The Terran Rangers/X-Men by Heather Ray (latest ebook reader .txt) 📖

amount of energy feedback, sorta like clogging a drain. And even that feedback didn't cause Trevor and Onslaught to separate. Besides, he's much stronger now. I doubt the Fireball would have a substantial effect this time."

"How do we find Solar anyway?" asked Alexis.

"I believe I already have," called Billy from his computer.

"What did you find out, Billy?" asked Annie, looking over his shoulder. Billy looked up at her curiously.

"Do I...know

you somehow?" he whispered so only she could hear him.

"Impossible," said Annie hurriedly, "I'm not from this timeline."

"Perhaps not, but you know my name, you are obviously familiar with the CAC, you're wearing the yellow Zeo shard, and the computer has recognized your DNA matrix."

Annie stared silently at Billy. She then noticed the others approaching them.

"We'll talk about this later," she whispered. "Please don't tell anyone!"

"But, I can't keep something like this from them...Kimberly."

"Please, Billy, for the sake of the future! No one should know too much about the future. I'm sure a physicist like yourself can understand the repercussions!"

"What's going on, Billy?" asked Jason, standing behind Annie.

Annie stayed silent, and Billy returned his attention to his computer.

"Well, I traced Holocaust's teleport when he left the battle," said Billy, staring at the results. His jaw dropped.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense!" said Aisha impatiently.

"Holocaust teleported...to the Moon Palace!"

"As in Zedd's palace?!" asked Alexis disbelievingly.

"Solar probably took over Zedd's palace for a base of operations," said Jason. "He must be planning on staying here for a while."

"What do we do?" asked Kat, turning to Tommy.

Tommy shrugged. "We come up with a plan."

Chapter Seven

Holocaust landed with a thud onto the cold, slimy stone floor of Lord Zedd's lunar palace. He stood up immediately, trying to scrape the grime off his exo-armor. He then turned to the throne, where Solar sat in deep meditation. Holocaust angrily stormed towards Solar, his skull glowing red.

"How dare

you pull me out of battle!" he roared down at Solar, "I could have defeated those five rangers once and for all! Then after we had their Zeo shards, we could have attacked the Power Rangers' home base and destroyed the other two! Solar, are you listening to me?!"

Solar had indeed heard every word Holocaust hollered, but he was too busy dealing with the rage of emotions in his splintered mind. He then blinked, his gold power signature tinted with aqua energy. An evil smirk crossed his lips.

"I don't want to kill the Power Rangers," he said quietly. "Or at least, not all of them. But that isn't the reason I summoned you back. I must figure out how I can separate the Zeo Crystal from the bodies of the Power Rangers. In order to wield the Terra powers, each ranger must internalize the gemstones."

"Why don't we just kill them, and rip the crystals from their cold carcasses?" asked Holocaust without the slightest tinge of emotion.

"I don't know if it will work. The crystals are intangible while they are inside the bodies of the Terran Rangers. There is no way to know if that is the case when they die. Besides, I told you, I don't want to kill them all."

"And why not?" asked Holocaust, his temper starting to boil. "If you want to rule the Multiverse, you need those gems. You must crush all who stand in your way, and the Power Rangers are on the TOP

of the list!"

"We must capture one of them," said Solar finally. "That way, we can see how to separate the gem from the human. Once we learn how to do so, we can use the same technique to get the remaining gems. Or, we can also trade the life of the captured ranger for the rest of the gem."

"Very well," said Holocaust with a slight sigh. "But we have to wait until the rangers leave their headquarters and separate. Which one should I capture?"

"Tommy Oliver," said Solar bitterly. "The Red Terran Power Ranger. He is your target."

Chapter Eight

In the Central Access Complex, the seven Power Rangers argued about their next step.

"Jason, we can't just fly to the Moon Palace!" cried Tommy incredulously.

"And why not, oh fearless leader? Just because you never want to try the direct approach? You're not afraid, are you?"

"Well then, Hot Shot, what do we do when we reach the Moon?" sneered Tommy.

"Guys, calm down," said Kat gently. "You're not accomplishing anything."

Jason and Tommy stepped back from each other, still snarling. Annie sighed as she watched from across the room. Nate threw up his hands in frustration.

"I'm getting stir crazy in here!" he complained to Annie. "We have to do something!"

"Well, Jason's idea has merit," whispered Annie. "When the other Terran Rangers and I attacked the Moon Palace in 2006 we managed to not only save Will and the other astronauts, but also to get rid of Zedd and Rita once and for all."

"But we're not dealing with Zedd and Rita! Solar is a killer! And I don't understand how he's blocking my telepathic scans!"

"He's not," said Billy, approaching them. "The CAC cannot be scanned, either with technology, mutant powers, or magic. Your powers cannot penetrate the protective barrier, and neither can Solar's. The computers are especially designed in sync with the barrier's frequency, so we can scan outside through it. Nothing else can penetrate."

"So maybe Solar doesn't know I'm here yet," said Nate quietly, "I have an idea."

Nate walked over to where the Power Rangers were sitting in awkward silence.

"Okay, Tommy, here's the plan. I have reason to believe that Solar may not know of my involvement. That could be the Trump Card we need. And even if he does somehow know I've arrived, there is no way he'll be expecting Annie. Annie is our only chance of stirring Trevor's consciousness. Billy, Annie, and I are gonna figure out a way for us to go to the Moon Palace without being detected. It won't be easy, but there must be a way."

"So what do we do?" asked Alexis, picking up her helmet.

"The seven of you un-morph and go about your business."

"No way!" yelled Tommy, "Solar's attacking Earth, and the Power Rangers have the responsibility to stop him!."

"He's right, Tommy," said Annie quietly, "Solar hasn't informed you of his existence, and there is no reason for you to suspect that Holocaust works for him. Do what you would normally do after you defeat one of Zedd's monsters -- go to the Youth Center and hang out."

Tommy looked at Annie curiously. How does she know so much about us? And why do I get the feeling that I know her somehow? Her voice sounds so -- familiar

...

"But Nate, can you and Annie defeat Solar without any help?" asked Jason. "If I'm not mistaken, the battle against Onslaught in New York cost the lives of dozens of super heroes."

"That was Onslaught, not Solar," said Nate, "I doubt Solar is as powerful as Onslaught was at his prime. At least, not yet. And since Solar is an amalgam of Trevor Monroe and Onslaught, I think we can coax Trevor's consciousness to the forefront. If Trevor has a good enough reason, he can muster the willpower to purge Onslaught from his mind. But, I probably could use Kim's help. She could be my backup telepath."

"If Kim goes, then I'm going too," said Tommy coldly.

Annie smiled weakly and put her hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Don't worry, Tommy, we'll take good care of her. If you come, you'll only complicate matters."

"They're right," said Zack, crossing his arms in front of him. His X-Ranger costume immediately vanished, leaving him in his Adidas shirt and shorts. "Let's go to the Juice Bar and wait for Solar to strike again. This time, we'll be ready for him."

The four Terran Rangers and the Purple Power Ranger un-morphed and prepared to teleport. Kimberly turned to Nate, still in her golden uniform.

"Should I stay here with you three?" she asked quietly.

"Nah, go with your friends, Kim," said Nate. "We'll contact you when we figure something out."

"Did you figure out what Solar wants from us?"

"Revenge, most likely," said Annie, "but we don't know for sure."

With that, Kimberly un-morphed and joined the others. They all teleported out of the CAC.

"Finally, they're gone!" said Annie, pulling off her face mask. "This outfit is so hot!"

Billy couldn't help but stare at "Annie"

in surprise. She looked exactly like the Kimberly he knew: golden brown hair, charming smile, perky nose, and eyes that just twinkled with life. Wow, Kim certainly didn't change much in twelve years

.

"What are you doing?!" yelled Nate in shock, "I thought I told you not to reveal your identity to them! Billy's still here."

"Billy realized it was me already," said Kimberly, trying to fix her hair. "So there's no reason to suffer under that awful mask! Its worse than the Power Ranger helmet." She turned to Billy. "So, what do we do now?"

"I've already started scanning the Moon Palace, to figure out exactly what kind of power Solar is radiating through the area and how we can cloak you from his senses."

"I had a feeling you'd have an idea what to do," said Nate with a smile. "You're just like an old friend of mine. So, how long will this scan of yours take?"

"Half an hour at most," said Billy. "Then I can use the data to create a device to block Solar's scans, and hook it up to the Thunderbird Terrazord. You are taking both Kims, right?"

"Right," answered Kim, sitting down on the step. "So what do we do in the meantime?"

"Well, you can start by telling me about Trevor Monroe," said Billy sternly.

"He's my husband," said Kim quietly. "In my timeline, Zedd and Rita Repulsa left in December 1996. They didn't return,