red-and-black morpher appeared on his wrist, and Jason sighed as he felt the power, a power greater than any he had held in the past, flow through him.
"Well, it looks like this is the start of a new era of Power Rangers," Billy said. "Let's go over a few basics." He touched a button on the viewscreen and two different categories appeared, each labeled. One was labeled "weapons" and the other one was labeled "zords." Billy punched a button, and the Weapons come on the screen.
Billy wasted no time. "These are your Cyber Blasters and Cyber Sabers," he said, highlighting the standard weapons for each Ranger. Then he continued, "Each Ranger has a different Power Weapon, the same as it has been in the past. Red Cyber controls the Cyber Sword, Green Cyber controls the Cyber Bo, Black Cyber controls the Cyber Katanas, Yellow Cyber controls the Cyber Daggers, and Pink Cyber controls the Cyber Crossbow."
The other Rangers were pleasantly surprised by the choice of weapons. Jason was always adept with the broadsword like his Cyber Sword was. Zach, by happenstance, has just started training with katanas. Kat had always hated the regular Power Bow, and had wanted something just as effective but easier to use. Ashley's martial arts training had always included daggers, and Adam's all-inclusive training allowed him to be prepared for any weapon that was thrown at him. Billy had indeed chosen well.
"The Zords," Billy continued, "are more technologically advanced than the ones we have used in the past, but we're going to see some familiar faces. Basically, I took the designs of Zords and molded them to create the CyberZords, and eventually, the Cyber MegaZord. Jason, your Zord will be the Red Dragon CyberZord. Zach, your Zord will be the Lion CyberZord. Adam, your Zord will be the Taurus CyberZord. Ashley, your Zord will be the Wolf CyberZord. Finally, Kat, your Zord will be the Firebird CyberZord." As Billy went through the list, each Zord was shown. Most of the Zords looked exactly as they did in the past; the Red Dragon was a more streamlined version of the ThunderZord model; the Black Lion looked almost like its predecessor, the Taurus was an almost exact replica from the Zeo days, and the Firebird was a more maneuverable and faster version of the Thunderzord of the same name. The only difference was the Wolf CyberZord, which was a yellow version of the Blue NinjaZord, with a more lifelike appearance. The Zords were similar to the ones used in the past, but, as all the Rangers were aware, outward appearances can sometimes be deceiving.
"Wow Billy," Zach said, "this is really cool! So what do the costumes look like?"
Before Billy could answer, a loud siren blew, the lights in the Power Sanctum dimmed, and red light bars began to flash throughout the room. Billy turned to his friends, the new Rangers.
"We're about to find out," he said grimly.
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**</center>
Deep in the dark dimension, Internaught was ready. The "portal" was complete, and Incarus had completed his work. He stood at the portal, typing in commands. A computerized, mechanical voice responded to his keyed-in commands, and he smiled with satisfaction.
Power levels nominal, the voice said.
"Good," said Internaught, an evil grin on his face. "Incarus, are my foot soldiers ready?"
"They are prepared, Your Lordship," Incarus said.
"Very good. Computer, activate voice recognition system. Identify user and lockout all other users."
Voice recognition system activated. User Lord Internaught identified. Lockout complete. All access by any other life form will result in immediate vaporization, the voice intoned.
"Bring a platoon of Digicons over to this realm. Now," Internaught said.
Acknowledged, the computer said. Soon, a flash of black light overtook the entire room and a group of the usual foot soldiers appeared in the room. Except these weren't your usual foot soldiers. They all wore menacing look on your face, and were all black except for yellow eyes and teeth. A silver sword jutted out of each one's forearm, right above the hand. Internaught smiled with satisfaction.
"My beautiful Digicons," Internaught said. "It is time for you to wreak some real-world havoc. Computer!!! Teleport my Digicons to Earth!!!!!!!"
Acknowledged, the computer said.
Above the din of Internaught's horrid laugh, the Digicons, the noiseless warriors, were teleported out of the fortress and to an insignificant little town known as Angel Grove, California.
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**</center>
Over the din of the alarm, Jason shouted to Billy. "What's going on??!!??" he asked.
Billy calmly hit a button and the alarms died down, although the "red alert" bars were flashing and the lights were still dim. Billy pulled up an image on the screen of the Digicons and the others, particularly the females, gasped at the sight of the evil creations. The Digicons were at the time busy terrorizing the civilians of Angel Grove.
"Thos are Digicons," Billy said, "the foot soldiers of Internaught. Like the putties of Zedd and Rita, only nastier and with no qualms about killing."
"Those things are supposed to be like putties?" Zach asked.
"Close enough," Billy said, getting impatient. "Look, you guys need to morph and get out there. You shouldn't have much of a problem dispatching the Digicons once you get accustomed to their fighting prowess."
"Huh?" Ashley asked.
"Once you get used to them, they shouldn't be a problem," Billy impatiently translated.
"Oh."
"Now go! They're not going to just scare people! This is serious!"
We're on it, Billy," Jason said. "You guys ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Adam said.
"Nothin' to it but to do it," Zach proclaimed.
"Let's go!" Ashley exclaimed.
"Right!" Kat finished.
Jason smiled, and then brought his hand up to his morpher. He drew in a deep breath, his mind racing, trying to calm himself. And then, his eyes became intense, and he put all his emotions, all his fears, all his energy into his call. "IT'S MORPHIN TIME!!!" he shouted.
"Pink CyberForce Online!" Kat shouted.
"Yellow CyberForce Online!" Ashley exclaimed.
"Black CyberForce Online!" Zach called.
"Green CyberForce Online!" Adam proclaimed.
"Red CyberForce Online!" Jason finished.
As each Ranger called out their morphin call and pressed the large button on their morphers, the orb on top lit up and flew out to face them. Out of the orb came each Ranger's costume: white boots up to the knee, colored pant armor, white gloves about two-thirds of the way up the forearm, the colored torso and arm armor, a gold belt on each Ranger with the buckle as a lightning bolt with the letters "CF" superimposed over it, and a white section over the left part of their chest in effect halving their torso with the same logo as a belt buckle over the left breast. The helmet, formed from the orb, had an oval visor, with a black stripe going over the center of the helmet and a silver mouth guard with no fake lips. The Rangers stopped for a minute to marvel over their costumes, the intricacies and design of them, before Red Ranger looked up and received a stern look from Billy. He got the other Rangers' attention and they teleported out in their trademark "blink of light."
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**</center>
The Rangers reappeared in Angel Grove Park, ready for battle. The Digicons stopped for a moment, as if studying them.
"What are they doing?" Yellow Ranger asked.
"I dunno, but at least they stopped attacking the civilians," Green Ranger replied.
"Keep your guard up, Rangers," Red Ranger said.
The Digicons looked at the Rangers, then back at one another. Looked at the Rangers, then back at one another. They then, with blinding speed, rushed the Rangers, and before the Rangers could react, the Digicons were upon them like flies upon old food, striking the Rangers with fierceness and agility that were unparalleled by any other group of foot soldiers in the past.
The Rangers were able to kick the Digicons off, and each one drew a different weapon. Yellow and Black Rangers drew their Cyber Blasters, Green Ranger drew his Cyber Bo, Pink Ranger drew her Cyber Saber, and Red Ranger drew his Cyber Sword.
"Be careful, Rangers," Red Ranger said. "ATTACK!!!!"
Soon, the Rangers and Digicons quickened the battle. An arm blade parried an attack with a sword, and blasts hit Digicons true. The Rangers, feeling they had weakened the Digicons enough, rushed in for a hand-to-hand battle, and the fight intensified.
"AYA!" screamed Red Ranger. He sliced a Digicon through, and it fell in two parts. The Digicon husk then disappeared, and he turned and blasted another Digicon with his Cyber Blaster, vaporizing it. "Wow," Red Ranger said, "I didn't know these things were that powerful!
"KIYA!!!!!" hollered Black Ranger. He blasted a Digicon before performing his trademark hip-hop kido on it, kicking it into oblivion.
Other attacks followed suit, and soon, only two Digicons were left. The five Rangers gathered together, and they each drew their Cyber Blasters.
"High setting, Rangers," Red Ranger said. The Rangers then blasted the Digicons, and the battle was over.
The Rangers began congratulating one another, but before they could get too far, wind began whipping across the park. A black formation of clouds appeared overhead, thundering and crackling with lightning. Upon further observation, though, the Rangers found the lightning was black. One strike of black lightning hit the ground, directly in front of the Rangers, and caused the ground to smoke before them. The five Rangers studied the smoke curiously, and a shadow was seen walking out of it. A big shadow. No, Jason observed, a REALLY BIG shadow. Internaught's smile had turned into a grimace as he regarded the Rangers and their prowess over the Digicons.
"You.....you.....you...mortal WHELPS!!!" he shouted, startling the Rangers. He extended his crimson staff, and the Rangers were caught in a field of black energy. No matter how hard he tried, Internaught could not demorph his adversaries, so he simply let them hang there while he addressed them.
"You five were not in my calculations. Zordon was supposed to be dead," Internaught said.
He.....IS.....dead....you......black.....moron," Jason said between gasps. "But...his legacy.....lives on. In us."
"Oh, you think so? Very well. You five entertain me. I shall permit you to live. For now. Perhaps you will become worthy adversaries, for I have not faced an enemy such as you in millennia. He walked up to each Ranger hanging in midair, and got right in their faces, trying to see if they were afraid. He could see nothing, so he continued. "I hope you're ready for your lives to be a living, tiring, obnoxious hell. Good day."
And with Internaught's last remark, the field disappeared, sending each Ranger down to the ground with a loud THUD! as Internaught teleported away. Dusting themselves off, each Ranger made sure their teammates were okay, and teleported out.
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**</center>
Making his way through the old and dusty fortress, Internaught regarded the Moon Palace with little taste or patience. He made his way through the structure, cleaning it with his powers as he went along. As he reached the Throne Room, he noticed the chair on the throne had a large Z inscribed on the back of it. With a smile, and a wry evil sense of humor, he pointed at the Z, and changed it to the Yahoo Y! logo with a crackle of black energy.
"Incarus!!!! The portal will go in here. Make arrangements for its delivery," Internaught said.
"Yes, milord," Incarus said, shuffling away.
"Power Rangers.....," Internaught muttered under his breath. Then he slowly let a smile spread over his evil face. And then a soft snicker escaped his lips. And slowly but surely, his laugh spread into a mad cackle that echoed through the empty castle, signifying his satisfaction regarding the situation at hand.
<center>
**</center>
In the Power Sanctum, the Rangers teleported in and demorphed. Billy looked at them with a smile, and gave Zach a pat on the back.
"You guys did great! Good job for your first time," Billy said gladly.
"Yeah, man," Jason said, "but we ran into Internaught too."
"He was one ugly guy," Kat said.
"Big, too," Zach observed.
"And his breath stank! I mean, gross!" Ashley said.
"He told us," Adam said calmly, "to be ready for our lives to be hell."
"He may very well mean it, Adam," Billy said. "With access to the internet, he can wipe away all proof of your existence, screw with your credit histories, you name it. And you know what that means."
"This time," Jason said, "we have to keep our identities a secret. From everybody."
"Precisely. And until we destroy Internaught, nothing that we get via email is secure. That's why I created the cyberforce.mil server. That's totally hack-proof. Heck, nobody even knows we're here in the Sanctum. We just have to be careful."
And pray," Adam said, "that we can beat this guy......"
To Be Continued...