Sunrise Salvage
Working together, the Motorvators, Power Rangers, and the Blue Senturion were removing the last of the explosives and Van had come outside to watch.
"Glad you guys were around," he said "It would've taken a lot longer for my amigos here to get rid of all those bombs on their own."
"Just doing my job." answered the Blue Senturion and the Rangers nodded in agreement
"BEWARE!" came a voice, prompting the Rangers to reach for their Autoblasters "Easy, easy!" the voice said as its owner came into view. It was a yellow taxi-cab bodied being with mufflers for arms and she was apparently using another muffler as a cane.
"It's alright," Axle said "That's just Gypsy."
"JUST Gypsy? Really bubala. But I'll forgive you this time."
"Who's that?" asked Adam
"That's Gypsy," answered Rev "She shows up now and then to give us advice."
"Yeah, advice that it takes us a while to figure out." said Nuke
"So, what's wrong Gypsy?" asked Snap
"An enemy of 2 worlds is coming. An enemy, that will require all good to join as one to defeat it, a new weapon... And a teeny bit of evil too." With that, Gypsy turned around and rolled away.
"Man, and I thought Dimitria could be vague." commented Tanya
"Who's Dimitria?" asked Rev
"She basically calls the shots." Matt said "Gives us advice on how to beat the current monsters."
"If you can call it advice." Adam said "Since Dimitria's from the planet Inquiris, she always talks in questions so we have to figure out the answer on our own."
"But it keeps us on our toes." noted Wendy
The Machine Skybase
"Keeps you on your toes?!" Mondo raved "I have HAD IT! KLANK! ORBUS!" the mechanized monarch shouted
"Y-y-y-y-yes yuir majesty?" Klank answered
"Activate Skybase unit 32-57-Omega!"
"D-d-did ye say 32-57-Omega yuir highness?"
"Do you have a faulty audio receptor? ACTIVATE IT! Now! Or I'll have you turned into scrap!"
"You're the king." Orbus responded as his eyes flashed "Unit will be online in a few moments. Activation from primary console enabled."
"What's unit 32-57-Omega, Dad?" Prince Sprocket asked
"It is a weapon that will end our Ranger problem, PERMANENTLY." Mondo answered
"Wait a minute dear," Queen Machina said, remembering what the specified unit was "If my memory circuits are functioning properly, that's the designation for a Conquest Mode weapon."
"Conquest Mode?" questioned Sprocket
"Despite our being evil tyrants, we do have certain rules to follow. Right now we are in what's called Champion Mode, which is mandatory whenever a planet we wish to conquer has protectors like the Power Rangers."
"So what's Conquest Mode and what's it got to do with the weapon dad's turning on?"
"Conquest Mode is supposed to only begin once the planet's champions are defeated, opening the way to invasion. There's a bit of prestige in conquering a planet quickly this way but it's child's play compared to defeating opponents like the Rangers. It is considered... vulgar to remove as few as seven opponents with a weapon powerful enough to destroy whole cities. That's why we haven't simply leveled Angel Grove. If we use a Conquest weapon on a planet's champions, we won't get any prestige points for conquering the planet."
"You mean we held off flattening the planet because of some Status thing? Man. Sure seems complicated to be a grown-up. Makes me glad I'm still a kid."
"Yes son," Mondo said as he pressed some buttons on the main console "But there comes a time when Status becomes secondary to the simple joy of destroying one's enemies from afar."
"You know dear," Machina began "If we wipe out the Rangers this way, we're admitting to Zedd and Divatox that we couldn't beat the Rangers. They'll be forever taunting us, claiming that their next plan would have defeated them."
"I don't care any more! When this bomb hits that junkyard, every organic lifeform for 2 blocks will perish. I'm using a small one so Zedd and Divatox can't complain about annihilating perfectly good slaves along with the Rangers. FIRE!"
Mondo pressed a red button and a self-propelled missile launched from the underside of the skybase on a course for Earth.
Zedd & Rita's Lunar Palace
An incessant beeping filled the halls of the palace. Zedd and Rita as well as their minions stayed on a sleeping schedule in synch with the day-night cycle of Angel Grove so that they could comfortably observe the Rangers. Since it was near midnight in Angel Grove, Zedd, Rita, Goldar, even Squat and Baboo were sound asleep. Everyone was asleep.
"Hmmm, I wonder what that beeping could be?"
Well, everyone except for Rita's idiot brother Rito Revolto. That bonehead was too stupid to need to sleep.
"Hmm, looks like the beeping is coming from that trans-whatsit Ed's been using lately." Rito picked up the hand set "Hello? Who's there?"
"Rito?" Elgar's voice came over the receiver "Hiya! Auntie D wanted me to get Zedd on the radio."
"The radio? Well, I don't think we got one of those, but how about if I put him on this thing?"
"Uh, OK! Go get him. I think Auntie D wants to talk to him quick."
"OK, I'll be right back." Rito put the handset down and headed for Rita and Zedd's bedroom "Yo! Ed! Call for you!"
Zedd's sleep was about to be disturbed by his least favorite sound in the universe: His idiot brother-in-law calling him Ed.
"Zzzzzz."
"YO ED!"
"Huh? What?" Zedd jolted awake, his not so lovely wife awakening as well
"I was in the middle of the most wonderful nightmare. What's wrong?" Rita complained
"YO ED! Call for you!"
"Nevermind."
"What is it Rito!?" challenged Zedd
"Divatox wants to talk to you."
"At this time of night? It had better be good news. Like the Rangers coming down with the Black Plague." Zedd trudged down the hall to the transceiver unit. Meanwhile, Elgar was arranging the other half of the conference call.
The Machine Skybase
"Yuir highness, I'm picking up a signal from Earth. Point of origin appears to be Angel Grove lake." Orbus reported
"Obviously from Divatox. But she can't have found out about the missile already. It hasn't even reached Earth's atmosphere yet."
"If I may say something yuir highness," began Klank "Perhaps it is about the Vanpires. Ye know her spying capabilites are almost as good as ours."
"Perhaps. Put her on."
"Zedd, Mondo, you two both there?" came Divatox's voice
"Yes, I am here." Mondo answered
"I'm here as well, and this better be good." Zedd's voice sounded gruff
"Well, I don't know. Depends on which one of you has been freelancing." Divatox said
"Freelancing?"
"I was spying on the Rangers at the race track and a monster torched the track. I didn't send it so it must have been one of you two. Zedd, did you bring a car to life or Mondo, did you cook up some new robot on your own?"
"None of the above." Mondo answered "But I do have the answers you want. Both of you come over to the Skybase early in the morning and I'll have something very interesting to show you."
Mondo cut the link, leaving the other 2 villains wondering what their erstwhile partner in crime was up to. Meanwhile, the weapon Mondo had launched at Angel Grove entered the atmosphere and began the long fall to Earth. Its entry had not gone entirely undetected.
The Power Chamber
"Alpha, have you been able to determine what the object is yet?" Dimitria asked
"Not yet but.. Yo, yo, yo! That thing's a Photon-Neutrino Bomb! Machine Empire from the look of it." answered Alpha 6
"Where will it land?"
"Looks like.. Yikes! It's heading for the junkyard the Rangers are at! We gotta warn them!"
"How can we warn the Rangers with the jamming field still in place?"
"We can't. Aw man. We gotta do something! That thing'll give off a pulse of radiation that'll melt their bodies like soup! Won't matter if they're wearing the suits or not!"
"What if the communications system were coupled with the aboveground laser emitters?"
"Well, then we could... Yo, yo, yo! Dimitria, you're a genius! We can send a tightbeam signal to the Rangers. It'll only be line-of-sight but with Tommy, Kat, and Justin in the air, we should be able to reach them easy." Alpha suddenly realized that there was little time "I better get to work. We don't got much time before that bomb hits."
Airborne over Angel Grove, approaching Sunrise Salvage
Lightning Cruiser, Storm Blaster, and Wind Rider were suddenly bathed in a beam of light as the comm systems crackled to life.
"Rangers..[snickt] Come in! [snickt] Emergency!" came Alpha's voice "Get everyone.. [snickt] out of the junkyard! [snickt] Photon-Neutrino Bomb! [snickt] Deadly!"
The radios went dead as the light cut off.
"What was that about?" Kat wondered
"Alpha mentioned a Photon Neutrino Bomb." Began Justin "My gosh! Those things put out radiation that fries living things but doesn't effect stuff like metal and plastic. Perfect weapon for the Machine Empire."
"Alpha mentioned the junkyard!" Tommy said "We've got to get everyone out of there! Maximum speed!" Tommy hit Lightning Cruiser's boosters, pulling ahead of Wind Rider, which was already at maximum speed, and left it in the proverbial dust. It was a race against time as a deadly shooting star streaked earthward.
The Power Chamber
"Yo, yo, yo! The emitters are burned out, but I think they got the message." Alpha reported
"But did we warn them in time?" inquired Dimitria
Sunrise Salvage
The Rangers and Motorvators had finished disposing of the last of the explosives and the Blue Senturion had already departed when Tanya sighted the streak of light hurtling earthward.
"Check it out! A shooting star." she said
"There's something vaguely familiar about that shooting star." Axle said
"I know what it is!" Snap said "The meteor looked the same way when it was coming in."
"What meteor?" Matt asked
"The big blue meteor that created the Vanpires and changed us into the Motorvators." Axle responded
"Waitasec." Rev interrupted "If the meteor looked the same when it was coming in, doesn't that mean that thing's heading for us too?"
"Worse than that," Nuke exclaimed, staring at the shooting star "I just did a Zoom-in and that's no meteor. It's a missile!"
Just then, Lightning Cruiser and Storm Blaster came in for a fast landing with Wind Rider right behind. Tommy stood up in his seat to address the others.
"We've got to get everyone out of here!" he announced "It looks like Mondo's launched something called a Photon-Neutrino bomb at us!"
"Photon-Neutrino?!" Wendy blurted out "Those things melt organic matter like ice cream left out in the sun!"
"ROAD THUNDER!" Adam shouted to call his vehicle
"NINJA STAR!" Tanya called her own
The two vehicles appeared in moments and their respective drivers jumped behind the respective wheels. Matt and Wendy jumped into Storm Blaster. Tommy noticed that Van was closest to him and Lightning Cruiser so he called to him.
"Get in sir, we've got to get out of here!" Tommy said
"What about all my stuff? It'll all get blown up when that missile hits!" Van groaned
"Unless you've got a pet, you don't have to worry, sir." responded Justin "The bomb will only damage living matter so your property'll be fine."
"Well, OK then!" Van jumped into Lightning Cruiser's passenger seat. "Let's roll on outta here before we all start glowing!"
Suddenly a loud barking noise was heard.
"Ohmigosh! Greasespot!" Rev exclaimed
"Your dog!" Wendy realized "I'll get him and teleport outta here. You guys get going." Before anyone could warn her to wait, Wendy jumped out of Storm Blaster and ran in the direction of the bark.
"No! Wait!" Kat yelled too late as Wendy was already out of earshot. "Teleporting's being jammed." Kat sighed
"Aw, man!" Nuke sighed "She's risking her life for nothing! Greasespot isn't even alive!"
"Yes he is!" countered Snap "He's as alive as we are."
"We don't know if that bomb will affect us or not." Axle said "We're metal but we're alive. It might affect us, it might not. Same deal for Greasespot."
"I better get her before-" Matt did not have time to finish his sentence before the ground exploded all around the Rangers and Motorvators.
The sources of the explosions were readily apparent as the Quadrafighters came around for another strafing run. Again their cannons fired, this time the explosions from the beams flipped Wind Rider over and knocked Ninja Star on its side. With a shout, Tommy jumped out of Lightning Cruiser and ran to Wind Rider as Adam leaped from Road Thunder and ran to Ninja Star.
"Are you OK?" Tommy asked Kat as Adam asked the same of Tanya
"Just a little shaken up." Kat answered
"I'm fine." answered Tanya as Tommy and Adam helped Kat and Tanya respectively out of their overturned vehicles. "Now what?" Tanya wondered as she gazed at her fallen vehicle.
"Whatever we do, we better do it quick!" Justin declared as he studied his Turbo Navigator "That bomb'll hit soon."
"You guys get yourselves and Van outta here." ordered Axle "I'll find Greasespot and the Grey Ranger and get them out of here."
"You'll never make it with those fighters blasting you!" Nuke said "I'll stay to keep them off your back."
"One Motorvator against 3 jet-fighters!?" Snap blurted out "I'm staying to help!"
"Me too!" declared Rev
"No guys," said Axle "I'm taking this risk alone." Sensing an argument in the making, Van stepped in.
"Amigos!" Van said "There's no time to argue! That missile's getting closer by the second! Axle, you'll need the others to keep those fighters off your back and to cover you on the way out. Now go green, Motorvators!"
At Van's order, Axle blazed in the direction Wendy had gone while Nuke, Rev, and Snap leaped into the air to engage the Quadrafighters. The Rangers knew there was little else they could do here. Tanya got into Road Thunder's passenger seat as Kat took Wendy's place in Storm Blaster.
"Let's move out." Tommy said "We have to get out of here before that missile hits and turns us into guacamole."
"But, we can't just leave her!" Matt complained
"Don't worry, my son!" Van said "Axle said he'd get the Grey Ranger outta there and when a Motorvator says they'll do something, whether it's possible or not, they do it! Believe me, I've seen them do it."
"We've got no choice." Tommy responded "If we don't get out of here, the bomb's radiation will kill us all and Earth will be defenseless against Mondo, Zedd, Rita, and Divatox. If we get going now, worst case, we lose one Ranger."
"Two." Matt muttered just loud enough for Kat and Justin to hear.
"Move out!"
The three functional vehicles burned rubber and blazed down the road to the front gate of the junkyard. Van was throughly enjoying the high speed ride in the ultimate sports car. The only blotch was the reason he was in it and the fact that if his life wasn't in danger, the ride probably would have never happened. Meanwhile, the Motorvators had their hands full with the Quadrafighters and searching for Wendy and Greasespot.
Nuke, Rev, and Snap each took a fighter while Axle searched for Greasespot and the Grey Ranger. Nuke, Rev, and Snap, lacking air-to-air weapons, were taking the "gremlin approach" meaning they were for the most part hanging onto the fighters and ripping pieces off. They weren't exactly getting a smooth ride but they were keeping the Cog pilots busy enough that they couldn't harass the fleeing Rangers or their teammate.
As Axle searched, Wendy had found the source of the barking, and was shocked at what it was. It looked like what you would get if you took a kid's tricycle and attached a bike horn and toy binoculars to the handlebars.
"Now that's the weirdest dog I've ever seen!" was all she could think to say
"True," said Axle as he rolled up "But if he were normal, he wouldn't be Greasespot." He reached out a hand. "C'mon, the Pink Ranger said something about teleportation being knocked out."
"What?!" Wendy tried her teleporter but all that occurred were a few brief flickers of grey light. "Oh man, you're right! We've got to get back to the others fast!"
"I already sent them on their way. Me and the other Motorvators might not be affected by the bomb but we're not anxious to find out." Axle activated his flight gear, picked up Wendy and Greasespot, and activated his comlink. "I found her guys! Time to roll out before the bomb hits!"
{Just in time Ax!} came Rev's voice {The bomb's coming in now! I figure we've got less than a minute before it explodes!}
"I read you, we're outta here!"
Axle took to the air and saw that the bomb was in the same direction that he'd come from, which meant it'd take a little longer to reunite the Grey Ranger with her teammates. As they quickly flew clear of the blast zone, The Grey Ranger's Power Coin in her morpher began flashing and a beeping was heard. Wendy was rightfully worried by this, for it meant that she was getting too far away from her brother Matt for their Ranger powers to stay functional. Then she had no time for thought as the missile carrying the Photon-Neutrino bomb struck Sunrise Salvage and exploded.
Axle and the other Motorvators were flung out of control from the turbulence and crashed to the ground hard. Fortunately, they were out of range of the radiation pulse. Unfortunately, as the Motorvators recovered quickly, Wendy was still groggy when the light from her power coin became constant and the beeping became a tone not unlike that emitted by a heart-monitor when it registered flatline. Wendy's Power Ranger uniform dissolved in a flash of grey light as the Motorvators looked on.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the junkyard, the beeping from Matt's morpher became constant, like a flatline. His uniform suddenly vanished in a flash of purple light.
"What the?!" Kat exclaimed
"I'll explain later. NINJA RANGER POWER NOW!" Matt swung his right arm around, trailing purple energy. Then he thrust both arms forward. His purple Ninja Ranger uniform instantly appeared around him. "Now, we need to find Wendy."
On the opposite side of the graveyard, the Motorvators were shocked at the true identity of their new friend.
"Wendy!?" Nuke was the first to find his voice. "You're the Grey Ranger?!"
"Well," Wendy began "I guess there's no point denying it since you saw me demorph."
"Why did you 'demorph' anyway?" Asked Axle
"I got too far away from M-er, the Purple Ranger. Right now, he's probably demorphed too. Our powers are linked."
"Aw man!" Rev exclaimed "Look at that!"
Sunrise Salvage and the area around it was enveloped in a cloud of sickly green energy that hung in the air. Greasespot whined at the sight of his home.
"Don't worry," Wendy said "That's just residual radiation from the bomb. It should dissipate in a few minutes. We should still stay away until it's all gone though. Nasty stuff."
{Red Ranger to Grey Ranger} Wendy's communicator crackled to life {Red Ranger to Grey Ranger. Come in}
"Grey Ranger here." Wendy said, activating her communicator "I'm OK. Had a rough landing but I'm still in one piece."
{Rangers,} A soft female voice came over the communicator {Are you alright?}
{All present and accounted for Dimitria} Tommy reported
On the other side of the blast zone(if it could be called that as the physical destruction was minimal) the remaining Rangers and Van watched as the green cloud over Sunrise Salvage slowly faded. Matt had already changed to Ninja Ranger mode and so his secret identity was still safe.
{Red Ranger," came Wendy's voice {What's your position?}
"We're about a mile and a half north of the junkyard. Teleportation should be back online since the communicators are working."
{OK, I'll be there in a sec.}
On the opposite side of Sunrise Salvage, Wendy turned to the Motorvators.
"I hope that I can trust you guys-" she began but Axle cut her off
"You agreed to keep our secret. Keeping yours is the least we can do."
"Thanks. Meet you on the other side of the junkyard." Wendy moved about five steps and made the call "NINJA RANGER POWER NOW!"
Wendy changed to the Grey Ninja Ranger and teleported to meet up with the other Rangers. The Motorvators then peeled out to go around the radiation zone with Greasespot close behind.
The Machine Skybase
"What do you mean the Rangers weren't destroyed!?" Mondo demanded of Klank
"Well yuir highness," Klank began, his joints clattering "It appears that they were able to detect the missile on its way down and get clear of the blast zone prior to detonation."
"Blast it all! Klank, if either Zedd or Divatox find out about that missile and ask, we had a malfunction in the weapons control computer that resulted in an accidental launch. Understand?"
"Yes yuir highness. Completely."
"Tracula," Mondo turned to the Vanpire lord standing nearby "You can turn ANY vehicle into a Vanpire, correct?"
"That is correct, your highness." Tracula replied, keeping just the right amount of deference in his voice as a Duke talking to a King. "As long as it runs on gasoline."
"Then, you could take a highly advanced assault vehicle and make it your most powerful minion yet?"
"Yes. I believe I could. Show me the vehicle you have in mind and I shall do so."
"Klank should be finished building it by the time Zedd and Divatox arrive in the morning."
"But yuir highness," Klank was puzzled "I haven't been working on any such project."
"Then get started! I want an assault vehicle more powerful than the Rangers' vehicles ready by morning!"
"Yes yuir highness." Klank headed for the chamber's exit to begin work
"And make sure it runs on gas!" Tracula shouted after him
Outside Sunrise Salvage
The Rangers and Motorvators were together just outside the glowing area that marked the zone affected by the deadly radiation. Van was starting to look concerned.
"Um, just how long will it be before I can go back in there?" he asked "You said it wouldn't hurt my stuff but you didn't say how long until that radiation died down."
"Don't worry, sir." said the Purple Ranger "Photonic Neutrinos such as those produced by that bomb have a half-life of only about ten minutes. It'll be safe to go in shortly after the glow dies down."
The glow faded after a few minutes and, soon afterward, the Blue Ranger pronounced it safe to go back in. The Motorvators and Rangers returned to the interior of Sunrise Salvage and proceeded to retrieve the overturned Wind Rider and Ninja Star. With the Rangers' and Motorvators' enhanced abilities, it was the work of mere minutes to right the two cars.
"Thanks for the help," Kat said
"No, thank you." countered Axle "If you guys hadn't shown up, we might not have been able to stop that Vanpire in time to keep the Pitstop from being blown up. As it was, we barely stopped him in time thanks to the Blue Senturion."
"Hey, no problem." responded Tommy "It looks like Tracula's hooked up with Mondo so we're both probably going to be seeing more of each other, and them. Are there any repairs you need to make that we can help with?"
"Repairs? Here!?" laughed Snap "This IS a junkyard we're talking about guys."
"I think he means to the Pitstop itself, Snapper." corrected Van "And we could use a little help with the Van-Scan."
"Van-Scan?"wondered Justin "Some sort of sensor device for tracking Vanpires?"
"Well... You could say that. It's a periscope." Underneath his helmet, Justin blinked. Van couldn't see that, of course. "Some junk fell on it after one of the explosions and it probably got damaged on top of that."
The Rangers and Motorvators set to work digging through the rubble while Van waited downstairs in the Pitstop. Once the Van-Scan was uncovered, Van peered through to assess the damage. The image seemed strangely distorted.
"Aha!" Van called triumphantly "Looks like a mirror got knocked out of alignment. I'll be up there in two spins of a distributor cap!"
Van grabbed his toolkit and dashed outside and up the ladder to where the Rangers and Motorvators had uncovered the Van-Scan. It was the work of moments for Van to pry open the casing. He realigned the mirror back into position and then he closed it again, impressing the Rangers with his technical prowess.
"Wow." said Matt "He's good. I wonder how he'd do on some real equipment."
"If, by real equipment you mean electronicals and all that," Van began "Forget it. Never touch the stuff. The old stuff is the best stuff. Take stuff today, if a nuclear bomb goes off relatively nearby and we get caught in the ENP or whatever it's called, the new stuff goes dead while the old stuff doesn't even notice."
"You can forget about trying to bring Van into the 21st century." observed Snap "He doesn't even believe in CD players, man! He plays scratchy old records on an antique turntable."
"It's only 20 years old Snap!"
"Like I said, an antique!"
"Hey hey hey!" Rev interrupted the burgeoning argument "Don't fight in front of the guests, guys!
"Yeah," agreed Nuke "It's not like anybody'll win it anyway."
"Yeah, yeah" Van said "I get it, hero and mentor shouldn't argue in front of other superheroes. I can dig it." Van turned to the Rangers. "Well, looks like all's right with Sunrise Salvage. Thanks for all your help."
"If you ever need any help," Axle added "You know where to find us."
The Rangers and Motorvators said their goodbyes and the Rangers hopped into their vehicles to drive them back to the garage. They paused just long enough to load some Vanpire parts into Road Thunder's cargo bed and then departed. The Motorvators went downstairs and jumped into the hoods of their respective carfins, a flash of energy came from each and suddenly, the four teens who were the Motorvators were sitting in the driver's seats.
"Amazing work tonight guys." Van declared "Let me tell you, I was worried for a minute when that fuse got lit."
"But it all turned out alright and we kicked Tracula's rear bumper!" Nuke exclaimed
"Yeah, he'll probably be licking his wounds for the rest of the night." said Axle "Let's all head home for some sleep."
The others agreed. Axle, Snap, Rev, and Nuke headed for their homes while Van went downstairs to his own living quarters to get some well deserved shuteye. Elsewhere, the Rangers had also decided to turn in for the night. They all returned to their homes to sleep. Tommy dreaded the morning. He would have to call his uncle in the morning to tell him that his racecar had been 'stolen.' In order to protect his secret identity, he would make the call from the racetrack in the morning, having ostensibly arrived at the garage to find the doors wrecked and the car missing. Tommy didn't like having to lie to his uncle but this was necessary. Tommy went to sleep with troubled dreams.
The Machine Skybase, 4:57 AM
Zedd, Rita, Divatox, and their entourages arrived in the throne room on the Machine Skybase, grumbling all the way.
"I don't think I got enough ugly sleep tonight." complained Rita
"Mondo's got a lot of nerve asking us to come here so early in the morning." declared Zedd
"I just want to know what Mondo's up to." Divatox said "It was interesting seeing the racetrack torn up like that though." she grinned "Tommy won't be able to race on that track for a while."
"Ah, I'm glad you all could come." Mondo commented "I would like to introduce to you our new secret weapon against the Power Rangers. Tracula, if you'd please come out."
The Lord of the Vanpires emerged with his own entourage, including the Vanpirized racecar.
"This is what you called us up here for?" Divatox complained "Another set of monsters you cooked up? It could have waited until the sun was up."
"No, it couldn't." Tracula said "I must inform you that I and my minions were not created by any artifice, save that of the universe itself."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zedd demanded
"We were created," Cardaver began "When a meteor crashed into an auto-salvage yard and released a burst of radiation, bringing us to life."
"Unfortunately," said Tracula "It also transformed four annoying humans into the Motorvators, our only opposition."
"And now, they have agreed to ally with me-er, I mean us." Mondo finished "This Vanpire here," Mondo indicated the racecar Vanpire "Used to be Tommy's own racing car. It now serves me-er, us!"
"Waitasec!" Divatox exclaimed "You're saying you turned Tommy's racing car into a monster AND torched the track? You IDIOT! Either one woulda been great but both at the same time cancel each other out!"
"What do you mean Auntie D?" asked Elgar "Aren't they both good?"
"Of course they're both good, but they're not good at the same time!" Divatox shouted "If the track was torched, the race today would be delayed or canceled. If Tommy's car was transformed he'd miss the race. But with the car transformed AND the track trashed, Tommy's got extra time to get the car back to normal without missing the race!"
"Ugh." Rita muttered "You and your silly revenge. So the Rangers messed up your wedding. Believe me, you didn't miss much."
"Hey!" Zedd started
"We're getting away from the point here!" Mondo interrupted "Time for the REAL reason you're all here. Klank!"
A set of doors opened at the far end of the throne room and in rolled a white assault vehicle being driven by Klank with Orbus riding shotgun. One thing differentiating it from other Machine Empire vehicles was the earth-style internal combustion engine which Klank turned off as he and Orbus got out.
"Allow me to present, my newest creation: The Destructor 3000!" Klank said
"Another vehicle?" Zedd was appalled "We already tried that with the Street Rippers and look where that got us!"
"Do not worry Zedd." Mondo cautioned "This vehicle is actually intended to fight the Rangers personally."
"What?" Goldar was confused "How can a vehicle fight the Rangers without involving the Rangers' vehicles?"
"That will become crystal clear momentarily. Tracula, if you will?"
"With pleasure!" Tracula answered as he moved to the side of the Destructor 3000. He lifted the side slightly to get at the gas tank, bared his fangs, and bit down on the tank. Tracula moved away as the vehicle began to change.
"The self-destruct unit is in place, correct?" Mondo whispered to Klank
"Yes yuir highness." Klank whispered back "We will not have to worry about the Destructor 3000 being used against us."
The Destructor 3000 raised up on its rear wheels and grew arms from its front wheels. A head took shape, the ends of the front bumper becoming shoulders. Moments later, the transformation was complete and those assembled viewed a white armored, red eyed, and heavily armed Vanpire.
"Destructor 3000 reporting for destruction duty!" It announced "Who is in command here?"
"I am!" Mondo responded "Your mission, which you have no choice but to accept, is to destroy the Power Rangers and their allies. You will draw them out by causing destruction In the city of Angel Grove and then use your weaponry to annihilate them."
"Yes sir!" the Destructor 3000 saluted "Ready to depart at your discretion, sir." Mondo motioned to Klank and a portal opened before the Destructor 3000. The Vanpire passed through and the portal closed. The monitor came to life and displayed the Destrucror 3000 as it commenced firing of its weapons.
"Klank," Mondo said "Have you solved the Vanpire enlargement problem yet?"
"Enlargement problem?" questioned Zedd
"Vanpires don't take well to Machine Empire enlargement technology." answered Orbus
"Yeah, and it doesn't work on them either." said Prince Sprocket
"We have made a determination yuir highness." Klank said "While our own enlargement method will not work on Vanpires, Rita & Zedd's magic or Divatox's torpedoes will work normally on them."
"Well Zeddie," Rita began "I guess that means if that new monster messes up today, it's up to us to make it grow."
"Yes," answered Zedd "Divatox can't exactly fire her torpedoes while she's watching from here, can she?"
"I don't see what's so amusing." said Divatox
"Now now, there's no need to fight." Queen Machina said, ever the peacemaker "Let's just see how this Vanpire handles the Rangers.
Down in Angel Grove, in seven bedrooms, seven communicators beeped a familiar six note tune. After twenty seconds it was repeated. The Rangers awoke as Alpha's voice was heard from the communitators.
"Rangers! Teleport to the Power Chamber immediately! We've got trouble, big time!"
One by one, the Rangers acknowledged and teleported to the Power Chamber, still in their pajamas.
"I don't suppose this has to do with the analysis of the Vanpire parts we brought back?" Justin said hopefully
"Vanpire yes, parts no." Alpha replied
"Rangers, would you watch the viewing globe?" Dimitria asked as Alpha displayed the Destructor 3000's rampage on the circular screen.
"Whoa!" Tanya exclaimed "Tracula must've raided an army base for that thing!"
"Nope." replied Alpha "Its armor is a beryllium-steel alloy. Nobody on Earth uses it."
"Well," Adam said "We knew Tracula had joined forces with Mondo. This just confirms it."
"Time to do some car crunching!" Tommy announced "SHIFT INTO TURBO!"
"MOUNTAIN BLASTER, TURBO POWER!" yelled Justin as energy crackled between his hands. A Turbo Ranger gun belt appeared on his waist, then his clothes were replaced by his blue Turbo Ranger uniform. His helmet locked into place around his head, the opaque visor closing once the helmet was complete. Finally, his belt buckle lit up and he grew to adult size.
"DUNE STAR TURBO POWER!" yelled Tanya as energy crackled between her hands. A Turbo Ranger gun belt appeared on her waist, then her clothes were replaced by her yellow Turbo Ranger uniform. Her helmet locked into place around her head, the opaque visor closing once the helmet was complete.
"WIND CHASER TURBO POWER!" yelled Kat as energy crackled between her hands. A Turbo Ranger gun belt appeared on her waist, then her clothes were replaced by her pink Turbo Ranger uniform. Her helmet locked into place around her head, the opaque visor closing once the helmet was complete.
"DESERT THUNDER TURBO POWER!" yelled Adam as energy crackled between his hands. A Turbo Ranger gun belt appeared on his waist, then his clothes were replaced by his green Turbo Ranger uniform. His helmet locked into place around his head, the opaque visor closing once the helmet was complete.
"RED LIGHTNING TURBO POWER!" yelled Tommy as energy crackled between his hands. A Turbo Ranger gun belt appeared on his waist, then his clothes were replaced by his red Turbo Ranger uniform. His helmet locked into place around his head, the opaque visor closing once the helmet was complete.
"IT'S MORPHIN TIME!" Wendy shouted. Matt and Wendy joined hands above their heads and in a flash of light they were holding the Techno Morpher.
"TECHNO MORPHER ONLINE!" they shouted in unison
The Techno Morpher split down the middle and each took a half as the two halves reconfigured into two complete morphers and the two power coin halves in each came together to form a complete power coin in each. Matt and Wendy held their morphers out in front of them as the original Rangers had.
"TECHNO RANGER ONE!"
"TECHNO RANGER TWO!"
The morphers left their hands and attached to their belts which became Power Ranger gunbelts complete with bladeblasters. Next, their clothes became Ranger uniforms. Matt's was purple while Wendy's was grey but both were variants of the original Power Ranger uniforms. Finally, their helmets locked into place with the opaque visors closing once the helmets were complete. The design on Matt's helmet resembled the head of a stegosaurus while the one on Wendy's helmet resembled the head of a brachiosaurus.
"TECHNO RANGERS! KI-YAH!"
Seven multicolored streaks of light touched down in front of the Destructor 3000, which paused in mid-rampage as its primary targets arrived.
"It's about time!" it said "You guys were almost late for your own destruction, courtesy of myself, The Destructor 3000!"
"You're pretty sure of yourself." observed Adam
"For good reason. Watch closely, the blast is quicker than the eye!" So saying, the Destructor 3000 pulled out a weapon and fired it machine-gun style in a broad arc at the Rangers.
Sparks exploded across their uniforms as the energy bolts struck, knocking them back. Tanya's autoblaster cleared her holster first and she fired at the monster. A few sparks flew at the impact site, but The Destructor 3000 didn't seem to notice. More energy bolts flew from the autoblasters and bladeblasters of the remaining Rangers, with similar results. The monster just laughed.
"Foolish humans!" it taunted "I am a Vanpire whose body was forged in the machine shops of the Machine Empire to be unstoppable! No weapon can pierce my armor! No armor can withstand my weapons!"
"We'll just see about that." answered Tommy "Let's take him!"
The Rangers charged and attacked with feet and fists. It shrugged off the blows and knocked them back. They drew their Power Weapons and tried again. Wendy snapped her whip and it wrapped around one of The Destructor 3000's arms. Tommy attacked with his Lightning Sword as Tanya used her Star Chargers. As Tommy and Tanya leaped away after their attack, Kat fired her Turbo Windfire, Justin fired his Hand Blasters, and Adam fired his Thunder Cannon. The impact of the energy bolts made sparks fly, but it seemed to merely be an annoyance to the monstrous Vanpire. Matt fired his Hook Launcher at the monster but it caught the hook in it's free hand. It all but ignored the jolt of energy Matt sent down the wire.
"My info says you guys are twins." The Destructor 3000 began "Time for some family togetherness!"
So saying, it maneuvered its whip-entangled arm so that the hand could grab hold of the whip. Then it wrenched the whip in one hand and the hook-attached line in the other, sending both Matt and Wendy flying through the air to slam into each other.
Matt and Wendy saw stars as they slammed into each other, and were too groggy to resist as the Vanpire swung them both a second time, slamming them into Adam and Tanya. All four Rangers slumped to the ground, too weak to get up for a few seconds. The Destructor 3000 pulled out a cannon-like weapon and fired it at the remaining Rangers, triggering explosions all around them.
"Only one chance!" Tommy realized "TURBINE LASER NOW!" In seconds, a black object looking like a jet soared into view. Its wings folded down to form a stand and the nosecone extended forward slightly to form a barrel. "Assault positions!" The Rangers got into position, as soon as Tanya and Adam had recovered, below the descending Turbine Laser and caught it as it came down, bringing it to bear on The Destructor 3000. The turbines began spinning at unbelievable speed. "FIRE!" A bolt of pure antimatter energy burst forth from the barrel and struck The Destructor 3000 dead-on. A fantastic explosion engulfed it and when the smoke cleared The Destructor 3000 was... STILL STANDING! There was a scorch mark on its chest but its armor was intact.
"Remember what I said about no weapon being able to breach my armor?" it said "I wasn't exaggerating, as you have found out!" The Destructor 3000 laughed as it rose into the air, deployed another weapon, and strafed the Rangers, knocking them to the ground in a heap. "Time to finish it forever!"
A pair of impressive looking cannons popped out of its shoulders and began to glow with a build-up of energy. The Rangers were too dazed from the previous attacks to defend themselves. Just as The Destructor 3000 fired, the Rangers were teleported away in a flurry of multicolored sparkles. The Vanpire howled in frustration as his great victory was stolen.
The Machine Skybase
"I say Klank," Finster said "You certainly know how to create a good monster."
"All he did," countered Tracula "Was make the raw materials which *I* brought to life!"
"Well, whoever made it, it's a great monster." commented Divatox "Sent those Ranger brats running like scared rabbits!"
"Speaking of the Rangers," Zedd began "I think we should go ahead and kick them while they're down."
"Sounds like a good idea Zeddie!" Rita responded. She and Zedd strode to the space balcony and crossed their staffs, energy crackling across them.
"MAKE THE MONSTER GROW!" they shouted together and lightning streaked across space and down to Angel Grove where it struck The Destructor 3000 and enlarged it to gigantic size.
The Power Chamber
The Rangers materialized in a heap and helped each other to their feet. Removing their helmets, they strode over to the main console to face Dimitria in her plasma tube.
"Rangers, are you alright?" asked Dimitria
"Yeah," Justin replied "Thanks to Alpha teleporting us out in time. Thanks."
"No problem." responded Alpha
"Man, that is one major monster." declared Matt
Suddenly, the alarms sounded. Alpha pressed several buttons on the console.
"Yo, yo yo!" he declared "Zedd & Rita just made the monster gigantic!"
"Well, Adam said grimly "Maybe we'll have better luck with the Zords."
"We've got to." Tommy answered "BACK TO ACTION!"
Deep beneath the ground, five sets of headlights lit up. Five giant cars all but flew from their slots one at a time. Red, blue, green, yellow, and pink, they blazed down the tunnel single- file. Above ground, a roadway opened up and the five Zords blazed into action. Wind Chaser split into two halves and each half linked to one side of Mountain Blaster. Desert Thunder and Dune Star linked together and then locked on the front of Mountain Blaster. Finally, Red Lightning flew off a rock ramp and landed on the back of Mountain Blaster. In moments, all five Rangers were in the Megazord command bridge.
"INITIATE TURBO MEGAZORD!" All five called out as they inserted their keys in the consoles before them.
"Turbo Up!" Tommy ordered as he turned his key
"TURBO UP!" called out the remaining Rangers as they too turned their keys.
At a silent signal all five simultaneously pressed their feet on the brake pedals. The wheels on the Zords locked and the assemblage tipped forward. Red Lightning split apart to reveal the Megazord's head. The Turbo Megazord now stood on its feet, ready for battle.
Matt held out his hand in front of him, his fingers spread out. "I call on the power of all those combined!" As he called out the colors, his fingers began to glow those very colors. "WHITE! BLUE! BLACK! YELLOW! RED! SHOGUN MEGAZORD POWER NOW!"
Wendy did the same. "PINK CRANE! BLUE WOLF! YELLOW BEAR! BLACK FROG! RED APE! NINJA MEGAZORD POWER NOW!"
The five main Ninjazords and the five Shogunzords appeared and began to combine. The Crane folded into the Ninja Megazord's head while the Frog slowly changed into the waist and legs. The Bear folded in on itself as well, forming the chest. Wolf and Ape flew up with Crane and Bear, and changed into arms before combining with the two other Ninjazords. Metallic gloves covered their heads, and then the four combined zords flew down and attached to the Frog, completing the transformation into the Ninja Megazord.
At the same time, the five Shogunzords blazed forward, changing into light for a second before joining together, instantly changing into the Shogun Megazord. Wendy took her place in the Ninja Megazord and Matt took his place in the Shogun Megazord.
The Destructor 3000 fired it's weapons, eliciting sparks from all three Megazords.
"Careful guys!" cautioned Tommy "Watch out for those blasts!"
"Don't need to tell me twice!" replied Wendy
The Turbo Megazord charged and struck the gigantic Vanpire several times before being knocked back. The Vanpire simply shrugged off the blows, despite the sparks that had flown.
"Double team?" asked Matt
"Double team." responded Wendy
The Shogun Megazord and Ninja Megazord struck as a team, Matt with a flower cloud from the Shogun Megazord's chest that created explosions all around the Vanpire, and Wendy with a supercharged Red Ape punch that The Destructor 3000 simply shrugged off. A simple backhand from the Vanpire knocked the Ninja Megazord back.
"What does it take to stop this guy!?" exclaimed Wendy
"Artillery, Fire!" Justin ordered and a beam of energy fired from what had been Mountain Blaster's lights. The blast struck The Destructor 3000 but it laughed. It's enlargement had restored the damaged armor plates.
"This is getting us nowhere!" said Adam
"You're right!" agreed Wendy "It's time we taught this reject from a scrap heap that no one messes around with us and gets away with it! I NEED NINJA MEGA FALCONZORD POWER NOW!"
From out of nowhere, the Falconzord flew onto the battlefield, its wings firing rockets that knocked the monster back. The Ninja Megazord leaped upwards and linked with the Falconzord.
"PAYBACK TIME!" Wendy snarled just before the Ninja Mega Falconzord barreled down towards The Destructor 3000, its wings and fists glowing with powerful and potent energy. It never even got the chance to deliver the blow.
The Vanpire, upon noticing the coming attack, rocketed upwards and blasted the Zord, knocking it off course. It crashed into the ground, the charge surging through its systems. Wendy cried out as her control console started sparking, forcing her to shield her face.
"And now for the rest of you!" called The Destructor 3000. It fired again, knocking the Turbo and Shogun Megazords from their feet and to the ground.
"Shields are down!" exclaimed Kat
"Weapons are out!" said Adam
"Main power's dead!" Justin reported
"Matt? Wendy?" Tanya called over the communicator "Are you guys alright?"
"Shogun Megazord's trashed, but I'm OK." Matt answered
"Ninja Megazord's out of power but I've got a bit left in Falconzord." reported Wendy "Problem is, it looks like the main power link between the Falconzord and the Ninja Megazord is damaged so I can't use any of it."
The Destructor 3000 deployed a rack of missiles and locked target on the three Megazords. The engines on the missiles began to glow as they warmed up.
"HE'S GONNA FIRE!" exclaimed Tommy
"It'll tear the Zords apart!" said Matt, silently kicking himself for not summoning the Stegosaurus Dinozord while he had the chance. If he'd done that, the Shogun Megazord would probably have still been in the fight. For the same reason, Wendy was mentally berating herself for not calling Titanus.
And as the Rangers watched in horror, helpless to stop the Vanpire, the missiles' engines ignited and they began to launch...
[End of Act 2]