Disclaimer: The Power Rangers and its characters are owned by Saban Entertainment, not me.

 

Power Rangers X-treme
"The Reign of Terror Part II"
by Wildfire K

The hoard of civilians at Southern California Beach let out terrified shrieks as they ran away, some into their cars and driving home, and others into the Aquatic center for shelter as the Death Knights emerged to their full heights on the shoreline. The terrifying creatures stepped forward and began pursuing the horrified people. Each Death Knight reached into its own scabbard and brandished long blood-stained metal swords.

For the first time in his life, Tommy felt his bravery fade as he held himself back-first against the wall behind him, and he found that he was breathing very heavily. The sheer aura of the Death Knights was enough to make the courageous leader hesitate before doing anything. He felt Katherine snuggle up against him, and he knew that she was probably more afraid of the menace than he was. Finally, Tommy summoned his courage and was the first among his friends to step forward: "Let's take these guys!"

"What!?" Billy was far too intimidated and felt frozen where he was standing.

"You heard what I said," Tommy said with a stern, but intimidated look as a gland of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He knew that the days of fighting weak putties and coward tengas were now over, and that this new menace was far more dangerous.

For some reason, Karone was really disturbed by what she saw. She grabbed on to Jason's arm and laid her head on his shoulder. Jason felt that her grip on him was extremely tight, and that she was shaking with fear.

"Let's take "'em!" Tommy cried once again, but realized his friends were hesitating. The Death Knights were now making their way towards the running civilians.

Jason stroked his fingers through Karone's hair gently before directing his attention back to his adversaries, as he prepared for battle, following Tommy's lead: "Right, Tommy! Let's do this! Spread out guys!"

Finally, the group of Rangers stepped forward and ran towards the group of Death Knights. Tommy was the first to charge forward and attack a Death Knight with an agile spin kick, one that barely grazed the shoulder of the large dark figure. Jason grabbed a metal pipe which was used for construction near the food court and was next to join the fray. As he attacked the Death Knight took a baseball swing with its sword at Jason, and Jason crouched low to the ground to avoid the initial attack. He then hoisted the metal bar high above his head and slammed it down onto the Death Knight's head: "Clunk!"

"Take that!" Jason had bashed the metal pipe with all his might onto his opponent's cranium. However, it came to Jason's surprise that the Death Knight withstood the powerful blow, without flinching or even or even attempting to dodge the attack. The Death Knight was unaffected by the shot to the head. Instead, the metal pipe which Jason had used became bent from the impact. The Death Knight thrust its right leg forward, and caught Jason in the abdomen, thus causing him to be thrown backwards and land back-first onto the sandy beach.

Tommy kicked the sword out of another Death Knight's hand, thus forcing it to fight with its fists. Tommy ducked a right cross, then came back with a punch of his own, driving his fist into the Death Knight's chest plate: "AAAUUUGGHHH!!!" he screeched as he hurt his hand from hitting the Death Knight's armor.

Billy grabbed a chair from the food court area and slammed it onto a Death Knight's back, but he faced the same experience as Jason, with the chair breaking as the Death Knight absorbed the blow. "They're too strong!" he cried.

"AAAHH!" Kat shrieked as the Death Knight punched her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. The Death Knight then hoisted its sword high above its head and prepared to drive it down into the Australian girl's beautiful skin.

"NO!" Tommy grunted as he got up and bolted over to tackle the Death Knight from hurting his girlfriend. However, he barely managed to make it stagger, although the vicious warrior did drop its weapon, and instead grabbed Tommy and put him into a bear hug. "AAAUUGH!" he shouted once again as the incredibly strong creature tightened its grasp on him. The other former rangers could hear the sound of his bones cracking from the wrestling hold.

"Tommy!" Kat cried as she brushed the sand off of her red bathing suit. She immediately ran over and drove her bare foot into the Death Knight's back, but the hulking creature barely moved an inch.

Ashley scurried away from two Death Knights who were swinging away at her with their swords. She heaved a baseball sized rock at one of them, which rebounded off its armor without hurting it. "It's like hitting a brick wall!" Ashley shouted. "Nothing hurts these things."

"UNGH!" Tommy bellowed as he was powerless at the hands of the Death Knight which had its large arms wrapped around him.

Kat could still hear the crackling sound of Tommy's bones as she grabbed at the Death Knight's shoulder and tried to pull it away, seeing that nothing else would work. "Stop it!" she found she was almost pleading. Finally, the towering figure released his grasp of Tommy, who would have collapsed to the ground had the Death Knight not been holding him upright with its left hand gripped around his neck. The Death Knight then pulled its other fist back and slammed it right into Tommy's face, causing him to come flying several feet backwards as he hit the ground with a "thud!"

***

"Ai yi yi yi yi!!!" Alpha 5 whimpered as he turned to his new viewing globe to try and locate his former group of friends, only to see the unfortunate situation they were enduring. "I'd better do something!" he clicked a few buttons on the computer systems in front of him.

***

Karone hesitated to fight, as she had been for some strange reason terrified more than the others were, even when Billy was only beginning his discussion on the Empire of Darkness. She narrowly avoided the attacks from her larger opponents, but did not retaliate with any attacks of her own. "This can't be happening. I... I just can't do this," she muttered to herself. Finally, she turned around and ran, as a trio of Death Knights pursued her. No one else knew why she had been so terrified. She knew something that they didn't.

Jason sidestepped the Death Knight he was fighting from the start, but was pummeled with a knee in the back by another. He looked around, and saw that his friends were suffering a similar problem: Kat was trying to protect Tommy's near lifeless body. Billy was on the ground, rolling away from his attackers. Karone was running, and Ashley was slowly backing off. "We gotta retreat!" Jason finally uttered. As his friends got back together and regrouped near the food court, Jason rushed over and scooped up Tommy from the ground, placing him over one shoulder. The group of former Rangers regrouped, but the Death Knights were not about to retract from their attack. The twelve dark warriors surrounded their prey. Finally, Jason reached into the gun holster on his waist, and drew out his handgun. "Back off!" he shouted to the Death Knights, who were closing in. He pointed his gun at the closest Death Knight from him. "I'll blow your head off! Now back off!" Soon, the Death Knights were within an arm's reach. Figuring that there was no other choice, Jason fired six shots from his revolver, the first shot striking the Death Knight he had threatened, and the other five he fired in a circle around him, striking several of the Death Knights companions. The stricken hulking creatures staggered backwards, and fell over, but the rest of them kept closing in. Jason pulled the trigger again, but this time he was out of ammunition. Soon, the former Rangers were teleported away from the danger.

***

Six streaks of white light came crashing into Alpha's satellite. "Ai yi yi, thank goodness you're safe!" he exclaimed.

"Alpha?" Billy was delighted, but confused. "Did you bring us here?"

"Yes," Alpha said. "I had to. You were in danger. You could have been killed."

"It's a good thing you did," Ashley said, looking around at the fancy computer surroundings and various monitors surrounding her, including a viewing globe to her left. The room was shaped round, a convenient setup for Alpha to work. "What is this place?"

"This is Satellite X," Alpha explained. "Before Zordon passed away he left me the blueprints to build this place, in case of emergency situations."

Jason helped Kat place Tommy onto a table at the center of the room. "Emergency?" Kat asked.

"Oooo," Alpha 5 began to shiver. "Rangers, you have to leave this planet as soon as you can! Before anyone else gets hurt... or dies!"

A moment of silence followed Alpha's warning.

"Um... leave?" Ashley didn't know what to make of the situation.

"Yes!" Alpha was edgy from all the work he had been doing. "This satellite was designed to bring you to safety, anywhere you need. That's why I made it. I didn't want to see you die."

"But... Alpha," Jason protested. "We can't just leave. What's going on?"

"The Empire of Darkness!" Alpha bellowed. "They're coming! I mean, they're here! Those things that attacked you, those Death Knights, they could have killed you. They're going to kill so many people, ruin so many lives! They're going to take over this planet."

"The legends are real," Billy confirmed. "The story I told you all about them is true."

"They hurt Tommy," Kat said, standing over him. Alpha immediately came over and checked his condition.

"He's unconscious," Alpha said.

"So what do we do?" Jason was puzzled.

"Rangers, before anything happens," Alpha answered. "There's something I'd like for you to see," he walked over and picked up a round disk from one of the shelves on the wall. "It's from Zordon. He recorded this before he passed away. I found it near his tube shortly after. He wanted you to see it if you were ever in this situation."

Alpha inserted the disk into one of the drives and the large blank monitor in the center of the room flickered into the image of Zordon in his interdimensional tube: "Rangers," Zordon exclaimed. "If you are seeing this now, then it means I was not around to inform you of these circumstances myself. I composed this message during the time I was captured by Dark Spectre, so should you ever receive this, please pay close attention, for what I am about to tell you is rather disturbing."

Karone headed towards the open doorway, which led to a corridor somewhere else in Satellite X. However, she was held back by Jason, who grabbed her firmly by the arm. "C'mon, this is important."

Karone was reluctant, but stayed: "I know. That's what I'm afraid of."

"What you are about to deal with is an evil so powerful, so vile, and so ancient that its source dates back to the beginnings of time," Zordon continued. "I am referring to the Empire of Darkness, an evil force which is so ruthless that they have been conquering planets all across the universe since they came about. I fear that Earth may be coming up somewhere on its agenda, as the Dark Emperor, Seth Magnus' motive is to attain complete domination of every living being that exists. The power at his disposal is beyond our imaginations, beyond the scope of our greatest fears and worst nightmares. His evil deeds take place due to the fact that he possesses the most massive star fleet known in history. At his disposal are billions upon billions of soldiers. The sum of his soldiers exceeds the sum of human beings on the planet Earth. I know it sounds surprising, and unbelievable, but it is possible, and here is why: this horrifying fact may disturb you, but listen closely. His soldiers, otherwise known as Death Knights, are skeletons covered in massive armor. They are formidable fighters, a hundred times more dangerous than any Putty Patroller, Tenga Warrior, Cog, piranhatron, or Quantron you have ever faced. In fact, the accumulation of skeletons is the result of the fact that, when Seth Magnus' forces slay their victims, their corpses are collected. These corpses are then cremated, leaving behind the skeletal structure which Seth Magnus' wizard, the Dark Sorcerer, changes into mindless fighting drones. Imagine the number of individuals Seth has had killed. All these victims now serve him as the undead creatures, the Death Knights."

The former Rangers were listening to Zordon's speech carefully. Jason could feel himself trembling, and maybe, although it would be difficult for him to admit, he was scared for the first time in his life.

The recording of Zordon's voice continued: "I know that you are wondering what you should do about this menace. As unfortunate as it may sound, there is nothing you nor I nor anyone can do about this. The likes of those you have dealt with in the past, namely Lord Zedd, Rita Repulsa, King Mondo, Divatox, and even Dark Spectre... given all their power added up and multiplied by a thousand would not even equal the tremendous power of Seth Magnus. Unlike these enemies, whose knowledge span and accumulation of power dates back only a few thousand years, the Dark Emperor Seth Magnus has existed since time began. As a result, he is far too powerful for anyone to deal with, and even the Ranger powers you once possessed, and the Megazords you once controlled could not withstand his ruthlessness. And since you no longer possess powers, I'm afraid the best thing for you all to do is leave Earth immediately. I tell you this only because I fear for you and care for your safety. Even I shudder at the thought of Seth Magnus, and the last thing I want is for you to lose your lives. I have left, for Alpha 5, the plans to create Satellite X, the transportation device which will bring you, your friends, and any loved ones to leave Earth immediately. I know it sounds harsh and implausible, but believe me, when the Dark Empire arrives, you do not want to be around. I just don't want you to become victims of his Reign of Terror. "

Zordon's voice faded and the monitor which showed his face was turned off. "So that's it? We just leave?" Katherine asked as she knelt by Tommy's side.

"Yes," Alpha said as he motioned towards the computer which housed the disk he had just inserted. "I know it's hard, but you must listen to what Zordon says. You must understand," Alpha said. "First of all, the six of you do not have any powers. Secondly, even if you did, there would be absolutely no way to defend the earth. It would be just the six of you against an army of billions. Seth's battle strategies are deadly. "

Jason continued to feel himself trembling. However, he turned his open palm into a fist, thus reverting his fear into that of anger: "How can you be saying this to us?" he asked Alpha. "You and Zordon are the ones who turned us into heroes in the first place and made us into the Power Rangers. Now you're the ones telling us to give up."

"You saw what the Death Knights could do," Karone intervened. "The Dark Emperor is too strong. Just look outside," she gestured to the window of the satellite, where the former Rangers could see swarms of the Empire of Darkness' starships.

"Karone?" Jason ignored the horrifying sight he saw outside and was puzzled with the lack of confidence in his fellow former Ranger. "Why are you acting this way?" he proceeded before she could answer. "I mean, when Billy showed us his book, you left. When Alpha showed us Zordon's video recording, you tried to leave again. I mean," his harsh tone of voice calmed into a more tender sound. "What's wrong?"

Ashley touched Karone on the arm, "Is there something you're not telling us?"

Karone hesitated in answering. It was then that the former Rangers knew she was hiding something.

"Well, is there?" Ashley repeated, but to no avail.

"Karone, listen to us," Jason moved closer to her. "We're all former Power Rangers, and we're your friends now. You can trust us. Now, tell us what you know."

Still, the beautiful girl refused to answer. Instead, she leaned her back against the wall and hid her face in her hands. Soon, she began to cry.

"I... I'm sorry," Jason didn't know what to say, for he felt he had stimulated her sadness.

"I hate to say this," Ashley interjected, finally giving in: "But maybe we should just do as Alpha says. Look at the pain it's causing us, and Seth Magnus has barely started to attack Earth."

"Well," Kat sighed, "I guess there's just no way we can fight them."

"No..." Karone lifted her head from her hands, and wiped the tears which rolled down the sides of her face. "There is a way."

"Ooooooh," Alpha trembled. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." It seemed he knew what Karone was talking about.

Ashley walked over and patted Karone on the arm. "Tell us."

"I... I was so scared," Karone began. "It happened back when I was still Astronema."

"What... what happened?" Billy asked.

"I once thought that the legends of the Dark Empire were just a myth," Karone explained. "Until I saw it myself."

"Saw what?" Kat questioned.

"The Dark Sun," Karone answered. "The most horrifying thing I ever saw. It's Seth Magnus' space base, the largest and most heavily armed thing anyone has ever seen. It was just so dark, and looked so haunted. I saw it when we were invading a planet in the Nautissa galaxy. The Empire of Darkness was there when we arrived, and when we saw his massive fleet set up a siege around an entire planet, we backed off. When we returned home, Dark Spectre was furious to find out that there was an evil which existed who was so much more powerful than he was."

"So what did you do?" Jason asked.

"When we returned to the galaxy, I went with a group of my troops to check out one of the planets. We landed our shuttle in an open plain, where a single Death Knight was wandering. We figured it must have been left behind by its star fleet, "'cause those things never come alone. I got scared when I saw it because it was so hideous, so I dispatched ten Quantrons to attack it...

but it destroyed them all...

by itself, it destroyed them all."

"So that's why you didn't want to fight when we saw them earlier," Jason said. "Karone, I never knew..."

"It's okay, Jason," Karone assured him before continuing: "Without my Quantrons, I was defenseless. The Death Knight saw me and came after me. It would have killed me, had Ecliptor not shown up to protect me. Ecliptor was my most powerful warrior, but his battle with the Death Knight was grueling. They fought for almost an hour, a single Death Knight against my champion soldier. Ecliptor stopped the Death Knight, but it almost killed him. The Death Knight was as strong as he was. For weeks Ecliptor was wounded, unable to join in any of our battles. I was lucky to be out of there alive. I didn't know much about the Death Knight when I first saw it, but I freaked out when I later found out that there were armies of them. I just couldn't imagine it. But then, I had recalled a few stories I had heard about the Empire of Darkness and their evil soldiers. It was only then that I found out the myths were true."

A moment of silence followed Karone's discussion before Katherine spoke: "You said there was a way we could fight them," Kat was eager to know the information. "What were you talking about?"

"I'll share with you a story I learned as a little girl. I was talking about another ancient power, Katherine," Karone explained. "One that was created by an old wizard here on Earth."

"The Extreme Powers!" Billy exclaimed, reciting in his mind something he had learned before.

"The what?" Ashley said.

"The Extreme Powers," Billy repeated.

Karone's explanation was curtailed: "Billy, you know about this?"

"Yeah... I remember now," he replied. "I was briefly told about this during my stay in Aquitar. The Aquitian Rangers said something about this, but they seemed too disturbed to talk about it for very long."

"But the Aquitian Rangers are dead!" Alpha intervened.

"What?" the others cried in unison.

"That's part of the reason I'm so afraid of this menace!" the lights on Alpha's head visor blinked faster as he grew more nervous. "The Empire of Darkness invaded Aquitar for its fresh water supply and killed the Alien Rangers!"

"And they're going to do the same here?" Ashley wondered if they would suffer the same fate.

"Not for the same reasons," Alpha responded. "The Earth's majority of salt water can't be converted into the same type of energy the Empire is searching for. But still, I was hoping you'd reconsider and not fight these things! Zordon was afraid this would happen."

"You knew about these powers too, Alpha?" Jason asked.

"Yes, but I was afraid you'd try to get them," Alpha answered.

Jason turned to face Karone: "Where are these powers? What happened to them?"

Karone brushed a strand of her golden hair back behind her neck before proceeding: "This wizard I spoke of lived during the era of the Ancient Greeks. He and a group of great magicians from other planets put their skills together to create these powers. Centuries ago, a planet called Titanica was being invaded by Seth Magnus. Titanica was a planet inhabited by a race of Titans, who looked like humans, except that they were larger and stronger."

"So what happened next?" Billy asked.

Karone took a deep breath before continuing: "When the people of Titanica knew about the attack that the Dark Emperor had planned for them, they journeyed to Earth to find the Extreme Powers. The wizard, seeing their noble nature, granted it to them, and with them, the high council of Titanica selected the strongest, most fierce and well known warriors on their planet, bred for the purpose of combat. They were the chosen ones to use the Extreme Powers. With them, they formed the strongest Power Ranger team of all time. These chosen warriors were named after mythological gods because of the abilities and attributes they possessed, and whose power they were wielding. Note that they are NOT the gods themselves, only named after them, I repeat. The team of heroes went into battle with the Empire of Darkness, but as you know, there's strength in numbers, and after many long hard battles, the team was defeated. They fought with everything they had, but were brutally murdered during the fight, and the Planet of Titanica was taken over by Seth Magnus."

"But what happened to the powers?" Katherine asked.

"I am getting to that," Karone answered. "With the death of the powerful warriors, their bodies were buried on the Island of Fallen Warriors, somewhere in a hidden realm, and along with them, the long lost Extreme Powers."

"So we can't just walk in and take them?" Ashley asked.

"No. If it were that easy, they would have been taken a long time ago," Karone continued. "The dead warriors still exist in ghost form. They will appear like phantoms in the cave of which their tombs rest at. It is heavily guarded. Many others, both good and evil, including some of my former allies, have tried to convince the spirits of the dead warriors to turn over the Extreme Powers. But the guardians of the powerful titans have never allowed it to happen. The area should be guarded by iron guardians, who the spirits call forth in time of need. They dispose of those who disturb the dead. This is what I was afraid of... becoming a Power Ranger again and fighting this crazy war. Also, going on this mission for the powers is suicide."

"But if that's the case, couldn't we just tell them that Alpha sent us?" Ashley asked.

"We can't do that this time. So many before us have tried to lie to the warriors to take the powers. They probably won't believe us," Karone said.

"Then how do we take the powers?" Jason asked.

"I... I don't know," answered Karone.

"But the Titans took the powers," Jason said. "Maybe we can too."

"Maybe, but like I said, the Titans died." Karone reinforced. "And, now the Titans are the ones protecting the powers. They were the first ones to use it, and it has only been since they died that anyone else, good or evil, has heard of this power and tried to take it."

"Makes it that much harder," Billy said under his breath.

Alpha let out another sigh, but knew the team wouldn't back down: "Rangers, there is something I should tell you."

The team of former Rangers turned to face their android friend.

"It was once prophesied that a team of former heroes would come to the aid of Earth, with a new power source at their disposal," Alpha explained. "Like Karone said, those who wielded the Extreme Powers had attributes similar to the Greek Gods whose power they had. Maybe it's a coincidence, or just your written fate how the group of you got together, but if you look deep within yourselves, you will find the same thing. You too possess these attributes, and it was told that some day you may wield this power."

"Alpha," Billy moved closer to his robot friend, "If it were prophesied that we would fight the Empire of Darkness, then it's really our destinies to save this planet. Why wouldn't you tell us about this before?"

"Because..." Alpha let his voice trail off before picking up where he left off, "This prophecy is your destiny, that is, the group of you in this room now. But the prophecy only said you would FIGHT against the Dark Emperor's forces in a grueling war. It was never written that you would win. It was never told that you would save this planet."

Ashley turned to face Alpha: "In... in this prophecy, we... we lose, don't we?"

Alpha took a long look at his friends before answering: "Yes," he finally said. "That's what me and Zordon were most afraid of... seeing you die. Like those Titans who fell before you, history is supposed to repeat itself. The whole thing would be pointless. Despite the great legacy of the Extreme Powers, and despite the fact that they are superior compared to anything you've ever wielded, they are simply not strong enough to defeat the Empire of Darkness, whose power is literally infinite."

"So what do we do?" Ashley said.

"We go... that's what we do," Jason answered. "We go to the Island of Fallen Warriors in the Lost Realms. It doesn't matter how pointless our efforts will be. If our destiny is to fight, then I'm willing to die trying. I don't care how scared I am or how strong this force is. Is anyone else with me?"

For a minute no one else spoke. Finally, Ashley broke the silence: "I don't want to see Earth get conquered by the Dark Emperor," she said. "I know it's deadly, but we have to try. No matter the cost. Count me in."

Katherine, who held Tommy's hand as he lay unconscious, finally released her grasp and answered the call of her friends: "I've never said "'no' to something like this before. And even if this evil is so much more powerful than us, we can't just abandon Earth and let everyone die or become slaves. I want in."

"I didn't think the myths could be true," Billy was next. "But we were a team before, and we can become a team again. There's strength in numbers, which gives the Empire of Darkness the upper hand. But I can't back down when the rest of you are ready to risk your lives again. I'll go with you."

All eyes now turned to face Karone: "I was afraid before," she explained. "And I'm still afraid now. But I'm staring to think, if we run away now, Earth gets taken over anyway. And if Seth Magnus' plan is to take over the entire universe, then no matter where we go, we'll be conquered anyway. Even if it doesn't happen in this lifetime, our children, or our grandchildren, or any of our descendants will have to face this problem. Either way we lose. But at least we'll have our chance to fight. The universe becomes Seth Magnus' domain if we don't at least try to stop him... I'm in."

Jason smiled: "Alright then, we're all in this together, and we all feel the same way," he said to Alpha. "Now, take us to the Lost Realms."

"Ungh..." Tommy slowly regained consciousness, and tried to sit up, but could barely move. He had been half-conscious during the latter part of the discussion, and tried to regain his composure. The side of his face was heavily bruised from the Death Knight's thunderous punch. "So when do we leave?" he said.

"Um... we?" Billy asked. "Tommy, I don't think you'll be able to come with us."

"Right, we can't allow that," Alpha said. "You won't be able to keep up with the others, and in your condition you will just walk to your death. The mission's dangerous enough as it is. You should stay here while I treat you. The others will go."

"He appears to have a concussion," Billy said as he walked over and checked Tommy's condition.

"But Alpha, I feel just the same way as they do, I don't want to leave Earth unprotected," Tommy said while slowly sitting up.

"Listen, man. We'll get this power, you can count on us," Jason said to Tommy.

"You've always been a great leader to us," Katherine said, sitting by his side and clasping onto his hand again. "And if there's anyone we would want to help us finish this mission, it's you. But please, listen to me Tommy, right now it's just too dangerous for you."

"Hmm..." Tommy didn't like the idea of backing down, but realistically, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance. "I... I guess you're right," he said reluctantly.

"We'll be back before long," Katherine said while kissing Tommy on the cheek, hoping she was right.

As Kat was about to leave, Tommy strengthened his grasp on her hand, retracting her attention: "Kat... please, just be careful."

"I will."

"Got the coordinates, Alpha?" Billy asked.

"They're set," Alpha responded, pressing some buttons. "But Rangers, first there is something I must give you," he walked over to one end of the room and pulled out a container shaped much like a briefcase and opened it up, revealing six sword-handle-like objects.

"Um... what are these?" Billy asked, picking one up. The object he grabbed was that of a cylindrical shape, and was no longer than about ten inches. On one end a hole was carved.

"Those are your Laser Blades," Alpha responded. "Zordon feared that you Rangers may refuse to abandon Earth, and embark on the dangerous mission in the Lost Realms. As a result, and should it happen, Zordon hoped to defy the prophecy of your deaths by giving you Rangers somewhat of an advantage, an advantage that the Titans of Titanica did not have. These Laser Blades, take them before you go."

"They're just tube-shaped things," Ashley said, picking another one up. The other former Rangers followed. "What do they do?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Alpha replied. "All Zordon told me was that they would aid you in a time of need. Now you must go."

"Fair enough," Katherine said, taking one.

"Time to go," Jason said, grabbing one Laser Blade and handing another one to Karone. He fastened his new weapon onto his belt, which was wrapped around the blue jean shorts he wore. He then untucked his red t-shirt and cracked his knuckles.

"Ai yi yi, this may be the last time I ever see you again," Alpha exclaimed.

"Don't be too pessimistic, Alpha," Ashley assured him. "We can do this."

"We're ready," Jason said.

Five white teleportation beams shot out of Satellite X, and the five former Rangers were gone, leaving Alpha and Tommy behind.

"Good luck, guys," Tommy muttered under his breath. It was then that he noticed in Alpha's briefcase there was still one Laser Blade handle left.

***

Out in deep space, the Dark Sun, accompanied by a massive fleet of star ships was slowly setting up the forces which would surround part of the planet. Seth Magnus and the Dark Sorcerer were located in the main quarters. The giant double doors to the chamber opened, and the monstrous Goliath entered.

"My Emperor," the Goliath reported, "I am detecting the presence of five young humans leaving the planet. The ripples in the space-time continuum indicate that they are heading for the island of Fallen Warriors in the Lost Realms."

Seth Magnus let out a smirk behind his dark mask: "Then let them, at least for now. It is likely that they are searching for the long lost Extreme Powers to defend their planet..." the Dark Emperor took a moment to focus on what Goliath was detecting. "Yesssss..." he hissed, "I feel the disturbance as well. Those humans are former Power Rangers, which confirms what their mission is. How pitiful that they are looking to unravel the Extreme Powers, yet they do not know of the terrors which lie on that island. Little do they know that I have Death Knights dwelling there, as I always have. Let them go on their hopeless journey. We need not intervene unless they somehow manage to succeed."

"So should we just let the former Rangers walk to their deaths?" the Goliath asked.

"Yes," the Dark Sorcerer replied on behalf of his Emperor. "Besides, it's not us they should be worrying about... because in addition to their already hopeless journey... they are racing against TIME," the Dark Sorcerer and his Emperor let out wicked laughs.

"What do you mean?" the towering monster was becoming irritated. "I should go down there and stop them!"

"My fellow horseman," the Dark Sorcerer said sarcastically. "Have you forgotten about my magic?"

"Today is a very special day," Seth Magnus continued. "This is why we planned our attacks the way we did. I had a feeling that foolish dead wizard Zordon would try and thwart our plans, so I made sure his old friends were walking to their deaths."

"Wait..." Goliath finally realized what his superiors were alluding to. "Is... is today the day of "'the Awakening?'"

"It is," the Dark Sorcerer replied. "Although it is impossible to predict the exact moment when "'the Awakening' will occur, we do know it is today, and it will occur before those humans even get a CHANCE to get off of that island!"

"Our task at hand is the domination of Earth," the Dark Emperor said. "Monitor the action of the humans, and report to me how far they come. It is likely that they may never make it out of there, but nevertheless, keep a close eye on them. My concern now is the invasion of Earth."

***

Five teleportation beams entered the Lost Realms and re-materialized on the Island of Fallen Warriors. The former Rangers landed in the middle of a forest region, where small bushes and near-dead trees surrounded them. A cold chill ran up Katherine's spine as she observed her surroundings. The skies were a bright reddish color. In addition, whispering noises could be heard throughout the forest, as a low pitched howling sound, much like the whining of a ghost echoed from a distance. A small mountain was located on one end of the island, and a massive volcano was located on the other.

"Looks like Alpha wasn't kidding," Ashley said. "This place gives me the creeps."

"It's so big," Karone added. "I mean, where could we possibly start moving? We don't know where to go."

Jason looked around: "This way!" he exclaimed, pointing to the mountain in the distance.

"Do you think..." Kat's voice trailed off. "Could it be the place we're looking for?"

"Well," Billy began. "I don't see anywhere else we could go. And that huge volcano behind us doesn't look very welcoming. Might as well try the mountain."

"Alright then, c'mon, let's go guys," Jason gestured toward his friends. He led the way, but there was still the endless forest to discern his way through.

"I can't stand that noise," Karone said, clasping onto Jason's arm, following his lead. She felt safe as long as he was around.

As the group walked through the forest, the howling sound grew louder, and so did the whispering noises. Before the former Rangers could react, several ghosts materialized and were swirling around the group. The former Rangers stopped in their tracks as the see-through creatures whizzed around them. There must have been twelve or fifteen of them, all making the same howling noise.

"Gooooooo baaaaaaaaaaaaack..." one of the haunting voices uttered. "Goooooo hoooooooooooooooome!" Some of the ghosts looked human, others looked like aliens, and yet some others looked like animals.

Ashley found herself shaking with fear: "What do you want?" she cried to them.

"You will diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie," the ghosts continued. "Goooooo baaaaaaaaaaaack, before it's tooooooo laaaaaaaaaaate!"

"Keep going!" Jason commanded his group, as he walked right through one of the ghosts, pushed away a few branches, and followed the trail. He led his team through the forest for several minutes, the ghosts still pursuing them, still uttering their haunting threats.

"I don't like this," Katherine said. "Those are probably dead warriors who tried to take the powers before."

"Just follow me," Jason ordered. "We'll get to the powers soon enough. Ignore the ghosts." He had the look of a tiger in his eyes.

The ghosts pursued the Rangers until they reached the latter parts of the forest, where the ghosts dematerialized and vanished. As the team reached the edge of the forest, Jason peered behind one of the bushes, revealing an open plain. The rest of the team followed, but much to their surprise, and stimulating their fears, there was a small army of Death Knights. They were lined up in rows, and there must have been several hundred of them, scattered across the open plain. They appeared to be dormant, for they stood straight with their arms to their sides, and their eyes didn't glow red like the other ones they encountered. Their heads were bowed low.

"Oh, no, not again," Kat gasped.

"They're not doing anything," Billy said. "They're probably in some sort of sleep mode, and we can only hope that they don't wake up."

"So what do we do?" Ashley asked her group.

However, the dormant Death Knights awoke. The red glare in their eyes returned, and like dominoes, the Death Knights were awakened one by one in rows.

"I think they know we're here," Karone said. "They wouldn't be doing much else otherwise."

"Well, all I know is that we can't fight. There's just too many of them," Billy said.

"Guys, let's hide here for a bit," Jason whispered to the group as he noticed the Death Knights began dispersing around the area, probably hunting for them. "Just wait for a chance to escape. We'll dash across the open plain and scale the mountain. It's our only hope." By now, the Rangers had gotten used to listening to Jason's commands. If Tommy wasn't around, Jason was their leader.

***

Satellite X...

"Oh no!" Alpha 5 screeched as he stared into his computer monitors. "Ai yi yi yi yi! Not now!"

"What is it Alpha?" Tommy asked from the table he was laying on, with a bandaged wrapped around his forehead.

"I didn't know it would happen TODAY!" Alpha continued to panick.

"What? What happens today?"

"Oooooooo," Alpha continued whining. "I never should have sent them!"

"What's going on???"

"Tommy, listen to me," Alpha said. "I am having more doubts about the safety of your friends."

"Why?"

"Thousands of years ago," Alpha began explaining, "After the death of the Titan warriors, their souls were cast onto the Island of Fallen Warriors, where they may protect their old powers. During that time, Seth Magnus' wizard, the Dark Sorcerer, cast a deadly curse upon the island."

Tommy rolled over so that he lay on one side. "And?"

"The effects of the curse are repeated in a cycle," Alpha continued. "Every hundred years, all the natural elements of the island are aligned in their most unnatural states. On the island's fragile grounds, the effects are deadly. The island's volcano will erupt in an explosion far worse than anything you've ever seen here on earth. Also, wildfire spreads throughout the forests, and storm clouds will provide lightning storms. And the worst part is a meteor shower that will take place. It's become a suicide mission!"

"Oh my God," Tommy was at a loss for words. "If they didn't have the deck stacked against them before, they do now," he muttered to himself. "Then they had better get those powers right away and get the heck out of there!"

"It won't be that easy!" Alpha said. "Death Knights will be patrolling the area. This could take time. And now there's no way we can warn our friends!"

"Then how do we know the Death Knights haven't already seized the power?" Tommy asked.

"Because they're pure evil," Alpha replied. "Only someone noble can take the powers. That's why the Dark Emperor has his Death Knights making sure no one gets to them. Ai yi yi!"

 

***

In the Dark Sun...

"My Emperor," the Dark Sorcerer acknowledged as he re-entered Seth Magnus' chamber. "The sleeping Death Knights are have now been awakened naturally now that they have detected the Rangers' presence."

"You designed them well," Seth Magnus complimented, which was a rare situation. "Have you pinpointed the Rangers' location?"

"Yes. They're hiding."

"Good, then send a signal to the Death Knights to find them and slaughter them!"

***

Back on the Island, the open plain was clearing as the Death Knights dispersed. "Here's our chance guys," Jason whispered to his team. "On my mark, run as fast as you can to the other side." However, before Jason could give the signal, a Death Knight emerged from the bushes behind them, ambushing the former Rangers. Several other Death Knights accompanied the leading attacker.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Kat squealed as she avoided the powerful fists that were swinging in her direction.

The team of former Rangers had no choice but to back off into the open plain. The Death Knights had circled into the forest behind them and were preparing for an ambush. Jason did a somersault out of the bushes and left himself as an open target out in the plain. He had his tough guy look on his face, and put up his fists to fight. The other Rangers hid behind him.

"Jason, what now?" Karone sounded desperate, still holding onto Jason's muscular arm.

"Those things are gonna kill us. There's just way too many of them!" Ashley cried.

Jason's muscles tensed up as he cracked his knuckles once again and assumed his fighting stance. He then stared down at his belt, where the cylindrical object he took from the satellite hung. Undoing it from his belt, Jason held it like the handle of a sword: "Alright, let's see what these things can do!" he closed his eyes and let his inner forces assume control of his emotions. Suddenly, a bright, red colored beam of light sprang forth from the sword handle. The beam of light formed into a three and a half foot long blade of pure energy. "So that's why they call them Laser Blades," Jason muttered to himself, as he noticed the Death Knights shudder when his weapon ignited.

Jason's friends followed his lead. A blue energy beam shot up from Billy's sword handle. A white one came from Karone's. A pink one shot out from Kat's. And a Yellow one came from Ashley's.

"Cool," Ashley said, relieved to know she had a powerful weapon in her hands. "George Lucas just happens to be one of my favorite filmmakers," she said half-jokingly.

The Death Knights surrounded the Rangers, who had their new weapons at their disposal. This time, the Rangers were able to defend themselves.

Jason did a cartwheel with one hand, holding his Laser Blade in the other. A Death Knight kicked him in the stomach and knocked him over, but he got back up immediately. The Death Knight drew its rusted sword from its scabbard, but before it could attack Jason swung the Laser Blade and severed the Death Knight's arm in a quick motion.

Nevertheless, the Death Knight continued its attack on Jason, who smirked at it: "You know what Luke Skywalker does when he sees a Storm Trooper?" he bickered sarcastically, losing his serious tone somewhat. The Death Knight tried to pummel Jason with its single arm. "Guess not," Jason retorted to his own rhetorical question. "He does this!" Jason uttered as he shoved the Laser Blade right into the Death Knight's abdomen, piercing its armor and causing it to crumble into a heap of bones. "Ah, so that's how you stop them," Jason said as he observed the Death Knight's disassembly.

It made sense. It was just like how Lord Zedd's putties exploded when struck in the Z on their chests, or how Pirhanatrons, Cogs, and Quantrons disappeared when they were through, the Death Knights would crumble into a pile of bones when beaten.

Billy blocked the sword attacks of a Death Knight who came at him: "Take that!" Billy swung his Laser Blade, causing the Death Knight to stagger backwards.

Ashley bashed her yellow beamed blade into the back of a Death Knight, causing it to tumble forwards, but another Death Knight came at her from behind and threw her to the ground. "Jerk!" she came back at the Death Knight, who tried valiantly to avoid her attacks.

Kat and Karone took out a Death Knight, but there were many more surrounding them: "We can't keep this up too long, Jason!" Kat said as she defended herself.

"I know!" Jason replied. He knew that the Laser Blades were of good defense, but one slash of a Death Knight's sword and he knew the mission would be over, for metal piercing through human skin was no match for a laser cutting through the armor of an already lifeless Death Knight. Jason struggled to fight two Death Knights, so he leapt into the air and executed a split kick to force an opening between the two. Seizing his opportunity to run for the mountain, he uttered for his friends to retreat: "C'mon guys! Here's our chance! Let's make a break for it!"

"Right!" Billy called, who got pummeled by an elbow to the stomach from a Death Knight. Obeying Jason's orders, Billy dashed towards his team as they ran across the open plain towards the mountain. Each former Ranger retracted his/her Laser Blade and escaped from the Death Knights' assault.

***

On the Dark Sun...

"My Emperor," the Dark Sorcerer shouted across a dimly lit, red carpeted hallway. "Those humans have escaped from the Death Knights!"

"No matter," the Seth Magnus said calmly. "The fact that the former heroes won't actually fight the Death Knights doesn't take away from the fact that they have the faintest chance in getting to the powers. Should the humans make it to the tombs of the fallen warriors, they will never be granted those powers, for the ghosts of those fallen warriors are too stubborn to listen to foolish, vulnerable humans!"

"So should we just let it be?" the Dark Sorcerer asked. "They are getting quite close to the powers."

"The Extreme Powers are of very little concern to me," the Dark Emperor replied. "I defeated those with that power before, and with EASE, I remind you. I can do it again. On the other hand, when today do you expect "'the awakening' to occur?"

"Soon, but maybe not soon enough," the Dark Sorcerer retorted.

Suddenly, the massive creature, Goliath re-entered the room. "I am ready to attack Earth now, my lord."

"Hmm..." the Dark Emperor thought to himself. "The domination of Earth will happen anyway, as no challenge to us... it is only a matter of time. Then again, if those former heroes do succeed, it would make our task just a little more difficult," he turned to face his crown warrior. "Goliath, I have other plans for you. Your attack on Earth can wait. The Death Knights there are doing a fair job anyway. Journey to the Island of Fallen Warriors in the Lost Realms and do away with those petty humans!"

"But my Emperor," Goliath persisted, "I thought the storm was supposed to occur today. Need I intervene?"

"Just distract them for a short while," Seth Magnus responded. "You will know when it's time to retreat. Just keep them busy till the storm arrives!"

"As you wish, Sire," the booming voice of Goliath replied.

***

Ashley looked behind her to see where the Death Knights were. "Looks like they can't run that fast," she said, noticing that they weren't following.

"Another minute there and they would have had us," Billy said. "It's a good thing we had these," he held up his Laser Blade handle. They were approaching the base of the mountain. It was large, but not too large, being about five hundred feet tall.

"Well, here we are," Jason said, staring up the mountain. Conveniently, there was a spiral trail which led up and around the mountain.

"A pathway?" Katherine was puzzled. "It can't be this easy."

"It was probably carved by someone who came here before," Ashley suggested.

"Works for me," Jason said, leading the team towards the base of the mountain. "C'mon guys, let's get up this thing. We've still got a lot of work to do."

Suddenly, a near deafening grunting noise boomed in the distance. The group of former Rangers turned to see a large, horrific winged figure coming down from the sky. It touched down several feet in front of them. Its reptilian skin shone in complement with the red skies above. The towering four-arm menace stood in front of them, as the three girls gasped at the sight of it. His shoulder width must have been about fifty inches, and his muscular physique caused fear to race down the spines of the Ranger team.

"What... what is that... thing?" Ashley said as she hid behind her friends.

"The name's Goliath," the massive individual boomed. "Think you can get those powers? Well, I'm here to mutilate you before you get the chance!" he drew out a long sword, held it with two of his arms, and slowly started towards the former Rangers.

"I'll handle this!" Jason said, stepping forward and assuming his fighting stance once again. "You guys go up the mountain and get those powers!" he commanded.

"But Jason," Katherine persisted. "Against THAT thing?"

"Just do it!" Jason ordered in his leader tone of voice. "If I don't make it, someone has to continue the fight."

"But you'll be alone against that BEAST!" Ashley cried.

"Just go!" Jason ordered.

"C'mon, let's do what he says," Billy said, leading the girls up the mountain.

Karone stared at the immense figure confronting Jason. She knew they were all intimidated by its size and four powerful arms. "Good luck," she hugged Jason.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason could see his friends scaling the mountain. As the hulking monster came towards him, Jason reached for the handle of his Laser Blade. Just as Goliath raised his sword and swung it towards the brave man, Jason swung back in Goliath's direction, the beam of red energy shooting out of the sword handle to meet Goliath's stainless steel. Jason hoped his surprise attack with his Laser Blade would make contact with Goliath's skin, but Goliath was just as fast as he was strong, and the two adversaries wound up clanging blades with one another, blocking each other's attacks. Jason swung left and right with his Laser Blade, but Goliath continuously blocked Jason's attempts. Goliath then thrust his sword at Jason, who backed away, but couldn't avoid Goliath's subsequent kick to the chest, which caused Jason to stagger and fall to his knees. As Goliath came in to try and put in the finishing blow, Jason rolled out of the way and slashed at Goliath's ankle. The large creature barely staggered, but it was enough to give Jason an advantage. As Goliath turned to face his enemy, Jason executed an agile spin kick, thus kicking the sword out of the monster's top two hands. However, Goliath's agility was no second best to Jason's, and as Jason landed on the ground, Goliath thrust his lower left arm upwards, connecting with Jason's jaw, and causing the courageous human to come crashing several feet backwards. Jason's Laser Blade flew out of his hand, the sword's laser retracting automatically without its user, and the handle landing ten yards behind him. Jason scrambled to grab his Laser Blade, knowing he wouldn't have a chance to beat Goliath without it, for he knew that the hulking four-arm monster could knock him out with just a few blows. But as Jason scurried to retrieve his weapon, Goliath tripped him. The monster then yanked Jason's shirt collar from behind, and pulled it in his direction. He was using it to strangle his weaker opponent.

_Choking me! Can't hardly breathe!_ Jason thought to himself as Goliath strengthened the hold. At his rate, he would pass out before long. _Gotta... do something!_

As Goliath choked the air out of the human, Jason extended his already outstretched arms for his Laser Blade, but it was still several feet away. Finally, Jason knew he had to find a way out of the choke hold maneuver. With both hands, Jason grabbed his own shirt and ripped it down the center, so that he could escape the monster's grasp. Jason slipped out of the red t-shirt, free from the hold. Immediately, he dove for his Laser Blade, and rearmed the energy blade. He now stood, shirtless, his exposed muscular upper body tensing up as he prepared for Goliath's attacks. However, the strong man was panting hard, exhausted from his continuing battle.

"Tired yet, human?" Goliath taunted. "See, that's the difference between you and me. I don't GET tired!"

Goliath raced towards Jason, who slashed the Laser Blade at the monster's left shoulder. Goliath let out a cry of pain, but was quick to return to his attacks. As Jason swung the Laser Blade again, Goliath jabbed him in the stomach, causing Jason waver in his upright position. Goliath then drove his powerful arm in an uppercut motion towards Jason, catching the former Ranger in the chest, his claws piercing through the vulnerable human skin. Jason crashed to the ground in a heap of pain, again dropping his Laser Blade, which again lost its energy spark. Jason lay very still on the ground, barely breathing. There was a large, noticeable gash across his bare chest from Goliath's claw attack, and blood came streaming out from the wound.

"Looks like I win," Goliath said arrogantly, standing over the fallen human. He then grabbed his metal sword, which he had lost in combat, and raised it high above his head, about to drive it right into Jason, which would kill the brave individual for sure.

"Hey stupid!" Billy's voice echoed from several stories up the mountain. Goliath turned to face the direction of Jason's friends.

"Yeah, we're talking to you!" Katherine joined Billy's taunting.

"Oh please, don't hurt him," Karone muttered under her breath, hoping Goliath wouldn't finish off Jason.

"If you were really such a tough guy, you'd be trying to stop us from getting this power!" Ashley said. "So what are you wasting your time for?" she hoped Goliath would fall for the insults.

Goliath smirked. "Your big shot leader her