Fandom Power Rangers: Bio Strike

[Lady Insanity]

Life had a strange way of handling things. Or throwing things. Handing things by throwing things? Trouble always seemed to find its way to Inezia. And an added layer of strength always accompanied the bad guys. Right when you think they're the baseline of power they had always been they amp it up out of the blue. The Generals attacks hurt worse. The blade, the punch. Both tomboy and soldier felt the metaphorical heat. Though actual heat to reside where they had been hit, getting struck like that is bound to leave some tenderness. The velocity of the attacks came from Volmour's inner hatred and programming of combat. Like after so many losses on the Armada's front he had just had it up to here. "Not just super drive. Super batshit crazy," Jane commented on the Generals' new found resolve with this field commander. What are they on, evil steroids? Or just the feeling of a win for once getting to them so they're hyped?

"You will speak when spoken to," Volmour said to Jane and kicked her while she was down. Calvin rushed in to help her and pried the general away, only to get slashed with the blade hard across his chest. "Calvin!" Jane called for him. "Okay, bolt brain, I'm gonna shove your sword right up your exhaust pipe!" She threatened, which wasn't even a metaphor, really. He is a robot, after all. Might as well be an exhaust pipe!

Volmour only laughed in response. Like Actera he was sure they would lose, here. The two got up together and decided to rush him to get to their friends. Wrong. Volmour blocked their path again. Always showing up where he wasn't wanted and poking in the Rangers' sides. Of the two generals he was definitely the one they had fought more. And the one they all wanted to probably beat up some more...granted the virus may have something to do there. As the Rangers came closer he quickly dashed around them and struck their backs, both of them yelping and falling to their knees at just the right time. Desomax shot out at all of them, hitting their chests just as their knees hit the ground. Calvin cried out and fell over to the side, clutching at his chest as smoke rose up.
Jane grunted and made an aggravated noise. She had propped herself up on one arm so she didn't fall over completely, looking out at the others when the unthinkable went down.

Desomax...just fucking stabbed Wilson. And Smith. Okay, even with the grounds of Wilson being a treason-er and Smith being a grump this was in no way okay. Jane let out a quiet ear-piercing scream. By that, she had tried to scream but nothign came out. Just a whistling sound...her throat strained like a dog whistle. She reached her hand forward like she could reach and grab them from the attack and only caused herself to fall forward. Jane got up and wanted to run over and blow this motherfucker up to all hell. But she found herself holding into a car for balance. She could not move. "....you bastard!" Jane managed to cry out.
No...no no no...no.... Calvin thought to himself. He had seen people die before but never like this. So violent...so.... Wait no, they were not dead. Just hurt. Not dead, right? Dr. Wilson would not die like this. Neither would Colonel Smith, he wouldn't be so easily killed. They had to be alright, they had to be. Calvin just stared in shock at them and the others, denial and fear running the course of his mind like blood through his body. Volmour amusingly crossed his arms and sheathed his weapon. So this is what winning feels like against the Rangers? Such a sweet taste it was.

 

[PenBlade1326]

"Turns of fate always twist us around," Splica stared out of a window looking into dark space. Stars upon stars and solar dust carelessly adrift. Space is a cold and desolate place. Devastating yet somehow capable of sustaining planets holding life. For to long she had been alone in the depths of the galaxy. Kentanon her only companion. The Rexian Armada was rightfully hers with her husband and she was cast aside as a reject. Splica was intelligent and already knew how to eliminate the Rangers and take the world for the Armada. "The Power Rangers are vulnerable to one thing. If you pay any attention to past commanders you will notice many of them had the advantage of the humans' personal levels. Emotions are useless for a field commander. For the Rangers? That is what drives them. My data configurations are nearly complete. But to finish I will need Desomax to return immediately," said the Empress, having just witness him stabbing the Earthen leaders. The Emperor hesitantly agreed. Just what this woman is getting is already sitting not so well with him. Hmm.
---
"D..d....DAMN YOUUUUUU!" All other sound depleted from the area. Drew shouted his lungs out at the sight of the grizzly attack. Desomax lifted his blades from the men and simply sheathed them with his mission over with. An easy task. Olivia could hardly breath. Everything slowed down as if it were happening over a lapse of a decade. The brain has this weird sense about it for when intense points occur in ones life. Maybe the neural stimulation of getting a memory, good or bad, implanted in the brain forever. Something told her this would always stick like glue to her mind.
Less frozen than the others may have been, Drew just picked himself up and instantly changed to Squadron Mode. Smith tried to replace them all to spare their lives and Wilson did bring a threat to Earth but he was fighting it. Pissed at both of them for different reasons but understanding at the same time. Never had Drew felt so strongly about other people other than his team or brother. He just ran as fast as his super speed could carry him straight against Desomax. The commander turned around and greeted him with a blank stare. Angrily, Drew pelted the robot with sped up punches and kicks but nothing worked. Instead of hum hurting the bot, the bot effortlessly swept his blade across Drew's chest and sent him chaotically flying into a wall, an imprint of his body left in the structure as he fell to the ground, demorphing from Squadron to basic mode, and then demorphing entirely.

Believing his job was complete, Desomax signaled for Volmour and Actera to follow him. "Until we meet again, Rangers," was all he said before getting an order in his computer chip brain to return to the main ship up in space. As the three left, a demorpehd Drew was left rolling in a pile of rubble in pain. Colonel Smith stood up off of the ground...he somehow only got graze with the blade, so a gash on his side was apparent but he would be okay. Thank God! Dr. Wilson? Not as lucky. The blade...pierced him through.
Olivia immediately went over to them and demorphed herself, not even caring about the assholes who did this. She was happy Smith was okay but Wilson... "No, no....we need medical, now!" Olivia yelled. Drew picked himself up from the ground and sorely approached them. Smith held onto his side, not even bleeding much. Again, that's good at least. Wilson was in bad shape. The communication block lifted when Actera left, so Drew called an ambulance and notified the Captain.
---
An hour passed by. Desomax and company returned to the ship, and the generals were called to the throne room after some time for a meeting. But that is not the focus, here. On Earth...
Drew was no stranger to the hospital. Isaac had to be here so often for his brother he knew everybody that worked here on a close and personal level. Katie the nurse he went out with wasn't working today otherwise she would already check on him and everyone he was with. As soon as Wilson and Smith were rushed to the ER the Rangers were placed in a waiting room. Drew put his own injuries aside and dealt with them. Olivia paced around anxiously with a cup of already-cold coffee.
Captain Scott appeared finally. "Rangers, I'm glad you're all alright. What's the situation?" He asked for the update.
"Desomax just tried gutting them like fish. Smith looks okay but Wilson..." Drew started but he couldn't finish. "No updates, sir."
The Captain nodded and looked at the others. "What exactly happened in the battle?"

 

[Lady Insanity]

Volmour bid his final farewell with a slash to Calvin and Jane's chests as they respectively got up help. They set them up, he knocks them down. No way in solar hell would he let them get in the way of this. Volmour felt only joy and proper functions in his computer chip brain. And Desomax' performance was beyond incredible. "Pathetic. Squirm all you like but it will not change the outcome," he commented to Drew as he watched him demorph from impact of attack. Calvin was grinding his teeth in order to muster strength again and join him. He wanted nothing more than to use every bug gun to blow this bastard to Hell. He appreciated a fine plan, but occasion guerrilla warfare worked just as well.
"We are going to kill all of you..." Jane hissed through her lips as she watched the enemies gloat about victory. How dare they! Where is their sense of honor? Well...two of them are machines. Like they know honor beyond what dictionaries tell them.

Volmour proudly huffed on a job well down and beamed back up with Desomax, the Rangers instantly powering down to check on their friends. Smith looked okay but Wilson did not. And Drew didn't look peachy either. Mentally, everyone likely felt the same. Exhausted, drained, infuriated and violent. Some had better management of these feelings than others. Like Olivia, Calvin went to check on Wilson and knew it was bad. He put pressure on the wound to hold off the bleeding. "Hold on, Dr. Wilson, just hold on," he said as calmly as possibly. Those wounded soldiers he tended to in the past proved to be useful experience now. And the majority of the wounded men from Calvin's past lived! Sadly some were too hurt. Jane instead checked on Drew instead of the older men. He looked hurt, too, thought nowhere near as bad. Is she allowed to take a Megazord out for a stroll and just stomp on the Armada's ground forces? Wait a second...why had nobody thought of that before?!
---
Hospitals made everyone a bit uncomfortable. No matter the situation hospitals are places rigged with death, disease and sadness. True there are hints of hope and glimmers and progress but the negative outweighs the positive in a world like this. Calvin was leaned up against a wall aimlessly staring at a television in the waiting room. A sports game was on, maybe, he didn't know. How could somebody pay attention to that at a time like this? For every time he had to visit a hospital he never felt this nervous.
"Guys is it a bit awful that just earlier we were pissed at him for damning us and now I just want to fucking explode on the maniac who hurt him? If he doesn't pull through I will rip Desomax apart I swear to fucking God..." Jane cursed. It was hard for everyone.

Captain Scott making his entrance caught their attention. In the time that passed it is a wonder why it took him a while to get here. The two let out a breath. Drew covered the basics already it seemed so what else can they really say? Does anything else matter beyond words? "Before the final bit of it all...we were getting obliterated. This Desomax guy was stronger than even the strongest of the old commanders we have fought. He has a mission and he saw it through...a perfect killing machine," Calvin stated.

 

[marorda]

Actera said her goodbyes to the Rangers by shooting them in the back as they rushed to the aid of their friends. Tsk. Pathetic Rangers thinking they can just keep on winning. The taste of victory was.. bittersweet, oddly. Actera merely shrugged and shook her head. All those strange and improper thoughts going through her mind. Must be something she had for breakfast. "Our job here is done," she chuckled as she watched the devastated rangers, and their leader being knocked into a building and demorphing. Now that still felt as good as it should. Meant she wasn't entirely going crazy. Lucas and Tidal picked themselves off the ground with whatever strength they had left within them. Both wanted nothing more than tear those guys apart, one part at the time. Speaking of time... it seemed to pass so slowly, every detail sharper than normal. Whelp, seemed like this was something that was going to haunt them for time to come.

Actera chuckled again before beaming back up to the main ship with Volmour and Desomax. They could be proud of themselves, for a change. Lucas and Tidal demorphed, hurrying to check up on Colonel Smith and Dr. Wilson. How Smith managed to look so fine was a mystery... and a relief. Sure, the wound was going to hurt, but it could have been much worse! So the leader of the planet was still relatively fine. Dr. Wilson, on the other hand... not so much. Lucas felt queasy just by watching. That looked really, really bad... Tidal was a bit more used to seeing messy stuff like this, but he still didn't quite like the sight of it. Hell, who would? They watched as Calvin did whatever he could to stop the bleeding. The ambulance should be here nay moment, right? Please for the love of whatever god might be listening in, let Dr. Wilson be okay!
---
White walls, way to bright lights, that funny smell in the air... Nope, hospitals were not a place they liked to visit much. There's just always that tension in the air of all the people unsure of their lives or the lives of their loved ones. People died here every day, sometimes under tragic circumstances. But on the other hand this was also a place where new tiny humans were born, where people heard they were cured of whatever illness they had. Happy times and sad times going hand in hand. But also lots of uncertainty. And that's the worst of all: the not-knowing. Not knowing whether their friend would be alright. Yes, Dr. Wilson had damned the Earth by accidentally bringing the Rexians here, but ever since he'd been fighting to get rid of them. He can't die here, not like this!

There were so many thoughts running through their minds that they couldn't even keep track of them. Worry, anger, sadness, concern, rinse and repeat.
"Not just you..." Tidal said in response to Jane. A few hours ago he wouldn't have minded if Wilson disappeared behind bars for the rest of his life, and now he was just hoping there would even be a rest of his life! He sighed, his eyes aimlessly wandering through the room. His focus was all over the place. And Lucas didn't even appear to hear Jane at all. He was worried about Dr. Wilson, but also about Olivia. He just... He wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be alright, but would it be? There was no telling.

How did it take the Captain an hour to get here after hearing the news? Not that it mattered, really.. at least he was here now. The two looked at him, as well as Drew and Calvin as the situation got explained. What else was there to add here? Nobody knew anything, except maybe the doctors... But as long as there were no updates... And Desomax? A perfect killing machine indeed. Something that had to be shut down ASAP. The two just vaguely nodded along with what their friends said, having nothing else to say themselves.

 

[PenBlade1326]

The Captain stroked his chin and let out a breath. Adding to his stress was a new menacing machine; a perfect killing machine, as Calvin put it. There was no footage due to the hacking so he took the word for it. In and out people were going from the hospital rushing to someone or something. The movement in a place like this was fascinating, if not morbid. The Captain grabbed onto Olivia's arm and calmed her for a moment. She was so stressed out, the woman could hardly keep her thoughts together. Drew heard Jane's comment and thoroughly agreed. Angry with Wilson one minute, praying for his life the next.

"Good, you're all here," greeted the Colonel as he walked through a set of double doors. Under his clothes were some bandages, but all in all he looked well. Thankfully at least one of them would make it through this no problem. The soldiers guarding them were being treated as well for minor injuries that were really nothing to worry about. Instantly, eyes were on him. "Sir, glad to see you're doing well so quickly," Scott told him and extended his hand for a shake. Smith took it. "I have been through enough scrimmages in my day." And that was a true statement. Smith wouldn't be so easily beaten from this.
"I'm happy you're okay, Colonel, but what about Wilson?" Drew blurted, a nervous wreck as well. Olivia perched her head up and looked at the old man. News of any kind would be good. Any kind at all.

Colonel Smith's face looked not as reassuring as they may wish. "There are complications. He has lost a lot of blood and he is on an IV while they retrieve more of his blood type. The wound cut deep and severed some nerves in his abdomen. We may never walk the same again," Smith said. A wash of relief hit Olivia and the Captain. Being hurt was nowhere near as horrible as dying. Walking may be hard for him now but he can adjust and they would help him. While they looked relieved, Drew did not. For Smith was not finished talking just yet. "In addition... As soon as Garrett Wilson is released, he will be brought to trial for treason, still."
Drew had that look of 'you have gotta be kidding me' on his face. As did Olivia. Captain Scott just blinked in confusion. Even after all of this he will still be on trial? Having to go to court, stand on the stand and make a statement? Let the man have some time at least! "Colonel, Dr. Wilson needs time to rest!" Drew protested. Scott shushed him. "Enough, Drew...if that is what must be done...then so be it. Wilson's...crimes are still standing. It is justice, I'm afraid. Legal." Captain Scott didn't like it but he respected the law he had to uphold.
---
Aboard the Armada's main ship the Empress had summoned the generals and field commander in for a meeting. Waiting only a short time she expected they all bow accordingly on entrance. They may be heads of the Armada but they are beneath her, still. And her dear husband. "Hail, you all. I have called you here at a great urgency," Splica started. Desomax rose up and looked at her as his programming called for. "Desomax, upload your data into the mainframe," she ordered. He nodded. "Yes, my lady," he said in his tone again and flashed his eyes at a nearby console, bits of data exchanging between them.
"Ah. Excellent, my data is finally complete," she said as she reviewed the fresh-fed data. The Emperor huffed. "What is this all about? Why have you brought them all here?" He asked angrily and impatiently.

Splica just laughed. "Actera? What would you say is the most commendable thing about your Emperor? Do you find yourself loyal to him for a particular reason?" She ignored her husband and went straight for Actera.
"Volmour? Answer this: Does this unit...have a soul?" She asked Volmour. Directing her questions at the free-will blockers and mind control systems that helped Actera forget the truth and Volmour denounce his potential as an AI. Desomac stood still in the middle. And the rulers have each other quite the stare.

 

[Lady Insanity]

Once more at attention Calvin stood upon the Colonel's arrival. Figures the tough guy that led the planets efforts in defense was making a quick recovery. Such ability to bounce back really took Calvin through a loop. Jane just thought the old mans body practically screamed 'Christ, again with the wounds?' But nevertheless she was happy to see him too. Good news had seemed rare today so seeing him okay was a welcome sight. Good news felt so damn strange to hear in this society. Dr. Wilson's complicated condition made them both tense up their muscles. "If my blood type is the same as his I would donate as much as needed," Calving hurriedly offered when hearing about the blood loss. Never afraid to lose something to gain another life in return. But even with the loss it was good to hear he'd be okay. A bit messed up but free from a hospital bed. Are they allowed to see him yet?
But like Drew, Jane wasn't so quick to be relieved. More came. Wilson would still stand trial soon. "What? Colonel, that's kind of a huge load of horse shit? You can't just forget the fact you were both attacked and seriously hurt, you big bag of overpowered dog sh--!" Jane started to curse with fury almost comically, but Calvin put his hand around her mouth to silence her. She grumbled. Speaking out like this was ill-advised and getting them nowhere. Still, her displeasure was adamant. "Screw legal," she said under Calvin's hand inaudibly.
---
Volmour bowed respectfully to his leaders when he arrived. Such an honor it was to take place in a critical blow against humanity. One more step closer to rightful dominance of the galaxy.
What's this? Desomax has been recording data all of this time in combat. Volmour was painfully unaware of that. But if the Empress had good motives and this information benefit them all who was he to judge, really? The questions asked sparked a trigger of thought in his head. Looking at the Emperor he had known for so long he began vocalizing his thoughts. "Unit having a soul? Artificial lifeforms such as myself arguably have such humane things in nature," he commented. What an odd question. He knew he was a robot and built for one purpose only, thought his computer brain expanded so many horizons it was nearly impossible to calculate. "A soul... Unknown. Maybe I will run some diagnostics..." He mentioned and paused. Rushes of confusion and breaks in data swept over him. As if he was confused about his potential. Almost breaking down a firewall.

 

[marorda]

Lucas and Tidal turned their attention to the Colonel as he walked back into the room. Thankfully he was alright and walking again. Almost as if nothing had happened to him at all. It wasn't really much of a surprise to see the Colonel was apparently feeling so good. The man must have been through plenty of battles in his days. And didn't he just say so himself? Bus as glad as they were to see he was doing okay, there was still that other old man they were worried about. Much like Drew, they wondered how Dr. Wilson was doing. Hearing Dr. Wilson would live was a relief. Hearing he might never walk again was a bit of a downer, but at least the man would be relatively fine, right? Some good news was very welcome after the events of today.

Lucas eagerly nodded along with Calvin. "The same goes for me. If our blood types are compatible, they can take as much as is allowed." Compassion kicking in, or just Lucas being himself, ready to sacrifice whatever needed to aid a friend in need? Maybe both. Maybe they were the same thing. Tidal didn't seem too eager to give his blood though. It reminded him just a bit too much of that time where he alongside the Armada kidnapped Isaac to drain his blood and power up a super weapon. ... Okay, those were entirely different circumstances, but it had changed how comfortable he was over the idea. Hopefully soon being able to see Wilson, however, would be very nice. Poor old man really didn't have his day, did he now?

As the Colonel came with his news, Tidal just gave him a dead stare, lost for words like Olivia and Drew. Did the Colonel really just...? No way he actually did that! The man couldn't be serious. Screw the laws! The man needed some proper time to recover before he would stand trial. Wasn't that just common sense?!
Lucas cursed something likely very colorful under his breath, struck by disbelief. Poor Dr. Wilson. Now he almost hoped it would take some time before Dr Wilson would be released, even if it was just to buy the man some time before he would be dragged to court.
---
As was expected of her, Actera bowed upon entering the throne room. They had done a great job today, being present as Armada finally gained another victory over mankind. Two of the most important men on this planet were either dead or at least injured. Wonderful, was it not? Yet still she felt conflicted. And the questions the Empress asked didn't exactly help in taking those thoughts away. The most commendable thing about their Emperor... the reasons why she was loyal to him... Why was she, though?
"Well, I would say it is very commendable how he conquered so much of the universe... And how he took me in as a child when..." she paused. The faintest trace of a memory lingered in the back of her mind, somewhere out of her reach. There was something about her being taken in, the way it happened.... or something that happened afterwards. She didn't quite know, and it only made her more confused than she already was.

 

[PenBlade1326]

While the Colonel broke news to the Rangers about Dr. Wilson being made to stand trial regardless of circumstance, the Empress was making her own delivery of news up in space.

Such a good time it was to witness the confusion among the generals. Volmour starting to get his code fragmented memory and realization, Actera coming to her senses. But neither of them were able to fully comprehend what happened in their minds. Well, a computer chip and one brain. The Emperor grew furious with his bride over her sudden actions. Desomax idly sat by unaffected by what was going on. Splica had laughed at her husbands confusion.
"Vile woman, what do you think you are doing? You are breaking my hold on my servants!" Urthemial yelled at her and raised his hand to strike her. But the Empress caught him by surprise. See, the Empress is the real brain here. Out of commission for a while but she had came back and had a grudge. A mission all her own. How Urthemial had simply tossed her aside and cast her from the Armada insulted her greatly. The return of this woman meant one thing: revenge. She knew how to defeat the Rangers. Even better was she knew how to defeat the Emperor. "Now now, husband," Splica said and brought her scepter up to his chest as he got close, "I will defeat the Rangers. But you will not be here to reign in victory with me. Your Armada is mine now." Splica then slashed her scepter across Urthemial's chest, sparks flying in the throne room and the Emperor snarling and yelping onto the floor.

"You had better keep an eye out. For my work here is just beginning, again. Goodbye, husband." Splica menacingly laughed and wickedly stroke her scepter, strolling over to the control panel. The Emperor weakly huffed. "You...you will never get away with this. My generals serve only me, wretched wench!" He cursed. The Empress laughed giddily.
"Oh, that is the best part of this. Desomax," she called. The field commander then acted as commanded and restarted the mind control settings on the generals. Readjusting their loyalties...to her. "Now, generals...kneel before your ruler," she instructed them softly. Volmour and Actera were hers, now. And Urthemial had been stripped of his power. Splica threw up a defensive shield of energy around them all and hit the window control, venting the room and hurling Urthemial into space.
"YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE LAST OF MEEEEEEE!" Urthemial shouted angrily as he yelled, hurling into dark space as his bride did so long ago, drifting alone into the cold reaches of the unknown.

Splica then sealed the windows again and lowered the shield when safe. She faced her generals and her field commander. "Desomax, go with two Doomtrons to Inezia. First we strike in the big leagues of Inezia. Then the real plan begins," she said. Desomax bowed immediately and made his exit. The Empress took her rightfully place on the throne. The second one would have to be removed. "There's a new ruler in town. And generals? This war is about to get very interesting." Cue a sinister laugh from the Empress ans she crossed her legs and sat back. Time to attack with a giant-fighter assault!

 

[marorda]

Actera watched the events between the Emperor and Empress unfold with some degree of amazement. Breaking his hold...? What was the Emperor talking about? Sure, neither she nor Volmour seemed to recall why they served the Armada, but it was only the right and logical thing to do, was it not? The Emperor had build Volmour, and as she said, he took her in when she was a child. She chose to fight on the winning side a long time ago. Wait a moment... when had she said those words before? A flash of a memory crossed her mind. A conversation she had had with Garret Wilson when he was their prisoner. The memory was quickly fading, pushed aside... almost as if blocked. Actera shook her head and blinked slowly. Something was off, she was smart enough to realize that much. But just what was it?

How did she end up here, so far away from home? Why did she remember so little?
There's no good and evil in wars. It's just the victors who decide who's just and who's wrong. Was that so? Was there really no good and evil in wars? She knew it were her own words, but did she still believe them as much as when she spoke them? And why was she still feeling so conflicted about what Desomax did to Dr. Wilson? After all, it was that man's fault she was so confused now... Was it? Actera was pulled from her train of thoughts when the Empress struck the Emperor across the chest. That was... Shouldn't she be doing something right now? Something to help the Emperor out? Nah... if she didn't even know a reason why she should be loyal to the Emperor, then why bother trying to help him? The Emperor was a mediocre conqueror at best. A small and insignificant planet like Earth and provided with much more resistance than other planets had. It was sad, pathetic even. And the man couldn't even think of a decent plan himself. Most, if not all of the Field Commanders sent to fight on Earth were chosen by Volmour and herself. Oh no wait... there was one he chose himself. One of the biggest failures in Armada's history, if you'd ask her.

Heck, it it wasn't for the two of them, Urthemial would have been defeated long ago! And if you took the Empress for example... She knew how to make a decent plan, pick a proper field commander. Today they had been successful, and under her rule they would most likely face even more successes. Why remain loyal to a failure if there was a true leader present? That, and Actera couldn't say she minded another woman in control. Girl Power! She knelt before the Empress and watched as she sent Urthemial out of an airlock into space. A grin crept over her face as she waved at Urthemial.
Bye bye "Emperor"!

"Very interesting indeed, My Lady," Actera chuckled. The Rexian Armada would reign victorious at last!

 

[Lady Insanity]

Volmour went idle as his leaders duke it out in front of him. Displays of anger confused him in this matter. Should the Emperor not be happy about the Empress finding a solution to this troublesome planet they had been attempting to rule for over two decades now? What was this about breaking his hold? Volmour's programming as to serve and serve his master, taking lives of those in their way of rightful acclamation to the galaxy. His mind was literally built to serve yet Splica had been making Urthemial question something and wonder why his old had been being broken? Curious this was, really. His entire existence as the purpose of war and combat, not to question said purpose. Though his artificial mind had just went through a temporary shift of his better potential. Then right back to the state of simply being loyal.

"My lord?" He asked at the sight of the Emperor being struck by his wife. A surge of data in his head brought him to want to help yet also remain loyal to his second master and keep back out of the way. All he had ever done was protect and throw himself before his Emperor. And had done the same for the Empress when she made herself known in the Earth's capital. Impressive entrance if there ever was one. She went right for the command of the planet whereas the Emperor chose to concentrate on one city with a force worth fighting. Throwing countless resources at the Rangers when they could be assaulting the prime location to hit. Sort of a fools errand compared to that of this feminine fatal. Something just clicked in Volmour that made him switch his sights on the Empress. A being so much more worthy of serving...smarter and more cunning than his previous leader. He and Actera had to chose what got sent to Earth in the longest war in the Armada's reign while the Emperor sat back and only worked when he felt not lazy. He even lost an eye to those colorful humans. Pathetic!

"Goodbye, Urthemial," he said as Splica had him vented out through the airlock and sealed the chamber. VOlmour bowed and knelt down before his Empress. A new dawn for the Armada, a better beginning, and a stronger assault. Finally victory was within reach.

 

[PenBlade1326]

Back on Earth, the unaware Rangers and company had no clue of what transpired in space...
Distaste for the Colonel's choice of having Wilson appear in court ran rampant among the group of seven. The Rangers plus the Captain were not so satisfied with it. Some more vocal than others, the two commanding officers present didn't like that. Smith just thought the Rangers' opinions when too opposing were obnoxious. The Captain knew them personally, so he didn't mind as much. He knew how they ticked, what worked in their minds. Easy to figure out they would all be upset here. "Rangers I understand you're all upset but the Colonel is right. If Dr. Wilson must stand trial, it is only right that--" began the Captain when he was suddenly alerted by his communication device. "Captain Scott, here," he said into it. In the small time that passed tings were already getting to a familiar pace in Inezia. Drew was used to the intense atmosphere inside of a hospital.
The Captain looked concerned on his call. Smith, Drew and Olivia looked at him with confusion. What could possibly be going on now? "Rangers, there's an attack in the city. Desomax has returned along with two giant Doomtrons. Call your Zords and pursue him immediately," Scott ordered. Smith held his hands behind his back and idly stood aside. Both Drew and Olivia were skeptical. "Now? But father, Dr. Wilson could need us, surely we must--" Olivia started but her father cut her off. "I am sorry, Olivia, but your duty to Inezia must come first." Olivia frowned but nodded. Of course it should... she let her feelings get her for a moment there.

"I apologize," Olivia replied and shook her head. An attack at such a bad time rattled her for a moment. In truth she nearly cared about Wilson more than the city. At least in this moment she did. But one man over countless others is not a hard choice for who to tend to first. Drew crossed his arms and sighed. He tensed at the mentioned of an attack yet he too was a bit skeptic. He did not like leaving more than she did but he knew they had to.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak to everyone, a nurse bolted in. "Dr. Wilson is ready for visitation now," they said. Drew bit his lip. The nurse had no way of knowing they all had to leave immediately. Right as he can be seen they have to leave??? Drew looked at everybody else. "That... that's good. Tell him we'll be back there soon," he said to the nurse. The nurse nodded and left. "Guys we have to go," he said. Olivia knew that, too.
"Indeed...we must." She didn't like it, but she was not about to let Desomax ruin Inezia. Besides it was he who did this to Wilson, so surely the Rangers must want a little payback. Captain Scott waved them all off. "I will visit Wilson. Please, go," he said to them.

Both of them saluted him and faced the others, nodding together. Olivia put in a call to dispatch for their Zords as they prepared to leave. "We'll take this guy down for Wilson," Drew commented to himself mostly. And for Smith, too, but mostly for Wilson.

 

[marorda]

Really? Armada had to attack now? After they'd just heard Dr. Wilson would be made to stand trial even though he had just nearly been murdered by a robot of doom from space? Not to e confused with a Doomtron. Speaking of which, two of those bastards were also present at the scene of attack. Two Doomtrons and a robot of doom and destruction. Lovely! Of course duty came first, but it made sense the rangers felt odd about rushing off now, wasn't it? Lucas eyed Olivia and smiled faintly. He felt sorry for her, really. Of all people here... safe for the Captain and maaaaybe the Colonel, she knew Wilson best. Leaving a friend behind under these circumstances was painful, even more so when this friend was more of a family member rather than just a friend. He wished there was something he could say to her, but no words came to mind. Well, nothing anyone would want to hear anyway.

Tidal just scoffed. The Colonel didn't even bother trying to hide he was annoyed with them, was he now? And for what? Just speaking their minds. And so the Colonel went from being a maybe okay person, to an asshole, to an even bigger asshole. First he said he wanted to let an injured man stand trial the moment the hospital would release him, despite Wilson likely being shaken up, exhausted, and just wanting to get some rest... And when the Rangers spoke their minds against it, he got all annoyed because he felt so high and mighty nobody should oppose him. Really... if the roles had been reversed, and it would be the Colonel who was severely injured in the ER right now, Tidal wouldn't bat an eye at it. Well, at least they'd get to vent their anger and frustration at the robot that did this to Dr. Wilson. And some extra Doomtrons too. Good. Tidal felt like he had to kick something to the scrap heap right now.

As if realizing they had to leave Dr. Wilson in the hospital for now wasn't bad enough yet, a nurse walked in the moment they got ready to leave. Sure, she came with good news: Dr. Wilson was ready to be visited. But they had to leave. Right now. Why? This really was just horrible timing, was it not? Lucas and Tidal nodded in agreement with Drew. They had to go, even if they didn't want to.
"The sooner we get there and deal with the guy, the sooner we can get back here," Lucas said. He too was eager to kick some robot ass. Back to space, preferably. To a far dark corner where they wouldn't be able to return from. That's a thing that's been said or thought several times before, and he meant it each time. Especially... especially when one of the people he cared about was hurt.
"Let's do this. For Dr. Wilson," Tidal said. He didn't care much for the Colonel, but if Wilson wouldn't make it through somehow... there would be hell to pay.

 

[Lady Insanity]

Even if all of the trial nonsense is legal, surely the Colonel must see it's also a big load of crap. Calvin would not openly disagree with him thought he really did not have to since some of the others were better at saying things to him than he. In his training it was made nearly impossible for him to speak against his superiors' judgement. Soldiers are great but man do they ever lack a backbone in that regard...could just be him, though. No way does that imply all soldiers are weak like that. Go troops! Calvin heightened his alert when the Captain informed them all of an attack on the city on a bigger scale, literally. And then a nurse let them know Wilson could be visited now... Of all the timing in the world! Calvin made a face and looked around, unsure. He felt for Olivia, he really did. At least she shaped up and knew to put the attack first. Heartless as it may be, the city needs them a lot more. "The Armada sure knows how to pick their moments," he said softly. Smith seemed not to care at all, just as long as they dealt with the giants invading. Did Wilson matter to him at all outside of business? He turned to go with everybody.

Jane on the other hand was nowhere near as quiet as Calvin on the subject. "Screw legal, Wilson needs time. Tell the Armada to wait a damn minute, we need to see him and make sure he's alright," she said to the Captain. Silly as it sounded Jane knew that was not the case. She shook her head and collected herself, ignoring any judgmental looks from the ass of a Colonel. Okay he isn't a total ass, just he has a funny way of showing his support for humanity. Or at least for the immediate colorful humans around him. Gee this guy must be a real hoot at parties. If parties are even a thing with out...outside of political parties that is. Less fun, more snoring. No not boring...snoring. Jane cracked her knuckles. Felt bad for Olivia but Drew was level in the head and knew they needed to go. Even if she and basically everyone wanted to stay. "When you see him, Cap, tell him I'm taking the most powerful Zord I can by myself and will personally grind the bastards into the ground under every spec of rubble they ever made--" Jane started with that fury look in her eye. OH lord...girl is about to lose it.

Calvin shushed Jane like a kid. "Hey... We're stronger together, aren't we?" he asked. She huffed. Hated it when he was right. Boy scout, alert! "Fine, then. Let's go...for that bittersweet bastard," Jane said in her usual manner and bolted out the door with everyone. Maybe she's a little bitter still, but also wanting to help. Either way she needs to make something hit something!

 

[PenBlade1326]

Turning the Rangers away to face the large-scale threat in the city the Captain and Colonel faced one another. Both men in power had splitting opinions on one particular subject but knew the protection of the populace had to come first. "Sir I must see him," Scott spoke up, chest out. The Colonel agreed oddly enough.
"I agree. I want to speak with him, as well," said the older man more on business terms. Understandable as it may be, he did not have to put his duty before the mans well-being. He joined the Captain through the double doors leading to the hallway full of rooms for patients down to the end where Dr. Wilson was planted. He had no roommate at least, so no awkward encounters to come.
---
Through some heated debates in their minds, the team traveled into the city where the attack was taking place. Desomax escorted large robots in the city and commenced an assault on buildings, people fleeing for their lives in the streets. His blades destroyed walloping amounts of buildings, blasting whatever was left with his canons. The Doomtrons fired their weapons on the city and rained destruction in their path. Splica wanted the city gone. With her husband now out of her way nothing could stop her.
But that did not mean there weren't people willing to try. Drew and the others morphed on their way to the attack, already suited up by the time they arrived. One of the workers in HQ dispatched their Zords for them, thought it admittedly took a while since the man who normally does it wasn't in the lab at the moment. At least they got them there, that was the main thing. But upon arrival, the Rangers saw the Zords pulling in and firing weapons at the enemies automatically, the three towering bots shrugging shots off and blasting them back. "We need a plan," Olivia suggested to everybody, noting that all eleven of their Zords had been summoned.

"Maybe we split into two groups, one take Delta Strike the other in Tank Strike?" Drew asked her, shrugging and thinking the two bulkiest mechs would be the most efficient. Brute force to match brute force, that's just how it worked right? It was not so easy to think on the fly when big giant things attacked the city and you were already pissed off. Olivia shook her head. "Good in theory, but we need to save energy if we're going up against three foes. How about..." she started to say but then Drew snapped his fingers.
"I've got it. We split up. I'll take Siren Strike. Tidal, you go in Shadow Strike with Drill attached. Lucas and Jane, you two go in Astro Strike with Sub on the legs. And Calvin and Olivia will take Liner Strike," Drew dished out the plan. Somehow he beat Olivia to the punch of thinking of all possible combinations... he wanted to protect the city so that had to be why.
Olivia nodded quickly. "Brilliant idea. Split up enough to save power and we outnumber them!"
"Alright guys. Break!" Drew said and ran off with the others. Each of them hopped into cockpits of the Zords they were to take.

Drew commenced the main five to combine with Siren adding itself on. "Siren Strike Megazord, ready!" he called by himself.
Olivia joined Calvin in Liner as it transformed, the only Zord to go alone and not with an add-on. "Liner Strike Megazord, ready!" she yelled with him as a team.
The others had new ones! Lucas and Jane would be the first to pilot Astro Sub Megazord. And Tidal would pilot Shadow Drill Megazord. Super effective! Once all four robots were combined, they lined up and prepared against the enemies. Time for a little payback.

 

[Lady Insanity]

Nothing likse suiting up in bright spandex-ish material to get the blood pumping and heart racing. From the start, morphing always did perk them up a bit. Jane remember the first time she morphed and went bananas. Calvin was not as enthused, more just appreciating the new strength and drive in the field. Energy boosts were surely a good thing when dealing invaders like this. Better when suits come with giant vehicles to pilot. Desomax and company were ripping through Inezia and they were not slowing down. Better take the biggest and baddest things they've got! Matching fire power with fire power seemed like the best possible solution to the issue at hand. Jane just wanted to blow the main guy up, stabbing Wilson like he did and beaming away. She would tear him in half! Nobody did that to people she liked!

Drew and Olivia's suggestions caused heads to spin and logic to flail. "I'm sorry but you don't want to throw the hardest shit possible at them?" Jane asked. Three big robots tearing up the city and the are not going to use the two largest combos with big guns and whatnot? "Actually... taking four Megazords against three of them makes sense. We can get the jump on them and use the numbers against them," Calvin said, liking the idea placed in front of them. Sort of like guerrilla warfare, minus the insanity. He looked at Olivia, who he'd be sharing a mech with. Fine match to him, her logic and his skill. Jane eyed Lucas and then Drew. Sharing with Lucas and going in a new combination? Do those bits even go with one another?
"New ways to beat things up, huh?" she asked Lucas and harshly elbowed him...oops.

Zords summoned and Rangers going up, the two joined their partners in the cockpits. Jane eagerly watched as Sub became legs for Astro. This is new! "Astro Sub Megazord, ready!" She yelled with Lucas and took over main weapon controls. She wanted to feel it for real, here!!! "This is so fucking cool...."
Calvin joined Olivia in the solo mech without any augmentations. "Liner Strike Megazord, ready," he calmly put in with her and watched from the towering train's cockpit as the three opponents rampaged. TO the scrap pile they go!

 

[marorda]

Getting in gear and having a chance to kick the ever living shit... or oil? ... out of evil robots that want nothing but destroy the place always felt good. Really, it felt energizing. The positive kind of jumpy. Like a massive energy boost that could pull anyone through the worst finals. Or deadlines. What do you mean, struggling or juggling? No, no not at all! But just running around in brightly colored suits, or in Tidal's case not so bright, wasn't quite going to be enough to deal with huge robots and monsters stomping on the city like a toddler throwing over a tower they built out of blocks. Thankfully, being a spandex-clad superhero meant having big robots available themselves!

Right, so they needed brute force, but it might take too much energy to use the biggest equipment they had. Especially when fighting against three foes. So what's the logical thing to do? Outnumber them, indeed! Smaller megazords equals more options and saving energy!
"Brilliant indeed," Lucas nodded in agreement.
"And we get to try some new stuff too? I'm on board," Tidal grinned under his visor. More ways to use his precious Shadow Strike? Yes, please! Begs the question why they didn't think of some of these combinations before. Ah well.

Lucas gave Jane a thumbs up. "Best way to see if it works is to actually try it, no?" he said. Then he was elbowed. Okay, ow! It didn't bother him as much anymore as it would have done at the beginning, though. Getting your butt kicked by aliens and robots on a regular base did that do a person. And having a twin sister does too. Especially when it's Evie. Now he wasn't even sure anymore which of the two was mostly the reason why he was hardly bothered.

Lucas and Tidal hopped into the respective cockpits of the zords they would pilot. "Astro Sub Megazord, ready!" Lucas called together with Jane. Let her have the weapons, he'd focus on keeping things stable and make the zord move. "I gotta agree with ya," Lucas said. This zord was fucking cool indeed. But he'd rather not cuss in this case. THAT's something being a babysitter does to you.
"Shadow Drill Megazord, ready," Tidal called from his zord. Shadow Strike with Drill attached. Who knew it worked? Now they did!
"Woohoo!" he called, satisfied with this awesome new zord to play with It really was time to rid Inezia of the rampaging Doomtrons. And Desomax.

 

[PenBlade1326]

Four giant fighters against three, the Armada's forces stood nary a chance against them. Payback, justice, and duty would all be met today in the fight. Drew piloted Siren Strike alone and motioned it forward ahead of the others. He told his brother that every time they piloted these Megazords it was like literally being on top of the world or more realistically the cityscape. The team had actually been on top of the world...or above it anyway. Space travel at its most coo coo bananas. Desomax stared the Megazords down and waved his large blades in the wake of buildings, commanding his two allied robots to open fire on the city.
"Alright, Jane and Lucas, help me keep Desomax busy and lay into him with everything we've got," Drew said into the comm channel and motioned his Zord forward. Odd piloting it by himself, but not difficult when motor controls automatically go to whomever is inside. Siren Strike moved forward and brightly flashed its lights on the chest, beaming cuffs onto Desomax' arms. Effortlessly he destroyed them and lashed out with both blades and struck Drew's Zord in its chest to make him stumble back and hold himself up. He grunted and forced the robots weapon to strike Desomax's weapons ad hold them there until he was shot point blank and yet again made to stumble backwards, sparks flying as the silent enemy approached him again and disregarded the other Megazord coming at him.

"Guess that leaves the others to us," Olivia said to Calvin beside of her and Tidal on the comm. She helped Calvin with Liner's motion control. Familiarity with the technology comforted her when her nerves were already all scrambled, more so than eggs in the morning. Or sunny side up. Now she's thinking about different ways to prepare eggs in the morning at a time like this? The train whistles blew off as she brought one of the duel blades of their Megazord into a Doomtron. Need to focus...
---
Captain Scott and Colonel Smith went back to visit Wilson in his room in the hospital. He sent word to HQ that Wilson was at least conscious. Upon entering the room he saw that the professor looked awful... Bags under his eyes, IV sticking in him, several chords and patches attached to him to keep him stable and full of antibiotics. He would be fine in the long run but for now he had to be just miserable laying in the bed. He removed his had out of respect, as was the courtesy.
"Garrett, how are you doing?" Asked the Captain as he slowly walked over to him in the bed.
"My wound is numb, thankfully. Though compared to what surfaced today it feels heavenly," Wilson replied.
"Do not worry, my friend, it will be alright. Your actions were not on purpose...just rest now, focus on what good you've done and rest, take it easy."

Behind them in the doorway, Smith stood silent and stoic. He was not as interested in the personal side of things as he was business. Talk about work orientation...and that comment being made for what must be the millionth time.

 

[marorda]

Aah, this was just great. Piloting giant robots ready to stomp evil robots and aliens into the ground. Or send them flying back up into outer space. This would be payback for what Desomax had done to Wilson. And Colonel Smith. But mostly Wilson. Neither Tidal nor Lucas liked the Colonel too much. Didn't mean either of them wanted the man to be injured or dead... Okay, maybe one of the two did. You guess who. Back when this adventure began, they only had a Megazord made out of Hauler, Jet, and Racer, soon followed by others. And look at them all now. So many Zords they could create four Megazords. Possibly more depending on how they'd try to combine everything they had. Makes one wonder... would it be possible to combine all zords into one kick-ass huge Megazord? That'd probably look silly and unstable. But who knew? It was a funny idea to think about. Even if there were more important things to think about right now. Like dealing with the three enemies stomping on the city.

"On it," Lucas patched back to Drew. "Jane, go wild. I'll keep us stable and moving," he said to Jane. Let the tomboy full of fury handle the weapons here. He'd let her do the crazy stuff while he handled the more... practical things. Like dodging incoming attacks, keep the megazord from falling over, and just really keep it moving. Didn't mean he wouldn't give Desomax a good kick whenever he saw an opening though. He steadily moved Astro Sub forward. It seemed Desomax was ignoring them and focusing its power on Drew in Siren Strike. That was good for them, he guessed. Plenty of chance to get a good shot or kick or slash or whatever they could muster at the killer machine in front of them. Less good for Drew though, who was now taking the heavy blows. Best to get an attack or two in themselves so Desomax would, hopefully, divide his focus between both Megazords. That'd be a little better for all of them.

"Seems so," Tidal patched back to Olivia and Calvin. He eyed the two Doomtrons ahead of them. "You take the one on the left, I take right?" he asked moments before Liner Strike slashed into one Doomtron. "Or the other way around... Doesn't matter." Tidal chuckled lightly. Doomtrons weren't anything new. Fighting one on his own in a Megazord... on his own... That was new. The last time he piloted a Megazord all on his own must have been back with Shadow Strike. It felt like that was forever ago while in fact it was, what, a few months? Weeks? Not that long, anyway. He shook his head. No time or room to get distracted by anything other than battling these Doomtrons. He moved the Megazord forward and punched at the other Doomtron with the Drill arm.

 

[Lady Insanity]

When you hear robotic steps on the streets, echoes of cracking knuckles and feel intensity emitting from big losers from space about to get the stardust kicked out of them you know you're in Inezia. New combinations of robots, too, always something new to beat the crap out of baddies with. Kids, remember, violence is never the answer unless the bad guys leave you no other options and they just so happened to piss you the hell off earlier in the day when someone else already managed it as well.
Jane nodded at Drew's strategy and nodded to Lucas in their cockpit, letting him take control dominance of the movement in Astro Sub. Meaning she got to...use all...of the big...guns. There is a God. "Sounds like a plan. And Lucas? Dude...I love you," she said and eagerly took control of the weapon systems and scarily giggled to herself with all of this power at her disposal. She was like a drug addict in a pharmacy! Actually...no, that joke is in poor taste. Maybe a kid with a sweet tooth in a candy store?
She took a good look at Desomax the douchebag as he pummeled into Drew's mecha and beat down on him...forgetting about the other robot coming at him. Time to let out some of that classic tomboy fury.
"Hey, bulkhead, did you forget about us? Bitch?" Jane called to Desomax over the loudspeakers and unloaded a barrage of Astro's missiles and lasers on him, firing all she could get her trigger-happy fingers on at the son-of-a-bitch.

Calvin gladly followed Olivia's lead and dived into the controls of Liner. "Yeah that sounds--" he was replying to Tidal just before Olivia prematurely picked a target and attacked it. "Nevermind," he said instead and followed up Olivia's strike with his own. The Doomtron they faced did not like that and backhanded their zord with great force. Calvin kept it steady, careful not to land on a building and crush everybody inside to death. Surely to God the buildings evacuate when they see giant things walking around. Otherwise the Rangers may have killed a lot of civilians when trying to save them... Military thinking gets you into some dark shit, sometimes. Never in a million years did he think he would go from soldier to this, however. Working with his bosses daughter, three former civilians and a scruffy ex-con-thug-man with a feline addiction. He glanced over to see how Tidal was doing over there on his own before gazing back at their enemy. "Let's take these things out fast and help the others," he said to Olivia. And Tidal over comms.

 

[PenBlade1326]

Desomax shrugged off the full force of Astro Sub's many attacks and swept one blade across it chest. Something in this robots systems may lack personality programs but they had to give Splica credit for making this thing so durable. Pain in the ass to beat but real engineering skill has to go into this! It's a shame she is on the Emperor's side, still...as far as the humans know, anyway. Drew watched in surprise as the smoke cleared from several blasts and revealed he was just fine. Impossible. No way a normal Rexian fighter could take that much without at least a scratch in the paint. "What does it take to cut this guy down?" He asked and shoved Desomax away, punching out at him and joining Lucas and Jane's side in his mech. Desomax slowly turned to the both of them.

"Targets locked," he announced to himself and raise his hand-mounted blasters. Drew immediately put his power to defenses and hoped for the best. "Hold on, guys," he warned the others beside of him. Desomax charged his weapons, but instead of waiting to be shot like an idiot, Drew actually fired a shot first. He fired from Jet and Heli's arms and assaulted Desomax with them while he charged his own weapons, taking no time to waste, hoping the others would follow through.

Meanwhile with the two giant grunts, Olivia and Calvin would end up working well together. Always have, but had they ever been paired up as a duo? Seemed like the team usually had split into the same groups, so it was fun to mix it up! The Doomtron was a powerful opponent but unlike its field commander it was much easier to hurt. Not easy in general, but easier.
"Excellent idea, Calvin. I will put all power into weapons so we can finish this," she said, eager to help the others and blow this thing up already. The Doomtron did not like that, and with one swift blow it rammed Liner Strike's stomach like a bull and shook them off guard. Olivia yelped slightly and clutched on tightly to her seat as they stumbled back. It fired a few mini lasers in their direction, getting small hits on them

The annoyed pink one then just flipped a lever to activate a stretched kick out at it, allowing them to charge the finisher. She widened her eyes and motioned for him to do it with her. "Liner Strike Finisher!" She yelled with Calvin and quickly slashed at it with a violet X.

 

[marorda]

"Clearly, more than just firepower," Lucas replied to Drew. This Desomax was one tough bastard. Even all the guns didn't even scratch it! This thing just survived a full load of tomboy fury... and that was scary. Speaking of the scary tomboy he was sharing the cockpit with...
"Hate to break it to ya Jane, but I'm taken," he joked. What? She said she loved him... only for him letting her use all the big guns, but still. He could say it, and it was true! Was he proud of that... yep, definitely. Was this going to get him punched in the gut? Most likely. Was it worth it? Yes again. And then Desomax announced he had locked on to his targets.

"Shit shit shit shit shit. Jane, revert some power to our defenses. We're gonna need it," Lucas said, letting the Megazord take on a more defensive stance. Shooting Desomax seemed like a brilliant idea right now, but getting their defenses up was wise too. Nobody would want to get shot by Desomax at full power, right? They saw what he was capable of, and Lucas was sure as hell he did not want to experience that kind of power first hand... as a target. No, that wasn't a piece of the old more cowardly him... that was a piece of a smart person who did not want to die. Mixed with some good caution. Okay, maybe that was the more cowardly him speaking. Lucas just really didn't want to die, okay? He was trying to graduate college.... and he had a job... and a girlfriend. No time for dying when there's things to be done and deadlines to be made. Lucas braced himself for the undoubtedly incoming blast. His task to keep things steady and make sure the Megazord wouldn't tip over and crush a building... with anyone near it.

"I couldn't agree more," Tidal said. High time to blast these Doomtrons to pieces and help Drew, Jane, and Lucas out with the big guy.... who looked about to blast the two Megazords to pieces. Yikes! Now that was only more reason to finish things here fast and get to the big guy, Having Wilson in the hospital was bad enough as it was... Best not have their friends follow suit, right? Hah, who could have thought this would be what he did now? A former Wasteland-thug/possible murderer/gang outcast who loves cats and miiiight just miss his family whom he hasn't seen in... heck, he didn't even know how long... And then he got brainwashed by Armada... and now he was living in the city, fighting Armada.... alongside a mechanic, a tomboy full of fury, a babysitter with a coffee addiction, a commander, and the daughter of basically this city's leader. And then there's a bunch of weird yet awesome friends out there. How things can turn around, no? Anyway... focus on the battle. The Doomtron used this distraction to blast Shadow Drill, causing Tidal to stumble backwards and rapidly press some buttons and pull some levers. Don't fall, don't fall,don't fall! DON'T FALL! He did not fall. Nearly did, though.

Now Tidal was pissed, or annoyed at least. It was his own fault for letting his mind wander, but still! Bastard hit the Megazord pretty hard, Tidal charged the main cannon and the drill. Full power in the weapons. Time to finish this off.
"Shadow Drill Finisher!" he called. The drill arm struck the giant robot, weakening the armor and followed right by a big black and purple blast from the main cannon.

 

[Lady Insanity]

Watching the smoke clear, Jane braced the controls and watched under her visor in total shock. Nothing they did at all phased him. Just an un-phased robot with a really ugly and cheap exterior. She leaned forward for affect and took a few short breaths. Nothing can just take all of those shots like that. Now she is scared out of her wits end. Uncertainty scares one of the two girls on this team; and the realization that what is available is doing nothing in the current situation scares the other. "Shit..."
"Okay, okay okay....power going into shields, ready to jump out of the way and avoid getting nuked before I even get to play the new DLC coming out for--" she started in a normal-sounding line when a signal flashed on her console. Power was low because of how much she shot him and it would need to be wisely distributed.
Something Jane was not used to doing was thinking like this instead of going on the offensive. She knew how to pound the crap out of bad guys, not properly block them? Desomax had been nothing but a headache for some space witch up on the moon in a 90's show to deal with. Megazord battles are supposed to be fun and the part where they blow shit up! Not run the risk on themselves.
"Fire on that mother, " miss blue muttered and fired with Drew at Desomax. The bad guy was charging a big attack and something told her she did not want to feel that coming at her. Might hurt a little bit. She fired more missiles with the power she could spare and used some of Sub's boosting power to do so, just wishing this was enough to at least make him retreat.

Calvin winked affirmatively at Olivia when firing up engines and weapons with her, knowing it was already high-time they end this thing and help their friends. Plan to go four-on-three was working but only for so long. Outnumbering these guys did not mean squat if two of them on both sides for turned into piles of junk metal. Strength in numbers for sure, but strength for strength is another thing. Angry for Wilson, dividing their minds and focusing on saving the city all at the same time is something they should all be mentally prepared to tackle head-on when it arrives. Calvin personally was okay at handling shit scenarios in a pinch, but this one was definitely getting to him. He thought back to old missions as he blocked one attack from the Doomtron by holding their Zords arm up and knocking him back. He looked at the others fighting the commander and getting their asses kicked, reassuring himself they were about to get some back up. He forward power to weapons and thrusted levers forward. "Liner Strike Finisher!" he yelled with Olivia and saw the blades go down on the bot and make sparks on impact.

 

[PenBlade1326]

Kaboom! One Doomtron down in a slashing blaze of Liner Strike, the train mech cutting it down like butter and relieving the city of one giant threat. A second kaboom! The drill plus tank attack hit the second Doomtron and instantly tore through its defenses, exploding it as well and taking out the second threat. Olivia gave a sigh of relief and complimented the guys on a job well done, then turning her attention on the others with the commander who put up a much stronger fight.
Desomax greeted the incoming blasts at him with multiple shots of his own, blasts meeting blasts and sparking in the sky to ignite a series of chaotic attacks. The field commander was more trouble than he was worth on some convener belt in the factory from Hell. Every move they made, he made one back. For as hard as they hit, he hit harder. This guy was an incredible match for the Rangers and serious news for Earth. Drew kept up the pressure with the others as long as he could, weapons going into overload.
"Keep it up!" he yelled at the others on comm and drove himself to the max of his Zord. Desomax simply ducked under a new round of shots and fired two incredibly focused and powerful attack beams straight at Siren Strike and Astro Sub, directly blasting the Zord's cores. Sparks flew from both robots and Drew's cockpit sounded an alarm...his Zord and the other one were both going down. Never had a Megazord been so badly put down before! "No, no no no no no!" Drew shouted and threw his hands up as his cockpit went up in sparks, his Zord down, sending him and the others into a knocked out state...they were beaten.

"No!" Olivia shouted. "Hold on, you guys, we're coming in hot," she tried to reassure the three of them, now knowing they were out cold. She drove Liner Strike forward toward this evil thing. But Desomax turned around effortlessly and swing his blades at the two remaining robots. "Rangers. Eliminate." muttered the bot. The blades cut through the other Zords without struggle, sparks going up and sending them down crashing into the ground hard, Zords going offline. Desomax' weapons had badly damaged and nearly destroyed the Zords in just tw simple hits. Four Megazords, down. Now six Rangers...out cold in shock.
---
Panning out from the battle, Splica overlooks this triumph and happily kicks in her throne. She had taken Urthemial's position, gained his servants, and now she had already made a robot that had critically hit the Rangers and their Zords. War is a cold and bloody game. War is violent, unforgiving, hard. War... war is chaos. Inezia is a front line of this war. But now? The biggest weapons they had...were gone. Damaged, at least. Desomax assumed his victory and returned to his mistress in the ship. Inezia has four Megazords in the rubble of this battle. Short and merciless...the Rangers have lost.

END OF ARC 29

 

[PenBlade1326]

Lady Insanity marorda

Arc 30: Trials & Terrors

One, two, three, four Megazords down for the count, sparking damage and power levels lower than they should be. Downsized opponents fled the attack and left the four giant 'carcasses' of the Megazords behind. See, Earth has undergone several attacks. Plenty of battles gone south. Even in Inezia where the fight against the Rexian Armada is strongest and focused more than anywhere else has seen some less-than-favorable encounters with the evil invaders. But never had the lumbering giants that defended the city all fell at once with not a stitch of backup near. For the first time, all forces capable of pushing back the villainous Armada was taken down and seriously damaged. A crippling blow dealt to humanity. Drew's cockpit sparked and went dark as his robot went down with the others. The other five Rangers had apparently been left unconscious in the attack. He barely kept his eyes open under his visor, watching Desomax flee and leave them to...die? If he really wanted them dead he would have blown up the Zords while they were down. This mindless machine wanted then to suffer. Automatic emergency respondents from HQ were on the way to evacuate the Ranger pilots as well as engage another evac function for the Zords on emergency reserve power.
Drew had nearly fallen faint before a haunting image appeared. From space, an image appeared in the sky of the dome, a broadcast from the main ship of the Rexian Armada. It was a video message for Inezia...from Splica.

"Citizens of Inezia, of Earth. I, the Empress Splica, have taken over the lead of the Armada. My foolish husband was unfit to take your planet. I will not hesitate, and I assure you, I will take your world as soon as possible. Surrender now, or suffer unrelenting pain and consequence. Your Power Rangers have already fallen to my latest creation. It would be wise to obey me as your rightful queen. This is your only warning!" End transmission. Drew was the only team member to hear it live as everybody in the city was shaken in fear. Splica had assumed Urthemial's position...and now the war is only going to be worse. Drew passed out.
---
The next day...
The broadcast from Empress Splica had basically gone viral. The Captain saved it and listened to it on repeat, dissecting her words with caution. She somehow leads the Armada alone now. Either Urthemial surrendered to her will, or the more likely option for a thickheaded brute like him...Splica got rid of him.
The Zords had been taken back to Zord bay at HQ for repair, but would take time to fully charge up again. The Power Rangers were placed in the infirmary at HQ. Wilson was discharged from the hospital, finally. Only to be ethically arrested and put into custody to await his trial. People were scared, more scared than usual. News told the common people that the new Armada leader is the same one who invaded Capital City and nearly took it over. No cause for panic at all.

In the infirmary, Olivia and the rest of the Rangers had awoken already from their slumbers. Having been through such trauma physically put them in an odd state. Pained, sure. Overnight stay in HQ should have fixed them up! Drew had been asleep since passing out in his cockpit yesterday, the others being told he'd wake up on his own after his body rested enough. He lay shirtless and in his jeans in his infirmary bed under a sheet, sweating slightly, his muscles slightly contouring themselves as his body thrived in minor pain in his sleep. Poor guy needed rest and he was getting it. Olivia had a bandage on her forehead, nothing too severe having taken her over. She was up and moving already!
The Captain broke the news about Wilson being released and then arrested. Then he had to show them Splica's announcement to Earth that she was now in charge and would make things worse for Earth. Can the Rangers get a break?

"I do not know what's worse. Having to put someone we know and trust on trial for treason or having our Zords beaten to the point of barely any return while we too have to recover...with a new global antagonist," she thought out loud, staring out the window. A worker brought her some water. She thanked them and took a sip of the cool liquid from the Styrofoam cup. She had considered not even going to Wilson's trial...she didn't know if she could take it with everything going on. God only knew how everyone else was handling everything.

 

[marorda]

While she remained in the background, Actera couldn't help but completely approve of what was happening on the screen. All four Megazords downed, the last line of defense Earth had to offer defeated. Why couldn't the Empress have taken over long ago? In just this one battle she had achieved more than Urthemial had ever since coming here! Finally a worthy leader and progress in the conquest of Earth! Actera remained in the background as the Empress broadcast her message. No speaking unless spoken to, right? Plus, this was her moment of glory. High time the citizens of Inezia... no, of Earth would feel true fear regarding the Armada. No more mockery. Once and for all it had been proven the Power Rangers were not as invincible as they might have seemed until now. At long last everyone would know the Armada truly was a force to be reckoned with.
---
Lucas was awake, alright. A bit sore all over, but doing more okay than one would expect after a massive Megazord crash. Just a minor concussion and some scrapes and bruises. All would fully heal in time. Right now... right now he was just feeling a bit dizzy. And it didn't really get any better when the Captain told them what had happened over the remainder of the last day. Splica's broadcast to the city, Dr. Wilson being released and arrested. Yesterday was hell, and things were only bound to get worse. Much worse. You see, while Urthemial might have been the fearsome Emperor of the Armada, he hadn't really posed that much of a threat. Yes, he had injured them all the time he came to Earth, but then Drew shot his eye out and that was the last anyone had seen of him. Hehehe... seen. Okay, even while having a concussion and nasty headache he still managed to find a pun in his own thoughts. That seemed like progress! He's recovering! Anyhow... Urthemial wasn't that scary considering how successful the Rangers had been. And now, on apparently the first day Spica took over from her husband - what the hell had she done to Urthemial, anyway? - she had already sent a creation strong enough to severely damage the Megazords, knock all the rangers out cold, AND had the potential to seriously injure some of the most important people currently walking this planet.

Trying to sit up hurt. Badly. So Tidal just stayed down and tried to keep breathing. Not easy with some bruised ribs. Yeah, he'd been thrown around the cockpit when the Megazord went down. But he was awake. It wasn't pleasant right now though; he'd much rather just be sleeping. But nobody can possibly just lay down and get some shuteye after hearing what the Captain told them, right? Splica had taken over, and it seemed the real war was only just about to begin. Well, the war's been going on for over two decades, but now things really were getting serious. If the Power Rangers can be defeated... Imagine they would get destroyed next time! Or rather, don't. Don't imagine that. Things were already bad enough as they were without the last line of defense being dead. oh, and to top things off: Wilson was taken into custody. Now, Tidal still had some mixed feelings on that particular situation, but he could agree with anyone else the poor old doctor should have at least been given some proper time to rest and recover, not be thrown before the wolves into a whole lotta chaotic mess. Not in that condition.

"The answer is probably: all of the above," Lucas commented, running a hand through his hair. Seemed like the worker was handing out cups of water to anyone who might want one. Lucas gladly took one too, thanked the worker and took a sip. Why was he feeling like the last time he had a drink was DAYS ago? "On the somewhat bright side... once things have hit rock bottom there's only one way left to go." And that way was back up. Things had to get better, right? Unless they hadn't hit rock bottom yet and this was just some edge of a cliff everyone was hanging on to, dangling above a void. Something that still had to happen was Dr. Wilson's trial. Now that would be something that would go down into the history books one way or another. And something told him that the trial would be crucial in the fate of humanity, the entire course of the rest of this damned war. He wanted to be there. Not just because Lucas is kind of a history nerd, but also because Dr. Wilson was their friend... or mentor at least. Being there for him in these dark moments was the least... the only thing they could do for him.

"As much as we might all still care about Dr. Wilson, I think the Zords being damaged and the war having taken some serious turns for the worse should be our main priority," Tidal said from his bed. "After all... If Splica decides to blow up the entire planet 'cause she's done waiting... Well..." There wouldn't really be anything left to protect then, would there? No trial, no future. No more Earth. The entire planet itself would be history.