The Legend of Zeo: Chapter Two
Ultra Task Force
Tommy returned to the Command Chamber along with Justin, Chris, Ashley, and Kat. The new teens looked around the center, in awe at the meld of ancient stone and high-tech panels.
Billy stepped out from behind one of the chamber's columns and walked towards Tommy. "Well..." Billy asked. "How'd it go?"
"Alright," Tommy said as he looked down at his Zeo Braces. "These powers are a lot...different."
Billy nodded. "Our Ki powers energized our Life Force. The Zeo powers energize your Body."
"Sorry to interrupt," Justin said, "but what the hell is going on?!"
"Greetings," Zordon said as he hummed to life in the front of the Command Chamber, and Alpha walked in from a back room. "I am Zordon, and this is my assistant Alpha-5."
"Nice to meet you," Alpha said.
"I am the mentor of the Power Rangers," Zordon said.
The four teens looked to each other in shock, then they looked to Tommy. "I used to be the Dragon Ranger. Now I'm Zeored," Tommy said. "Billy is the Kirin Ranger. His back was injured in the Machine Empire's first attack."
The four teens remained silent for a moment. They tried their best to absorb everything that was happening to them. They tried to understand it.
"I thought there were five of you?" Chris asked.
Billy sighed. "The others were kidnapped by the Machines. Our powers were magick based and proved ineffective against the empire."
"They seemed effective enough to me," Ashley said.
"I was using the Zeo power," Tommy clarified.
"We unlocked it after our first defeat," Billy added.
"So why are we here?" Kat asked.
"Allow me to explain," Zordon said. "As Tommy and Billy have told you, their original powers proved no match against the Machines. Their three other teammates are being held captive by the Machine Empire, and Billy's back injury would seriously hinder any attempt he made to fight."
Billy tilted his head down shamefully. Tommy patted his friend's shoulder for comfort.
"After our first defeat, I was able to gather the five Zeo sub crystals and bestow Tommy with the red crystal's power," Zordon said. "But I fear one Ranger won't be enough. I have brought you here to take on the powers of the other four crystals."
"Whoa," Justin said. "Why us?"
"The four of you have the abilities and spirit necessary," Zordon said. "The Machine King targeted you after he discovered our interest in recruiting you as Rangers."
"So where do these Machines come from?" Ashley asked.
"They come from another world, also inhabited by humans," Zordon said. "The Machines overthrew their human masters, but eventually were defeated. Mages on the planet used a combination of magic and technology to create the Zeo Powers and drive the Machines away."
"Why come to Earth?" Kat asked.
"Why do any of them come to Earth," Tommy said grimly. "The bottom line is we need your help to save the world. Are you in or out?"
The Command Chamber's alarms started to blare. The Viewing Globe activated and displayed an image of a giant Machine monster attacking the city. The giant was bulbous in form, with two large red orbs serving as eyes and long tentacles for arms. Its name was Machine Saucer.
"This is what you'll be up against," Billy said.
Alpha waddled towards the four teens. He carried a metal case with wrist devices inside. "These are your Zeo Braces."
"They will allow you to harness the powers of the Zeo Crystal," Zordon said.
The four teens looked to each other with hesitation. Ashley was the first person to reach out and pick up a pair of braces. The others followed her lead, and they strapped the braces onto their wrists.
Tommy nodded. "Good... let's not waste any time."
Citizens ran in panic as the giant Machine stomped through the streets. The creature smashed through skyscrapers, spreading clouds of debris in every direction.
The five Zeo Cycles sped onto the scene as civilians finished clearing the streets. Each ranger wore a black leather jacket and slacks, with the symbol for their Zeo Crystal outlined in gold on the right sides of their chests. They wore black helmets that appeared seamless.
Tommy skid his cycle to a halt. The other rangers pulled to a stop behind him. They stepped off their bikes and removed their helmets while looking up at the giant Machine monster.
The Machine reached out with one of its massive tentacles. The monster wrapped the tentacle around a nearby school bus and lifted the bus from the streets. Children within the bus screamed as the Machine set the bus on a nearby high-rise rooftop.
"That thing is huge," Ashley said.
"I've seen bigger," Tommy said.
Beams of light shot down onto the streets in front of the rangers. The transporter beams summoned a group of Cog soldiers, each armed with short staff weapons.
"Alright guys," Tommy said as he readied his Zeo Braces, "just let your powers guide you."
The four teens nodded as they readied their own braces.
"Let's take care of business," Tommy said.
"Ultra Transform!" the five shouted together as they connected their braces, and in a flash of green energy, their armor wrapped around their bodies.
The Rangers snapped into fighting stances and announced themselves, together for the first time.
"Zeored!" Tommy shouted.
"Zeoblue!" Justin yelled.
"Zeogreen!" Chris shouted.
"Zeoyellow!" Ashley called.
"Zeopink!" Kat shouted.
"Ultra Task Force..." Zeored shouted.
"...Zeo Rangers!" The five Zeo Rangers shouted together as golden light flashed around them.
"Let's go!" Zeored shouted as he led his team through the enemy lines.
Zeored low blocked a Cog's blow before backfisting the soldier in the face and sidekicking it backwards in the chest. The Cog was slammed off its feet and smashed into two of its fellow soldiers.
Zeored pushed forward while round kicking a Cog in its midsection, then knife handing the soldier against the back of its neck. Zeored looked to his right and snapped off a sidekick against another Cog's head, before whipping that leg around in a hook kick across another soldier's face.
Zeogreen used a boxing style to block a Cog's blow and countered with a hook punch, followed by a forward/cross punch combo. He dodged a Cog's spear and delivered an uppercut to knock the soldier out.
Zeoblue leapt through the air and double sidekicked a soldier against the chest. He then flipped backward and swept the feet out from under the Cog.
A Cog came at Zeoblue from behind, so the Ranger back flipped while grabbing the Cog's head between his ankles, then twisted that soldier to the ground, finishing the Cog off with a knifehand blow.
Zeoyellow crescent kicked her way through a group of Cogs. She executed a flying reverse axe kick to bring a soldier down.
Zeopink knocked a soldier's staff away and used both hands to palm heel that Cog in the chest. She turned to elbow another soldier to her side and executed a crescent kick to a soldier in front of her.
The Rangers regrouped as another wave of Cogs approached them. "Together, guys!" Zeored shouted as they jump side kicked the soldiers down.
A wave of mecha suddenly swooped down from the skies above. The mecha angled their descent towards the Rangers.
"Scatter!" Zeored shouted as they dodged a missile salvo.
"Zeo Blasters!" Zeored shouted. The five Rangers rose to their knees and fired lances of crimson energy at the mecha, disabling the battle machines.
The giant Machine monster crashed his tentacle against the ground, quaking the earth and nearly knocking the Rangers off their feet. The monster dropped a giant, spiked sphere that started rolling towards the Zeo Rangers.
"Break!" Zeored shouted as he and the other Rangers dove for cover.
The sphere exploded with a massive shockwave that knocked the Rangers off their feet. The shockwave weakened a nearby building's foundation. It was the building with the school bus on its roof. Children on the bus screamed for help.
"Blue, Yellow, Pink, get up there and help those people," Zeored ordered.
"Right," Zeoblue said as he ran towards the building alongside Zeoyellow and Zeopink.
The giant Machine watched the three Rangers run towards the building and zeroed its targeting sensors at them.
Zeored assembled his Zeo Rifle, as did Zeogreen.
"Zeo Rifles!" Zeored shouted as they opened fire on the giant. Lances of red energy blasted against the monster's armor with bursts of spark. The blasts barely scratched the giant but served as a diversion.
The monster fired optic pulse blasts that exploded around the two Rangers, knocking them off their feet.
Above, the other three Rangers ran onto the roof and moved towards the bus. The three Rangers crashed onto the bus through the windows.
"Anyone call for a rescue?" Zeoblue asked as he and the others started gathering the panicking children together.
Back on ground level, Zeored was blasted off his feet by another optic blast. The giant reached down and grabbed the Red Ranger while lifting him up towards eye level.
"Tommy!" Zeoblue shouted as he fired at the monster with his Zeo Rifle.
The monster turned its attention to the building and saw the three Rangers round up the passengers. The machine creature used its eye beams to destroy the building, as the Rangers jumped down with the children in their arms.
"I can't believe we pulled that off," Zeoyellow said as they moved the children to safety.
"I'm not complaining," Zeoblue said.
From the monster's grasp, Zeored fired his Zeo Rifle at near point-blank range, causing the creature to loose its grip as Zeored flipped down to the ground. The Rangers regrouped at the monster's feet.
"Weapons, guys," Zeored said. He placed his hand in front of his visor, and a sword flashed into the Red Ranger's hand. "Star Riser!"
"Square Crushers!" Zeogreen activated his two small axes.
"Delta Tonfas!" Zeoblue brought his arm blades online.
"Twin Batons!" Zeoyellow activated her two nunchuku.
"Circle Defenser!" Zeopink armed her shield.
"Aim for the joints!" Zeored shouted as the five Rangers leapt onto the monster. They each hacked into the creature from different positions. Zeored was on the top of the Machine when it tilted its head.
Zeored rolled off of the head and grabbed onto a dangling tentacle while hanging towards one of its large red eyes. He swung forward and stabbed his sword through the eye, causing a series of small explosions.
Zeored let go of the tentacle and dropped to the ground, immediately assembling his Zeo Rifle and blasting apart the other eye.
The other Rangers leapt off the monster and regrouped with Zeored.
"Ultra Blaster!" Zeored shouted as the five Rangers combined their weapons into a single cannon.
"Fire!" Zeored shouted, launching two rounds towards the monster's damaged area. The blasts tore through the machine and caused it to explode. The smoke from the explosion began to clear as the five teens powered down. The four newcomers were overwhelmed by the feeling as Tommy stood triumphantly.
The Machine King narrowed his eyes as he watched the battle's ending through a holo-screen. "This will be harder than I thought."
Alpha walked over to Billy as the former ranger watched through the viewing globe. "The weapons you built worked perfectly, Billy," Alpha said.
Billy nodded.
Later that day, Tommy sat alone at the shore of Bear Lake as Billy walked up behind him. "Where are the others?" he asked.
Tommy shook his head. "I don't know. They have their communicators, so we'll be able to call them when we need them."
Billy sighed and sat down next to his friend. "You're being too hard on yourself for this."
"For what?" He asked. "Letting three of my best friends get kidnapped and you get injured? You're damn right I'm being hard on myself. They trusted me, Billy. They trusted me and I let them down."
Billy sighed. "We'll get them back. It's only a matter of time before we figure out a way around their shield and defenses. In the meantime, there's no need to distance yourself from the new team."
Tommy shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said. "As soon as I get Rocky and the others back, we won't need the new kids."
Tommy got up and began walking away. Billy followed and changed the subject.
"Well," he said. "Alpha and I finished the designs for your new mecha."
"We'll need them without the Kidenjuu," he said. "How exactly are you going to build them?"
"Well," Billy said. "Zordon and Alpha have all the parts we need. And I talked Zordon into letting me bring in a few people from INET to help on the construction."
"Your digital company?" he asked with surprise.
Billy nodded. "They're expanding their horizons. Just wait till you see the NASA division that's being developed."
"Huh," Tommy said. "I'm not sure that's a good idea to involve business people or the government in what we do."
Billy smiled. "Just wait. You'll see."
To be continued...Chapter Three
