The Legend of Zeo: Chapter Fifteen

Rising of the Warriorzords

In the depths of the mountains, miles beneath the surface, a gathering was taking place. A small group of Machine monsters, all variations of previous monsters, were lined up in a cave and heading towards a large chamber that glowed with molten power.

The Machine King stood on a small overhang above, looking down on his troops as they moved forward towards the chamber. His queen Machina was by his side, along with their young son the Rangers referred to as Sprocket.

A smile spread across the King's dark metallic face. "The time for playing games is over...tonight, the Rangers fall."

The lead monster in line, which resembled a giant walking drill, stepped into the chamber. A thick colt of molten liquid was poured onto the machine as jagged lines of crimson energy shot forth and surrounded the monster's armor.

The Machine Drill was in its giant form as it flew across the night-lit city, crashing through buildings and reigning bolts of electric firepower upon the streets.

In the Command Chamber, the five teens were alerted to the Machine's presence by Billy as they gathered in front of the Viewing Globe.

Justin narrowed his eyes as he stared at the globe. "It looks like that drill thing that attacked us right after the Machines shot down our plane a few months back."

"It's a similar design," Billy said, "but it's reading differently than any machine we've faced before."

They watched as the Machine monster flew over the coast and plunged into the ocean.

"What's it doing, Billy?" Tommy asked.

Billy turned to a control console. "It's headed towards the ocean floor. I can't be certain, but it's probably going to attempt seismic attacks against the city."

The top of a hospital on the west side of the city had been ripped off. Power across 27 blocks was out, making it the greatest blackout in Angel Grove's history.

Doctors and nurses huddled together on the top floor of the war-torn hospital as they tried to stabilize their patients amidst the rubble that used to be one of the city's most prestigious medical hospital.

A nurse gave a shot to a young boy she had in her arms on the dark floor. "He's not looking good, doctor..."

The doctor had his hands full behind the nurse as he administered bandages and medication to those most likely to survive. "Try to keep him stabilized," he said.

A large whining pierced the air as they looked above to see a trio of giant Machine monsters blast through the sky.

The doctor shook his head. "We can't wait for help...we have to get these people moved to the shelter."

Before the nurses could answer, they heard the screeching of metal gears coming from the corridor just outside the room they were in. They stayed as quiet and still as possible as they saw several shadows creep forward.

A group of Cogs slowly walked by and turned to face the civilians as their gears grinded against each other, producing what sounded like a light howling noise. They aimed their staffs forward and charged them with energy as the people inside the rooms opened their eyes wide with fear or closed them tightly shut.

The nurse draped herself over the boy as she closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. The other medical personnel did what they could to shield the patients as they prepared for the end.

"Back off!" they heard a voice shout as a white glove grabbed a hold of one of the soldier's staffs and twisted. It was Zeored.

He twisted the staff away with his left hand and brought his right hand around, slamming the end of his sword across the Cog's head. He snapped out a left sidekick against the second Cog and turned to his right to cut down the third.

The rest of the Cogs turned to attack the Ranger. Zeored parried a blow and brought his sword around to cut through that soldier's chest. He swung his blade behind his back, blocking a blow as he turned and decapitated that Cog. Zeored twirled his blade while cutting through a soldier to his right, then snapped a left hook kick against the last Cog in that patrol group.

Zeored ran into the dark room where the civilians were bundled up. "Is everyone okay?"

The doctors and nurses hesitated, more than a little shocked by their situation.

"We have people that need medical attention," the doctor said, sweat dripping from his brow and fresh blood stains on his white jacket. "We couldn't make it down to the shelter."

"Are there any more of those...things?" a nurse asked.

Zeored nodded. "Yes...but don't worry. I didn't come alone."

A few levels below, a group of Cogs were cornering nurses and patients who weren't able to reach the top level of the torn building.

Zeoblue dove through a hole in the wall and rolled across the ground before rising in front of a Cog. He used his left arm blade to block a soldier's staff, then spun forward while slashing through the Cog with his right blade.

The Ranger flipped backward while kicking a Cog upside the head, then slammed a roundhouse kick across the soldier, sending that Cog crashing through a wall.

"You tin heads have a lot of nerve," Zeoblue said as another Cog charged towards him. He parried that soldier's staff and slashed the Cog diagonally across the chest.

Around a corner, another group of Cogs was pushing forward through the dark rubble-filled building. Zeoyellow dropped to the ground in front of them with her nunchuku in hand.

She dashed forward with a diagonal strike with each weapon, then brought her leg behind her in a hook kick across another Cog's head. She hopped forward with a double vertical strike against a Cog, then jumped forward with a double front kick against another soldier.

Zeopink moved in behind the Cogs and knocked her way through them with her shield. Zeogreen fell into position besides her and launched a flurry of punches against the machines before activating his axes and chopping through them.

The four Rangers regrouped in a center corridor.

"That should do it," Zeoblue said.

Zeoyellow nodded. "Let's get this people down to the shelter."

The sun started to rise as the rangers and Billy met a few miles outside of their mecha hanger. In the distance were five giant objects, each designed after their Zeo symbols.

"I don't get it," Justin said. "What are those thing?"

"Warriorzords," Billy said as he looked ahead to the objects. "The Red Battlezord was a prototype for those five zords. You'll need them to take on these new machines."

"What's so special about them?" Chris asked.

"Their armor coating is nearly indestructible," Billy explained. "That's why their readings were so strange."

"Is it smart to have them out in the open like this?" Kat asked.

A grin spread across Tommy's place. "I get it...nice plan."

"Knew you'd approve," Billy said.

"Huh?" Justin asked.

The six teens heard a stomping noise in the distance and looked up to see the giant machine army stomping towards them.

"Morph!" Tommy shouted as they jumped for cover with Billy, energy flashing around them as they transformed into their armor, seconds before an energy barrage exploded against the ground around them.

"Follow me," Zeored said amidst the smoke as he dove downwards in a stream of energy and streaked towards the Warriorzord shells while under the cover of ground. The others followed.

The giant machines circled around the five Warriorzord shells, each sensing their power, and grabbed onto them.

Deep within the Machine King's chamber, another Machine was receiving a coat of armor. Nearby, his giant warriors were trying to break open the Warriorzord shells.

"I want those contraptions seized," the Machine King commanded.

The shells suddenly shattered open as the Warriorzords stood upright in flashes of energy.

"Warriorzords, online!" Zeored shouted from his cockpit.

Machine King narrowed his robotic eyes as he glared at the zords and his own creations. "Incompetents..."

The Warriorzords charged forward and bashed against the giant Machines with a flurry of punches and kicks.

Red Warriorzord lifted a Machine off its feet and threw it into the central chamber. The chamber erupted into flames as a giant explosion ripped through the caverns. The walls started to crumble and the ground shook as the Machine King was knocked backwards by the shockwave and sent plummeting towards fiery pits below.

The cavern started to cave in from every direction as four of the giant Machines activated thrusters and blasted towards the surface.

"After them," Zeored commanded as the five Warriorzords activated their own thruster units.

The five zords landed in the mountains above and faced off with the Machine monsters.

"Red Warriorzord!" Zeored shouted as his mech flashed with energy.

"Green Warriorzord!" Zeogreen shouted as he powered up his robo.

"Blue Warriorzord!" Zeoblue called as he primed his zord's systems.

"Yellow Warriorzord!" Zeoyellow shouted.

"Pink Warriorzord!" Zeopink shouted.

"Alright guys," Zeored said. "Split up and take 'em out."

The Warriorzords split up to attack.

The Machine monster shaped like a missile silo activated its thrusters and took off into the skies.

"Going airborne," Zeored said as he activated his zord's thrusters and took off after the enemy.

Silo jet through the sky as Zeored fired his zord’s afterburners and inched up to the monster's side. The Warriorzord swung a backfist blow against the monster's armor as the two continued to thrust forward.

On the ground below, the Pink and Yellow Warriorzords were punching a large scorpion-like machine with powerful punches that dented the monster's armor and cracked it open.

"Let's use some fire power," Zeoyellow said to Zeopink over the comm.

The two Rangers activated their zords' weapon systems, and their chest plates energized while firing storms of energy darts that cut through the monster, tearing it to pieces as its systems overloaded and exploded.

"There's not much to these guys once you crack through their armor," Zeoyellow said to her teammates over the comm.

Miles above the city, a Machine had its massive tentacles wrapped around the Blue Warriorzord as it struggled to break free.

"Keep your tentacles to yourself," Zeoblue said as he activated his zord's arm blades and cut through the Machine's tendrils.

The Ranger activated his zord’s thrusters and hovered in midair while downloading its rifle and blasting lances of orange energy against the monster's armor at near point-blank range.

"See what happens when you play rough," Zeoblue said as the Machine's systems overloaded and exploded.

Off the coast and beneath the ocean, the Green Warriorzord propelled forward as its searchlights illuminated the sea floor ahead.

"C'mon," Zeogreen said. "I know you're down here somewhere..."

As if on cue, the drill shaped Machine monster sprang forward as if from nowhere and slammed its giant drill against the zord, causing small explosions that were quickly quenched by the surrounding sea.

Zeogreen powered up his zord's fist and swung a punch forward, crashing against the Machine's drill and snapping it in to as the Monster drifted out of control.

Back in the skies above, the Red Warriorzord and Silo flew towards each other head on. Silo unloaded a missile payload that blasted towards the zord.

Zeored downloaded the Red Warriorzord's saber and used the weapon to deflect the missiles as he fired his afterburners and accelerated forward with a burst of speed. The zord plunged its saber through the Machine's chest plate. The Warriorzord pulled its saber free and fired its retro-boosters, backing away from the Machine as its systems overloaded and exploded.

The Red Warriorzord flew over the city as the other four zords fired their boosters and fell into formation besides their leader.

"Good work, guys," Zeored said. "Let's get back to the Command Chamber."

The Machine King slowly crawled from the rubble he was buried beneath, his body dented and cracked. His cloak disintegrated.

"Enough..." he said quietly in a deep metallic voice. "I've had enough...I will take care of this pest problem myself..."

To be continued…Chapter 16