[Ellen Brand]

......A few days later, Tommy and Lita were in session when his communicator toned. "Nani yo?" Lita asked, rolling her eyes heavenward. "Tommy, answer that and ask him what he wants."

.........."Tommy here, Zordon. What's up?"

.........."Tommy, Lita, I must ask you to come to the Power Chamber. Monsters have been released on Angel Grove. It is not safe for you to remain at the cabin while the Rangers are in battle."

.........."We'll be right there, Zordon." Taking Lita's hand, Tommy transported them both to the Power Chamber.

..........The Rangers were already there, clustered around the viewing globe. A small distance away, Jason watched his friends wistfully. Lita touched his shoulder and smiled at him.

.........."Observe the viewing globe, Rangers. Mondo and Zedd have both taken Tommy's absence from the team as the time to launch their newest plot. Zedd and Rita have created a monster known as Raptar, a hyper-intelligent, animated Velociraptor statue from the Natural History museum. Mondo's contribution to this fight is two creations called ChopShop and Canopus." As Zordon spoke, the monsters appeared on the viewing globe, and the Rangers groaned. ChopShop looked as if someone had turned a blender inside out, and Canopus...

.........."A can opener monster?" Rocky asked, summing up the feelings of them all. "I thought cheesy monsters were Zedd and Rita's department."

.........."Cheesiness aside, these monsters are formidable opponents on their own. Released three at a time, they become a force to be reckoned with. You will have to split the team up dangerously to handle them."

.........."Dangerously is right," David remarked. "Who wants to be the lucky shmuck that has to go alone? There are only five of us."

.........."Perhaps I can help," an unfamiliar voice broke in. A golden glow coalesced in the center of the Power Chamber. When it faded, the Gold Ranger was standing in its place.

.........."Trey!" Tommy cried. "What are you doing here?"

.........."I sensed that you were in danger and needed my help. I am here to offer my services." He raised an eyebrow as he took in David and Lita's unfamiliar faces. "Is there something that I should be filled in on?"

..........Tanya chuckled. "It's too long a story to go into now, Trey. He's David Trueheart, Tommy's twin brother, and she's Dr. Lita Kino. They can both be trusted."

..........Gold Ranger bowed to Lita. "When this adventure is done, Dr. Kino, I look forward to hearing you tell me the whole story."

.........."I am not going to ask, I am not going to ask, I am not going to ask," Lita muttered to herself. She didn't think she could stand another weird explanation right now.

.........."All right," Adam said, taking charge. "Trey, you and Rocky handle ChopShop, Dave and Kat will take Raptar, and Tanya and I will handle Canopus." Dave grimaced. He didn't like splitting up the team this much at all. Out of the corner of his eye, Adam caught Dave's expression and smiled. "Cheer up, Dave. It could be worse. With a name like Raptar, he could be one of those annoying rapping monsters."

.........."Yeah, like the Hate Master," Rocky groaned. "I'd never heard such awful rap in my life- except maybe for Vanilla Ice."

.........."Pumpkin Rapper was worse," grinned Tommy. "Remember him, Jase?"

.........."How could I forget?" Jason groused. "He was so awful, he couldn't even keep the rhythm."

.........."If I may interrupt," Adam remarked, pulling the team back to reality, "we need to get going. Be careful, everybody. It's morphin time!"



..........In a flash of light, Green and Yellow Rangers appeared at the Halleck Planetarium. "Keep your eyes open," Green Ranger cautioned. "Remember, Mondo's watchword is "ambush."

.........."Got it." Slowly, they made their way around the deserted planetarium. Yellow Ranger's nerves were humming unbearably, and she could feel sweat trickling down her face beneath her helmet. Green Ranger's presence behind her was reassuring. He's been at this so long. I'm sure he can take care of himself.

.........."There!" Green Ranger cried, pointing. Yellow Ranger could just see a bulky, shadowy form that had to be Canopus darting into the building. "He's gone into the display room! Let's go!" The two Rangers took off, pursuing their prey inside.

..........

..........In the shopping district of Angel Grove, Raptar was tearing apart a Wal-mart. "Watch for falling prices!" it snarled, using its tail to hurl a cash register at a fleeing employee. The register missed, and the hapless worker disappeared.

..........Chuckling to itself, Raptar headed back through the toy section to where the manager sat huddled beneath a desk, moaning about insurance payments. A flash of red caught the monster's eye. "Hey, Tickle-Me Elmo!" it rumbled.. "I didn't think you could find these things anymore!" Tossing the doll over its shoulder, it continued back towards the frightened manager.

.........."My HMO doesn't cover dinosaurs," the man squeaked.

.........."Boy, those guys don't pay for anything," Raptar sympathized in its gravely voice. "Look on the bright side, lunch. You won't have to worry about it any more." The raptor leaned closer to its prey, raising one of its powerful, well-clawed hind legs.

.........."Hey you! With the prominent overbite!" A voice cut through the silence of the store. Raptar whirled to see Red and Pink Rangers standing behind it. The manager, not being stupid, lost no time in disappearing out the back entrance.

.........."Now look what you did! You let my lunch get away!" Raptar whined. "Guess I'll have to eat you instead!" With that, the raptor monster launched itself at the two Rangers. Both having seen Jurassic Park, the teens were ready. Pink and Red Rangers threw themselves to opposite sides, causing Raptar to pass directly between them and smack snout-first into a display of assorted discount toys. The whole shelf came rumbling down on its head, burying it in Tonka trucks, giant robots, and large dolls. A particularly large truck landed on the monster's head.

.........."That had to hurt," Pink Ranger remarked.

.........."OOOH, brother," Raptar groaned, pulling itself out of the heap. "That was not good." Suddenly it noticed a Cabbage Patch doll chewing busily on its tail. "Ow, hey! Leggo, you little cannibal!" With some difficulty, it managed to unsnap the doll's backpack and shut down the mechanism. After extracting its tail-tip from the doll's mouth, the monster turned back toward the Rangers. "Now where were we? Oh, yeah! I was just leaving." Abruptly, Raptar turned and ran out the door.

..........Red Ranger cursed viciously. "Kat, come on! We have to catch up with him before he does even more damage!" The two hurried after the fleeing dinosaur.



..........Gold and Blue Rangers found themselves teleported into Forest Hills, the wealthy part of the residential section. Astonished, Blue Ranger examined a nearby bush. "Looks like somebody trimmed this thing with a weed-whacker. I think I'd fire the gardener."

.........."It looks to me as if ChopShop's been here. I doubt this was the gardener's doing," Gold Ranger replied, scanning the area.

.........."You have no appreciation of humor." Cautiously, the two made their way into the backyard of the house, following a trail of mutilated bushes. Peering around the corner, Blue Ranger saw ChopShop terrorizing a group of kids who were huddled on the patio.

.........."Hey, Blenderface!" Blue Ranger called, jumping out. "Pick on somebody your own size!"

.........."Somebody like you?" the monster asked, shooting several whirling blades at him.

..........Blue Ranger dodged agilely, ducking the blades with ease. "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Godzilla," he muttered. Over the monster's shoulder, he could see Gold Ranger herding the children back into the house. That's it, he thought to himself. I've got to keep his attention on me long enough for Trey to get the kids out of here. If I'm lucky, maybe I can keep it long enough for Trey to blindside him.

..........Having herded the children into the safety of the house, Gold Ranger turned just in time to see Blue Ranger fall to the ground in a heap, bleeding from several places. That thing's blades are sharp enough to penetrate Ranger suits! he thought, appalled. Those things are unstable molecular fabric, near-impossible to rip!

.........."Golden Power Staff!" he called. The weapon coalesced in his hand. With a flick of the wrist, he sent a barrage of Golden power directly at the monster. The energy ball impacted the back of the monster's head, distracting it from its attack on Blue Ranger. Unfortunately, distracting it was all the ball accomplished. The monster's armor was too thick for the attack to cause any damage.

..........I've got to do something! Blue Ranger thought desperately. His wounds were healing, and he'd be able to attack soon, but it would do no good. ChopShop was far too strong for the Rangers to defeat in hand-to-hand combat. He had to fight with his head, not one of his strong suits. C'mon, Rocky, think! he berated himself. Time to live up to the tradition of the Blue Ranger. Suddenly an idea sprang into his mind. Getting painfully to his feet, he shouted, "Trey! Slow him down, then follow me!"

..........Gold Ranger nodded, smiling beneath his helmet. Time for a new trick. "Golden Power Storm!" he called, raising the weapon above his head. A dark roiling cloud began to coalesce around the head of the staff. Bursts of gold light began to appear inside it. Quickly, the energy built to massive proportions, flashing out in a massive lightning bolt that temporarily locked ChopShop's circuits. The robot froze in place, and the two Rangers took off running. Almost immediately, ChopShop regained his mobility and was in hot pursuit.



..........Cautiously, Green Ranger pushed open the door to the planetarium's storage room. Easing his way inside, he kept a sharp eye out for Canopus. "Tanya," he whispered. "Anything behind us?"

She never had the chance to answer. A grappling hook and line shot out of the darkened room and wrapped around her throat. With a jerk, Canopus pulled her into the room and against itself, using her as a shield. Like lightning, Green Ranger pulled his laser pistol and trained it on the monster.

.........."Drop the gun, Green Ranger, or she dies," Canopus snickered. It raised an arm in front of Yellow Ranger's face, allowing the two to see that it was a wickedly sharp blade.

.........."Let her go," ordered Green Ranger. His aim never flinched.

.........."You're in no position to give orders, Green Ranger. Drop the gun or I gut her like a trout."

.........."If you do, I'll shoot you. You'd never take me out in time."

..........Canopus shrugged, bringing his knife-like forearm perilously close to Yellow Ranger's throat. "Then I take one Power Ranger with me. I can handle that. Can you?" For emphasis, the robot laid its blade against her throat guard.

..........Green Ranger was silent for a long minute, then dropped his laser pistol to the ground.

.........."Good. Now kick it over here." Green Ranger obeyed. "Very good, Adam. I'm pleased to see you so cooperative. Now, demorph and take off your Zeonizers."

.........."NO!" Yellow Ranger yelled. "Adam, you can't! If Mondo gets his hands on the Green Power, there's no telling what he'll do!"

.........."Do it, Green Ranger," Canopus sneered. "Or would you prefer to see her blood running all over this floor?"

..........Green Ranger hung his head. "I'm sorry, Tanya," he whispered. In a flash of green light, he was Adam again.

.........."Throw them over to me." Adam did so. "Excellent. Now," Canopus addressed Yellow Ranger, "it's your turn."

.........."Go to hell," she retorted. "I'm not afraid to die."

.........."How noble! Are you willing to sacrifice him?" Canopus released her, shooting another grappling hook at Adam. This one wrapped around his legs and body, pinning his arms to his sides and causing him to fall to the floor. "I can promise you, you'll watch him die screaming if you don't give me what I want."

.........."And if I do?" she asked defiantly.

.........."I'll let you both live. If you aren't Power Rangers, I have no further quarrel with you."

.........."Don't trust him, Tanya! Monsters have no honor!" Adam called.

..........A flare of yellow light, and Tanya was herself again. "Here," she spat, throwing her Zeonizers over to Adam's. "Take them and go." She ran over to Adam's side, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Are you all right, Adam?"

..........He nodded, his eyes dark and troubled. "We're dead, Tanya," he said quietly. "He's going to kill us."

..........She nodded, her lips tight. "I know, but- I couldn't just let it happen."

..........Adam smiled. "I love you, you know that?"

.........."I know," she smiled back. "I love you too."

.........."Isn't this sweet?" Canopus cooed. "I'm almost sorry to destroy you. Which one shall I handle first? Hmm, decisions, decisions."

..........Tanya set Adam down gently. "Seeing as how you'll have to go through me to get to him, I don't think there's a choice to be made here."

.........."Ha! You won't even be a challenge!" Canopus scoffed.

..........Tanya's eyes were cold and deadly. "Try me."



..........Blue and Gold Rangers were running for their lives, with ChopShop in close pursuit. Silently praying that his plan worked, Blue Ranger led the two into a steel mill.

.........."What are we doing?" Gold Ranger asked curiously.

.........."Setting a trap," Blue Ranger puffed back. "Didn't you ever see Terminator 2?"

.........."I was only on this planet a month, and I had other things on my mind," Gold Ranger reminded him wryly.

.........."Good point," his companion conceded. "Anyway, the climactic scene took place in a steel mill. They melted down the big robot by knocking it into a vat of hot steel. Now, I happen to know that this factory always keeps the steel molten, even when nobody's here. It's cheaper. All we have to do is get ChopShop into the vat."

.........."Easier said than done, my friend," observed the Triforian.

.........."No kidding. Hey, call me Rocky. All my friends do."

.........."Rocky. Where does that come from, anyway?"

..........Blue Ranger sounded embarrassed. "My full name is Rockford De Santos, named by a father who had a love of James Garner TV shows. "Rocky" was the natural choice. It could have been worse; he could have named me Maverick."

.........."Maverick?"

.........."I'll explain later. It's way too complicated to go into here."

..........As the two talked, they collected various objects, setting a very sneaky trap for ChopShop. A banging in the lower regions of the mill alerted them to the arrival of their enemy. "Hmm, looks like the guest of honor is here," Blue Ranger chuckled. "It'll take him a while to find us. We have time to finish this thing."

..........The two worked in silence for a while, then... "Trey?" Blue Ranger inquired. "Do you have family, back home on Triforia?"

..........Gold Ranger sighed. "Yes. A mother and two sisters. My older sister, Trianna, is studying to be a wizard. She's very good. My younger sister is named Trialia. She's training to be a warrior, and follow in my footsteps. My mother is Lady Trania. She's what you would call the Queen of the planet. She runs things in my absence, since I have the commitment of the Gold Ranger powers. My father, Lord Terian, died in a battle with some pirates a few years. I suppose that someday I'll have to marry and settle down to be the Lord of Triforia, but that day seems so far off. My current responsibility of helping you protect Earth is all I can think of now." He sighed. "How about you, Rocky? What's your family like?"

..........Blue Ranger exhaled. "Well, let's see. We're a big, I mean big Hispanic family. Both of my parents came from big families. My mom is one of seven kids, and my dad was the oldest of five. Add to that the cousins, second cousins, dates, parents, and relatives with no designations, and you've got one heck of a crowd at the family reunion.

.........."As for my immediate family, my dad died when I was ten, so it's Mom, my older brother Pedro, me, and my six younger brothers and sisters. In order of age, they're Lindsey, Rosa, Juan, Miguel, Emilia, and Alejandro. It gets pretty hectic around the house, especially because I always had to baby-sit. It wasn't that Pedro didn't want to help, but he just wasn't as good with kids as I was. I've always had that talent."

..........Sighing, Blue Ranger shifted position. "Y'know what the worst part of all this is? If I die, my mom'll think that I did it on purpose."

.........."What?"

.........."I was really depressed after Jen, my girlfriend died. I got really reckless. Not suicidal- that's against my religion, and I never really considered it. But I did want to die. If I don't come out of this, I just want my mom to know that I did this for somebody, not because I wanted to die. I want her to be proud of me, not feeling guilty about what she could have done."

.........."I promise you, Rocky, if you should die and I should live, your mother will know of what you did, no matter how much noise Zordon makes about it." The two boys were silent for a while, listening to ChopShop search for them.

.........."Are you going to be staying on Earth for a while?" Blue Ranger asked hesitantly.