"Aisha, what's wrong?" Tommy asked.
"Putties...Scorpina..." she said between gasps of breath, "...down the street...Sean's trying to hold them off...Can't for very long..."
"C'mon, guys. Let's go!" Tommy said, already heading for the door. Before they even made it, their communicators beeped a familiar alarm.
"Deet-deet-dee-dee-deet-deet," it chirped from Tommy's wrist.
Checking to make sure that no one else was around, Tommy pressed the receiver buttons. They were greeted with the voice of Zordon.
"Rangers, I have urgent news for you."
"We can't wait right now, Zordon," Tommy said, "A friend of ours is in big trouble."
"Yeah, Putties." Aisha added.
"We have been monitoring the events of the past hour. Those are no ordinary Putties," Zordon told them, "There is a great deal we must tell you about them. Get your friend and teleport back to the Command Center, immediately. This is a direct order. Do not engage them unless forced to. Do you understand, Rangers?"
Tommy had never heard such a forceful tone from Zordon. The other Rangers looked at each other in amazement, apparently thinking the same thing as Tommy was.
"Uh, okay, Zordon. We'll be right there as soon as possible. Tommy out." And he cut the channel.
"Let's go, guys!" Aisha exclaimed as she led the other Power Rangers out the door.
He looked down at the tattered remains of his garments. His black shirt hung raggedly, slightly waving in the warm breeze, still tucked into his gold Levi jeans. A small gash was across his broad chest, brought there by a lucky stroke of Scorpina's sword. It stung a little, but that was all. A thrust of his arm, and a punch brought down an advancing OmegaPutty.
Suddenly, he began to stagger. How long could he keep this up? His limbs seemed a bit sluggish while his mind felt like porridge, slowly making his body lazy. Scorpina seemed to notice these actions and laughed.
"What's wrong, human? Feeling a bit drowsy?"
"What...did...you...do...to...me?" he asked, accentuating each word with a punch or kick to the untiring horde of OmegaPutties.
"The cut across your chest. My sword was forged with evil magic. It's affecting you. The only way to stop it is to give in and accept your fate."
Sean smiled, despite the growing burning sensation in his chest. "To give in would be an admission of weakness. And I am no weakling."
"Then," Scorpina said with a sneer, "You will die, horribly and painfully!"
The OmegaPutties were overwhelming Sean. He had not taken any sort of repast to ease the growing pressure building within his chest. His eyes began to water and dim. His powerful arms fell to his side. Picking them up was like trying to do jumping jacks in mud. His other senses were fading as fast as he was; therefore, he did not see the punches that the OmegaPutties laid upon his body. His whole body felt like one large lump of lead as he fell to the ground. He tried to fight back, but it was too hard. They seemed to be coming from everywhere.
A jumpkick knocked a OmegaPutty down. The Omegas turned and saw Tommy standing there with the other Power Rangers bringing up the rear.
"Back off!" he yelled.
Scorpina saw them. "Attack!" she barked.
"Aisha, you and Rocky get Sean," Tommy ordered, "The rest, keep the Putties attention! Go!"
Aisha and Rocky nodded simultaneously. The other Rangers engaged the Omegas, trying to stay away from them and their dangerous clubs.
Sean lay on the sidewalk, head bobbing back and forth. He heard voices. Was that Tommy he heard? Why hadn't Aisha went and got the police? Why her friends? His head began to pound harder as he tried to put the pieces together.
"Sean." a voice from his impending darkness came forth. "Sean, can you hear me?"
He gained up enough strength to nod slightly. Was that Aisha talking to him?
"Sean, listen. We're going to help you. Don't try to move."
Rocky.
"What's that on his chest, Rocky?" Aisha asked.
"It looks green. It may be some kind of poison."
In the distant corner of his mind, he thought he heard Aisha's voice again. He wasn't sure. He couldn't trust his senses after the dose of poison Scorpina gave him.
"Aisha to Zordon. Sean's been hurt. He has a gash on his chest that has a greenish color to it. Rocky thinks it may be some kind of poison."
"Understood," came the reply. "Although it would not be unwise to bring any outsiders into the Command Center, he needs our help. Teleport immediately."
Rocky jumped up. "Hey, guys, we've got him!"
Tommy did a backwards flip away from the Omegas. Adam, Billy, and Kimberly joined his side when he had moved closer to Sean.
"Let's get in that alley over there! Move it!" Tommy shouted.
Rocky, Adam, and Billy carried Sean's limp body over to an alley. Tommy was busy kicking and chopping trying to keep the Omegas at bay.
"Tommy, look out!"
He glanced back behind him to see a garbage can, pushed by Aisha and Kimberly, coming towards him. With a leap from his powerful legs, Tommy propelled himself upwards and over the charging garbage container. The girls let it go just as it crashed into the Omegas, sending them sprawling into each other. Tommy landed softly on his feet.
"Let's teleport," he said.
Covering Sean's body with their own, the Rangers activated their teleport beams. Sean disappeared within a kaleidoscope of colors. Where the Rangers last stood, the Omegas closed in just to find empty space. Scorpina came to their side, a look of disgust and fear on her beautiful face.
"Lord Zedd is not going to like this."
Rita, Rito Revolto, and Goldar winced when Zedd screamed. No matter what had happened in the past, Zedd was never this agitated - this concerned over the destruction of one person.
"Man," Rito, Rita's evil brother, began, "Edd's really got a problem today. I wonder who put the burr in his britches."
"Be silent, you stinker, before Zedd turns you into something worse than what you are!", Rita exclaimed.
"If that's possible," Goldar said, red eyes glowing.
"Hey, I resemble that remark! Uh, no I mean..." Rito retorted.
"Shut up!" Rita bellowed.
"All of you be silent!" Zedd returned. "I need a monster!"
"At once. I'll get Finster to...," Goldar began.
I don't want one of Finster's failures. I shall retrieve the monsters I have dared not awaken: Firebrand and Bombardier."
"What?!" Goldar said, sounding like an echo of his master's words.
"But, Zedd," Rita said, wide-eyed, "You haven't used them in more than eleven thousand years. The last time, they almost destroyed Serpenterra."
Zedd slowly circled around, his crimson skin aglow with his changing temperament.
"I know what I am doing, my beloved, and I will not have you all telling me what I should and should not do! Do you understand me?!"
Rita, Goldar, and Rito cringed again. Sure Zedd could get mad, but never this mad!
Zedd walked over to a wall adjacent to his view of the earth. A small hole stood in the center of a section of the wall, a section that appeared to be raised. Zedd took his staff and inserted it into the hole. Turning it counterclockwise in the hole, the section slid out. Gears grinded and dust churned, clouding the air around him. Zedd nodded his head in approval. The paneling revealed a large command console, blinking with multicolored lights and buttons. A large globe was streaming with bright bands of energy. Zedd went to this globe and placed his hand on it. The bands of color converged on the place where his hand was.
"This is Lord Zedd. Awaken Mistress MonsterMaker."
A whine filled the room, piercing the ears of everyone within its confines. Zedd seemed unaffected by the wailing. He kept his hand in the original position until the noise subsided. A face began to form as the colorful bands of energy coalesced. In a matter of a few seconds, Mistress MonsterMaker appeared.
"Hello, my Lord Zedd," she said in a soft voice.
"Ah, Mistress MonsterMaker, how are you?" Zedd said, to a surprised group of spectators.
"I am well, my lord. It has been nearly eleven centuries since you last used me. Why did you wait for so long?"
"The Seventh Prophecy of Eltare," came the reply from Zedd.
"Fascinating," she returned, "Who would you like to use first?"
"I want two monsters! Command: Open. File names: Firebrand and Bombardier."
Mistress MonsterMaker laughed. "You command. I obey."
A distant hum began to emanate from Lord Zedd's throne. It split open to reveal a crystal globe, crackling with energy. Suddenly, a holographic representation of a monster appeared on in the center of the chamber.
"Firebrand. Height: six feet, six inches. Weight: three hundred sixty-five pounds. Special powers: Ability to produce massive amounts of heat in any form he chooses."
"Man, he is one ugly dude!" Rito replied.
"You should talk, Rito!" Goldar said.
"Bombardier. Height: six feet. Weight: two hundred ninety-five pounds. Special powers: Ability to use explosives with deadly accuracy."
"Not much better," Rito said.
"Both monsters are prepared, my lord," MonsterMaker said.
"Command..." Lord Zedd said, "...Create."
The holographic representation of the monsters, which where vaguely opaque, suddenly turned solid. And there before the astonished eyes of the trio, the monstrous forms of Firebrand and Bombardier came into being.
Lord Zedd pressed a button on the control panel.
"Channel open, my Lord Zedd," MonsterMaker said.
"Scorpina, I am sending down two monsters. Take them and attack the Power Rangers' Command Center," Zedd said in no uncertain terms.
On both sides of the comm-channel, the voices were in unison. "WHAT!?!"
"B-B-But, Zeddy," Rita stammered, "I know you hate the Rangers, but to attack their Command Center is sheer..."
"...genius!" Zedd finished for her. "They would be expecting us to attack Angel Grove. We would take them completely by surprise in attacking their Command Center. Scorpina, do as I say."
I await your monsters to obey your orders, my master," Scorpina said as the channel was closed.
"MonsterMaker, Command: Release," Zedd said.
"Releasing, my Lord Zedd."
Firebrand and Bombardier were instantly transported down to the planet Earth. When Scorpina saw them, she smiled.
"Come. We have much work to do," she said. Before she could move though, Firebrand caught her arm. The searing heat burnt her skin as he held on.
"We are in command now, SSScorpina," Firebrand said in a voice similar to the crackling of dry leaves on a large fire. "You will do as we sssay."
"I will not," Scorpina hissed, "I obey only Lord Zedd and Rita Repulssa. You command no one." And with that she broke his grip with the edge of her Stinger Sword.
"You will prove to be difficult," Bombardier said, "But we will destroy you if we have to."
Scorpina looked at them with disdain. She would not serve anyone but her master. These two were just monsters that could easily be replaced with others. She had been fighting alongside Goldar and her master for centuries, long before these were a gleam in the eye of Finster.
"You will destroy no one," Scorpina said. "I will destroy you to protect my master."
The two monsters looked at each other.
"We ssshall ssse, SSScorpina!"
"We shall see!"
Adam, Rocky, and Billy set Sean upon the bed. Aisha knelt down beside him and held his hand. Tommy stood in front of Zordon, punching his palm with his fist as he frequently did when he was worried about a particular situation.
"Zordon, those were no ordinary Putties," he said.
"Yeah," Kimberly added, "They were more...clean cut...than in the past."
"I concur," Billy said, "and they were stronger this time too. I believe we're looking at a new kind of Putty Patrol."
"You are correct, Billy," Zordon said. "These are the new OmegaPutty Patrol, a stronger, more well-defined group of Putties. Alpha has run a full check on them."
Alpha walked over to the group. "Ay-yi-yi! The scan has showed that their power levels have increased by an exponential factor of three, making them stronger than ever."
"We'll just take them out ninja style!" Rocky exclaimed.
Zordon began to shake his massive head. "I'm afraid that cannot be so."
"What?" The Rangers said in unison.
Adam spoke up. "What do you mean, Zordon?"
"I believe I can explain," Ninjor said from behind in his funny high voice. "Your ninja abilities are great, yes, but from the power readings, they will not stand a chance against these forces."
"What can we do then?" Tommy queried.
Zordon looked at Ninjor. Ninjor looked at Zordon. The Rangers looked at both of them.
"Well..." Kimberly said.
"We have a solution to your problem. We will give you an ancient armor that has protected its wearers for centuries. It will augment your ninja powers and your own abilities," Zordon explained.
"The armor was old and worn out," Ninjor explained, "Using current technology, we have rebuilt it. It will serve you greatly Power Rangers."
Zordon's gazed at his team. "Now I will give you your armor. Aisha will you join us?"
Aisha glanced over her shoulder at the others assembled. Nothing but concern was seen within her eyes. Kimberly walked over and took her by the arm. Aisha released his hand reluctantly as Kimberly began to move her towards the others. Aisha looked at Sean lying on the bed, and suddenly her concern was joined by another emotion: anger.
"Let's do this, Zordon," she replied.
"Hey, calm down, Aisha," Kim said, "It will be all right."
"Maintianing a high level of emotion could be detremental to the functionality of the team," Billy added.
"Aisha, I understand your concern for Sean, but you cannot function with the team unless you put this anger aside," Zordon said.
She let out a long sigh, releasing her anger with it. "I understand, Zordon. I'll be all right."
"Very well," Zordon said.
Ninjor stepped up to the control panel. Turning to them, he stretched his arms above his head. Within his hands materialized a large staff with a large emerald bauble on its top. The staff was finely decorated with ancient symbols that seemed to show a promise of power. Ninjor set it into a knothole on the floor and exited, concentrating on an antidote for Sean.
"Power Rangers," Zordon began, "prepare to receive the NinjaTech Battle Armor. Tommy, step forward."
Tommy, the White Ranger, stood in front of Zordon. Zordon's green mist turned to a hue of white.
"Tommy, you will wield the armor of Starstorm."
A bolt of white energy issued forth from Zordon and enveloped Tommy. Tommy suddenly morphed into a set of samurai armor, crackling with energy. It was chainlinked at the joints to allow freer movement, and it was quite a large size. Its bulkiness gave him an almost fearsome look. He took off his metallicized helmet and stepped back, totally happy with his new power.
"Rocky, you will wield the armor of Firesmite."
"Aisha, you will wield the armor of Windbane."
"Billy, you will wield the armor of Blightwater."
"Kimberly, you will wield the armor of Earthscorch."
"Adam, you will wield the armor of Nightstar."
In turn, each one stepped in front of the staff. The coloration of Zordon's mist changed along with the bolts of energy from it. When the last of them stepped back, the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers were wearing their armor and became the NinjaTech Battle Rangers.
"Cool," Adam said.
"All right," Rocky said.
"Morphenominal!" Kimberly exclaimed.
"This is great, Zordon!" Tommy said, "I can feel the power radiating from it!"
"Excellent! Tommy, the OmegaPutties have reappeared outside of Angel Grove. You may engage them with your new powers and end this menace. Go, and may the Power protect you."
"What about Sean?" Aisha asked, walking over to Sean's bed.
"We will keep working on an antidote," Ninjor said, patting her on the shoulder. "It is a very powerful poison. It may take some time to come up with the proper antidote, but do not worry. He will be all right. This Sean has a very advanced immune system. His body has shut parts of itself down to stop the spread of the evil. The poison will not kill him."
Aisha let a sigh go. She bent down and kissed him on the forehead.
"All right, let's go," she said.
"NinjaTech Teleportation Power!" Tommy yelled, and the NinjaTech Battle Rangers teleported away in a bright swirl of color.
After the Rangers left, Ninjor turned to Zordon. "I do not like deceiving them like this, Zordon."
"Neither do I, Ninjor, but we must ensure the safety and protection of Sean Morissette. His destiny has been written in the ancient books for centuries," Zordon explained.
Ninjor groaned a bit as he picked up a bowl of ocher-colored paste. It was the antidote that he had been working on.
"I hope this works," Ninjor said.
"You must have faith, Ninjor," Zordon said, "His body is not like any other on this planet."
As soon as the paste was applied to the forehead of the man, his eyes opened. At first the sight of the trio scared him. Sean jumped up and took a defensive posture.
"Ay-yi-yi!" Alpha cried.
"Please do not be alarmed, Sean," Zordon said quickly, "We mean you no harm."
Sean eyed the three with the stare of a scientist, silently observing unknown creatures under a microscope. "T-The last thing I remember was fighting those Putties on the street. Where am I?"
"You are within the confines of the Strategic Command Center of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. I am Zordon, mentor to the Rangers and keeper of the delicate balance of the Morphing Grid. This is Ninjor, guardian of the Sacred Temple of Power, and Alpha-5, caretaker of the Command Center."
The man was unsure about his surroundings, but his curiosity was peaked. Suddenly, he glared at Zordon again.
"Where is Aisha? Where are the others?" he asked.
"All will be explained to you, if you just trust us," Ninjor said.
He looked at them again. Okay, he'll go along with them, until he finds out what happened to Aisha and the others.
"All right, Zordon," Sean began, "I trust you. Now, tell me, why am I here?"
Zordon smiled.
"It all began three thousand years ago..."