CHAPTER THREE
Their vehicle was entirely black, like a night sky filled with clouds. The only exception was the pair of bright red sirens perched atop its roof. But that was just the way they liked it. There was nothing fancy about them, or what they did. That was how they did business, it was how they lived their lives.
Or at least, it was how they were supposed to live their lives. For Wes Collins, life wasn't all about business. He often wished his partners in the Silver Guardians would see it that way. Though unfortunately, Silver Hills' own defense and protection agency was primarily made up of charisma impaired, combat obsessed, overly competitive laser brains.
The prevalent one was sitting at the wheel next to him.
"Is this it?" Eric Myers asked in his usual rough, no nonsense tone.
"Yep, looks like it." Replied Wes. That's the N.A.S.A.D.A. logo on that sign isn't it?"
Eric nodded. "This should be interesting."
Eric wasn't so bad though, at least not as bad as he'd used to be. But he'd had his own personal reasons for being the way he was back when Wes had first met him. When they had trained together in prep school, he'd always had something to prove…to someone. To himself? To society? To his peers? Even today, Wes didn't know for sure. Eric wasn't one to talk about his personal life, even after Wes had gotten to know him.
When Wes had worked with a group of time travelers from the year 3000 as the Red Time Force Power Ranger, and Eric had obtained the powers of the Quantum Ranger, he'd been as stubborn and uncooperative as anyone Wes had ever met. It turned out that Eric had always held a grudge against Wes for being born rich (his father was the owner of the Silver Guardians), as opposed to him, who'd grown up 'dirt poor'. Even when Wes offered him friendship, Eric would turn away.
Though the day would come when that all changed. The evil Ransik and his minions took advantage of a series of time holes opening in the sky, sucking various portions of the city into eternal blackness. For their own safety, Wes had forced his fellow Time Force Rangers to return to the year 3000. Thus, he and Eric were the city's only hope.
Bitter, angry, and stubborn, Eric refused to work with Wes. However, when the wounds of battle became too overbearing, Wes forced him to retreat, and tended to his wounds. In return, Eric would later leap in front of a laser blast meant for Wes' father, a move that Wes suspected even surprised Eric himself.
Following Ransik's defeat, Wes' Father offered him a leadership position in the Silver Guardians. Wes agreed, but with one condition: Eric would be his partner. From that day on, the two Rangers began to develop a friendship based on trust, and mutual respect. Though he could sometimes be a cold, rude, and even downright obstinate, Wes was glad to finally have Eric's friendship.
He hoped that deep down, that Eric felt the same way.
The car pulled up to a windowed booth, with the path ahead blocked by a steel bar. Inside the booth was a short, balding man with glasses, wearing a security guard's uniform. Wes handed him a business card from the dashboard.
At first, the guard looked puzzled, but then nodded in recognition of the Silver Guardians insignia. "Wes Collins and Eric Myers?"
Wes nodded.
The guard pressed a small red button on the wall of the booth, raising the bar in front of the vehicle. "You're expected, docking bay 7."
Eric pulled into the empty docking bay, which appeared to be suited for smaller aircraft. Though half of it remained blocked off by a steel door. Eric put the car in park, and the Silver Guardians stepped out.
"Hello??!?" Wes shouted, his voice bouncing off the walls.
Eric glared at him. "It's empty, wise guy." He leaned against the car. "Let's hope this isn't some sick prank."
Wes rested against the hood. "Didn't sound like a prank, if that guy on the phone was who he said he was."
His partner shook his head. "I don't like this."
Wes grinned. "Easy there partner. Don't go breakin' out the Q-Rex just yet."
Eric cracked a half smile. Wes loved to poke fun at him for his love of the Quantasauras Rex, his own uncanny Zord with amazing combat abilities. He was like a Mother caring for her baby. In an odd way, it was cute. "If you had a Q-Rex, you'd break it out as often as you could."
"You think it could've taken our MegaZord?"
"Please, try five MegaZords."
Wes laughed. "Now that I'd like to see."
"Is that a challenge?"
Wes raised his hands in surrender. "Oh no, I'd never challenge the mighty Quantasauras Rex!"
A cocky grin spread across Eric's face.
"But what about that Yellow Wild Force Ranger? Could she?"
Eric's jaw dropped. "I aught to deck you, you little…"
Wes laughed. "You'd probably let her wipe the streets with the Q-Rex!"
"I swear, I'll fry you Collins…" Eric's hand dropped to his holstered Quantum Defender gun.
Wes clasped his hands together, and got a dreamy look in his eyes. "Awwww, ouw wittew Ewic's in woooooove!"
"You're dead Daddy's boy!"
Eric took off after his partner, but Wes was already on the move. "Hey Eric," he called back to him, "You could be her wild man!"
Suddenly, a laser blast near Wes' feet sent him tumbling to the ground. He looked up to see Eric standing over him, Quantum Defender in hand. "I told you I'd fry you."
Wes held out his hand so he could pull him up. "Not me dead eye, just my boots." Eric looked down to see that Wes' boots were indeed smoking.
But that was just Eric's was of playing, and Wes recognized that. Though he wished he could find a way of playing that was a little less dangerous.
Just then, the Silver Guardians snapped to attention as a shiny red sports car screeched to a halt not five yards from their vehicle…
His was called Venjix. He'd never known another name.
He'd seen the fear in the eyes of the humans when his name was spoken, and he loved it. He loved to watch the pathetic vermin called mankind squirm under his gaze and plea to be spared. Venjix loathed humanity, or anything living for that matter. Living beings were imperfect, they made mistakes, they had flaws.
Machines however, had no such disadvantages. Every cyborg, every robot, every android, every technological device ever assembled, was perfect in every way. If it wasn't, it was tossed aside as garbage.
That was how the universe worked. If you were no longer sufficient, or fit to do your job, your time was up. Whoever was behind you in the proverbial food chain would chew you up, and spit you into the dirt. Venjix knew that humanity had existed for one purpose, to create their own successors, machines. And it was long past due for machines to spit humanity into the dirt.
General Venjix stood upon the surface of Earth's only moon, clenching his mechanical first. But the day of reckoning was coming. The Cogs had now completed the excavation process. The ultimate weapon, abandoned years ago by the foolish Lord Zedd, was now in the hands of the Machine Empire. Soon, Venjix would use its unparalleled power to obliterate the worthless existence of humans.
But that would only be the beginning. One by one, Venjix would use the ultimate weapon to travel from planet to planet, and enslave the universe one world at a time, until the soul purpose of the living was to serve the mechanical, as servants to the mighty Machine Empire.
Venjix's sensory modulators picked up rubble crushing under Gerrok's boots before he even spoke. "General Venjix, it is finished sir, and awaiting your approval."
The evil general nodded, and gave a wave of dismissal to Gerrok. A moment later, he started for their temporary moon base.
When Venjix had assumed command of the Machine Empire, he had ordered the remaining sculpture androids, as well as a fracture of the architectural ones to begin work on a tribute to the one who had once been the high emperor of this tyrannical force. The one who had taught him everything he knew, and made him everything he was today, the one whom Venjix would dedicate his victory in memory of.
He stepped inside the moon base, and marveled at the Empire's newest creation.
The statue stood precisely fifteen feet high, and was painted gold in its entirety. Molded in the form of a rotund robot, with a body made to look as if it were wearing a robe. Its face was sculpted to look fierce, intimidating, and above all else, evil. An oversized crown sat atop its head.
General Venjix got down on one steel knee, and bowed his antennaed head.
"In your honor, oh mighty King Mondo, the Machine Empire will annihilate the living once and for all!"