Disclaimer:
Disclaimer: Power Rangers belong to the almighty Haim Saban, so thanks for not giving me permission Mr. Saban.
Author Note: Thank you everyone who has agreed to participate in this story, it literally could not take place without you. Everyone included in this has given me permission to do so. All creations by the other people have been authorised for my use. No people were harmed in the making of this fic, well, not yet anyway!
Time Scale: Later on in the day after 'The New Recruit'.
Phoenix Rising
By Matt
Cynthia sat alone in Angel Grove Park. That in itself seemed unreal, but the events of that day had been even more so. One minute she had been juggling ideas for her website around in her head and trying to get some serious writing done. The next thing she knew, she had been teleported aboard the Astro Megaship, a ship that, as far as she knew, was as fictional as the Rangers piloting it. But it soon became painfully clear that they were not fictional and that they needed her help.
Somehow, someone like her, a writer, was causing chaos in the Rangers' Universe and she had been recruited to help. Billy had told her that she had a power, a power to create. Now she thought about it, she realised the dark side of that power, the side that allowed her to destroy as easily as create. It was quite thought provoking really that she could do things near enough to the level of a God. Not that she could ever be compared as such. She was just a normal young lady, displaced in the cosmos and bestowed with amazing power.
The journey through the rip in reality had been, according to the others, much smoother than the first trip. Once they were through, they reached Earth in seconds, settling into orbit and teleporting the rest of the way. Naturally there had been a commotion when they returned. The Zeo Rangers had no idea Kim and Billy had been away so seeing them come back was unusual, but most suprising were the four strangers. Three of them, the two guys and the blond girl were all dressed in near identical uniforms, one with a red shirt, one with silver and one with purple. The fourth stranger was a young lady with long brown hair.
Billy took little time in explaining the previous mission to the Zeo Rangers. By the end of it, just about all of them were somewhat in shock. The idea of Zen'Kar's theory was almost unbelievable to them, and actually scared a couple, but they had to be strong. The Astro Rangers were introduced first, and then Cynthia. They all seemed to be welcomed, but it was hardly noticeable. The whole Power Chamber was engulfed in silence as they considered the situation. Their Universe, their world, their families, all the creations of someone in another Universe.
For now, the Zeo Rangers headed home, leaving just the six people who had come from the Megaship minus Kim. Billy was explaining the more detailed findings of their trip to Zordon while Andros, Zhane and Karone set about looking for a solution with Alpha Five.
Once Billy was finished telling Zordon everything, he looked round and saw Cynthia staring into the viewing globe. Alpha had set it to show a variety of scenes, from Rangers fighting monsters, to pictures of Angel Grove. She seemed completely engrossed in it. Almost every image was familiar to her, she had seen it all on the show back in her own Universe. But this was different, it wasn't just random images picked to depict the area the show was set in, this was real, it was really Angel Grove. Eventually, she had asked to be teleported to the Park for some fresh air. They had complied and she was sent right away. That was where she stayed, thinking about what had happened so far.
Cynthia smiled as she heard something, it was the crackle of teleporter energy, a sound she recognised immediately. She turned to see who was there, and she wasn't disappointed, it was Billy. "Hi." he said quietly as he sat down beside her.
"Hi, so what's going on?" she asked in return.
"Well I've told Zordon my plan and he thinks it's a good one, but there's a problem." Billy replied, staring straight out ahead of him.
"What is it?" Cynthia asked, concerned that she wouldn't be able to help.
"Well you know how I said we could boost your power so that you could help us." Billy said. When she nodded he continued. "Well that's the problem, we can boost them, but your powers won't be quite strong enough to stop whatever's happening."
"So I can't help?" she asked, dismayed.
"Yes, you can, but I think you're going to need help." Billy replied.
"From who?" Cynthia replied, not quite sure who could help them in that way.
"Your website is very popular, isn't it, especially your fanfic archives. Just how many writers have things posted there?" Billy requested.
Cynthia quickly realised where he was heading, but replied anyway. "I'm not sure, about two hundred and fifty."
"Exactly. This power you have is not unique, there are a lot more people who share it. Every single person who writes has some kind of power like that, but only about one in every five have it the strength of yours." Billy commented. "Once I can figure out who else is that strong, we can try and get their help too."
"Billy, can I ask you something?" Cynthia asked quickly.
"Sure." Billy replied. He could tell she was very nervous around him and he was trying to do everything he could to relax her.
"What exactly IS a negative Proton?" Cynthia asked. She looked Billy in the eye and for a moment, he looked back, but they were abruptly interrupted by Billy's communicator.
"Billy here, what's up?" he said, glad of the chance to avoid the question.
"Billy, I need you here immediately, please bring Cynthia with you." Zordon said urgently. Together, they stood up, looked around and teleported away.
"Ay-yi-yi. Ay-yi-yi." Alpha called out frantically as he rushed around the Power Chamber. Two flashes of white appeared beside him and he stopped to address the two new arrivals.
"Billy, thank the Power you are here!" Alpha commented.
"Zordon, what's going on?" Billy asked quickly.
"The Rangers are in trouble. A few minutes ago, a strange monster appeared and the Rangers all went to face it." Zordon commented.
"So what's the problem? They can handle it can't they, there's nine of them after all." Cynthia said, plucking up the courage to speak to Zordon.
"The problem is that most of them are unable to attack the monster. It is only Zeo Ranger V's attacks that do it any harm." Zordon replied.
"I'm putting it onto the Viewing Globe now." Alpha said. The battle appeared on the screen and they all watched intently.
"What monster is that?" Cynthia asked, a strange look on her face.
"I am unsure, I do not recognise it." Zordon answered.
"Billy, can you scan it for the energy signature the writers in my Universe give out." Cynthia requested.
"Of course!" Zordon commented.
"What?" Billy asked as he initiated the scan.
"I was thinking that maybe whatever caused this to appear!" Cynthia explained.
"Good thinking." Billy smiled at her. He looked down at the scan results and looked back at her again. "Looks like you were right, it's showing the same energy patterns as the rips."
Cynthia had gone back to looking at the monster. Billy walked up beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
"I think I recognise it." Cynthia replied. Zeo Green and Pink both jumped at the monster with flying kicks, but it shrugged off the attack. As soon as they were out of the way, it stood up straight and Cynthia got a proper look at it. "Destructatron!" she called out.
"I beg your pardon!" Zordon said, shocked by the sudden outburst.
"It's called Destructatron! I'm not sure how I know, but I recognise it, and it's from a fanfic at the archives." Cynthia said happily.
"Which one?" Billy asked.
"If we know, we may be able to get some idea how to defeat it!" Alpha commented.
"I… don't remember, give me a minute." Cynthia said, desperately trying to remember where she had read it.
"Zordon, we're taking a beating out here. Why is Zeo Ranger V the only one who can harm this thing?" Andros demanded through the communicator.
"Hold on Andros, we're working on it." Billy replied.
"Wait!" Cynthia called out. "Zordon, I know most of Tommy's power comes from his Zeo Shard, but is his power also linked to his Zord?"
"Yes. Zeo Zord V contributes to the Red Ranger's powers. Why?" Zordon asked.
"Well Zeo Zord V is the Phoenix, isn't it! I think I've just figured out where this monster came from." Cynthia said happily. She was amazed that the ideas were coming so naturally to her. She knew it was down to one of two things. Firstly it was a part of the power they had told her she possessed, or it was due to WAY too much fanfic writing.
"So how do we stop this thing?" Billy asked.
"No time to explain. Billy, you know you said about checking other people's power levels to see if they could help us. Well I need one person checked now, and if she has the power, you have to bring her here." Cynthia ordered.
"I'm on it." Billy replied, getting immediately to work.
"Zordon, Billy said you could boost my powers, I need you to do it now." Cynthia requested.
"Zeo V Power Sword!" Tommy called out. The Power Weapon appeared in his hand and he continued his assault on the monster. Between attacks, one or two of the others would try and do something, but none of their attempts succeeded.
"This is stupid, we may as well just go back to the Power Chamber!" Rocky snapped, frustrated at his inability to do anything. Tommy was doing well. So far he was managing to stay one step ahead of the monster, but they could all see he was beginning to tire.
"We have to do something." Zhane insisted.
"Like what? Talk him to death?" Rocky said sarcastically in return.
Just then, Andros' communicator went off. "Andros here. Tell me you've got good news!"
"Maybe. We need you to take the Megaship back through the rip." Billy said to the leader of the Astro's.
"What for?" Andros demanded.
"We need you to go and get someone. Come back to the Power Chamber and I'll fill you in on all the details." Billy answered.
"I'm on my way." he said back.
Zhane and Karone rushed to his side. "We're coming with you," his sister insisted.
"No need. With the modifications we made I can manage the Megaship by myself. You two stay here in case the Zeo Rangers need you." Andros ordered. In a flash of red he was gone.
"Okay, so he's gone, what now?" Zhane asked.
"Now we get nasty!" Karone replied. Zhane could tell she was smiling behind the helmet, it was obvious in the tone she used. The two of them worked well together and both knew what the other intended to do.
"Super Silveriser!" Zhane called out.
"Zoomerang!" Karone called out next. The two weapons appeared and the Astro Rangers attacked. Zhane jumped in first, swiping at the Destructatron with his Silveriser in Saber mode, then rolled away. Next, Karone threw her Zoomerang. It flew along and sliced into Destructatron and sped back through the air into her hand. It knocked Destructatron backwards for a moment, but he soon recovered, just in time to receive a shot from the Silveriser in Blaster mode.
Destructatron just shrugged off the attack and charged at his assailants, knocking both the Astro Rangers to the ground in a shower of sparks and small explosions. Just as it was approaching the Purple and Silver Rangers, someone else rushed in, literally.
"It's time for a Gold Rush!" Jason called out. He shot forward in a blur of Golden energy, striking at the monster with the Power Staff as he passed. As with the other times he had done it, it had no effect. Suddenly, a new command flowed through Jason's mind. "HYPER GOLD RUSH!"
The Megaship sped out of Earth's orbit and back into the rip once again. The ship's shielding had been attuned to the gravitational eddies of the trans-dimensional portal, making for a much smoother and faster ride. "DECA, Zordon said he was going to download all the info I'd need for finding this person into your databases, did he complete it before we left?" Andros asked.
"Affirmative." DECA replied. "Displaying information now."
Andros looked at the screen, taking in everything he would need to know for recruiting their newest ally. "This shouldn't be too hard." he said quietly.
"Cynthia, please step forward." Zordon commanded. The young lady complied, standing in the middle of the Power Chamber. "Are you aware of the dangers posed by this process?" Zordon asked.
"Yes Zordon." she replied, understanding completely. "If I can do something, no matter the risk, I have to try." she said calmly.
"Very well, I shall begin the process." Zordon said. He concentrated all of his energy, his trans-dimensional image beginning to glow. Suddenly, the energy was released as a small white beam of energy. It shot into Cynthia and was absorbed into her body. The process began. What had simply been a spark of creativity before, now became a raging inferno of creation. Her mind now held the power to do almost whatever she wished, the only limitation was her own imagination. As the sensation filled her, her mind filled with questions, with doubts. This power was more than any mortal should ever truly possess, but it was hers to do with as she pleased, and as much potential as it had for good, it had just as much potential for evil. Timelines rushed through her head, every single possibility showing itself to her, every single alternate future. So many images flooded her mind that it almost drove her insane. As she saw the endless possibilities, she realised the meaning, every possibility could happen, and every future could happen, but which one would come to pass was up to her, that was the responsibility that came with the immense power.
What had seemed like days of thoughts to Cynthia actually turned out to be little more than a few seconds as she started to drift back into the real world. She stumbled slightly from the disorientation, but Kimberly and Billy both steadied her. Without even giving them the chance to ask if she was okay, she said, "Come on, we've got work to do."
Everyone stood back when they heard Jason shout the command. They had no idea what it was, but they knew they didn't want to get caught in it. Jason held his arms out to his sides, palms upwards, and slowly raised them until the palms met above his head, a trail of Gold energy remaining where his hands passed. Golden energy seemed to appear from thin air, moving in towards the Gold Ranger. As he started to glow, the Golden Power Staff appeared in his hands, but it looked different. It was a lot longer and seemed to be edged with blades. The symbol atop it grew larger too, and as it split apart and opened up, it revealed a large glowing Golden Gem.
"HYPER GOLD RUSH!" he called out again. He shot into action, charging at the Destructatron and attacking with the improved Power Staff, then he turned and came back, attacking again, then turned a third time, and a fourth, fifth, sixth. Each time he turned to come back, he got even faster. Eventually, all the others could see was a golden blur around the monster.
As it vanished, Jason came to a stop beside the other Rangers. He collapsed to the ground, exhausted from the strenuous attack. They all looked on as the Destructatron fell to the ground. "Yes! Jason you did it!" Tanya called out happily.
"I don't think so!" Destructatron called out as it got back to its feet.
"Impossible, never in the history of the Gold Ranger has something survived a Hyper Gold Rush!" Jason gasped. He didn't know what suprised him more, the fact it had survived, or the fact that he seemed to know everything about the Gold Ranger's history.
"I guess I just broke the tradition!" Destructatron sneered.
"Okay guys, it looks like Tommy's the only one who can hurt this guy, so let's keep Destructatron at bay so Tommy can attack." Jason suggested.
"Right!" they all agreed.
"Andros, we are now approaching Earth." DECA reported. The large ship loomed once again into orbit of the planet. Andros had his instructions, now he just needed to find his target.
"DECA, teleport me down to Zordon's suggested co-ordinates." Andros requested. In a flash of Red teleporter energy, he was gone, speeding down to Earth.
He appeared in a room, he didn't look around too much, his only interest was finding his target, nothing else. He couldn't, however, help from noticing the dozens of various pictures gathered up on the desk. They were of several different things, but largely Power Rangers. Andros recognised a couple of the Zeo Rangers in them, particularly the Green one, and another Ranger whom he had never seen before.
"Hello, is anyone here?" the Red Astro Ranger called out. When he got no reply, he decided to do what he saw as the most sensible option – wait.
"So what are you doing?" Kim asked as she stood over Cynthia. The Power Chamber's newest arrival was hunched over a bunch of papers, writing quickly.
"Trying to concentrate!" Cynthia snapped.
"Okay, don't interrupt when she's writing, that's the first rule!" Kimberly said with a mix of hurt humor and sarcasm.
"Sorry, it's just this is kind of important. Do you remember how nervous you felt when you first used your powers?" she asked.
"Yeah, why?" Kim asked, not understanding completely.
"Well I'm using my new powers, and although it may not be in a fight, I'm just as nervous." Cynthia commented, then turned her attention back to the work.
Kim just nodded silently and walked away from her. Billy came up to the ex Pink Ranger and said, "I think I can explain!" They both walked to the other side of the Power Chamber, so that they would not disturb the nervous author.
"Cynthia has a power that allows her to directly effect what happens in this Universe. Whatever she writes comes to pass, and right now she's trying to save Tommy and the others from Destructatron." Billy explained. "I'm not sure exactly how, but she seems to know what she's doing, and…. I trust her!"
Kim stared at Billy as he made the last comment, there was a tone in his voice that she had not heard before, something strange, something deep.
"Zeo I Power Shield!" Kat called out.
"Zeo II Power Nunchuks!" Tanya commanded.
"Zeo III Tri-Daggers!" Rocky shouted.
"Zeo IV Power Hatchets!" Adam said.
"Zeo V Power Sword!" Tommy ordered finally. "Okay guys, Zeo Blaster!"
They brought the Zeo Power Weapons together and formed it into the blaster, then stood in formation, ready to fire. "FIRE!" they all shouted together. The weapon released its energy in five beams of light. They all shot into Destructatron, but the Green, Blue, Yellow and Pink beams just bounced harmlessly off. The Red beam on its own caused very little damage.
"Nice try!" Destructatron yelled. "My turn!" It thrust its right hand forward, then its left, then the right again, each time he thrust out a hand, a blast of energy was released at the group of Zeo Rangers. The whole area around them erupted, scattering them through the air. Jason, Zhane and Karone watched in shock as the monster dispensed with them easily. They rushed to the Zeo Rangers' aid. Tanya and Rocky were out cold, and the other three were badly hurt.
"Zordon, get the Zeo Rangers out of here!" Zhane shouted through his communicator.
"Wait!" Tommy snapped. "I'm staying." He struggled up to his feet with Jason's help.
"No way, you're injured." the silver Ranger insisted.
"Yeah, but I'm also the only one that stands any chance of beating this guy!" Tommy replied.
Zhane thought for a moment. "Okay Zordon, teleport Zeo Rangers I to IV out of here!" Zhane said once again into his communicator.
The four injured Rangers disappeared, leaving only Silver, Gold, Purple and Red to face the monster. "Tommy, you stay back and use whatever long range weapons you have, we'll try and keep him away from you!" Karone said. Tommy unsheathed his Zeo Pistol and zeo Blade and joined them together into Rifle mode and opened fire.
Andros stood up quickly as he saw the door opening. A girl walked in casually, but stopped dead in her tracks as she saw him. Her eyes widened. Andros was expecting then same reaction her saw from cynthia when she arrived on the Megaship, but he was in for quite a suprise. Letting out a scream, she turned round, ran out the door and pulled it shut behind her.
"Come back, I'm not here to hurt you!" Andros called out. He went and tried the door, but it seemed she was stood on the other side of it, holding it closed. He just did the simple thing and teleported out, appearing behind her without her even noticing.
"Excuse me!" Andros said as he tapped her on the shoulder.
"Not now, I'm a bit busy!" she said, appearing to struggle holding the door shut. She didn't even look round at him.
"Sorry, this is actually quite important!" Andros insisted.
She finally turned to look at him and said, "I already told you, I'm…." she let out a quick yelp, pushed the door open and ran inside again.
"This could be a very long mission!" he sighed before activating his teleporter again. He appeared and before she could do anything he said, "Please, I need your help."
She stopped what she was doing and looked at him in silence. It's not normally something she'd do when some strange guy had broken into her room, but there was a tone in his voice that made her feel she could actually believe what he was saying. It was only now that she stopped panicking that she really started looking at him. The uniform, the brown and blond streaked hair, the necklace, it was…
"My name's Andros!" he said.
"Yeah, I already figured that bit out. Now can you please tell me why you exist!" she commented in disbelief.
"I beg your pardon." he said, not quite understanding her order.
"You're a fictional character in a TV show, you don't even exist, how can you be here?" she asked.
"Well I AM here, that would usually imply that I actually exist!" Andros said, using a little of the sarcasm he had picked up from his time with Kim.
"Okay, I can't be dreaming. If I was dreaming Adam would be here, I can't be having a nightmare because the only nightmares I have about Power Rangers involve Rita, Zedd and a night of passion!" she said, shuddering at the thought of it. "So what the hell's going on?"
"Okay, sit down and promise not to say anything until I'm finished." Andros requested. She sat down and started listening as he explained what was going on with the rips.
The story drew to a close and Andros looked at her expectantly. "Okay…. either you're crazy, or I'm crazy." she commented, then mumbled, "But it's probably me!"
"I promise you, neither if us are crazy, well Cynthia never told Zordon you were anyway." Andros commented.
"Cynthia?" she snapped. "I don't suppose you mean Cynthia Harrell do you?"
"Yeah, I suppose I should have mentioned before." Andros said.
"Okay, okay," she mumbled, "I know I'm going to regret this, but take me wherever I need to go."
They both stood and andros stood by her side. "You never introduced yourself." the Red Ranger commented.
She was still a little suspicious of it all, so she just said, "Call me Purple Phoenix!" In a flare of energy, they were on their way.
"Zordon, we have to do something!" Billy commented, rushing from fallen Ranger to Ranger. Now every Ranger other than Tommy lay injured or unconscious on a bio-bed. Jason, Zhane and Karone had all tried to keep the monster at bay, but it did no good and they soon joined the four fallen Zeo Rangers.
"There's nothing we can do yet." Zordon replied.
"I'll have something in a minute!" Cynthia commented.
"Well hurry it up." Kim snapped.
Suddenly, the comm line burst into life. Mainly static, but a vouce could just be made out. "We've just got back through the rip and we're on our way back."
"Great, as soon as they get here, we can help Tommy." Cynthia said happily.
"DECA, are we within teleporter range yet?" Andros asked.
"We will be within range in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, teleporting now." DECA reported.
Purple Phoenix prepared herself for the disorienting sensation. She had already decided, after experiencing it just once, that she did not like teleporting. She and Andros both teleported the rest of the way to earth and went straight into the Power Chamber.
As the large room appeared, Purple Phoenix looked around, completely in shock. Up until now, even on the Megaship, none of it had seemed real. But now, seeing the Power Chamber, Zordon, Alpha, everything, it completely blew away any and all disbeliefs she may ever have had. She recognised everyone there apart from one person.
"Cynthia?" she asked the stranger. She ran over and hugged the Archivist and Author. "It's great to finally meet you." she smiled.
"You too, and we can talk later, but right now we've got a job to do. Read this!" Cynthia commented, handing the new arrival the things she had been writing.
Zeo Ranger V leapt into the air, then sped down towards Destructatron, shouting, "Zeo V Power Kick!" His whole body glowed with energy as he struck the monster. It fell to the ground, only temporarily stunned. Within seconds it was back on its feet and attacking Tommy.
He had been badly beaten, and was almost completely worn out now. After a punch knocked him to the ground, he just lay there, trying to muster up the energy to move, but he had none left. All he could do was lay there and watch as the monster towered over him.
'This is it!' he thought.
"Goodbye Ranger!" Destructatron gloated. Suddenly, in a small explosion, the monster was blown off of his feet.
'What the…' Tommy thought. He managed to sit up and looked at where the monster had been standing. Stuck into the ground, obviously thrown with immense force were two weapons. The first was a gleaming silver sword, the hilt in the shape of Phoenix Wings. The second was a cross between a Japanese Yari and a Trident.
"Tommy, are you okay?" a voice called out. He looked round to see two unfamiliar Rangers approaching him. He could tell their costumes were not from the same set, but they bore a striking resemblance to each other. The first, and obviously the owner of the sword, wore metallic silver armor, with a black Phoenix emblem emblazoned on the chest. The second, the owner of the Yari/Trident was similar in many ways, with Purple armor.
"Who…?" Tommy started.
"The Silver Phoenix Ranger!" the silver one said, then added, "It's me, Cynthia!"
"Thanks for the save." Tommy said to them both.
"And this is the Purple Phoenix Ranger." Cynthia introduced the other one. "Also known as…"
"Just call me Purple Phoenix!" she said sharply.
"Okay." Tommy said, slightly confused at the obvious mistrust.
"Now how about we finish off that guy, Phoenix style." Purple suggested eagerly.
"Red Phoenix, powered up!"
"Silver Phoenix, ready!"
"Purple Phoenix, ready to go! ATTACK!"
All three of them charged, weapons in hand, striking repeatedly at The monster, who was finally on the receiving end of some major punishment. As Red striked with his Power Sword, and Silver with hers, Purple struck her weapon into the monster's stomach hard and a blot of energy shot into the creature, blasting it away from them.
"Let's finish this." Cynthia said.
"Cynthia, let's try that attack you wrote!" Purple Phoenix said excitedly.
"What attack?" Tommy asked.
"Just follow our lead." Cynthia said. The three of them stood in a circle, each holding a hand into the middle. The energy within them, started to grow as they concentrated, forcing it out of themselves and into the circle. Eventually, the three streams of energy started intertwining with each other, forming into a multi-colored ball of power.
"PHOENIX ARISE!" they shouted in unison. The ball exploded, releasing a giant Phoenix. It shot up into the sky and hovered there for a moment, the Rangers and Destructatron all watching closely. As it moved up further, it seemed to meld into the Sun. A screech broke the eerie silence and the attack started. It flew over Destructatron, throwing flames down across it. Then, after laying down three waves of fire, it sped down, slicing through the monster.
Destructatron froze for a moment, then fell to the ground in a explosion that rocked the whole area. The three Phoenix Rangers could only look on in shock at the devestative power of their attack. The Phoenix flew back into the circle and faded away, feeding its energy back into the Rangers who had spawned it.
"That was…" Tommy started, but couldn't think of a word to describe it.
"Incredible!" Purple Phoenix suggested.
"That's putting it mildly." Cynthia smiled. "Come on, let's get back to the Power Chamber, there's still a lot to do." Tommy said, slipping right back into leader mode. They all teleported, leaving the battle ground behind, completely unaware that something was watching them, something dark, something sinister, something…. evil!