"Ay-yi-yi! Adam, wake up! We've been trying to call you for the past fifteen minutes!"
"Alpha..." he staggered as he got to his feet. "Alpha, what time is it?"
"Ay-yi-yi! It's six-thirty! You'll be late if you don't hurry!"
Adam began to make his way towards the exit with Alpha following close behind him. His body swayed slightly, as if he were going to fall from the merest breeze.
"Are you all right, Adam?" the android asked, worriedly.
He shook his head, clearing the cobwebs. "Yeah, I'm fine. I gotta go." The Black Ranger dematerialized from the gymnasium. Alpha watched as his friend left and turned to leave himself.
A knock, barely audible, sounded in the room.
His auditory sensors picked it up. The android looked around the gymnasium. He cocked his head to the side in confusion.
I'd better get my sensors checked. Ay-yi-yi. I'm hearing things, he thought.
As he left though, a small grating on the south wall lifted. A red domed head peered up. Assured that he was alone, Negator exited the shaft.
"Hey, Nerd Boy, what's with Adam?" Bulk asked.
"The name's Billy, Bulk," the Blue Ranger answered.
"Whatever," Bulk continued, "What's wrong with Adam?"
"I'm not at liberty to say."
Skull looked at Billy, strangely, then smiled. "Is it a girl?"
"What?" Billy asked.
"Is it a girl?" Skull repeated, "You know - the females of our species?"
"I'm not talking to you two about this. Leave me alone." And he turned back to the board.
Skull and Bulk exchanged a knowing glance.
"It's a girl," they said simultaneously and tried to make heads or tails of what Ms. Appleby was saying.
Adam sat in his desk, a glazed look in his eyes. His head moved ever so slightly, every once in awhile. His mind raced. It was his own voice he'd heard earlier that morning, wasn't it? But it couldn't of been. He didn't want to hurt his friends. Yet, he still felt an unknown desire to see their bodies in broken heaps of blood and visceral devastation.
"Adam?" a voice called out. He didn't hear it. The thought of seeing Tommy's head twisted the wrong way...the wet, popping sounds of tendons and cartilage as he wrenched with all his strength.
There was no denying it. Kyodai must die.
"Adam?" the voice called again.
Kyodai? Adam thought. Who's Kyodai?
Kyodai is the Starstorm Warrior, leader of the True Light Warriors, a strange voice echoed from the inside of his head.
Who? Adam asked.
"Adam!" Ms. Appleby's voice rang out again.
You must destroy him, Oroku. You must destroy him quickly.
No! Adam thought again. I will do no harm to them.
They will destroy you, Oroku. If you do not act first... Why do you keep calling me "Oroku?" My name is Adam. Act quickly, Oroku, before it is too late...the voice began to fade out.
Wait! Adam screamed mentally. Who are you?! Wait!
"WAIT!" Adam screamed out loud. "Tell me who you are!"
"Adam?!" Ms. Appleby yelled at him.
"Who are you?!" the Black Ranger screamed into open air.
"Adam!" Tommy called. "Calm down!" He stepped towards Adam but was caught in the chest by a stiff thrust kick from him.
"Stay away from me, Kyodai!" Adam screamed.
The rest of the class got up from their seats and backed towards the back of the room. Bulk and Skull looked at him wildly when he eyed them with a feral gleam. He started towards them, taking his eyes off of the rest of the Rangers. Tommy took the advantage.
"Get him!" he ordered.
Sean leapt into his seat and launched himself at Adam. The Gold Ranger crashed into Adam and rolled to the ground with him. Rocky and Billy pinned his legs down while Kimberly and Aisha held his arms. Adam thrashed about wildly, as if he were some wild creature being held against his will.
"I-I can't hold him, Tommy!" Sean said.
"He's, like, ten times stronger!" Kimberly said.
"Get off of me!" Adam screamed, still thrashing about. "Masahiro! Get your carcass off me!"
Sean thrust a forearm under Adam's chin, but it still had no effect. Adam stretched and pulled, breaking free of Aisha's grip. He was about to strike her when he stopped and looked at her. He calmed down and smiled at her.
"Midori?"
Seeing him settled down, Sean struck him with two fingers to the side of his head, right near his temple. He immediately closed his eyes, lapsing into unconsciousness.
Tommy finally was able to get to his feet but not before noticing a big purple bruise on his chest. Not to mention, he was finding it difficult to breathe. Kim released Adam and ran over to attend to him.
Ms. Appleby, who witnessed the whole thing, looked like she was about to faint. In a weak voice, she instructed Skull to go get Mr. Caplan and the school nurse.
"What happened to him?" Ms. Appleby asked, shakily. "He just...snapped!"
"I don't know, Ms. Appleby," Rocky said.
"He's been under a lot of stress lately," Billy covered. "I guess it just got to him."
"Sean, take him home, would ya?" Tommy asked.
Sean got off Adam and hefted him onto his shoulder. Slowly making his way out of the classroom, he almost bumped into Mr. Caplan, the school nurse, and Skull. The nurse stopped Sean and began to question him.
Mr. Caplan, a tall man with a graying mustache and bad toupee, rushed into the room in a huff. "What's going on in here?!"
"I think Adam had a severe anxiety attack," Ms. Appleby explained. "He was sitting here, fine one minute. Then the next, he exploded into a wild rage! He attacked Tommy and almost hit Aisha!"
From the hall, the Rangers heard Sean's voice. "Uh...he's not light, ya know."
"Sean's going to take him home and get his parents to take him to the doctor," Aisha joined.
Mr. Caplan started to pace the room. Rocky brought Ms. Appleby a cup of water from the fountain outside. The principal looked at the teens and started to stroke his chin.
"Anxiety? Adam? It just doesn't fit him. He's a level-headed young man. Not too many after school activities. Last I heard, his family life was okay. What could have caused it? What could cause a person like Adam to have an attack like that? Unless he has something else which keeps him occupied..."
With each word, he eyed the Rangers. Slightly uncomfortable, the Rangers shifted their attention elsewhere. Kim leaned over enough to whisper to Tommy, "He's putting something together."
Tommy nodded. "Uh, Mr. Caplan, if it's all right with you, being the last class of the day and all, do you think we could cut class short and go see about Adam?"
"Yeah, just to see if he's all right," Rocky interjected.
"I suppose so, Tommy," Mr. Caplan agreed, reluctantly. "If it's okay with Ms. Appleby."
"Yes, yes," she said, exhaustively. "We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow."
"YES!" Bulk and Skull shouted simultaneously before bolting out the door.
"Rangers..."Alpha's weak voice came out.
"Alpha?" Kim said. "Alpha, what's wrong?"
"Rangers...H-H-Help meeeee...Zorrrrdon..."
"Alpha?!" Tommy exclaimed. "Alpha, what's wrong?!"
"Hhhhelp...meeeeee...pleeeeeease...hurrrrrrryyyy." and the channel cut out.
"Let's get to Command Center, FAST!" Tommy said as he activated his teleport beam. The other Rangers followed suit and dematerialized in a kaleidoscope of colors.
Unknown to him, his passenger had awoken. Sensing a perfect opportunity, Adam kicked Sean against the head. The car swerved out of Sean's control. He nearly hit several other cars before crashing into a telephone pole.
Adam jumped out of the car and raced along the sidewalk. Motorists stopped their cars to assist the Gold Ranger. He had hit his head hard on the dashboard, and might have had a concussion, but he jumped out and followed Adam. In his mental state, there was no telling what Adam could do.
"If I can’t convert this place to negative energy," he said, "I’ll destroy it."
Tommy did a jump kick that knocked Negator back. "I don’t think so," he said.
"Ahhh," Negator said, "the Power Rangers. I was wondering when you kids would show up. I am Negator. As much as I would like to stay and play, I have other more pressing matters to attend to. Another time, Rangers."
Negator teleported out before Tommy could reach him. With the threat gone, the Rangers looked around the damaged Command Center. Zordon’s image was flashing in his green mist filled tube. He looked as though he was trying to say something, but lack of power would not allow him.
"Where’s Alpha?" Rocky asked.
"R-R-Rangerrrrrrs..." a voice creaked from behind one of the control boards.
Billy and Rocky quickly went behind it to pick up the prone form of Alpha-5. His armor was cracked in several place. The lighted bolt on his chest was off, save for a few flickers.
"Rangers, where are you?" the android cried out.
"Hold on, Alpha," Rocky said, "We gotcha."
"My optical sensor net is out. I cannot see."
"Don’t worry, little friend," Billy assured, "We’ll get you back in tip top shape in no time."
The android rested his head in the crook of Billy’s arm.
Stealthily, Adam came at him with a running jump kick. A split second slower and it would’ve connected with Sean's head. Sean deftly stepped to his side and pushed Adam off. Adam kept trying to punch or kick Sean, but all attempts were blocked.
"Adam, are you nuts?!" Sean asked, as he was blocking the moves. "Why are you attacking me?!" Adam gave no answer but continued his attack. "Adam, answer me!"
"If I give you a minute’s advantage, you’ll kill me," Adam said, "I’m just not going to give you the chance. NinjaTech Battle Ranger, Armor up!"
Nothing happened. "NinjaTech Battle Ranger, Armor up!" Again, nothing happened.
"Adam," Sean said, "Listen to me. You absorbed a vast amount of negative energy. It’s messed up your thinking and canceled out your powers. Now, come back to the Command Center, and we can..."
Adam moved quickly, hitting Sean in the stomach. Grabbing Sean by the arm, he flipped him over his head. Sean landed hard on the back of his head, further aggravating the injury. Through the haze of pain, he realized that it may become too serious. The Gold Ranger initiated his teleportation beam. He disappeared in a flash of gold light.
The Black Ranger looked at the empty place, flecks of froth at the corners of his mouth. He turned to the air and screamed. The clouds darkened over Angel Cove, flashing with lightning. The air picked up in speed, whipping his short hair against his forehead.
You must kill them, Oroku, a voice inside his mind echoed.
"I will kill them!" Adam screamed over the din of the thunder. "But I need help! I need something powerful enough to extinguish their life forces! I cannot call forth my armor! Give me my armor!"
I will do that and so much more! A lightning bolt flashed down and struck the form of Adam. He screamed again, allowing the energy to envelop him. His clothes are ripped asunder by the electrical backwash.
Suddenly, his NinjaTech Battle Armor appeared. No longer just black, it had icy blue gauntlets and shin guards. A blue streak extended from his chest to his belt. In his hand, he carried a large staff encrusted with diamonds.
I give to you the armor of BlackIce! Use it well and may its power protect you.
Beneath his mask, Adam smiled - a smile cold as ice. He bowed his head slightly and teleported away towards the Youth Center.
A flurry of golden light marked the appearance of Sean, who slumped to the floor. Aisha gasped and rushed to his side. She pulled his head into her lap. The others quickly got a bed ready for him, and they placed him onto it.
"Sean," Aisha said gently, "What happened? Where’s Adam?"
"He...attacked me," Sean said, "I was taking him to his house, and he all of a sudden attacked me. I crashed into a telephone polllle...and Adam jumped out. I was hurt, but fu-fu-followed him to some place. He attacked me again there, and I was barely able to t-t-teleport here before I cu-cu-collapsed."
"Shh, it’s all right now," Aisha said. She bent down and kissed him as Sean lost consciousness. She turned to Alpha, who was scanning him with a piece of equipment. "What’s wrong with him?"
"He has a pretty bad concussion," Alpha said. He removed a small triangular device from a side storage compartment on the command panels. "This will relieve some of the pressure on his brain that’s causing it."
"Zordon, what going on?!" Aisha asked. "Adam’s attacking his friends! We find a monster here, trashing the place! All this talk about negative energy! Adam’s a Power Ranger! How can he turn evil?!"
Zordon looked at her and sighed. He shook his massive head slightly and began, "Long ago, in Japan, there was a shogun that was unlike any other. His blatant disregard for human life was appalling, and his power was great. He was well versed in the black arts of magic. His name was Kenta.
The people grew tired of Kenta’s reign. They asked their elders to find a way to stop his evil terror. Using a magic as old as time itself, they summoned portions of the life forces of the elements to help them. The life forces coalesced into the battle armor which is the foundation for your NinjaTech Battle Armor. Choosing six of their best warriors, they sent them against Kenta."
"Whoa! Whoa! Wait!" Kimberly interrupted. "Six? There are seven armors."
"I will elucidate in time, Kimberly," Zordon said. "These ‘True Light Warriors’ as they were called, engaged in a battle which lasted for months. After much time and loss of life, the Warriors overcame him by using a combined Powercharge called Omniforce. However, instead of destroying him, it morphed him into a set of armor."
"Nightstar Battle Armor," Rocky said.
"Correct."
"So, Adam is ‘wearing’ Kenta?" Aisha asked.
"Yes, and Kenta has somehow asserted his life-force on Adam."
"Adam called me 'Kyodai,'" Tommy said. "Was Kyodai the leader of the True Light Warriors?"
"Indeed. Kyodai once wore the Starstorm armor. Yoshi wore Blightwater. Midori wore Windbane. Mayama wore Earthcrusher. Masahiro wore Thunderforce. Keiji wore Firesmite. Oroku was chosen as the wearer of Nightstar since he helped the True Light Warriors defeat Kenta."
"Why didn’t you tell any of us this? Especially Adam?" Aisha asked, incredulous.
"Ninjor and myself felt that the threat of Kenta had be obliterated. There was no need to. Obviously, we were wrong."
The alarms in the Command Center went off again.
"Rangers," Zordon said, "I can’t read Adam’s lifesign anymore, but I am reading a strange source of negative energy at the Youth Center. Noting the location, I’d say that it more than likely is Adam."
"You guys go," Aisha said, "I want to stay here with Sean. Besides, I might do something to Adam that I’ll regret later."
"Right," Tommy said as he and the others teleported.
Aisha stood vigilant over Sean.
"Hey, Adam," Tommy said, as they approached him. "We need to talk to you, man. About a lot of stuff."
"I have nothing to say to you," Adam said. "I’m tired of all of you. Find yourself a new Black Ranger, if you survive. I’d bet money that you won’t." He went through a side door, and when he made sure no one was looking, he teleported. The other Rangers came through the door a few seconds later, to find him gone.
"Great," Tommy said. He opened a channel to the Command Center. "Zordon, Adam took off again. Can you get a fix on his location?"
His call was greeted with static.
"Zordon?"
Silence.
"Do you think Negator came back?" Kimberly asked.
The Rangers teleported to the Command Center to find Adam threatening Aisha and Sean. A golden dagger was pressed against the soft flesh of Aisha’s throat and an evil grin across the handsome features of the Black Power Ranger.