The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 6 by Heather Ray (best free ereader .txt) 📕

/> "You're right, Rocko," he said quietly, "I'd better get going." He pulled off the two leather strings, and handed them to David, who gazed at him quizzically. "You should keep an eye on them," Tommy decided. "Just in case...well...just in case." He gave his brother a reassuring thumbs up before stepping away. "Back to Action!"

Rocky watched as the Red Ranger's body melted into a pulsing column of light. He sighed quietly as he thought about the last time he had leapt into action in the Red armor. It was only last fall, right before Rita and Zedd transformed the team into children. Still, it felt like a lifetime ago.

"Rocky?" Aisha whispered, nudging the pensive former Ranger. "You okay?"

Rocky jumped, and turned to meet his close friend's inquiring gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You miss it," Aisha observed. It wasn't a question.

"I guess I do," Rocky confessed. "It's...hard to just sit and watch."

"Tell me about it!" Regina sighed, suddenly stepping closer to the congregation. "Hey Billy! Isn't there anything we can do?"

"Not unless you brought some Zords along with you," he responded, typing on a keyboard, "But, perhaps you can help me out. You're familiar with the CAC's primary functions, right?"

Regina's frown instantly flipped. "Will always called me a natural."

Billy nodded, waving her towards him. "Then, do me a favor and help me process the data I'm collecting."

"Collecting? From what?"

Billy's eyes narrowed. "From that Dark Knight."
Chapter Thirty-Eight

Sparks flew from the head and neck of the Alligator Zord. One rather large blade was jammed into the right eye of the Zord, which was where the cockpit was located.

"I think this Ranger is finished," the iron-clad monster stated smoothly. "But just to be on the safe side --"

Faster than the warrior could even think, a wall of white light appeared between him and the Alligator, and stretched all around the monster in a brilliant cylinder. He stared at the wall intently, and then realized with some surprise that it wasn't a wall. Rather, it was an object moving so quickly, it was everywhere at once.

"Now you've done it!" Zack shouted, his Cheetah swiftly circling Rito. He suddenly stopped circling the monster, and ran right at him. He appeared as a streak of white light, and slammed into the creature's stomach. Rito howled with rage and pain as he hurtled through the air, crashing into a patch of trees nearby. But he recovered almost immediately, and rose to his feet. The fear-inspiring ruby gaze of the monster brightened, and fixed itself upon the Cheetah.

"No, little Ranger," he stated, holding up his massive ax, "I've only just begun."

The mighty blade began to glow, casting a web of sinuous energy around the ivory Cheetah. Despite its amazing speed and agility, the energy bands clung to the hull of the Cheetah, holding it captive.

All the Rangers heard a tense scream exuding from the Cheetah as flashes of white energy cascaded around the hull.

"We've got to do something!" Kimberly gasped, her eyes wide as she heard Zack's pained scream echoing in her mind.

^Hold on, Kim,^

said a voice, surprisingly calm and assured. ^Let me try something.^

The Gold Ranger couldn't help but smile as she gazed at her monitor. "Tommy, what the heck took you so long?"

"I'll tell you later," he answered, as the Phoenix sailed over the cliffs to the battlefield. "Activating Hyperflame Shield!"

The hull of the Phoenix began to glow with reddish-orange energy, and it catapulted towards the knight, leaving a streak of light like a falling star. The relatively small Zord arched between the Cheetah and its oppressor, and sailed directly towards the mighty ax the creature used as the focus of its power.

Even before the energized wing of the Phoenix touched it, the heavy metal melted to liquid. The knight gasped in astonishment as the head of his ax bent over, and the web of energy faded. Once freed, the Cheetah backed up slightly as the Silver Ranger recovered his bearings.

"Okay, roll call," Tommy said, pulling back on the wheel to bring his vehicle into the air again, "Zack, you okay?"

The gasping was heavy from the Cheetah, but a weak voice did transmit. ^Never better,^

he wheezed.

"How about Kat?"

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Inside the Alligator, the Blue Ranger picked herself off the ground. She shook her head, and steadied herself against a console. She glanced at her seat, and gasped when she saw a razor, about seven feet long and three feet thick, sticking through her leather seat. It had crashed through the eye of the Alligator, and it would have killed her, had she not leaped for cover.

"Ah!" she moaned, pausing after she had tried to take a step. She tenderly tried out her leg, but much to her consternation, any pressure placed upon her right foot resulted in a sharp pain.

One of the ceiling consoles had fallen on her leg, and it obviously was more than her armor could protect her from.

She jumped as a loud screech of metal tore through the silent chamber. She backed away slowly as the back door of the bridge was forced open.

"Kat?" the intruder inquired, muscling through the small entrance. "Are you all right?"

Katherine released the breath she was holding. "Jason! What're you doing here?"

Jason hurried to the Blue Ranger, and quickly wrapped her in a tight hug. "You weren't answering your communicator, and all the sparking equipment created a flux that made it impossible for us to scan the bridge of the Alligator, or teleport in or out. So, I teleported into the Zord itself, and made my way over."

Katherine smiled widely beneath her helmet. "Thanks."

She tried to take a step, but once again winced when her foot touched the ground.

"Kat?" Jason inquired worriedly.

"It's my ankle," she explained, "but it'll be okay."

Jason gently pushed Katherine to the console, and let her lean against it. He then examined the razor blade embedded within her pilot's seat.

"We need to get the Alligator up and running," Jason decided, grasping the blade with both arms. His enhanced Ranger strength allowed him to pull the projectile out of the chair, and he dropped it towards the back of the cockpit. He then took Katherine by the hand, and escorted her to the seat. Katherine gratefully sat down, ignoring the gaping hole in the back, and glanced tiredly at the sparking controls.

"Well, the viewscreen's shot," she sighed, looking out of the glass to the battlefield, "I can only see what's directly ahead of me. All other screen views have been disrupted." She then began typing carefully on the main switchboard, and scanned the readout. "One of those daggers ruptured the Alligator's neck, and the LOX tubing there. I can't fire my Deep Freeze Cannon."

"Do you think you can form the Megazord?" Jason asked, glancing over her shoulder at the Megazord Transformation panel.

"Yeah," she responded, reaching over to begin the sequence, "it looks okay. The structural damage is minimal, so the Megazord will be able to stand up."

Jason stared through the open eye of the Alligator, and watched anxiously as a spray of razors streaked towards the newly-arrived Phoenix. However, the Hyperflame Shield melted the thorns before impact. Jason felt a wave of inspiration.

"Tommy! Guys!" he yelled into his wrist communicator. "Let's form the Megazord! Alexis, you flank us!"

^You heard the man,^

said Tommy, the Phoenix flying straight into the sky, ^Megazord sequence!^

Jason then grasped Katherine's shoulder for a moment, and vanished in a flash of obsidian energy.

Within seconds, the Megazord was complete, and the six Terran Rangers were inside the cockpit in the helmet. Right above, the Eaglezord hovered.

"Okay," said Jason, as his seat rolled into position, "let's try using flame attacks. They've had the most effect against that thing so far."

"Sounds good," said Adam, "Activating Terra Sword, and charging it with Fire."

The silver sword took shape in the Megazord's hand, and an orange aura spread onto its edge. The formidable Zord arched the weapon, but the agile monster dodged the attack, and released a fresh wave of gleaming blades at the Megazord.

Chapter Forty

Billy continued to monitor the fight with a tense expression on his face. He remained seated at his station, his entire focus upon the large screen that chronicled the cataclysmic battle. Surrounding him, the assembly of past and future Power Rangers stood firm, all cringing at each blow the Megazord suffered.

"I can't believe this!" Anthony groaned emphatically, pushing off from the console he leaned against. "We've traveled thirty years, and we're completely useless! The Rangers are losing!"

"This is so different from our world," Rebecca observed quietly. "No creature of this ability ever attacked Earth. Our parents were never so strained."

"That's so bizarre," Tanya commented, her brow wrinkling, "that this dimension and yours differ so much. I mean, from what I gather the breach in our two histories only happened last December. We're talking three months of time!"

"But during that time, Rita and Zedd had given up on Earth," Brittany pointed out.

"Do you honestly think Rita and Zedd have the capability to create a monster like this?" Rocky interjected. "Unless they've been taking an Evil Correspondence Course, whatever it is we're dealing with is leagues