Disclaimer: The whole Ranger concept belongs to Saban. Zordon, Alpha, the Power Chamber and all that sorta stuff is all theirs and I've been given no permission to use it!
Author Note: This series takes place in the same Universe as the original Samurai Saga and all the follow on series. I'd appreciate any feedback about this series. It's not exactly a usual Power Rangers type storyline. A lot of my inspiration for this has come from the 'Sliders' TV series. So let me know what you think.
Additional Note: I know there's not a lot of action in this part, but I promise, it's all coming in part two!
Time Scale: This series starts in the final few moments of part two in the Armageddon Wars series – 'Misplaced Ranger or Misplaced Trust.'
Travels of the Gold Samurai
By Matt
Everyone was gathered together in the Power Chamber, except for Louise and Kane. They were still much too weak to leave the med lab. Sean was shackled in case he tried to leave again.
"Okay Matt, what's so important?" Mike asked.
"I've got a way to prove who's the real spy." Matt said confidently.
"But we already know. It's him!" Chad said, pointing back to Sean.
"We don't know it's him. I don't mean to doubt you Mike, but we have no proof to say either of you is innocent." Matt said.
"Okay, so how do we find out?" Michelle asked.
"Well when did all this begin, when did Armageddon supposedly make the switch?" Matt asked.
"Just over a week ago." Mike answered.
"Right, so who knows all of us and was gone long before that happened?" Matt asked.
They all thought about it for a moment, then it hit them. "The other Rangers!" Sara called out.
"Exactly. Zordon, I need you to contact them." Matt requested.
Alpha was immediately at work trying to get a connection to the past. It didn't take him long as he knew how to do it already He had done it before to call them all to that time, so it was a simple case of repeating what he had done before. "You are connected." Alpha reported.
"Okay" Matt said. "Rangers, this is Matt Elling, White Samurai Ranger, please respond."
They waited a moment, then a voice came back. "Matt, this is Tommy, what's up?"
"Tommy, this may sound strange, but I need to ask you something. Who is the Gold Samurai Ranger?" Matt asked him.
There was another moments silence as the signal traveled to the past and the response returned. "The Gold Samurai Ranger? That's Sean. Sean Kingston!" Tommy replied. They all looked round to Sean, then to Mike who was starting to look a bit worried.
"Thanks Tommy. Much appreciated." Matt said.
"Any time." Tommy said, and the signal was cut.
"So, Sean is the Gold Ranger!" Matt said as he glared at Mike.
"Hold on, there's something weird going on here. How could you speak to Tommy?" Mike asked.
"It's quite simple, it's just a case of transmitting the signal within a takion pulse and directing it through a quantum vortex to a point in the past!" Lee explained.
"I didn't mean that. I meant, how could you talk to Tommy, he died with all the other Dark Rangers!" Mike said.
"What? No he didn't. Tommy's clone died, but Tommy was never even a Dark Ranger!" Matt answered.
"Yes he was. Both him and his clone joined Armageddon. They both died when the Shinobi Rangers defeated them." Mike said.
"Hold on, I'm confused. What's going on?" Sara asked.
They all looked around, confused. None of them knew what he was talking about, but somehow, they could tell he actually believed what he was saying.
"There can be only one explanation for this!" Zordon commented.
"What's that?" Mike asked.
"This is not your reality!" Zordon said. That didn't make things any clearer so he elaborated. "Obviously when Armageddon opened the vortex to get rid of you, he opened a portal to the parallel worlds."
"Can you send me back?" Mike asked.
"We can open a portal for you, and it will take you to a parallel world, but we do not know which one. If you knew the exact coordinates of it, we could send you there, but without them, you would just end up on another random world." Zordon said.
"But I have to go!" Mike said. "I have to warn my friends."
"No Mike, don't go!" Chad pleaded.
"Chad, I have to. This isn't my world, and you're not really my brother. I have to get back to my own place and get rid of the real spy." Mike said.
"But Mike, I lost you once and just found you. I couldn't bear losing you again!" Chad said, tears coming to his eyes.
Mike walked over to his brother and hugged him. "If the Mike of this world is anything like me, then he loves you and he'll be doing everything he can to get back to you." he said, only just holding back his own tears. "Good bye Chad."
The Blue Samurai said nothing in return, he just let the tears roll down his face. Michelle, who was standing next to the young Ranger, put her arm around him and he leant on her, crying.
Next, Mike walked over to Sean who had now been released from his bonds. "Sean, I owe you an apology. I accused you of something you didn't do and I'm sorry." Mike apologized.
"It's okay. You had no way of knowing this wasn't your world. Can you do me a favor." Sean requested.
"Sure." Mike replied.
"When you get back to your world, if I've done any damage, can you say how sorry I am for it to everyone. I know it's not really me, but I'll still feel responsible." Sean said.
"No problem. Now I gotta go. Zordon, can you open a portal for me." Mike requested.
"Take this!" Zordon said. A small device appeared in Mike's hand.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's a mobile vortex emitter. It will allow you to open up another portal whenever you wish. It will also keep a record of the coordinates of each world, so that you do not visit the same one twice unless you wish to do so." Zordon explained.
"Thanks Zordon." Mike said. "Well I guess this is good bye everyone. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused."
They all waved good bye as he opened a portal and jumped through. Things just happened so quickly that nobody really had time to think about it all until after he was gone.
"He's gone…. again!" Chad mumbled. Michelle just pulled him into a hug and he stood there holding onto her for a moment.
Mike found himself once again floating at an incredible speed through a tunnel of energy. It was just like the one that had taken him to the world he just left. He was amazed that travelling at whatever speed he was going, his mind wasn't on his own safety, he was just thinking about one thing. Where was he going, what trouble was he heading for, and if he did get to his own world, how would he know it was really his?
As he carried on through the vortex, he saw a light at the end of it. He flew towards it and emerged from another portal. He landed quite safely on his feet. It surprised him really, he was expecting to come flying out and crash into the ground.
Universe 375-853-923
"Okay, I'm here, so where exactly is here?" Mike asked himself. "375-853-923! Sounds like a nice place!" he joked to himself. He looked at his surroundings. He was stood in the middle of a mountain range, the same one that had housed Ranger HQ in the last world.
"Definitely not my world. HQ should be here." He said. He walked forward to the edge of the cliff and looked down. No City, no people, just a vast expanse of open ground surrounded by cliffs.
He lifted the vortex emitter and was about to activate it when he thought of something. "Wait a minute, if we moved HQ once to stop Armageddon finding it, they might have done it again! Damn, now I gotta find the Rangers, and find out for certain." He said. He looked around again. "Finding the Rangers, huh? Can we all say 'needle in a haystack'."
"Might as well try the obvious way first." Mike said. He raised his communicator so he could speak into it, set it for wide band communication and spoke.
"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! Zordon, we have an incoming message." Alpha Five called out.
"Alpha, please play the message." Zordon requested.
Alpha fiddled with the communicator controls for a moment, then after a loud crackle, a voice came on. "Zordon, Alpha, Power Rangers, if you can hear me, please respond."
"Zordon, would you like me to answer it?" Alpha asked.
"No, get a lock on his co-ordinates and call the Rangers." Zordon ordered.
"Nothing!" Mike sighed. "This signal should get through to anybody on the planet with this kind of communication equipment. Either they've all gone out without turning on the answer machine, or they're just not answering! "
He started to walk down the path to get down to ground level but didn't get very far. Four dark figures stood in front of him, appearing out of nowhere. All four were dressed the same, black cloak that covered their entire bodies, a hood hiding their faces, and black boots.
"Who are you?" Mike snapped, immediately taking a defensive stance.
They didn't answer, instead they just started to surround him. They started circling him, watching him, and getting ready to attack. The first one ran in at him with a jump kick, which Mike dodged and countered with a fist to his stomach. He fell back and the other three attacked.
Mike tried to defend, but being attacked from three ways at once was just too much for him to handle. He got thrown to the ground, but got straight back up.
"You guys really don't know who you're dealing with!" Mike said. He brought out his morpher and called out, "GOLD SAMURAI POWER!"
The four dark figures had been approaching him while he spoke, but as soon as they saw him change, they froze in their tracks. "He's a Samurai! RUN!" one of them shouted.
They all turned and ran away from him as fast as they could. He didn't chase them, instead he just watched them retreating down the mountain. "Well that was certainly weird!" he commented. He powered down and started to follow the path. It took over an hour to reach the foot of the mountain. He stopped for a quick rest as the long trek and the constant heat of the Sun had really taken a lot out of him.
Fortunately, he had found a small spring from which to take a drink, so he'd had at least some refreshment. As he sat in the shade of a rocky outcrop, he heard something. Getting up from his seat, Mike followed the sound. It led him a short way around the mountain. He hid behind a large rock and peered over. The source of the sound was a small settlement. There were dozens of tents, and even more people busily moving around them.
"Maybe I can get some information about the Rangers over there." Mike said, debating whether or not he should go. "Hey, why not! I've got nothing to lose!"
The Gold Samurai stepped out from behind the rock and headed for the settlement. Nobody even noticed him as he walked through the area. He didn't want to speak to anyone yet as he didn't want to attract and undue attention until he was sure he'd be safe there.
After he'd looked around for a while, he just stopped and started searching the area for the best person to ask for some information. He didn't have the chance to decide as the decision was made for him. A young boy, about twelve or thirteen came up to him. He was dressed in a rough, baggy red T-shirt and faded blue jeans. His blonde hair was very messy, brushed into a center parting, but only just. Had this been a big City, he would probably have been the equivalent of a street kid.
"Hey, you look a bit lost. Anything I can help you with?" he asked.
"Actually yeah, there is." Mike said back to the boy. "I was hoping for some information."
"Well if it's information you want, you've come to the right guy. Whadda you want to know?" he asked.
"Well I was hoping you could tell me something about the Power Rangers. I was going..." Mike said, but the bot cut him off.
"Shh, careful what you say! You're not from around here, are you?" the boy asked him.
"No, at least I don't think so. Anyway, what did I say wrong?" Mike asked, confused.
The boy moved closer and whispered, "The Power Rangers, don't even mention them!"
"Why not?" Mike asked.
"Look, we can't talk here. Follow me." He said. The boy started to walk off, so Mike followed. They walked across the settlement and eventually, they got to a small tent. "Welcome to my humble abode."
"Nice!" Mike said, almost sarcastically.
"By the way, I'm Shane." The boy said as they went inside.
"I'm Mike." Mike said back. "So what's wrong with mentioning the Rangers?"
"Man, either you've been asleep for the last 6 months, or you're just really stupid. Everyone hates the Rangers!" Shane commented.
"Like I said, I'm not exactly from around here!" Mike answered.
"I guess I'd better explain then." Shane said. "The Rangers have destroyed everything. They've become obsessed with defeating their enemies, so much so that they don't care whether they have to destroy a City, or even a whole country to do it!"
"What? The Rangers wouldn't do that!" Mike said quietly.
"And how do you know?" Shane asked.
"I don't know if I should be telling you this, but... I'm a Samurai Ranger." Mike commented.
Shane stared at him a moment. Mike thought he was going to get up and run away screaming, but it never happened. Instead, he just burst into uncontrollable laughter. The Gold Samurai knew there was only one way to prove it. He got out his morpher and became the Gold Samurai Ranger.
Shane stopped laughing and stared once again, open mouthed at the Ranger that now stood before him.
"Damn, you weren't joking!" Shane stuttered. "But you don't seem like the others. The only Samurai's I've seen before were tearing a City apart, I can't exactly imagine you doing that."
"Yeah, I think I can explain that. You see, I'm not exactly from this world. I got sent through to another world and I'm searching for my own Earth, so I'm not one of the Samurai Rangers you know." Mike explained to the boy.
"That's great, but if anyone sees you like that, they'll probably attack first and ask questions later!" Shane said.
"Good point." Mike said, as he powered down. "Well thanks for the information. That's all I needed to know."
"No problem. So what are you gonna do now?" Shane asked.
"This isn't my world, so I guess I'm just gonna move onto another one." Mike said, he brought the vortex emitter out of its subspace pocket and tried to activate it, but nothing happened.
"Something wrong?" Shane asked him, seeing the obvious look of shock on his face.
"Yeah, it doesn't work. I can't leave if it doesn't work!" Mike said, dismayed.
Shane reached over to it. "Here, let me take a look at it." He said. Mike let him have it and the boy examined the small device. After a few minutes he looked up at Mike and said, "It's out of Power!"
"What, so I need new batteries for it?" Mike asked, concerned about where he could find a power supply for it.
"No, from what I can tell, it uses a self perpetuating energy source, which means it will recharge itself, it just needs some time." Shane explained. Mike was quite surprised at the boy's apparent technical knowledge.
"Any idea how long?" Mike asked hopefully.
"No idea, but I'd say at least a few hours." Shane replied. He put the device down and got up. "Come on. No point sitting around and waiting for a few hours. I'll show you around the... erm, town!"
"Thanks." Mike said as he got up and followed the boy out of the house-tent. "So where are your parents?"
"Oh, they died a few years ago." Shane commented.
"Sorry, I didn't know." Mike apologised, realising how much of a stupid comment it was.
The two of them walked around the town with Shane pointing out the various parts. Mike was quite impressed. It was a fully functioning town; the only difference to a normal one was that there were tents and small constructs instead of buildings. Other than that, it was just a normal town.
They came to what seemed to be the town square and stopped. There was quite a large crowd gathered, so Mike and Shane worked their way to the front. In the center were four men, shouting out to the crowd.
"We saw him with our own eyes." The first shouted.
"He transformed right there in front of us." A second man added.
"But regardless of that, it was a Ranger and he was nearby, so that may mean they'll be coming for us!" the third called out.
"We have to abandon the town!" the fourth ordered.
"Look, there he is! That's him!" the first one shouted as he saw Mike standing there.
"Damn!" Mike cursed.
"What's going on?" Shane asked.
"Quickly, run!" Mike said to him. The two of them turned and rushed back through the crowd. They started running, mike constantly checking to see if they were being followed and if Shane was keeping up. The four men were chasing them, and several other people had joined them.
"Why don't you just fight them?" Shane panted, trying to keep up with the Ranger.
"I can't. They're innocent people. I'm not allowed." Mike said back.
"They won't be so innocent if they catch up with us!" Shane snapped.
"Then let's make sure they don't." Mike said. "Keep running."
"STOP HIM! HE'S A RANGER!" one of them shouted from behind them. As soon as the people ahead of Mike and Shane heard that, they dropped what they were doing and tackled the two teens to the ground.
Seconds later, they were surrounded. "Mike, just fight them off!" Shane insisted as they closed in.
"But that'll just make their opinion of the Rangers even worse! If I can talk to them." Mike suggested.
"Talk isn't gonna work on them." Shane said.
The mob grabbed them and started to lead them back to the Town square. They hadn't gone far when several flashes of multi-colored energy appeared in front of them. The Samurai Rangers materialised and the people stopped dead in their tracks.
"Let them go!" the Black Samurai commanded.
"We... we're sorry. Here, take them!" a man stuttered, pushing Mike and Shane towards the Rangers.
"Man, that was close." Mike said to Shane, but suddenly noticed the terrified look on Shane's face. "What's wrong?"
The people of the village all cleared the area immediately. "You're coming with us!" the Red Samurai said to them.
"Sure, no problem." Mike said, not seeing a problem with that.
Just then, behind them, twelve flashes of color appeared. They materialised into the six Ninja Rangers, five Zeo Rangers, Gold Ranger and the five Turbo Rangers.
"Stop right there!" Zeo Ranger V shouted out.
"I wondered how long it would take you to interfere!" Samurai Black called back.
"Whoever you are, please come with us!" Zeo Ranger V requested.
"Wait a minute. You guys are on the same side!" Mike commented, wondering where this sudden rivalry between the two groups of Rangers had come from.
"Okay, if you're not gonna come with us, at least move out of the way before you get hurt." The White Ranger ordered.
Shane and Mike quickly ran out of the way. "Come back here!" Samurai Black called out, firing a shot at them.
They jumped for cover and thankfully made it out of the way of the blast. The two groups of Rangers charged at each other. Using weapons or just their bare hands, they all started fighting.
Although the other Rangers outnumbered the Samurai's, they soon started to lose. Mike already knew that the Samurai Rangers were stronger from the simulations his team had been in against the others, but somehow he had expected the others to be able to beat them.
"Quick, help them!" Shane shouted over the battle cries.
"Which ones do I help?" Mike asked, confused as he looked on at the small army of Ranger before him.
"The ones that weren't shooting at us!" Shane said, almost sarcastically.
"Okay, GOLD SAMURAI POWER!" Mike shouted as he held up his morpher. He changed into the Gold Ranger and immediately activated his Samurai Armor. 'If I'm stepping into the middle of that thing, I'm having all the protection I can get!' Mike thought to himself.
He looked where to attack first and saw the Green Samurai ready to plunge his spider Claws through the throat of Zeo IV who lay at his feet. He brought out his Senturion Sword and struck it into the Green Samurai's back. It seemed weird to be fighting against a Samurai Ranger, but it seemed to be necessary at the moment.
Zeo IV got to his feet and said, "Thanks, nice save." He looked at mike for a moment then stuttered, "Y... You're a Samurai Ranger!" He looked over at the other Gold Samurai and said, "Two of you?"
"I'm not from around here!" Mike said back. "Now look out." Mike ducked and pulled Zeo IV down with him as an arrow from the Pink Samurai's Storm Bow shot over their heads.
"That's two I owe you!" Zeo IV said, thankful.
"Hey, who's counting!" Mike smiled inside his helmet. The two Rangers moved away from each other to help the rest of them. The other Gold Samurai Ranger was fighting off Zeo I and the Red Turbo Ranger. Turbo Red was using his Lightning Sword and Zeo I used her Zeo Blade. The Gold Samurai swiped his Senturion sword and knocked the two weapons from their hands. Together, they kicked him in the stomach and he stepped back, not even stunned.
He stepped forward again and went to strike them with his weapon, but someone stepped in and blocked it with their own sword. "Need a hand?" Mike asked the two Rangers.
"What?" Zeo I, Red Turbo and the other Gold Samurai exclaimed at once.
"Yeah, yeah, I know! Two Gold Samurai's. Get over it!" Mike said. The two Rangers moved away and left Mike to face his counterpart. Mike couldn't help thinking one thing as he stood facing the other Gold Ranger. Who was under the mask in this world? Was it Sean, one of the other Rangers, himself, or had fate chosen someone completely different here?
"I don't know who you are, but I'm gonna rip you out of that fake armor and make you regret copying me!" the other Gold Samurai said.
"Don't count on it." Mike said. The two started duelling with their Senturion Swords. They seemed perfectly matched although Mike soon learned that the Gold Ranger on this world was definitely not Mike Jedton. His fighting style was just too different.
They didn't have long to fight before Mike heard something that stopped him where he stood. "MIKE! HELP!" he heard someone shout. He turned to see the Black Samurai standing with one of his Shadow Sabers held against Shane's neck.
"No!" Mike exclaimed.
"Mike, help me!" Shane cried out. Before any of them could do anything, the Samurai's had disappeared, taking Shane with them.
He just stood there staring at the spot where Shane had been held while the others gathered around him. They all remained armed as they were all wary of him. After all, he was a Samurai Ranger.
"Okay Samurai. What's going on here, and how did you contact the Power Chamber?" Zeo V demanded.
"It's kind of a long story." Mike said. "Can we go somewhere else. I hear we're not too popular around here!"
"What, you want us to take you back to the Power Chamber? Does this seem like a trap to anyone else?" The Pink Ninja Ranger asked.
"Okay, you don't trust me, I can understand that." Mike said. He powered down and handed his morpher to Zeo V. "Now can we go?"
They all looked at him for a moment, then Zeo V said, "Yeah, let's go."
"I left their world and ended up, where I got attacked by four strangers. They ran off after I morphed and I found my way to that town where I met Shane. He explained a few things to me and then we went out to see the town. When the four men who attacked me saw me there, they chased us. Just after they caught us, the other Samurai's showed up and, well... you know the rest!" Mike said, finishing the story of how he ended up there.
Mike was stood in the middle of the Power Chamber. It looked just the same as it did in the other two worlds he had been to so far. The other Rangers who turned out to be the same as the ones who had come to his real world to rescue them stood around him, listening. The original team of five with Tommy's clone were the Ninja Rangers. The five Zeo Rangers were the same and Trey as the Gold Ranger, then there was TJ, Carlos, Justin, Ashley and Cassie as the Turbo Rangers.
"That's quite a story!" Tommy commented.
"So what's the deal here then? Sounds like things have gone a little differently here!" Mike commented.
"Well things went exactly the same here as they did in your world up to the point where we were brought here. While the Samurai's were still being held captive, Ultima managed to do something to them. They haven't been turned evil, that's how they can still use their Powers. They have just been deceived into thinking that we're their enemies and Ultima is their ally." Billy explained.
"I'm afraid what you have heard about us causing a lot of damage is true. The Samurai's seem very fond of Zord battles, so when that starts, well, the results are pretty obvious. Zords aren't exactly designed to cause minimal damage!" Zordon commented.
"Sounds like we still got off easy though. That Armageddon Dude sounds like a pretty bad dude!" Zack commented.
"Mike." Justin said quietly. "In your world, am I really Armageddon?"
None of them considered that yet. Knowing that Justin could do such a thing could be quite disturbing to him. "Well we don't exactly think he is you, but he's definitely used your body and Powers as a vessel." Mike said. "But whether it is you or not, it's the you from another Universe, so don't start blaming yourself!" Mike knew the boy was likely to start blaming himself for it, and if they weren't careful, that could put him on the path to actually becoming Armageddon.
"Yeah, I know it's not really me, but you know what I mean, don't you." Justin said quietly.
Although they all agreed that it was in no way his fault, this opened up something new to them all. None of them had really thought about parallel Universe's, and they definitely hadn't considered what their counterparts on the other worlds might be doing. Regardless of that, there was still work to be done.
"So where are the Samurai's most likely to have taken Shane?" Mike asked, eager to rescue his young friend.
"I guess Ultima's fortress. If they know he's a friend of yours they'll probably try and ransom him for our surrender." Tommy commented.
"Well let's go get him then!" Mike said, sounding like he was ready to leave right away.
"Oh yeah, go and attack Ultima in his strongest fortress! Why didn't we think of that!" Kim snapped sarcastically.
"Well what are we meant to do?" Mike asked. "Surrender our Powers in exchange for his release? You know they'd never actually release him!"
"Zordon, what are we meant to do? We can't let them keep him prisoner, but we're not strong enough to attack them!" Tommy asked their mentor.
"I believe the best way to rescue him is to first tip the balance of Power in our favor!" Zordon said.
"Well you've got me on your side, so that must be a big help." Mike commented.
"Indeed it is, but if it comes down to a Zord battle again, I fear we would be outmatched." Zordon replied.
"Unless..." Justin started. They all looked round at him. "Mike, on your world, did you have a Zord?"
"Yes, of course I did. Samurai Senturion!" Mike answered.
"That's what I was hoping." Justin said, an excited look spreading over his face.
"What are you thinking, Justin?" Ashley asked her youngest fellow Turbo Ranger.
"You'll have to wait and see, but first, we need to draw them out." Justin grinned.
"Well I guess it's Morphin' Time!" Tommy called out.
"Wait a minute! I just remember, I left the vortex emitter back at Shane's place." Mike said, realizing what he had done. "I'll be right back." He hit the teleporter control on his communicator and vanished.
A few minutes later he returned, empty handed. "It's not there! Someone's been there and torn the place apart. They must have known Shane was with me!" Mike said dismayed. "Without that, I can't move to another world!"
"Should we start searching for it?" Kat asked.
"No, first things first. We've got to rescue Shane!" Mike said. "I'll worry about my own problems later!"
"Okay then, it's Morphin' Time!" Tommy called out.
"Who's the runt?" Crush asked as she walked into the main chamber of Ultima's fortress. The Black Samurai was stood in there holding Shane. The boy was struggling desperately, but the Black Ranger would have been too strong for him to escape from, even without his Powers.
"He's a friend of that Power Source we detected." Samurai Black said.
"Oh! And what was that Power source?" Crush asked as Ultima walked in.
"It was another Gold Samurai Ranger." The Samurai replied to her.
"So where is he? I assume you captured him!" Crush commented. She knew fully well that they hadn't, she just wanted to make the Ranger look bad in front of Ultima. She couldn't stand them. Before he had recruited them, she had been one of his top warriors, now she had been demoted and the Rangers put at the head of his forces. She never did understand why he put them under his control instead of killing them. Under his control there remained the constant risk that they could be freed. At least dead there was no chance of that.
Still, Ultima assured her that the spell could not be broken, and the Rangers would remain as his servants. Although she often questioned him, she did know better than to go against him on a decision as big as this.
"Actually, we didn't capture him. He had help from the Rangers, so we took him instead!" Samurai Black said, gesturing towards the boy he restrained.
"Very well." Ultima said, suprising Crush. He had never been one to tolerate failure lightly, so his lack of concern was unusual. "There will be more chances to capture him later. Right now I have a few questions for you, young man!"
"Okay, I'll answer whatever you like!" Shane said co-operatively.
This shocked them all as he'd seemed to be so resistant before. "Okay, where did the Gold Samurai Ranger come from?"
"He came from Mars!" Shane replied.
"Very well, how did he get here, and why is he here?" Ultima asked next.
"He walked here, and he's here on vacation. Mars gets kinda cold at this time of year!" Shane said.
Ultima glared at him. "You annoying little animal, tell me the truth!"
"Hey, I said I'd answer anything you liked. I never said I'd answer it truthfully!" Shane said indignantly to the dictator.
"Throw him in the dungeon for now, and make it... comfortable!" Ultima said with a cruel grin on his face.
"But, he's just a boy!" Samurai Black said, trying to defend him.
"I don't care! And for that comment, I want him in cell 13!" Ultima said.
Samurai Black would have protested again, but he knew he would just make it worse for the boy. He left the room and headed for the dungeon. It didn't take long before they got to the underground chambers. They were greeted by a cacophony of moans and screams. Shane physically shivered when he heard it, and only just managed to hold back the tears as the terror welled up in his stomach.
Shane decided his best way out of this was to try and appeal to the Rangers better nature. The protest for mercy back in Ultima's chamber showed he still had some humanity, so maybe he could play on that.
"Why are you doing this?" Shane asked him, trying to slow down a bit to allow more time before they got to cell 13.
"Doing what?" the black Samurai asked.
"Working for Ultima!" Shane added to his question.
"It's my duty as a Ranger to follow his orders. He knows what he's doing." The Ranger said.
"But he's evil." Shane said quickly.
"He is not evil. The people of Earth are the evil ones." Black said.
"But you're from Earth aren't you?" Shane asked. He looked round as they passed a cell. A large man sat whimpering in a corner, terrified, his spirit completely broken. Shane was only just managing to stop himself from screaming out, and the sights and sounds from the cells really weren't helping.
"I'm from..." Samurai Black started, but stopped suddenly.
"Where? Where are you from?" the boy asked, hoping he had made some kind of breakthrough.
"I don't know where I'm from. I never really thought about it before!" Black said weakly.
"Well what did you do before you became a Ranger?" Shane probed.
"I... I don't know that either I don't really remember anything from before I started following Ultima." He said, confused.
"Is it possible that he's got you under his control, and just wiped your memories of before that?" the boy asked, now getting desperate. He could tell they were getting close now. They were already up to cell 7. Now came cell 8.
"No, it's..." Black started, then stopped as he thought about it. "No, it's not possible."
"Please, don't put me in here! I know you don't want me to be hurt. Just say that I fooled the guard of my cell into letting me escape or something!" Shane pleaded as they passed cell 9.
"That's more than my life is worth!" Black said back. "If I let you escape Ultima would destroy me!"
"Well does the sound like the actions of a good man?" Shane asked, hoping to point out the obvious evil in Ultima as cell 10 passed by.
"Look, I know what you're trying to do, and I don't blame you. I don't want to do this, but I have to." Black insisted.
Shane just gave up. He really had no hope of getting out of this now. He just walked silently past cells 11 and 12. "Here it is!"
Shane was almost relieved when he saw the cell. Some of the prisoners there had been strapped to the most horrific devices you can imagine, but cell 13 just contained a small machine attached to the wall. Coming from it were several wires that joined onto some kind of helmet. There was a seat just in front of it. Samurai Black led Shane inside and sat him down on the seat, strapping him down securely.
"What does this thing do?" Shane asked as the helmet was put down onto his head.
"You really don't wanna know, kid." The Ranger said, activating the machine.
"Okay, we're here, so what do we do?" Mike asked. He was stood next to Tommy. Behind them were the rest of the Ninja, Zeo and Turbo Rangers.
"Look, I know Ultima well. Just about now, he should be detecting us." Tommy waited a few seconds, "Now he's called the Rangers." He waited a few more seconds. "The Rangers are teleporting." A few more seconds and he said, "Here they come."
No sooner had he said it when ten flashes of energy shot from the sky and materialised into the Samurai Rangers.
The two groups stood facing each other, all eager to fight.