Streaks of Purple Saga Volume Three by Heather Ray (books for students to read txt) 📖

remaining Rangers joined them.

"I sent Curtis to make sure there aren't any kids playing around the area," Zack informed them, "and I told him we'd try and reach the authorities about this."

"That we will," Jason muttered, lifting his communicator. He frowned when only silence answered him.

"I tried that," Zack reported, "I thought maybe it was my communicator."

"Billy, what does this mean?" Trini inquired, turning toward the genius.

"If the signal wasn't being received, then you would hear static," Billy highlighted, "The silence indicates that the call had gone through to the Command Center's system, but no one has answered it."

"Zordon and Alpha might be in some kind of trouble," Kim realized, her eyes widening as she remembered the mess the Evil Green Ranger had once made to their headquarters.

"Let's try teleporting," Trini suggested.

The six gathered closely together, and after a brief check to make sure there were no witnesses, they vanished in a six-hued rainbow.
Chapter Nine

"Whoa," Alexis gasped.

The teens had materialized in the very center of the ring of computers that comprised the main systems of the Command Center. However, with the exception of a few small bulbs of light on the panels, the chamber was as dark as pitch.

Jason blinked, staring blankly at the empty Transdimension Cylinder in front of him. "Why would Zordon and Alpha take off without telling us?" he wondered.

The dumfounded Rangers began carefully pacing through the darkness, searching for some clue of the fate of their friends. Zack passed through the back area just outside the ring of computers, and jumped as an electric chill shot through his body.

He grimaced, looking back at the area he passed for any loose wires.

"Zack?" Kim called, "You okay?"

"I... felt something," he answered, his tone thoughtful.

The Rangers began circling him, careful to avoid the area he indicated. Billy dug through a drawer of loose equipment, and upon finding a small handheld device, hurried to join his colleagues.

"Hmm," he uttered, watching the bulb flash in response to the scan, "I'm definitely getting some kind of reading. But I can't really tell what it is without downloading the scan into the computers to analyze the results."

Trini frowned, her dark eyes passing along the powerless chamber. Her frown deepened when she realized she saw something out of order.

"Hey Billy?" she called, walking to a particular console, "What does this do?"

Billy was quick to join her. He stared at the console curiously. "I don't believe I've ever used this system," he mused, fingers hovering over the keys, "It almost appears to be a control device of some kind."

"It's also the only system that seems to be operating," Trini pointed out, "Everything else has been shut down."

"Guys, what do we do about Zordon and Alpha?" Kim wondered, peering at the console in question. "Can this computer analyze that weird electricity?"

"Possibly, but I've never used it," Billy admitted. "I believe I have the proper programs in my lab."

Jason nodded, rubbing his arms to ward off the discomforting chill. "Then let's get out of here."

Chapter Ten

Through his red-hued telescopic vision, Lord Zedd witnessed the green substance completely encase the Granite Fist that adorned Angel Grove park. He chuckled gleefully as the warm energies of the liquid worked their magic, slowly forming harmless granite into a sentient being... a particularly nasty monster design.

His chuckle collapsed into a gleeful cackle, energy sparking along his body as he reveled in the purely evil energy that rippled through his new monster, causing the wiry form of the Scarlet Sentinel to open her pearly eyes.

The earth shuddered as Nimrod came to life.

Chapter Eleven

"Anything yet?" Kimberly demanded, hovering over Billy's shoulder and staring at the streams of data that might as well have been a foreign language.

Billy selected a single paragraph, and typed in a new command. "There seems to be a hidden door of light," he mused, executing a visual. The data streams vanished, forming a green-grid aerial view of the Command Center. A jagged fissure appeared in the spot he had been examining. "I can probably figure out how to open-"

His ruminations were lost as suddenly, the entire garage laboratory began quaking fiercely. The Rangers immediately grabbed for something sturdy to hold on to, until the ominous shaking eased.

"Something's up," Jason muttered, eyes narrowing.

Zack frowned fiercely. "Time to go to work."

Chapter Twelve

Within seconds, six armored heroes arrived at the site of the Granite Fist- the obvious starting point. They were greeted by a smoking patch of charred grass where the symbol of strength once stood.

"What happened to it?" Purple wondered, squatting beside the patch, "Did Lord Zedd blow up the statue?"

"Zedd probably turned the statue into a monster," Yellow informed her, "That's where he gets the majority of his fighting force."

Purple frowned curiously, standing up again. "Then the Erebus monster definitely

wasn't his usual M.O."

"Correct, and it seems that this particular spell isn't either."

"What do you mean, Billy?" Pink asked.

The Blue Ranger gestured to the burned grass. "That mucus-like substance covering the Granite Fist was unusual. Normally, Zedd casts a locomotion spell, imbuing inanimate objects with functionality and often limited magical abilities. This spell seemed to have taken more care than his more common spells."

"Great," Black sighed, folding his arms, "This is just what we need... a Super-Monster running around and no Zordon or Alpha to help us out. How're we gonna figure out its weakness?"

Red frowned deeply, black eyes narrow as he scrutinized the surrounding hills and trees of the park. "The more immediate question is: just where is

our new friend?"

"I was wondering

when you'd get around to that!" came an androgynous voice, raw and scratchy as if the being suffered from laryngitis. The Power Rangers whirled around, and were shocked to see Zedd's newest creation standing not fifty feet from them.

Only this monster didn't look like one of Zedd's monsters. Usually, the creatures were loud and bulky, far too uncoordinated to ever sneak up on the Rangers. They had relied on brute strength alone in their attempts to exterminate the teenaged champions of Earth.

This one was different. It even looked different, for instead of thick muscled limbs, the new creature stood on wiry, limber legs, and its deceptively thin arms were folded contemptuously before its granite chest. And the granite surrounding its upper body, shoulders, and head was vaguely shaped like the sculpture that spawned it, effectively housing vital areas behind a wall of armor.

And most unsettling of all, the limber creature smirked at the Rangers. Intelligence

shone behind those marble eyes, as the creature's fierce stare caught the teens off-guard.

Jason was the first to react, stepping in front of his team and defiantly facing the monster. His muscles tensed, slowly sliding into his favored ready stance.

The rest of the team soon took their positions at either side of their leader.

"Well, you Rangers certainly get down to business," the creature snickered, "No manners whatsoever!"

Astonishingly, it bowed at the waist. "My name is Nimrod, the Scarlet Sentinel. And I have been awakened to herald you to your next life, Rangers!"

The Blue Ranger found himself so stunned he couldn't keep his analytical mind from whirring out of control. "Name"? "Awakened"? This creature is exhibiting a sense of self-awareness bounds ahead of any of the generic monsters Zedd ever sent! All monsters have a descriptive classification, like Oysterizer and Saliguana, but this one actually has a personal name as well as a designation! Could this be more than a mere magical manifestation? Could it be... alive?

"Look alive, Billy!"

Blue shook himself out of his distraction just in time to heed Alexis' warning. He flipped out of the way of an astonishingly fast gleaming metal object.

Just where did that platinum pole come from? And when exactly did Nimrod go on the offensive?

Was he really that

distracted?

Blue pushed himself off a back flip into an aerial somersault, launching him far enough away from the fight to reorganize his thoughts.

But when he landed, new concerns screamed at him.

The impact of his feet hitting the grass sent a tingle up his entire body, forcing him to bend his knees deeply to stick the landing. He breathed in sharply, trying his best not to stumble unceremoniously to the ground.

That... hurt!

He realized in shock.