"The SUMMONING"

"The Summoning"
(Part II)

The doors of the office opened, allowing the Defenders' Commander entrance. He struggled to keep his leg from hurting, but the limp was quite evident. A strong arm was immediately at his side, allowing Gene to walk with relative comfort. Bill Cranston smiled at his old schoolmate (now, his co-worker) and Gene returned it.

Skullovitch stepped up to the great obsidian desk that sit near a set of windows that looked out over the city. The night sky, perforated with diamond pinpricks, gave a relative sense of calm to the city, even though the Commander knew otherwise.

Sean Morissette sat there, a look of concern unmistakable in his dark features. However, as Gene's commanding officer, Sean's duty was clear and couldn't be colored by his own feelings.

"Report, Commander," Sean said, not moving from his seat.

Gene saluted and did his best to stand at attention. "Sir, the Threat has been neutralized."

"Excellent, Commander. Good work."

"Sir?" Gene started and then paused. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted."

Gene audibly sighed and his shoulders seemed to slump, as if the man lost all strength. "We're getting slaughtered out there, sir. I lost two men tonight and we barely brought the bastard down. These..." He indicated the pistol on his hip. "...Aren't as effective as they used to be." Tossing the gun onto Sean's desk, his voice grew tighter. "We might as well have been shooting candy corn at them! We need something better!"

Sean watched the gun until is stopped spinning. "Commander, you do realize that this is the Mark III ZetaMax Photonic Pistol, the most powerful sidearm on Earth? You do realize that anything stronger would be a violation of certain agreements this corporation had to make to even get them built and used by Defender personnel?" Sean stood up to face the man, eye-to-eye. "You do realize that I understand your frustration at not being able to make a difference, more than you can possibly imagine?"

"Sir," Gene said, "Sean. I...I'm just tired of burying friends, good men and women. I'm tired of patching myself up every night and going to sleep, knowing full well that others under me are not. Tomorrow when I wake up, I know that others aren't."

Sean nodded and walked around his desk, placing a hand on Gene's shoulder. "I know, Gene. I know." He paused and looked at him for a moment. For a moment, Sean considered and glanced over at Bill. The unspoken question was understood by the former Blue Ranger, who shook his head imperceptibly. Bill looked over at Angela who shook her head, too.

"Go home, Commander," Sean sighed.

"I have paperwork, sir."

"The paperwork can wait until tomorrow morning, Commander. Go home. Get some rest. That's an order. Dismissed."

Gene gave a nod of his head, saluted his commanding officer before turning and heading to the door. After it closed, Sean spoke into the air. "Privacy mode."

Privacy mode engaged, a voice replied from the ether.

"As much as I would like to, Sean," Bill said, even before the room sealed off from the rest of the world, "I don't think we can. Not just yet."

Angela looked at Sean. "He's very loyal - hardworking and dedicated. It's hard to imagine him as the slacker that you two described."

"Maturity can do that," Sean said and looked at Bill. "He's so lonely. And like Angela said, he's very loyal. I came very, very close to offering it to him."

"I know. But the powers will only work for those who already have the Power Potential."

The Power Potential, as Bill had discovered, was the genetic tag which allowed certain individuals from across the universe to accept the Power. It wasn't present in many, but, of the people that carried the moniker of "Power Ranger", the Power Potential was very much present. Of all the humans on Earth, only three percent possessed the Power Potential.

"We'll have to find a way around that one day."

"One day," Angela added.

Sean went and sat back down at his desk, reaching for his membrane keypad and typing instructions. "He was right, you know? They are getting stronger. What level, Angela?"

Angela accessed the correct menu on her laptop, cross-referencing it with the readings from the satellites in orbit. "From the readings: orange."

Bill whistled. "Getting kind of close."

“Too close,” Sean said and pressed a few more buttons on his panel. The thin LCD monitor slid out of the desk’s top and turned on, displaying a multicolored pie-chart, littered around its edges with various data-filled menus. “Are the rockets prepared?”

Bill and Angela nodded.

A small hexagonal box was lifted from one of Sean’s drawers. He set it upon the desk and set his thumb into one of the three small alcoves. It started to glow and the voice from earlier stated, Recognized: Morissette, Sean François, CEO of Thunderstryke Enterprises. Sean nodded to the other two who placed their thumbs in the remaining alcoves.

Recognized: Cranston, William Jefferson, Co-Director of Ranger Technology. Recognized: Fairweather, Angela, Co-Director of Ranger Technology.

“Initiate pre-launch sequence.”

Pre-launch sequence has been initiated. Orbs One through Three are at fifty percent activity and rising. Orb Four’s boosters are priming.

The screen started shifting in colors, datapoints being met as each system aboard the Orbs came online. Sean looked up, watching his two compatriots watching on a simplified LED display on their PIPs.

Orb Four boosters: primed. Rockets are clear.

“Launch,” Sean ordered.

Confirmed.

High atop Mount Arlington, the steel scaffolding of the rocket’s launcher unlatched. It had been built over two months ago, under the cover of night and by the advanced team of constructors from Thunderstryke Enterprises. Hidden by a holographic sheath, no one in Arlington Falls knew that a three stage booster rocket system lay atop the mountain.

The scaffolding clanged loudly against the rocky ground. Exhaust floated into the air before ceasing suddenly. A massive intake of air into the boosters was the prequel to the ignition. Jets of flame scorched the earth as the booster lifted the rocket into the air. The holographic sheath fell away, revealing the rocket as it pierced the lower level of clouds. Higher and higher it rose before the primary boosters detached. The secondary one ignited, pushing it further into space.

Secondary booster has ignited. Rocket has cleared the theoretical boundary of our atmosphere.

“Initiate third stage. Activate astronavigation unit. Pre-flight coordinates have been programmed. Initiate.”

Confirmed.

The secondary booster fell away from the primary module. Within the silvery bullet-shaped container, the special orb lay held in place. The hyperspace engine, embedded in the module, kicked in, opening an aperture and sucking the module into the multicolored tear.

Sean pressed another button. “Launch Orbs One through Three. Activate terrestrial navigation unit. Pre-flight coordinates have been programmed. Initiate.”

Confirmed.

Once again, atop Mount Arlington, a holographic sheath fell away, revealing a launcher of Angela’s design. It turned its three-tube turret towards the south. A moment’s pause before a light above each of the tubes blinked green. The tubes each fired a silver orb. The orbs spun in the air, activated their navigation protocols, and zipped away.

Orbs are in perfect functioning order. Tracking targets. Orb Four module is en route.

Sean sat back in his chair. Angela smiled at him. “I will go prepare at once.” She pressed a small silver stud on her collar and disappeared in a superfine mist of energized quantum particles. Bill sat down across from Sean.

“One thing, Sean.”

“Yes?”

“’eXtreme’? Sounds a little cliché, doesn’t it?”

Sean chuckled softly and turned off his computer monitor.

Part I / Part II / Part III

-= BACK TO ACTION =-