The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 3 by Heather Ray (macos ebook reader TXT) 📕

After over ten minutes, he finally found an ancient, dusty communicator.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, wiping the dust off with his hands, "I've found it! Now, I hope it works..."

Will began tampering with the device, trying to turn it on. But the communicator was lifeless.

"Maybe it's out of power," he said, turning it around and prying off the panel concealing its battery. The battery was very similar to the kind used in the CAC, which in turn look like really large D batteries. He tampered around with the batteries, as well as the exposed wires, trying to piece it back together.

"Hmm," he said. "This machine is lacking insulation. The wires' metal is exposed! I need some kind of rubber, to wrap around it."

While he looked around on the cluttered lab table, something banged on the bolted door. Will jumped in surprise, and watched as the banging continued. He could see the iron bending to the force of whatever was behind the door.

"What could that be?"

Suddenly, he heard a hiss, and a small hole burned through the metallic door. A green ooze continued to slowly eat through the iron.

"Oh no!" Will gasped, "Viper Putties!"

He hurried back to the communicator, looking back to see the small hole grow from the size of a dime to the size of a baseball. Will kept searching for an insulated material.

"If I can't get this communicator to work in twenty three seconds, I'm doomed," he muttered. Finally an idea struck him, and he ripped off a piece of his space suit, that he was still wearing from the Endeavor. He wrapped the material over the copper wire, and activated the communicator. He sighed in relief as the machine flashed to life, and he immediately began to program the device to operate on the frequency the Power Rangers' communicators always did. Meanwhile, the hole in door was about the size of a watermelon.

"Hello?" he said into the microphone, "Rangers, this is Will, and I'm in the Moon Palace! Zedd and Rita kidnapped me and my companions, hoping to gain knowledge of the year 2006! They're about to send down a new Godzilla type monster!"

Will stopped talking and turned around, only to see over a dozen Viper Putties enter the cluttered lab.
Chapter Seventeen

William Mitchell, world-renowned scientist, was in a predicament, to say the very least. In a desperate attempt to contact his allies, the Terran Power Rangers, Will invaded Finster's lab. Even though the old alien scientist no longer used this particular facility, there remain numerous mechanical devices, including an operational communicator. Will had hoped to contact the rangers, flee the lab, and rejoin his two allies without being seen by Lord Zedd's forces. However, over a dozen deadly Viper Putties entered the melted doorway to the lab one by one, and Will stands frozen beside the communicator on the other side of the large chamber, his mind racing.

There's no way I can defeat fourteen Viper Putties alone, with no weapons, nor powers! Will thought, scanning the machines surrounding him, Therefore, the only logical solution is to create a weapon on my own!

Will put down the microphone to the communicator, and backed away from the approaching monsters. He attempted to leap back, but her stumbled, due to his cumbersome space suit.

There's no way I can perform any elegant martial arts moves in this suit! And, I doubt its durable enough to withstand the Viper Putties acidic saliva.

Will picked himself up off the cold ground, and jumped out of the way of a stream of green venom. He bolted into a run, quickly grabbing a large metallic disk, resembling a satellite dish. It was obviously one of Finster's unfinished experiments. Will shielded his face with the disk as he charged through the Putties like a bull, and managed to push past all fourteen of them. But the Putties quickly recovered from Will's sudden move, and followed him towards the door, spewing deadly venom in all directions. Will thought for a moment to make a break for it, but was suddenly hit by a wave of inspiration.

"The hate-potion!" he cried. "That's it!"

Will held the metal disk like a shield, and made his way to the bolted cupboard, where he saw a few magic potions. He grabbed the one with a broken heart emblem on it, and threw the bottle at the approaching Putties. The Putties looked at each other, completely puzzled, while Will ducked behind the lab table. After a few moments of being bathed in the strange mist, the Putties suddenly began to growl at each other, and attack one another. Will smiled triumphantly and crawled out of the lab. Once he passed though the gate, he stood up, and brushed the dirt off his uniform. He then cautiously listened for any approaching noises, and quietly hurried back the way he had come. In a matter of minutes Will was once again with his two allies, Natasha Slovensky and James Montgomery, inside the ventilation system.

"What happened, Will?" asked Natasha.

"Yeah," said James. "What did you find out?"

"Those two aliens are a married couple, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. They're the hated enemies of the Power Rangers. They're back, and they're planning on taking over the world."

Natasha gasped, but James rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"Yeah right," he scoffed. "Them and what army?"

"An army of those green and grey creatures we saw pass by," said Natasha, "I think she called them Viper Putties."

"Yes," said Will. "They can create as many Viper Putties as they want, and also, they can create monsters. I witnessed Rita create a green lizard creature with a machine called the Monster-Matic."

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Natasha.

"Well, I managed to find a working communicator, and I sent a message to Earth, warning whoever hears it of Rita and Zedd's attack. Other than that, I really don't know what we can do."

"Then I'll tell ya what we can do!" said James, clenching his fist. "We destroy that Monster-Matic thing that woman used to create a monster! Without the machine, they can't make any more."

"Maybe later," said Will. "But we're certainly not going back to the lab anytime soon. That room is filled with Viper Putties, and I'd rather avoid a confrontation. I suggest we find the throne room, where Zedd and Rita do all their talking and planning. We may find out more vital information."

"Then let's go," said James, beginning to once again remove the metal grate. Natasha touched his shoulder gently.

"Why don't we travel through the ventilation system?" she suggested. "It's much safer, and there must be a passage leading to the throne room. That's the only way air can get in."

"Good idea," said Will, crawling into the air ducts, "I'll lead the way."

Meanwhile, not very far, Lord Zedd sits on his throne, tapping his metallic chin impatiently, while Rita explains Verdus's powers.

"Wait one minute, Rita," said Zedd. "You're telling me you created a monster based on some fictional Earth character?! What in the name of evil possessed you to do that?!"

"Because, he's a very well-designed monster, and I feel he can defeat the rangers. Besides, how hard can it be to destroy a team of rangers without any powers? Send Verdus into the underground tunnels surrounding the Central Access Complex. It ought to be interesting, to say the least."

Chapter Eighteen

Meanwhile, in the musty, dark caverns beneath the ruins of the Command Center, Rocky DeSantos, Kimberly Monroe, Tom Oliver, and Zack Taylor felt their way through the darkness, searching for the right path.

"It feels like we've been walking for hours," muttered Kimberly under her breath, climbing over a boulder. She ran her hand along the stone wall, so she could navigate better. Her hand touched a slimy substance, and she immediately drew it back. "Ew, gross!"

"Be quiet, Kim," snapped Tom, who was leading the group, "I think I hear something!"

"You don't have to yell at me," she snapped back, "I'm not a child!"

"Just keep it down! Listen."

Kimberly glared at the red-costumed leader, but remained silent. Rocky and Zack traded frustrated looks, and listened as well. So far, their journey has been uneventful, with the exception of Tom and Kimberly. This is the first time they've been together since Jason's wedding, and even then they managed to stay at a distance from each other. Now, the tension is high, and the two of them can't stop bickering.

"I don't hear anything," Kimberly said after nearly a minute of silence. Tom once again shushed her, and snuck ahead.

"Hey!" Kim snapped, following him. "Where are you going? Isn't this supposed to be a team effort?"

"Easy, Kim," whispered Zack. "He's just hopping into his 'over-protective leader mode.'

He's probably making sure the coast is clear."

"We should still follow closely, though," said Rocky, starting to go where Tom had. "The lighting's so bad in here, we can easily get separated."

"Sic-Hyah!!" came a muffled cry from just down the tunnel. All three rangers jumped a bit.

"Tommy?!" Kim cried into the darkness. "He's in trouble! Let's go!"

Kimberly followed the sounds of battle, with Rocky and Zack right behind her. Soon, they found Tom, battling at least six of Zedd's poisonous Viper Putties all alone. He was doing well, until he let his guard down for an instant, to turn around and see his friends approaching. One Viper Putty took full advantage of Tom's distraction, and spat out a stream of corrosive venom. Tom managed to dodge most of it, but a little stained the chest area of his red uniform. A few drops was enough.

"TOMMY!!"

Kimberly shrieked as she heard Tom shout and fall to the ground. She quickly ran over to him, and leapt into the air.

"Hi-ya!" she bellowed, plowing her left heel into the Putty's gut. It fell down without uttering a sound, and Kimberly immediately tended to Tom.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"I'm fine," he answered, trying to stand up, "I thought the venom would penetrate the