Disclaimer: I do not, have never and have no hope to own the Power Rangers. They are owned by Saban (Please don't sue me Mr Saban). I also do not own Doctor Who, which belong to the BBC or any associated characters. Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling and although not used directly in this series is an excellent read and deserves a mention.
I do not own VR Troopers, Big Bad Beetleborgs, Masked Rider, Galaxy Rangers, Transformers or GI Joe. Some of the concepts and character in this story are based on these shows as do any characters that make an appearance. They are all used without permission of the copyright owners.
I also need to credit Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Blake's Seven and Star Fleet/ X-Bomber for some of the ideas in this book and for general inspiration. References are made later in the series to Sailormoon, Digimon, Pokemon, Robotech, Zoids, Gundam Wing, Captain Planet, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future and Dragonball-Z and any character or idea taken from those series is done without permission.  If there is anything I've forgotten such as MASK, Terrahawks, Thunderbirds or Ghostbusters, they're not mine either.
I would like to thank Jeremy Ray Logsdon, Ellen Brand and Randel for writing their respective series. They were an inspiration to me two years ago when I started writing this series and remain so regardless of the numerous rewrites I have produced. The basis of the Morphin Grid in this series is modified from Randel's version of Ellen's definition of the Morphin Grid. The idea of the Infinity Crystals in later chapters was inspired by Jeremy Ray's Earth Crystals and Marvel Comic's Infinity Quest.  Any characters used have been taken with the permission of the author.
The mention of a series, book or television program in this disclaimer in no way guarantees characters, places or situations from those sources will appear in this series. Most are excellent programs that deserve a mention or that have had a positive influence on the direction of this series. No part of this series is used for profit.
Author's Note: This is a rewrite of the first part of Conquest of Evil first released at the Command Center Archives in 1998/99. This has been rewritten to allow for later seasons of Power Rangers including Wild Force.
Time Line: The series does not adhere to the Saban timeline. The year is 1996 and the series begins after Billy left for Aquitar, but before Jason started to lose the powers of the Gold Ranger.

Distant Danger
by ShadowRanger

The Moon

Lord Zedd stood on the balcony of his lunar palace and stared at the planet below. He was not bothered by the lack of atmosphere because his demonic outer form did not need to breathe. Even if he had, there were spells surrounding the Moon that had been activated when Rita had first been released from her Dumpster. It had been a while since he had stood here, not far from his chamber of command and just stared at the Earth. The RV just didn't have the same view.

His attention was drawn to the remains of the planetoid where Rita's Dumpster had once been placed. His aura flared with anger as he observed how it had been reduced to an insignificant size. Mondo had mined it for all the minerals he could extract and left the remains to slowly decay and drift to the Moon's surface. At one point Zedd had planned to use magic to send the planetoid crashing into the Earth, but that plan was now unworkable.

"Zeddy!" Rita screeched.

"What is it?" Zedd demanded.

The two villains had hardly spoken since Freeze Frame's failure. Zedd had been involved in some sort of project and he refused to let anyone near. There was something different about Zedd. He seemed ... evil. Rita remembered the day he had turned up on the Moon and dismissed her. He had been a relentless tyrant then; and although he still lacked the intensity he had displayed at the time, his evil presence was suddenly invigorating. And strangely enough, she felt she loved him for that dominance.

From his little hiding spot Finster watched the proceedings. He didn't like this turn of events one little bit. It meant that something had gone wrong with his plan.

Finster was a traitor, but not to Zedd; he had not pledged his allegiance to the Emperor of Darkness; only to Rita. And with good reason too, because Rita had betrayed him first. It had happened before Zordon had imprisoned the witch. Rita had invaded Finster's home world and demanded he served her. In return for her sparing the lives of his friends and planet he had agreed. But Rita had changed her mind and killed all that was dear to her new monster maker. Finster had vowed revenge.

From the time he joined her Finster had produced bad monster after bad monster. They were always just a little too weak to last forever. Some were successful in battle, but ultimately wound up defeated. When Rita was released Finster had maintained his plan to bring her empire to its knees. Until Zedd showed up.

Zedd had no need of Putties or clay monsters. He used his powers to create what he wanted and Finster was forced to watch and bide his time. When Rita had returned Finster had helped her regain her position in Zedd's empire. That was not an act of kindness though; Zedd was a greater threat. The encoded message he placed on the virus disk he had inserted in Alpha relayed vital knowledge to Zordon. The love potion he had administered to Zedd effectively destroyed the villain. Love was the enemy of all evil and with the potion flowing through him Zedd became incompetent.

Even so Finster had been forced to step in on occasion, like the time he had placed sedatives in the Tenga food. He had consistently sabotaged the villains' plots and watched as they grew into bumbling imbeciles.

But now Zedd had changed and Finster was unsure why. The love potion he had used had been short term, but he had seen it working with his own eyes. Zedd had grown to genuinely love Rita. What could have happened?

"Those machines are at it again," Rita told her husband.

Zedd took a look at the planet below as energy bolts from Grommet's ship caused two of the Rangers to disappear from view. Normally speaking he had no objection to letting Mondo and his pathetic family do the hard work, but if Grommet was attacking the Earth there was a chance Mondo and Machina were undergoing repairs.

_We need a way to put a stop to that robotic imbecile. _

Zedd looked at his servants, hoping to select one of them to lead his assault. Rito was out of the question of course; even though Zedd knew that most of Rito's stupidity was an act, he still considered him too much of a scatter brain to be successful. Many years ago Rito had been caught in one of Master Vile's spells. Rito would have died from his injuries had Vile not created a new body for his only son. But the damage had been done and in addition to the physical injury, Rito suffered brain damage too. At least, that was the story Rita had told him and Zedd was always cautious about anything his wife had to say.

His gaze fell on Goldar, once a proud soldier in Zedd's ranks, but now reduced to a pale shadow of his former self. In a demonstration to his other servants Zedd had liberated Goldar's wings from his body. In hindsight that was a mistake because despite reinforcing the penalty for failure it left Goldar restricted in combat. He decided to do something about that.

"Goldar," he said.

The gold plated titan looked up as a blast from Zedd's staff once again restored his wings. He felt important again and worthy to serve his master.

But Zedd had no intention of sending Goldar to fight. The recovery he had just witnessed, the maniacal gleam in the simian's eye reminded him of the Goldar of old, but it was too soon to risk another failure. He wanted Goldar to be the efficient killing machine that had once caused planets to tremble in fear, a match for the mightiest of henchmen.

Squatt and Baboo weren't worth thinking about. Both had once been great fighters, but constant exposure to Rita had caused them to degenerate into cheerleaders at best. They were incompetent, stupid and cowardly cretins Zedd knew he should have eliminated when he first arrived. Unlike Goldar who tried to be useful they had never proven their worth, never shown even the faintest signs of the vile and murderous creatures they had once been. He dismissed them without even giving the matter consideration.

And of course Finster, faithful old Finster, the monster maker and spell finder, the only member of Rita's motley crew who had never bowed to the emperor. Zedd had seen him, standing and watching. Finster had seen everything and yet never intervened, had helped Rita knowing that she was incompetent. There were many reasons why Finster would want Rita back in the thick of things, but now was not the time to consider them. He moved on to the next candidate.

Scorpina. She didn't look at him or any of the others. She had shunned Rita and Zedd since their marriage, returning only briefly to help in a recent attack. She was deceptively beautiful and Zedd had to remind himself that in the case of her species, the female was far more deadly than the male. Once a bodyguard of Zedd's rival Count Dregon, she had served Rita for a short time before the witch was trapped in the dumpster, had come to Earth seeking her mistress and occasional lover Goldar, when she had been placed into a forced hibernation beneath a stone.

Upon her release she had served Rita and for a time Zedd. She had almost succeeded in trapping Adam on one occasion, but that plan had failed. Since Rita's return she had remained in the background, sulking. She had pledged her loyalty, but that was all.

Still the Rangers were lacking the Blue Zeo Ranger, Grommet was about to provide the perfect distraction and Scorpina had not seen any real action for some time. In addition he had noted the Rangers' MegaZords seemed weaker following their recent battles. Another fight could be just what they didn't need. Zedd aimed his staff at Scorpina and unleashed a bolt of energy, surprising everyone.

At once she was transformed, her battered armor renewed and shining in the room's light. Her eyes that had been dull for so long were suddenly filled with energy; her expression was cold, murderous and attractive.

"We'll split the Rangers," Zedd declared. "The Machine Empire are attacking Alaska, we'll attack Angel Grove. With both forces attacking the Rangers won't stand a chance."

"I have the perfect monster my lord," Finster stated.

"I imagine you do Finster," Zedd replied. Then he turned his attention back to Scorpina. "Take the Putties or Tengas and cause as much mayhem in Angel Grove as possible."

"Yes Lord Zedd," Scorpina answered before leaving.

Zedd turned to stare at his wife for a moment, but decided not to let her in on his little secret just yet. Instead he turned and walked back to his balcony where he could watch the slaughter.

~*~

Failure was to be expected when facing the Rangers of Earth and for Zedd there was little surprise when Scorpina was teleported back to the Moon without the forces she had taken. The Green Dragon Ranger and Gold Ranger had dealt with the entire force despite being outnumbered while the other Rangers had wiped out Prince Grommet's expeditionary force without the help of the Blue Zeo Ranger. Still it was to be expected and Zedd had already resigned himself to defeat on this occasion.

But Zedd had a secret. It was something the Rangers had overlooked that Zordon had failed to notice and even Rita, his wife had missed. It was something the Rangers should have been concerned about, but when they had fought Freeze Frame they had been distracted by the return of the DragonZord. He wondered briefly if the mysterious Green Ranger had noticed how abnormal the monster had been, how it didn't fit with the know creations of Rita, Zedd, Master Vile or their occasional collaborations. Zedd had been given the ability to summon a different type of monster and the Rangers had simply dismissed it. Had he been capable of doing so, Zedd would have grinned widely at such a turn of events. But the pain involved in such an act was too great for him.

His mind detected the subtle changes in the balance between good and evil; Mondo was back and Grommet had been destroyed. Such events had resulted in only a minor change and one that Zedd was unwilling to counter at that point. But there was a greater change approaching, a force Zedd himself had been responsible for creating, but was now beyond his control. For a while it had been talking to Zedd, advising him and when necessary reassuring him that evil would triumph.

"Leave!" he boomed.

He didn't know who was there or if there was anybody there. He honestly didn't whether or not Rita or one of their henchmen had followed him. For now he needed to speak to his mystery benefactor and that was something he couldn't do while surrounded by lackeys. He heard the sound of gentle footsteps as whatever it was left. A flash of energy from his staff sealed the room to ensure he was not disturbed.

"You learn quickly Lord Zedd," someone said.

On the throne where Zedd would normally watch over events a lone figure sat cross-legged. As Zedd looked closer he noticed the figure was actually floating just above the carved seat.

It was dressed in black from head to toe. There was no exposed skin or features except the glowing red eyes that seemed to look deep into Zedd's soul. The material hung loosely so as not to give the figure a definite form, the sword across his legs looked both familiar and strange.

"The Rangers have destroyed Prince Grommet," Zedd began. "They wiped out the force I sent to destroy Angel Grove."

"Your forces were weak, you knew that," the figure said. "Their defeat is not a surprise to you. As for Grommet, he was a machine and incapable of dealing with the Rangers. That can be amended." He turned as if listening to a distant voice. "The Rangers are still only seven; you have both numbers and time on your side. Have patience Lord Zedd, when I am free the Rangers time will end. Mondo will not trouble you for a while. Without Grommet he will need to return and administer his empire."

"How long before you are free?" Zedd asked. His voice was respectful having witnessed a demonstration of this creature's power.

"It will not be long," was the strained reply.

In his dealings with the figure Zedd had come to accept the sudden strain as a signal that something was about to happen. Sure enough a small crystal appeared at the base of the throne. It looked unimpressive, the type of jewel used for making lasers, a weapon Zedd held no interest in utilizing.

The figure laughed obviously sensing Zedd's lack of confidence. It was amusing to think he had once worked for such a simple-minded creature that was unable to use his imagination.

"This is a communication gem," he told the self-proclaimed Emperor or Evil. "Use it to summon those who would be of service to you. They will keep the Rangers occupied until I arrive."

"Your service will be rewarded," Zedd told him.

"No Lord Zedd, your service will be rewarded." He vanished back into the shadows.

A dark shadow of oppression spread throughout the throne room causing Zedd to quake with newfound fear. From the throne room it moved outwards through the palace, the solar system and into the Universe at large. Villains everywhere stopped as they felt the new shift in the balance. On Earth the Master smiled as he sensed his puppet's servant growing in power; he frowned when the power of that puppet surpassed his wildest imaginings. He wondered whether he had made a mistake.

The forces of good failed to notice the sudden wave of darkness until it had almost passed. When they did sense it their readings went off the scale causing widespread panic and confusion. White Rangers, Morphin Masters and any with telepathic abilities sensed an impending blanket of death and destruction. Then it was gone and those who had felt it were left with a mixture of fear and concern.

"Zeddy!" Rita wailed as she banged on the door. "What are you doing in there?"

A movement from his staff was enough to release the spell and allow his terrified wife to enter. As she trembled before him he noticed how attractive she seemed when scared. He made a note to frighten her more often.

~*~

Elysia Seven

It had taken a long time, but finally the fable hundred Zords had been captured and deactivated. Without the long dead Ninjetti to guide them and despite the attempted intervention of Ranger teams, the machine had only been able to defend themselves for a relatively short time. Some had been captured intact, but the majority was worthless scrap. Even so the world had become the M-51 Galaxy's equivalent of Zordonia and had experienced a brisk trade in second hand Zord components. In particular they had had the pleasure of supplying Rita Repulsa with the heavily modified War Zord Cyclopsis. What that machine had been before alteration was long forgotten. Their next project had been even more ambitious. They had supplied the fledging Lord Zedd with the mighty Serpenterra, a Zord capable of desolating worlds and could be described as truly indestructible if not for the high fuel consumption.

Now as the last of the might Ninjetti Zords was deactivated Duke Hazzard breathed a sigh of relief that after so long the task Draken had set him was complete. The powers of the Ninjetti were strange and their Zords were no exception. For one thing they were more than the metal machines used by Power Rangers. Each Zord was in fact a living organism linked to the spirit of its avatar. When required it could shield its spirit in metal and unite with others. Even when the armored shell was crushed the Ninjetti Beasts lived on ready to fight again.

Fortunately Duke Hazzard had taken the time to capture each beast as he destroyed the Zord form. He had placed them in tiny gems and found a way top tap their power without freeing them. For ease of use he had placed the gems together in a single orb, which in turn he had fastened to a wooden staff. He turned the newly forged artifact in his hand lovingly. Items of such destructive potential were rare and it was a shame to surrender it, but a recent message from Draken had been explicit and left no doubt in his mind. A new villain who would use it to aid Lord Zedd would soon claim the staff. In the meantime Hazzard was to start working on a new project.

He turned to the assembled shapers, loaned to Draken through Master Vile. These mysterious creatures were capable of changing nature through their magic and of creating weapons from nature. In fact they were partially responsible for the creation of Master Vile's Space Skull; Vile's magic had created the shape of the craft, but it was thanks to the shapers that its symbiotic life forms worked together to keep it intact.

This was a slightly different task though and one he suspected would have been better suited to General Havok's Chromites. The task here was to alter the remains of the Zords so that instead of mighty combatants of good they became devastating monsters of destruction; Serpenterra had been the result of such shaping although exactly what Ninjetti animal it had once been was beyond Hazzard's understanding. The Ninjetti powers related to myths as well as dinosaurs, animals and alien war beasts.

He chose to speak to them in human form although he could switch to his demonic appearance at will. In the form he appeared as a big game hunter. Green shirt and shorts, white ankle socks and black boots gave him a comical appearance. The brown belt had a small pouch containing his taming whip. His almost bald head had a few stray strands of black hair beneath his large rimmed hat. His thick black moustache gave him what he believed to be an appearance of some distinction, as did the monocle on his right eye. On his back was a hunter's rifle that he kept mainly for show. It could if necessary down a Megazord or unleash an energy ball to promote growth, but he rarely used it. The flexible cane in his right hand however had seen plenty of use both as a weapon and interrogation device.

"You know what to do, now hop to it," he said.

They glanced at each other, conversing silently though not through telepathy. Shapers in and of themselves were merely humans without access to any mental, physical or magical qualities to set them apart. What they did have was an acceptance of duty, a devotion to the forces of evil and a high pain threshold. It was the latter that made them so special.

Shapers were responsible for creating weapons and servants. Before they could accomplish that they spent the first century of their lives shaping themselves. A sixth finger was inserted into each hand; their bones and skin were grafted to allow them to perform their duties. In addition each was implanted with a secondary brain in which to store information and a large horn. The horn was an organism that attached deep into their minds and was naturally telepathic. By utilizing the horns they could communicate.

This task was different from Master Vile's Space Skull. There were no creatures to be transformed into useful tools, only cold metal to be sculpted with equal skill. They scrambled to work with the high level of enthusiasm they always showed.

Now Duke Hazzard turned his attention to other matters. While Draken had not asked for Hazzard in person, he had asked for Zebron, Crush and Kraegor, Hazzard's direct subordinates currently conquering nearby star systems with their henchmen. Hazzard took such a request to mean Draken had found a task worthy of their skills. That meant the task was also worthy of Hazzard's attention. First though he would have to summon his underlings.

~*~

"So what will you do now?" Katherine asked.

Travis shrugged. Since Trey of Courage had recovered the Gold Ranger powers any chance of a reunion had been ended. That did not mean that Travis and Trent were useless though. Between them they were a great source of experience and knowledge. They had an understanding of Intergalactic Society the other Rangers had yet to fully grasp. And, their presence helped to subdue the fears of many in the Galactic Council about the dangers of giving powers such as the Zeo Crystal to a race of primitives.

_Not that they could do anything about it, _ he reasoned.

The only way the powers of Zeo could be removed was voluntarily or death. Even the strongest advocate for taking the powers had to accept that murder could not be justified.

"Trey is leaving for Triforia tomorrow," he told her. "Maybe I'll go along for the ride, see my... his parents."

"They're your parents as much as they are Trey's," Kat told him. "You are Trey, remember?"

Travis nodded. Maybe a trip off planet was exactly what he needed. The night before he had had a strange dream. He had dismissed it quickly as the result of an over active mind, but now he thought about it he realized it could well be a step in the right direction.

~*~

Branus Seven

Kraegor liked to think of himself as a space buckeneer, a froendly pirate or perhaps a liberator or wealth. Most knew him and feared him as an overgrown thug with violent tendencies. When he arrived on a planet the defenders rarely stood a chance of survival. Often if they didn't fight he killed them for the fun of it. Today was different though; Kraegor had been ordered to return with a prisoner.

Why Lord Zedd had made a Blue Ranger linked to the Unicorn part of his order when he asked for the Zords was beyond Kraegor, but then most things were beyond Kraegor. He just assumed that spending so much time on Earth had caused the Emperor of the Dark Regions to lose whatever sanity he once had. Still, the order had been placed and Kraegor was only too happy to carry it out.

It was a short time after the prisoner had been taken and the colony burnt to the ground that the local sherriff, a Senturion, showed up. Of course it recognised the villain at once and went into arrest mode.

"You are under arrest," the Senturion said as it drew its sidearm.

Kraegor punched his fists together and laughed and what he considered a joke. Sparks flew from the gold plated knuckles he wore on his already powerful hands. His dark eyes narrowed and his moustache moved as he flashed the police officer a cocky smile.

Kraegor was a big man, a good head taller than the machine he was facing. He was broader at the shoulders, across the chest and his arms were layered with muscle mass. His upper body was covered by expandable that allowed him a full range of movement. The garment was joined to his lower body armor, which covered the legs to just above the knee. The white boots stopped just the other side of the knee giving him maximum flexibility in that area.

"Come and get me you piece of junk," Kraegor sneered.

The Senturion stumbled forward. It was a primitive machine, lacking the sentience of the Machine Empire. It instead responded to a set of basic directives and parameters, which currently pointed to a single course of action; arrest Kraegor. The words the suspect spoke were analyzed using a link to a central computer in much the same was as a Varox Bounty Hunter relied on a hive mind. The meaning of the words was translated into possible actions and the machine responded accordingly.

As it approached the Senturion reached behind its back and pulled out a pair of stun cuffs. Kraegor waited for the robot to draw nearer. As the machine tried to attach the cuffs the oversized human struck.

Kraegor's left hand caught the Senturion's right wrist as it attempted to seize his right arm. A squeeze in the right places severed the electrical link between arm and hand, which in turn made the robot drop the stun cuffs. The machine responded by swiftly changing position in an attempt to free itself, but Kraegor was already countering the movement by pulling the machine's arm into a position where the robotic policeman was off balance. As it attempted to correct its position it became locked in a test of strength with Kraegor.

The Senturion was a machine and as such was designed to be stronger than most of the suspects it arrested. Unlike the Blue Senturions, which were used to patrol space, this type of unit was intended to hunt and detain suspects. Slightly over six-foot with wide shoulders the Senturion was black with white areas and shoulder pads; there was a set of three red lights horizontally across its chest. Despite the struggle its face remained expressionless.

Against a normal suspect the Senturion would have always emerged victorious, but then Kraegor was far from normal. As one of Duke Hazzard's henchmen he was able to channel the power of the Morphin Grid and used it to increase his physical power. His muscles strained as he fought against the Blue Senturion's mechanically enhanced strength. He waited until the robot was truly off balance before punching it in the face. Despite his strength and the metallic knuckles he wore on his fist, he yelled in pain as he struck the hardened metal face.

"This is an unauthorized action," the Senturion warned. "You are in violation of Intergalactic Law. You are ordered to cease immediately."

Kraegor laughed and tightened his grip, a horn appearing from his forehead. With a sharp twist he wrenched the hand from the mechanical law enforcer. The machine's hand sparked wildly as his severed appendage was tossed nonchalantly into the undergrowth. The Senturion's subroutines tried rapidly to determine a new approach to the problem. A sharp punch to the shoulder of the damaged arm had the robot reeling.

Kraegor pressed the advantage and locked his arms around the mechanoid. His arms tightened behind the machine's back, resulting in a satisfying series of sounds as the armored policeman's back was crushed.

THWACK!

With more speed than Kraegor would credit the Senturion unleashed a decapitating blow with its side handled baton, now in its left hand. Kraegor released the hold and ducked as a fine spray emerged from the end of the baton. Had the spray hit his face he would have been covered with a mixture of gases designed to incapacitate humanoids.

With a snarl Kraegor drove the horn on his head into the Senturion's left shoulder and delighted as the destruction of the control point caused the machine to drop its baton. He threw his head back and pitched the robot into the air. He leapt into its path and punched it back to the planet's surface. He smirked as he watched the Senturion attempt to stand without its feet. He picked up the discarded baton and attacked.

The first blow caught the Senturion across the neck. It attempted to duck the next shot but fell victim to a swift kick to the chest. The machine was handicapped by the loss of its arms while Kraegor was more than capable of fighting. Had the Senturion been capable of feeling pain it would have screamed as Kraegor drove the baton into the hole in its shoulder and tried the wrench the arm free. Internally the machine was working to reestablish control over its damaged limb. It managed it just as Kraegor was preparing another punch. The Senturion lashed out with its severed right arm.

"Unit is authorized to use lethal force," the machine said in its monotone voice.

The attack caught Kraegor unawares and he was launched into the air. He crashed to the ground and remained there, too stunned by the officer's sudden aggression to move. If the robot had moved from arrest to active restraint then even the apparently super-human strength of Kraegor wouldn't be able to stop it. Luckily Kraegor was always prepared.

As the machine drew near Kraegor transferred all his magically enhanced strength into a single energy burst. A ball of sparkling energy converged at the very tip of his horn. He released it but the Senturion had already summoned an energized shield used in riot situations. The energy was dispersed harmlessly by the shield. The robotic policeman pressed forward and raised its foot with the intention to kick the suspect into unconsciousness.

There was a flash somewhere nearby that illuminated the foliage and was accompanied by a loud bang. Something struck the Senturion in the leg and as it looked down it was suddenly tugged off its feet. A silver arrow had pierced his leg and emerged from the far side. A length of cable was attached to the arrow and the Senturion searched desperately to locate its foe. A second projectile struck its other leg and pinned it to the ground. Finally it caught sight of her.

Like Kraegor she had a horn on her head, although it was thinner and short in length, a green and silver helmet protected part of it with a black visor across the eyes. Her dull red hair flowed down her back, out of the way. The rest of her body was covered in green sectional body armor with black boots and gloves; the plate on her chest was silver. In her left hand she held the cable attached to the Senturion's legs. In her right hand she held an Iron Wood bow. There was nothing delicate about the weapon; it was crude, heavy and deadly. As she twisted her hand it became a wand with a glowing red orb at the top.

"Pathetic machine," she said with genuine venom in her voice. "Stand up!" she commanded as she jabbed the base of the wand into its leg.

The Senturion struggled to its feet, suddenly forced to deal with two suspects instead of one. New protocols were loaded for dealing with multiple threats. It raised its damaged left arm, which had been rerouted, in order to access the small communications system inside.

"No!" Huntrax growled

A blast of energy ripped the communicator of his body as his arm was transformed into melted scrap. She fired again, encouraged by the prospect of an opponent that couldn't fight back. With a sadistic grin she varied her shots to cover legs, body, head and arms. She left the head intact, determined to have some fun before she destroyed him.

Behind her Kraegor started to stir. He smirked as he watched his companion prove why she was one of Duke Hazzard's prized hunters. In some mock battles he had even seen her best Hazzard himself.

"Just finish it," Kraegor said after a few minutes.

The Senturion was barely standing and posed no real challenge anymore. To continue was a waste of Huntrax's skills. She had other ideas. A blast from her staff undid the damage she had inflicted while confusing the Senturion. She attacked again, this time against an almost intact machine.

"She's foolish," Kraegor commented.

"Or confident," his companion stated.

He had appeared from nowhere, but Kraegor ha been aware of his presence for a while. He appeared human, lacking the horn that distinguished Huntrax and Kraegor. Of course he was only disguising his appearance; opponents underestimated him in battle and always wound up regretting their over confidence. He wore dark clothes and a cloak only because he wanted to. His face was weathered by age, but his eyes seemed to hold wisdom beyond his thirty odd years. With a thought he summoned armor similar to his friends and a large black sword.

He waited patiently as Huntrax and the Senturion sparred. She was good, taking the machine to the limits of its design but never destroying it. Occasionally she would feign an error to give the machine some semblance of hope or whatever it was robots felt in place of hope. She even allowed it to retrieve its baton. The machine was quick, Huntrax was quicker and even though the Senturion could go on indefinitely she seemed to grow faster with each passing moment.

"My turn," Terr said after a while.

Huntrax gave way and her ally attacked. His sword cut a "V" in the machine's armored body. Its arms and shoulders crashed to the ground. The next strike finished the job as the head disintegrated on contact. A final and deliberate chop sliced the machine from neck to hips as the last few parts exploded.

Overhead the sky darkened. Thunder rolled as lightning struck the ground. They remained calm, recognizing this as one of Duke Hazzard's bizarre communication spells. When he appeared he sounded bored.

"I am pleased to see you three are not wasting your time with pointless games," he said. "Now, if you are finished, I have a new task for you."

~*~

Earth

"Pyramidas, power up!" Trey called.

Beside him Trent and Travis waited patiently. The three Lords of Triforia had a long flight ahead to present themselves to the King of Triforia and declare Trey as the real Gold Ranger. It meant saying goodbye to the people he had only just grown to really know, but the Zeo Rangers would manage, they had before he showed up, they would again.

The good-byes were a drawn out affair, but when they were complete the Gold Ranger and his companions boarded the mighty Carrier Zord and left for home. As Pyramidas disappeared a familiar tone was heard. It was time to go back to work.

End