Ultimate Legacy: Recap
Reality shattered, leaving shards of time and space. The Ultimate Power Rangers journeyed through these fragments to unravel the secrets that led to the destruction of the Wheel of Time. Using mysterious Ranger Keys, they hoped to uncover the truth about their past, and restore their universe.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Vasco
THE ULTIMATE POWER RANGERS
Seth Park- Blue Ranger
Kira Hart- Yellow Ranger
Tyler Oliver- Red Ranger
Mat DeSantos- Green Ranger
Kym Cranston- Pink Ranger
Ultimate Legacy: Chapter Eighteen
A Privateer Appears
A red ship flew through the remnants of space-time. The vessel looked similar to an Armada craft, but with thick spikes protruding from the hull. The ship appeared more heavily armed than any craft within the Armada Fleet.
A lone creature manned the bridge. Covered in plated gray armor, the alien appeared as a red-faced monkey.
The monkey howled and hopped, staring through the viewport. His antics caught the attention of the ship's captain, who entered the bridge.
The captain wore a lavish red jacket, trimmed with white and gold, covering a black tunic. His dark slacks matched the color of his boots.
A teenager, he smiled like a snake charmer as he moved closer to the viewport. "What is it, Sally?" he asked the alien. "Did you find him again?"
Sally hooted an affirmative.
The captain, Vasco, grinned fiendishly. "Good." To himself, he whispered. "Tyler, it's been too long...Let's have some fun."
Tyler and his teammates searched for a clue to unlock their next Time Shard. Their only hint: Angels. They didn't think they could find an angel in the vast emptiness of the shattered, fading realities. But they found the opposite to be true.
"Angels are freaking everywhere," Mat said with a sigh.
They traveled through several splinters of space-time, and within almost every one, they encountered a variation of angels: Shadow Hunters, the descendants of a warrior angel; angels who possessed humans and carried blades no longer than daggers; winged angels who caused the near destruction of mankind; and humanoids called White Lighters.
None of them led to the next Grand Power.
Now, the rangers found themselves walking across the boardwalk of an amusement park that looked out upon an oceanfront. The park looked empty and shifted shape, with various stores and rides fading in and out of focus. An arcade replaced a game booth, and a Ferris Wheel replaced the arcade. Two roller coasters snaked into the skies, and then faded away, making room for a massive VR Holo-Dome.
Kira shook her head at the sight. "It doesn't look like this place will be standing much longer. We need to hurry."
"Do we even know what we're looking for?" Kym asked.
"Angels. Again," Mat said.
Tyler nodded ahead. "There. See that trailer on that bridge?"
"The crummy one no sane person could think is important?" Mat asked.
Tyler nodded with a smirk. "That one. Can't you feel it? There's an angel in there. And a demon."
Mat sighed. "I don't suppose that means we'll be going the opposite way, does it?"
Tyler shook his head. "No. Come on..."
The rangers dashed across the boardwalk and leapt onto the bridge, landing in front of the trailer.
Without pause, Tyler walked up and knocked. No one answered, so he knocked again.
The door flipped open, and a shirtless teen answered. He had short white hair and looked like he just woke up. But the giggling girls in the trailer made the rangers doubt he'd been sleeping.
"What?" he snapped.
Tyler smirked. "Are we interrupting?"
He sighed and lowered his head, rubbing his brow. "I really don't want to have to kick your ass, I'm still hung over."
The stranger, Dante, reached to his back and summoned a sword that flashed with pale white light.
"You're a Nephilim," Tyler said.
"Yeah, I don't know what that means, but I'm going to knock you all out and get too trashed to care, so...who's first?"
Slowly, crimson light washed through the amusement park. In the trail of the light, clouds twirled, and walkways started to ripple like waves through the ocean. Nearby, streets peeled apart like paper and floated into the wind.
The rangers turned away from the trailer and looked at their changing surroundings. Even Dante tensed.
Tyler instantly recognized the phenomenon.
"A Pocket Storm…" he said, his voice calm and smooth.
"You know what this is?" Kira asked. "It's different than unraveling..."
Tyler nodded. "I've been through one before, with an old...partner."
A Pocket Storm formed when the shredded remnants of pocket dimensions clustered together and bubbled through a fragment of space-time. The result: A partial merging, which tossed the traditional laws of physics into complete disarray (more-so than usual).
Still calm, Tyler glanced around the growing storm, looking for some indication of what they faced. "Looks like a Limbo Dimension, merging with a mortal one. We-"
Wind smashed the teens and hurled them backward; they crashed through the mobile home, smashed against the concrete, and skid backward.
Quickly, they rolled to their feet. They glanced for any sign of Dante, but the stranger had vanished.
Ahead, they saw a massive Hunter Demon rise from a rumbling maelstrom within the ocean. The creature looked hunched-backed, with an elongated face, golden eyes, and spiky black hair that flowed from its head like a mane. Twisted armor ran up its spine and over its shoulders.
"Definitely a Limbo Dimension," Tyler said with a smirk.
The street burst with geysers of distortion energy, sprouting smaller creatures called Howler Demons. The demons screeched and swarmed at the rangers.
The teens unsheathed their swords and slashed through the creatures, spraying sparks and ichor across the twisting road. They didn't even need to morph; the demons fell quickly to the strikes of the rangers' blades.
Meanwhile, the pavement peeled apart like paint and blew into the breeze.
Tyler knitted his brow with rare concern. He knew what happened next.
"Come on," he said. "We have to move. Fast."
The teen dashed ahead, and his teammates followed.
Slowly, the entire street peeled from the ground and started to spiral upward like a roller coaster.
Tyler kept running on the moving road, and he urged his teammates to do the same. "Keep moving; hold on for as long as you can."
They dashed upward as the road climbed into the crimson skies. Suddenly, the street ripped in two, and the rangers leapt to keep from falling. They landed and tumbled on the second half of the road, which split in two yet again.
This time the rangers plummeted downward, no longer able to see anything but sky beneath them.
Tyler reached out, and by luck, or perhaps something more, he grabbed hold of something. The teen landed against the side of a building - which floated on its side, suspended in midair.
The other rangers grabbed hold of the same building. Even after all their experiences, the scene surprised them. The remnants of the boardwalk floated in midair, in what looked like the cloudy skies several hundred meters above ground. Chunks of ground ran vertically, diagonally or horizontally, and buildings did the same, crisscrossing the skies like an urban jungle gym.
"OK..." Mat said as he looked at their surroundings. "This is different."
"No time," Tyler said. "Keep moving."
The ranger dropped, falling several meters, and landed on a street that spiraled in between two tilted, floating buildings. The others followed.
They dashed ahead to reach the next building, but before they could, a group of Howler Demons sprouted from the pavement.
Mat cursed beneath his breath. "This is getting redundant."
The creatures pounced at the rangers. Before they could defend themselves, the walkway unraveled, and the rangers plummeted downward.
As they fell, two buildings swooped in from the sides, about to crush them. The teens landed against the side of a building and dashed downward, as the other building closed in far too quickly.
They pushed off and dove downward, passing the buildings just as they slammed against one another and crumbled into dust that floated as if free from gravity.
Space shimmered around them and formed a plaza area; the teens bounced against the pavement, which drifted apart like a scattered puzzle.
Suddenly, they heard a roar behind them. The Hunter Demon dove at the teens with its massive hands rolled into fists.
Before the creature could strike, a streak of motion slashed across its path, cutting its flesh. The streak took form: Dante, carrying a massive broadsword.
Dante twirled in midair and hacked the creature's throat. "This is how you kill a demon."
He twirled and slashed, each blow streaking with power that tore through the creature. Dante leapt high and chopped downward, smashing the demon's forehead.
The creature exploded into pieces, scattering flesh and metal like shrapnel.
Dante landed in the plaza and held his sword across his shoulder. He smirked with arrogance. "I guess you could say-"
Comets ripped through the sky and exploded through the plaza, scattering debris into every direction.
The rangers noticed the true nature of the comets - angels and demons plummeting through the skies.
The angels and demons flew through the air and clashed, with shockwaves that distorted the air around them and hurled the rangers off their feet.
The teens landed against the side of a building that floated on its side.
"Oh look," Mat said. "More angels."
A dark horse rider tore through the skies and swung its massive blade, slashing through demons and angels without hesitation. He leapt off his horse and angled his descent towards the rangers.
The rider wore a red cloak that covered his face with shadow. His eyes glowed green, and armor covered his muscular body. An iron gauntlet, large enough to crush a human, wrapped around his left hand.
The rangers scattered, just as the horseman chopped the building with a massive shockwave, scattering to pieces.
Kira flailed through the air, smashed against a slab of concrete, and rolled into a crouched stance.
"What is that thing?!"
The other rangers landed on pieces of concrete and pavement that floated through the Pocket Storm.
The villain rolled his left hand into a fist. "I am the Horseman of War. Who has tricked the forces of Heaven and Hell into bringing about the End Times?"
This version of War seemed different, more powerful, than the one defeated and absorbed by Simon Kaden before the Shattering. Could this be the same War, only heightened somehow, and once again separate from the former-Ranger-gone-bad?
The rangers didn't have time to learn.
Distortion swept through the area like a tidal wave, sweeping up the rangers and dropping them into a sliver of reality - the city of Insomnia from an alternate version of Earth.
They landed in the midst of a massive army, one that belonged to the Empire of Niflheim. Their gunships rained chaos into the streets below, tearing through buildings and people without discrimination.
Several ships landed and loosed troops, who opened fire on everyone in sight.
The rangers dove for cover and armed their morphers. "Ultimate Transform!" They inserted their Keys into their morphers: "POOOOOOWER RANGERS!"
They armed their DECA Ranger Keys. "SPD! Emergency!" They inserted their Keys into their morphers: "DEEEEEEECA RANGERS!"
"SWAT Mode, on!" The Rangers shouted as they powered up into their SWAT armor.
The Rangers armed their rifles, moved from cover, and opened fire. Their weapons blasted troops with bursts of spark that tore through their armor.
Suddenly, the ground collapsed beneath the Rangers and disintegrated into nothingness. The team plummeted downward, and their armor powered down with flashes of light.
The last wave of the pocket storm blew towards them, a twisting wave of dust and rock. The wave rushed past them and formed a mountainous landscape; the teens landed on rock and sand.
Slowly, the skies turned blue as the last waves of the Pocket Storm settled.
The rangers climbed to their feet and dusted the dirt off their clothes.
"Can we just give up?" Mat asked, only partially joking. "Is that an option?"
Suddenly, laughter echoed through the wind. The rangers looked ahead to see a teen, dressed in red, gold, white and black, walk towards them.
"Hey Tyler," said the teen, Vasco. "Long time no see…You're looking well. How'd you like that Pocket Storm?" He glanced at the other rangers. "Your 'leader' and I used to ride those things for fun…"
Tyler narrowed his eyes. "Vasco..."
"You know him?" Seth asked.
Tyler nodded.
"Of course he does," Vasco said. "We go way back, Tyler and me. He was my first partner. We spent every day together, searching for the only thing that mattered: Power."
"I thought you were dead," Tyler said.
"Oh, come on. You of all people should know that never sticks," Vasco said.
"What do you want?"
"Can't an old friend just drop by to say hi?"
"Not you, no," Tyler said, his voice grim.
Vasco smirked. "Oh, come on. You used to be so fun! But...oh well, you're right. I did come here because I want something. I heard about those Grand Powers you started collecting. I'll be taking them. Now-ish would be preferable."
"What makes you think we'll just hand them over?"
"Oh, I don't." Vasco pulled a trumpet from his jacket. "My toys will take them. You're not the only one with Ranger Keys."
He slid five Ranger Keys into the trumpet and blew, a tormented sound that formed five Rangers: DECA Break, Shurikenger, Time Fire, Dragon Ranger, and Zeo Gold.
"Nice trick, isn't it? Personifying the Ranger Keys? They're not alive, just Ranger energy in physical form. But they're just as fun as the real thing."
Vasco snapped his fingers; the landscape shattered into pieces, fragments of ground that floated through empty sky that seemed as vast as space.
The Rangers morphed into their armor with flashes of light, just as they crashed on separate chunks of floating, twisting land.
The Red Ranger climbed to his feet on a tilted piece of rock that started to peel away. He looked up just in time to see Time Fire - the Quantum Ranger - leap towards him. Eerily silent, the Quantum Ranger unsheathed his sword and chopped towards the Red Ranger.
The Red Ranger parried, dodged, and slashed towards the Quantum Ranger. But Time Fire dodged. The opponents clashed swords, clanging and sparking on impact, as their piece of ground floated through the air.
Suddenly, the ground twisted and smashed against a rock, shattering to pieces and hurling the two Rangers off their feet.
Time Fire dashed through mid-air, slashed the Red Ranger with a burst of spark, and landed against the side of a floating hill.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Ranger leapt towards the Green Ranger. Dragon Ranger thrust his hands and fired a bolt of jade energy. The blast slammed against the Green Ranger with bursts of spark that hurled him backward.
The Ultimate Green Ranger crashed against a piece of tilted ground, and started tumbling downward, falling out of control.
Dragon Ranger leapt through the air, unsheathed his dagger, and slashed, firing a blade of jade energy. The energy blade tore through the chunk of ground, sending the Green Ranger flying out of control.
The Ultimate Green Ranger landed on a chunk of land. Dragon Ranger landed on the same piece of ground and pounced with a flurry of kicks and punches. Each blow forced the Green Ranger backward as he struggled to block and parry .But he couldn't handle the strength and power of the Dragon Ranger.
Dragon Ranger hook-kicked the Green Ranger's helmet, whipping him off his feet.
Nearby, the Yellow Ranger and Zeo Gold circled around one another. The Gold Ranger twirled his staff, and the Yellow Ranger twirled her sword, weapons clashing with bursts of spark.
Zeo Gold stepped back and side-kicked the Yellow Ranger, knocking her several steps backward. The Gold Ranger lifted his staff, which swirled with golden energy. He swung the staff downward with his Gold Rush Attack, firing bolts of power. The blasts exploded against the Yellow Ranger with busts of spark, hurling her into the air.
The Gold Ranger pressed forward, leapt through the air, and slammed a flying side-kick against the Yellow Ranger.
Meanwhile, the Ultimate Blue Ranger and Shurikenger dashed from rock to rock, leaping across pieces of broken concrete as they faced each other.
Finally, they pushed off and pounced at one another. Their blades clashed with bursts of spark, and they crashed against a piece of concrete that floated sideways. The impact tilted the concrete right-side-up, and the Rangers flipped to their feet.
Shurikenger pulled a ball from his belt, wound a pitch like a baseball player, and threw the sphere. The ball glowed and split into a dozen bolts of energy; the blasts smashed against the Blue Ranger with bursts of spark, whipping him off his feet.
Nearby, DECA Break throttled his bracer and slapped the ground, igniting bursts of energy. The bolts struck like lightning, blasting the Ultimate Pink Ranger with bursts of spark.
The attack sent her staggering backward.
DECA Break pressed his advantage and throttled his bracer yet again. This time he launched a rapid volley of punches that pommeled the Pink Ranger and hurled her through the air.
Suddenly, the entire area glowed with a burst of crimson light, and the landscape shifted back to normal– ground below and sky above. The impact knocked the Rangers off balance. Vasco's Ranger Dupes took advantage of the distraction to regroup.
The Dupes struck hard and fast.
Time Fire pounced at the Red Ranger with a flurry of sword swings. Each blow forced the Red Ranger backward as he blocked and parried. Quickly, he pulled out his blaster and opened fire at near point-blank range. But Time Fire still managed to dodge.
The Dragon Ranger launched a spinning heel kick at the Green Ranger. The Green Ranger ducked and stabbed his sword. But the Dragon Ranger caught the Green Ranger by the arm and pulled him off his feet.
Zeo Gold chopped his staff and swung upward, as the Ultimate Yellow Ranger dodged. The Yellow Ranger slashed at his chest. He blocked kneed the Yellow Ranger's gut, and slashed her aside.
Shurikenger somersaulted through the air and landed with a chop, slashing the Blue Ranger with a burst of spark that whipped him off his feet.
The Ultimate Pink Ranger pulled out her blaster and opened fire at DECA Break. The DECA Ranger swatted the blasts aside and charged. He punched and kicked, bashing the Pink Ranger several steps backward.
She looked over her shoulder towards the Blue Ranger, who dueled with Shurikenger.
"Seth!" she shouted to catch his attention.
The Blue Ranger looked at her and nodded. He tossed his blaster, and the Yellow Ranger tossed her sword.
The Ultimate Blue Ranger caught the weapon and dual-wielded, twirling his blade through slashes and strikes that took the Green Hurricane Ranger off guard. The Blue Ranger slashed wide and bashed the hilt of his other saber against his opponent's faceplate.
The Pink Ranger dual-wielded blasters. She opened fire with both weapons; her attacks struck DECA Break with bursts of spark, forcing him several steps backward.
Nearby, the Yellow Ranger blocked Zeo Gold's staff and twisted the weapon downward. She looked over her shoulder at the Green Ranger. "Mat! Swap me!"
She tossed her blaster, and the Green Ranger tossed his sword.
The Ultimate Green Ranger caught his teammate's sidearm. He dual-wielded blasters, opening fire on the Dragon Ranger with blasts that sparked on impact. The Dragon Ranger swung his dagger, swatting some of the blasts aside, as others sparked against his chest shield.
He pressed forward, both weapons firing.
The Ultimate Yellow Ranger dual-wielded sabers as she continued her battle with the Gold Zeo Ranger. She twirled and slashed at the Gold Ranger, who used his staff to block and parry. Stepping back, the Yellow Ranger connected the swords into a bladed staff. She chopped and swung upward, hacking Zeo Gold with bursts of spark that whipped him backward.
Meanwhile, the Ultimate Red Ranger continued his duel with Time Fire, the Quantum Ranger. Their blades clanged and clashed with bursts of spark as they stepped around one another.
Nearby, DECA Break revved his bracer and slapped the ground, triggering bursts of lightning that blasted the Pink Ranger with bursts of spark.
Shurikenger flash-stepped back and forth past the Ultimate Blue Ranger, slashing as quick as a blur, blade sparking on impact.
Zeo Gold hopped forward and chopped his weapon, slashing the Yellow Ranger with a burst of spark.
The Dragon Ranger pounced and slashed wide, hacking the Ultimate Green Ranger with a burst of spark against the armor.
The Ultimate Pink Ranger side-stepped to dodge DECA Break; she opened fire, blasting the Ranger Dupe with bursts of spark that hurled him backward.
The Yellow Ranger cross-blocked Zeo Gold's chop and kicked his chest, knocking him off his feet.
The Blue Ranger swung wide; Shurikenger blocked, but the Blue Ranger twisted his wrist and swung upward, slashing the Ranger Dupe with a burst of spark that whipped him off his feet.
The Ultimate Green Ranger dodged Dragon Ranger's dagger swings. He sidestepped, aimed his blasters, and opened fire, blasting the Dragon Ranger in the faceplate.
The Ultimate Red Ranger slashed Time Red, forcing him several steps backward. The Red Ranger pressed forward with a flying hook kick, bashing the Quantum Ranger's helmet and knocking him off his feet.
Time Fire tumbled across the ground and rolled to his feet, regrouping next to the other silent Ranger Dupes.
The Rangers regrouped.
"Alright, guys," the Red Ranger said. "Let's make this quick."
They inserted Ranger Keys into their weapons, which pulsed with energy: "FIIIIIIINAL WAAAAAVE!"
The Green Ranger and Yellow Ranger each triggered dual energy blasts. The blasts tore through DECA Break and Dragon Ranger with massive bursts of spark and strands of energy.
The Yellow Ranger and Blue Ranger swung their swords through streaks of energy. The blades slashed through Zeo Gold and Shurikenger with massive bursts of spark and discharges of power.
The Red Ranger triggered a blast with his sidearm and swung his sword, firing a blade of red energy. The energy blade splashed against the bullet and formed a massive pulse of power, which tore through Time Fire.
Secondary explosions ripped through the Ranger Dupes; they collapsed to their hands and knees and exploded with energy discharges, reverting back into normal Ranger Keys.
Vasco didn't seem to mind. In fact, he smirked. "Well, that faster than expected. Luckily, I brought back-up."
He lifted his trumpet again. This time, he slid 10 Ranger Keys into the device. He blew the instrument, a tormented sound that formed 10 Ranger Dupes: RPM Silver, RPM Gold, Seraph Knight, Kiba Ranger, Samurai Gold, Mystic Gold, Astro Silver, Gao Silver, Dino Killer, and Titan Silver.
The Ultimate Red Ranger cursed beneath his breath. He still felt winded from his fight against the Quantum Ranger, and doubted his teammates felt any better. He didn't think his team could take another round with these Ranger Dupes, especially 10 of them.
The Dupes struck quickly.
Kiba Ranger and Seraph Knight leapt at the Blue Ranger. They unsheathed their swords and chopped, blades sparking on impact. The Ultimate Blue Ranger lifted his blade to counter attack, but the two Ranger Dupes moved first. They kicked and slashed the Ultimate Blue Ranger, whipping him off his feet.
RPM Gold and RPM Silver throttled across the ground and passed the Yellow Ranger with a blur. They swerved around and slashed her off her feet, blades sparking against armor.
Astro Silver and Gao Silver armed their blades and attacked the Ultimate Green Ranger from both sides. Gao Silver pounced like a wolf, hacking and slashing the Ranger with bursts of spark. Astro Silver attacked with more precise movements, slashing downward, and swinging upward, hacking the Green Ranger with bursts of spark.
Titan Silver armed his blaster and fired at the Ultimate Pink Ranger. The blasts smashed her armor with bursts of spark, as Dino Killer moved in to attack. He twirled and slashed his dagger, forcing the Pink Ranger back. She countered with a kick. But the White Dino Thunder Ranger easily blocked, round-kicked the Pink Ranger, and slashed her chest, knocking her off her feet.
Samurai Gold dashed at the Red Ranger and slashed wide, blade sparking on impact. The blow knocked him off his feet, and he rolled across the ground, rising into a crouched stance. He got back to his feet and charged at the Gold Ranger. But Mystic Gold blocked the charge. The Gold Mystic Ranger swiped his hand across his lamp-shaped blaster and fired darts of energy. The blasts exploded against the Red Ranger and hurled him backward.
The Rangers crashed and skid across the ground; the impact knocked them from their armor with a flash of light.
The Ranger Dupes grabbed Mat, Seth, Kira and Kym, and dragged them behind Vasco.
Tyler tried to stand, to help his friends, but could barely move his legs.
Vasco smiled mockingly. "So…that was fun, right?"
Tyler narrowed his eyes. "Let them go."
"Of course," Vasco said. "Right after you give me your Grand Powers, and all your Ranger Keys."
"Not happening."
"Really?" He fake-pouted. "Sad."
"I mean it, Vasco."
"So do I," Vasco said. "I'm going to get going, but when you're ready to trade your Keys for your friends, you'll know where to find me."
His ship, the Free Joker, flew overhead, its engines vibrating with enough power to shake the ground.
Vasco flashed a mocking salute, just as the ship teleported him and his captives on board.
To be continued…Chapter 19