[The Ghost Ranger]

Chapter 4: Power of the Crystal

Two A.M, pitch darkness outside above the neighborhood sky, yet there was one neighbor who was roaming the halls of his house; Jerome Johnson was downstairs with a glass of water, sweat having formed on his forehead due to the intense dream he had experienced. He had witnessed a spirit of an older man, his face slightly wrinkled with dark, tan skin. He had spoken to Jerome in the dream, but the teenager couldn't understand what he had been saying. A voice from upstairs caught his attention, he heading back up to his mothers room, opening the door.

"Hey sweetie, what are you doing awake so late?" "I had a dream is all, Mom. Are you alright?" "Yes, could you be a dear and bring me a glass of cold water? I'm feeling a bit drained." "You got it." he said, rushing downstairs to get her glass and took the steps up two at a time to gently hand it to her, leaning over to place a kiss on her forehead. "I'm going back to sleep, Mom. If you need anything, let me know." "I will, son. Sleep well." Jerome headed back to his room, and after struggling to fall asleep, he soon found rest, though the same man appeared to him once more during the night.

The following day, he was sitting in the classroom before class had started, still focused on his dream when he heard a loud voice behind him say "Jerome needs panties for his baby mama!" followed by a familiar snorting laugh. Slowly, the young man turned in his seat to look at Spike, who was watching a video on his phone, still laughing, until he looked up and saw that Jerome had a giant 'WTF' style look on his face. "I-it's a Vine...Sorry." Spike said sheepishly and putting his phone away.

Mrs. Peabody entered the room with a smile on her face. "Everyone, we have a student joining us from Mr. Buchanan's class. He'll be a part of our group now, so please feel welcome. Come on in!" Entering the classroom was a slightly bearded male with hair going past his ears, wearing a black long sleeve over shirt with a black t-shirt underneath and blue jeans with black sneakers. "Introduce yourself to the class, please?" Mrs. Peabody asked, the young man remaining silent for a few seconds before speaking. "My name is Jake Cranston. It's nice to meet you." he said, taking a seat beside Vanessa.

Zeke's eyes slightly glanced in the new classmate's direction, after the last name was spoken; something not sitting right with him, though what it was he couldn't tell. Diane leaned over to whisper to him quietly. "What's he doing in here? I thought Mr. Buchanan taught AP style classes." Zeke turned to whisper back "Word's been going around that Mr. B caught major food poisoning, he may be out the rest of the semester for all we know. All of his students are being put into different groups." Diane glanced over towards the new student, giving a smile as he nodded his head in acknowledgment; Though he was still quiet, the group of friends had managed to get the loner to hang out with them a few times.

The Tul'Van spaceship floated above the Earth. K'Turi pushing a few Nokbots out of his way while muttering to himself. "I've failed his excellency again and again ever since those Rangers came onto the scene. I have to find a way to deal with them, or I'll be stripped of my rank...Machinedra!" he bellowed, a female mechanical warrior with a giant mace appeared in front of him. "Yes, General?" she asked in a slight Russian-like voice. "Go down to Earth with a group of Nokbots and attack the Rangers! I want them stopped!" "Consider it done."

"J-Man, you doin' alright? You look tired." Zeke asked his friend, as he, Jerome, and Jake walked through the park later in the day, sunset hitting the city. Vanessa, Spike, and Diane had gone to the Yellow Rangers house to help her finish unpacking boxes for her new house, so the three guys had decided to go hang out at the bowling alley. "I'm fine, bro, really. Just had a weird dream last night is all. Took me a while to get back to sleep afterward." "Want to talk about it?" asked Jake, glancing over to the Red Ranger curiously. "I'll be fine, but thank you both for the concern" "Fine huh? Not for long you wont be!" declared a voice with a slight Russian accent as Machinedra and Nokbots appeared in front of the three. "Oh this is -not- how I wanted to spend the rest of my day!" Zeke groaned lightly, him and Jerome getting into fighting stances. "Jake, you better get out of here, its not safe!" Jerome warned to their new friend, but instead of running away, the young man threw his backpack to the ground, cracked his knuckles and got into an American Kempo stance. "I'll help."

"Get them!" Machinedra ordered, the robots attacking the three teenagers. Jerome sent swift, but powerful kicks at his attackers, knocking them back, while Zeke blocked an attack with a raised arm, grabbing the attackers fist with his free hand and twisting it behind the robots back, kicking it down. Jake was quick with his punches, rapidly striking at the center of the Nokbots, flipping one over and striking the backside with a kick to the neck. "Where did you learn how to fight like that?" asked an impressed Zeke, who jumped over a robot and spin kicked it away. "Trained all my life" Jake replied, joining the other two as Machinedra approached, mace in hands, but stopped.

"Something is not right, only two... We will meet again, this I promise!" she said, vanishing in a spark of electricity. Relaxing, the three would grab their backpacks and regroup. "I need to head home, that was just too weird. You guys be safe, alright?" Jake said, heading in the opposite direction of their original destination. Jerome brought his wrist watch to his mouth, speaking into it.

"Vanessa, T.K, come in." "Que pasa, Jerome?" Vanessa's voice came through in Spanish, and in the background, Spike could be heard yelping in pain as a box fell onto his foot, Diane sighing as she went to help him. "We were attacked on the way to the bowling alley. Nokbots and some sort of mace carrying robot. She left after realizing there were only two Rangers though. Be on the lookout for her." "I copy, Ghost Ranger's going to keep an eye out while you guys sleep." T.K said over the Morpher. "Wait, he's on night duty?" Diane's voice asked over Vanessa's watch. "I don't sleep." the Ghost Ranger came in abruptly via his own watch Morpher, his tone signifying that he didn't want questions about him being asked.

Two A.M. Jerome tossed and turned in bed, the same old man in his dreams again, only this time the image was clearer, and he could actually here the man saying over and over 'Do not let them get the Crystal.' Jerome shot up straight in bed, sweat running down his face once more. "Crystal? What could the Empire want with a crystal?"

"Machinedra, there has been a change of plans for the moment." K'Turi told the machine warrior, holding up a hologram of a very familiar glowing piece of rock. "His Excellency wishes to use this crystal to harness the power of the Empire. Your mission is to retrieve it and bring it back." "Understood, General." Machine vanished once more, K'Turi turning towards the viewing screen while thinking to himself. "If she can get that crystal, I'll gain favor with the Emperor, and my rank will no longer be in jeopardy . She cannot fail!"

The following day, Jerome had entered the garage to see Zeke messing around on T.K's computer, going through the archives. "Dude, you know if she catches you on there she'll have a fit." "She needed sleep, I don't know how the girl does it, but she can go for nearly forty-eight hours without it." "Anyways, what are you doing?" "Something hasn't been sitting right with me; that last name Jake used, Cranston? It was the last name of the original Blue Ranger, Billy Cranston. According to the archives, he ended up living on Aquatar after trying to find a way to stop an advanced aging problem." "Maybe he came back to Earth and had a kid?" Jerome asked. "Dunno, but it's been bugging me. You look like you got something on your mind, what's up?" Zeke asked his friend "That dream came back, and this time the man was saying 'Don't let them get the crystal.' Could you check the archives for anything related to that?" "Sure, one sec."

After searching through various folders and data files, the two finally came upon what they were looking for. "The Zeo Crystal; A mystical power source that constantly grows in terms of power with time. It was used by the Zeo Rangers to fight the Machine Empire eighteen years ago." Zeke read off of the screen. "No one knows what happened to it after the destruction of the Power Chamber."

"That is because it's been hidden. Only two people know where it is." a voice said behind them, the two rangers whirling around to see Ghost Ranger standing there, arms crossed over his chest. "And I was hoping it would stay that way." "Ghost, please, I need you to tell me about the Zeo Crystal's location. I've been having visions of a man telling me to protect it." Ghost unfolded his arms in surprise, stepping forward. "What did this man look like?" he asked.

"He was older, dark tanned skin, wrinkly with black and white hair. He dressed almost like a Shaman." "Sam Trueheart.." Ghost Ranger said, the tone of his voice filled with both shock and slight sadness. "You know him?" Zeke asked. "What I am about to tell you, does not leave this room. For a very long time. I've been on my own personal mission, wandering the US. It was during my travels that I met Sam, a Native American Shaman who had ties to the Zeo Rangers. Feeling that we could trust one another, we told each other our history, and I learned how Tommy Oliver, one of the longest serving Rangers had found the Zeo Crystal amongst the ruins of the Power Chamber, when he was on a mission to help nine other Red Rangers stop the remnants of the Machine Empire, allowing him to use his Zeo Red Ranger powers for that battle. Afterward, Tommy took the intact Crystal to Sam's reservation, asking Sam to keep it hidden."

"Years later, I was contacted by Sam through a vision; returning, I learned that David Trueheart, Sam's adopted son, Tommy's brother, and an ally to the forces of good, now soared in the skies with the great Eagles and Sun. Sam was much older then, and felt his time on this plane was coming to a close. He confided in me the location of the Zeo Crystal, making me its new guardian against the forces of evil. Sam... He passed away in his sleep a few days later, going to the great Spirits of the Beyond." Ghost Ranger's voice nearly cracked as he spoke, looking over to Jerome and Zeke who listened intently.

"The Legacy Rangers have to reach the Zeo Crystal before the Tul'Van Empire does. I fear if they get to it first, their forces will be unstoppable." The alarms started to go off, Zeke spinning around in his chair as Machinedra came on-screen, nearing a cave by the Reservation. "Looks like they've already found it." Jerome glanced to the screen, then looked at his ally with a determined expression. "We'll stop her. Ghost Ranger, can you contact the others?" "Yes, I'll also get T.K to her post, good luck."

"Finally, I have found it! K'Turi will be most pleased with my success." Machinedra had destroyed a fake wall that held inside it, on a rock pedestal a leather wrapping, with a faint white glow.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Legacy Blue called, shooting the robot twice with his Shot Blaster. Dropping the wrapping, she growled and turned towards the shooter.

The Legacy Rangers and the Ghost Ranger stood together at the cave entrance, the main five with their weapons drawn out. "That Crystal doesn't belong to you, it'll never be allowed into the grasp of evil!" Ghost Ranger declared, fists raised and ready for a fight. "My Emperor wants it, and so he shall have it!" Machinedra flung her mace forward, knocking the Rangers over and grabbing the crystal, still covered by the wrapping before leaping out of the cave.

"Oh no you don't!" Diane leapt up from the ground and swung her staff into the dirt, sending a currently of electricity through it and into Machinedra's body. With the current traveling through her mechanical body, she threw the wrapped Crystal into the air, Vanessa catching it in both hands and slowly removing the leather wrapping, the glow getting brighter as a small noise emitting from it saying 'Zeo..' "It's beautiful, I feel the power just holding it!" Vanessa said as the others gathered around her. "Rangers, T.K here;" said their tech assistant via the Morphers. "The Zeo Crystal can give your powers a boost if separated into the five different pieces. They'll also remain safely hidden within the Morphing Grid, so the Empire's forces won't be able to get it. Give it a shot!"

"That Crystal is for my Emperor!" Machinedra brought her mace down onto the team, only for Jerome to block it with his Red Legacy Saber. "Sam told me, to protect the Crystal from evil. I am going to honor him and do that!" Legacy Red spun his sword and sent out a wave of red energy, sending the machine warrior flying back. Turning to face the Crystal, Ghost Ranger gently took it from Vanessa's hands, holding it up. "Do it." he said, and Jerome let out a mighty yell, slashing the power source into five pieces. The shards floated into the air above the respective colored Ranger, and would shine brightly before turning into energy, shooting into their Morphers.

"I feel stronger then before!" Spike said with glee looking the others over. "Agreed, completely energized and ready for a fight." said Zeke clenching his hand slowly. "No! That power was for the Tul'Van Empire! How dare you take it away from me!" "You want the Zeo Powers so badly? We'll give 'em to you!" said Legacy Red, the rangers holding their Morphers up. "Legacy Transcendence! It's Morphin Time! Power Rangers Zeo!" The Rangers spun the clock hands so that they hit 4:00, the team changing into the main five Zeo Rangers. "Zeo Ranger One: Pink!" "Zeo Ranger Two: Yellow!" "Zeo Ranger Three: Blue!" "Zeo Ranger Four: Green!" "Zeo Ranger Five: Red!" Ghost Ranger spun the hands of his own Morpher to the same time. "Legacy Transcendence! Gold Ranger Power!" He transformed into the black and gold colored sixth Zeo Ranger, Power Staff in hand. "Let's do this!"

"Nokbots!" Machinedra snapped her fingers, a number of the robotic henchmen appearing from nuts and bolts. The Rangers charged forward, wielding the weapons of the past Zeo Rangers as both sides clashed; Punches, kicks, and weapons met both sides of the battle, Zeke wielding the Blue Zeo Tonfa's to slice into the Nokbots as Spike sunk the Green Zeo Hatchet's into one of the robots heads, wincing a "Sorry!" as he was pushed backwards. Ghost Ranger hit a button on the Golden Power Staff, the mid piece sinking to the bottom. "Time for a Gold Rush!" he yelled, becoming a black and gold blur, running through the remaining Nokbots, the robots exploding only seconds after the attack. Diane and Vanessa rushed forward toward Machinedra, delivering a double team punch to her midsection as Jerome jumped high into the air. "Zeo Flying Power Kick!" he called out, flying right at the enemy with flying kick; the impact sent a shock wave through her, sending her flying backwards, exploding.

"Fire the Reive Lasers!" General K'Turi ordered, the lasers shooting from the ship and hitting Machinedra, making her grow tall. Turning back to their base suits, the Legacy Rangers held their hands out and called "Legacy Zords, come forth and combine!" The five main robots emerged from their hiding places and combined into the Legacy Megazord. "I call upon the power, of Pyramidas!" A Pyramid shaped Zord came from the distance, Ghost Ranger jumping into it as the Rangers jumped into the Megazord.

"Power up!" Legacy Red ordered, the Legacy Megazord stomping its way over to Machinedra as she swung her mace at the robot wrapping around the waist and pulling it closer to deliver a punch to its chest multiple times. "You'll be turned to scrap when I'm done with you!" she roared, when a lightning bolt struck her; Pyramidas had moved forward and shot the lightning from atop its point, causing both enemy and ally to topple over.

"We cant win like this, she's got an advantage with range." Vanessa said while struggling to get the Wolf arm free of the chain. "Rangers, use the Zeo Power to summon the Zeo Zords! They're still useable!" T.K's voice came over their Morphers, sending images of the past robots via their visors. "Right. Team, disassemble Megazord and Transcend!" Jerome ordered. "You got it." said Zeke, Diane and Spike giving a thumbs up as the Legacy Megazord broke free of the chained mace, going into separate parts. "Legacy Zord Transcendence! Zeo Zords activate!" The main five Legacy Zords glowed before changing shape; they had become the Zeo Zords! Pink and Yellow pulled by Blue and Green, with Red flying the air.

"Pyramidas, convert to Warrior Mode!" Ghost Ranger hit a few buttons and the might pyramid zord stood tall, the tip of the pyramid lowering to reveal a red ruby like area on its chest as the Zeo Zords housed themselves into its back, the Rangers joining Ghost Ranger in the pilot area.

"You wont stop me!" Machinedra flung her mace forward at the mighty robot, hitting it multiple times, but it stood and took the hits, the red ruby area starting to glow. "Zeo Legacy Apex Cannon, FIRE!" The six rangers cried together, a red beam shooting out of the chest and striking Machinedra full force; the Legacy Zords turned to normal and reassembled, whirling the Stingray Ax on a chain and throwing it at their enemy, going through its center for the finishing move, Machinedra falling apart into scrap metal before exploding. "Good job, Rangers. Jerome, I am sure Sam Trueheart is proud of you for protecting the Zeo Crystal." Ghost Ranger, giving a nod before Pyramidas vanished, the team landing on the ground and their sixth ranger disappearing into thin air.

"No, no, no! K'Turi clenched his fists in anger, throwing a random Nokbot aside and flipping over a nearby table, only to freeze and slowly turned to face the shrouded Emperor. "Y'-Yes, your Excellency. I'll take care of these Rangers myself. I will not disappoint you."

Later that night, Jerome dreamed once more; Sam and David Trueheart appeared to him, smiling proudly before both slowly turned into Great Eagles, flying into the sky with others joining them.

-To Be Continued-

-In memory of Frank Salsedo and Erik Frank.