Forever Red v.2
Based on the original “Power Rangers: Wildforce” episode written by Amit
Bhaumik
Chapter
3 - Remember, Remember
Trey
walked into the stone fort on the outskirts of Carmorphen, a relic of the
medieval era of this now peaceful planet. It’s ancient exterior hid an
intricate and high-tech base within, from which the Gold Ranger held his
ground, received intelligence reports and stored his Zord.
He
walked along the quiet, empty corridors of the castle, until he came to one of
many wooden doors; he knocked and entered. A woman, who had been sat by the far
window, staring out to the lands beyond, immediately shot to her feet and threw
Trey a desperate look; “Have you found them?” she asked, “Is it all over?”
Trey
shook his head sombrely and took a seat by the hearth, “I’m afraid not.”
The
woman sank back down into her seat, her long, brunette tresses falling
waywardly across her shoulders; “They can’t have just disappeared! They can’t!”
she sobbed.
The
Gold Ranger shook his head, listening as the aged tapestries on the walls
wafted in a draft, brushing quietly against the olden stones; “I fear that
things are dire,” he said reluctantly, “My allies and I are doing all we can…
but we’re not sure that it’s going to be enough.”
“But
you must save them!”
“I’ll
try, Rita. I’ll try.”
* * * *
~I am Lord Zedd, Emperor of all I
see~
“Emperor?”
~You have failed to complete the
mission assigned to you - I will now resume command!~
“Who
failed…? What mission…? Resume what command…?”
~You are defeated by children!~
“Children…?
Defeated by children?”
~I here by strip you of the powers
you have squandered~
“What
powers? Whose powers? How were they wasted?”
~Now that that is taken care of, it
is time to finish off those Power Rangers -~
“Power
Rangers!”
Edmund’s
eyes shot open and he glared at the wall opposite him; he was still strapped
into the chair, still stuck in the cell, but he’d somehow managed to drift off
into sleep… and an uneasy sleep at that; “Power Rangers…” he hissed to himself;
something had clicked, something from the past… Perhaps there really was some
substance to what Prince Gasket had said…
He
heaved a great sigh and closed his eyes - if he had been someone else, then why
had his memories been stripped from him? Who was playing this cruel game with
his mind?
~So, poor old Zordon is still
around, ‘ey? Little does he realise that his pitiful teenage do-gooders are no
match for me~
Another
blast from the past, another step closer to his past; “Zordon?” he muttered. He
looked up, realising that he was no longer alone - Prince Gasket stood there
with his spouse, the feminine Archerina.
“He
does remember Gasket, darling,” she smiled to her husband.
“I
know that he does,” the prince concurred, “But he just doesn’t remember
enough…”
Edmund
looked between the two warily, remaining quiet.
Gasket
conjured up his sword in his hand, forcing Zedd to raise his head as he held
the point beneath his chin; “Tell me about Zordon.”
~So, poor old Zordon is still
around, ‘ey?~
He
shook his head, “I can only recall the name…”
~Little does he realise that his
pitiful teenage do-gooders are no match for me~
“I
think he was my enemy…”
Gasket
snuffed, lowering his blade, “Point one to Zedd.”
“That
was a guess… I still can’t remember it…”
“It
matters not,” the Prince resolved, his sword dissolving into nothingness, “Vile
will soon be here… word has reached me that he has already found the mirror.”
“Vile,”
Edmund murmured… Dark thoughts clouded his blank mind, hateful impulses,
envious feelings…
~So, you’ve married Lord Zedd?
You could have at least married someone who had a skull!~
“Not him…”
Archerina
smoothly chortled, “Oh, bless his soul… he even remembers his father-in-law!”
“And
hates him as much as we both hated ours,” Gasket added frivolously.
For
but a brief moment, a red haze fell before Edmund’s vision, “Silence!” he
snarled, fingers tensing.
Gasket
glared at him, watching the brief rage subside from Zedd’s eyes; “My, my… we
are tenacious…” he mused.
Edmund
was taken by a brief panic, chest rising and falling rapidly - what was that
all about? His eyes darted about aimlessly, trying to find some focus, unable
to understand - things were moving too fast.
“We’ll
be back shortly,” Gasket finally said as he and his queen turned to go, “And
perhaps then you will begin to fully understand.”
* * * *
Andros
left the Astro Megaship in orbit of Gratha and took his Galaxy Glider down to
the surface. He looked about all over the landscape warily, eyes scouring the
placid horizon; the lakes were still, the forests quiet and the beaches
untouched. Something just felt wrong…
He
landed by the shore of the Wyrm Sea, in the northern hemisphere, taking a quick
stroll from the beach into the nearest town of Montikyre. Once in the city
centre, he took a trip to the town hall, and there was quickly ushered into a
secret office, hidden in the bowels of the building.
“Andros!”
chirped Zhane, feet propped up on his desk and arms folded behind his head,
“Long time, no see!”
Andros
couldn’t help but smile, “Hey Zhane,” he said, taking a seat opposite his good
friend, “I’m afraid that I don’t come at my own leisure… Something’s going on.”
Zhane
placed his feet back onto the floor and leant across his desk toward the red
Space Ranger; “What do you mean?” he asked.
“I’m
not sure at the moment - no one is,” Andros admitted, “But Trey has already
reported to me the disappearance of Lord Zedd.”
Zhane’s
eyebrows arched, “You mean like kidnapped or something?”
Andros
nodded, “We think so.”
The
silver ranger scoffed in cheerless disbelief, “But who’d want him? He’s
harmless now.”
“Or
so we hope…” the red ranger interposed.
Zhane
sighed, “So how can I help? I’m pretty certain he ain’t here.”
“He’s
not,” Andros affirmed, “I just wanted to know that Divatox was still safe and
secure.”
“What
are we dealing with? A hostage taker in the ‘former-but-now-harmless-villain’
trade?”
“I
don’t know…” Andros again said, “Just tell me that Divatox is still here and we
may be able to rest a little easier.”
Zhane
shrugged, “I’ll check up on her,” he said, turning to a computer screen and
entering the database; Andros waited patiently as Zhane surfed the network.
Data flashed across the screen before the silver ranger, and he soon knitted
his brow, his eyes dark with disbelief; “I don’t believe it,” he murmured,
looking back to Andros, “She’s not here - I can’t pick up on her signature
anywhere!”
Andros
closed his eyes, “What wickedness still lingers in the universe that would want
to resurrect these evils from the past?” he asked himself.
Zhane
looked down, “I’m sorry, man… I should have been more vigilant.”
“It’s
not your fault, Zhane,” Andros reassured him, slowly opening his eyes once
more, “Whoever’s behind this is doing a good job of it…”
“So
what are we gonna do?” the silver ranger asked, leaning back across the desk
again, “Where do we even start?”
“Don’t
you worry about it,” Andros said, returning to his feet, “I’m on the case. We
need to keep a low profile for now… until I’ve got a proper lead, there’s no
use us getting a whole army together to fight an invisible foe.”
Zhane
flopped back in his chair, “I understand,” he acceded. He watched as his friend
made for the door, before he suddenly called after him; “Hey Andros!”
The
red space ranger turned, “Yeah?”
“Take
care, huh?”
Andros
smiled, “Yeah,” he nodded, and then he left.
* * * *
A
poser of a villain, smoke and flashes of lightning filled the bridge of
Gasket’s skybase when Vile teleported in. The Machine Prince wafted the
billowing fog out of his face and watched as the aged warlock emerged from within
the cloud, carrying a conspicuous veiled object in his hands.
“Master
Vile,” he nodded in a gesture that bordered the line of curtness, “I am pleased
to see you here, and in a such good time as well.”
“The
pleasure’s all mine,” Vile hissed in a similar faux-politeness.
The
two stepped toward one another and shook hands.
“And
is this the Mirror of Remembrance that you have brought with you?”
“It
is indeed, Prince Gasket.”
The
mechanical monarch nearly rubbed his hands together in anticipation; “Excellent,”
he mused, extending his hands out to take it.
Vile
held it tight in his grasp, “Remember your end of the bargain, too,
Gasket,” he said sharply, “I do not leave this ship until it is fulfilled.”
Archerina
looked between the two from a short distance, unaware of Gasket’s deal.
“Yes,
yes,” Gasket nodded, “You shall have your prizes once this mirror has been put
to use.”
Vile
tightened his gaze on the prince before he reluctantly nodded his concurrence
and handed the shrouded mirror across.
“And,
one other thing…” Gasket suddenly said, clamping the object tightly between his
iron fingers, “Do you know the current whereabouts of Zedd’s sceptre?”
Vile’s
eyebrows rose, “I have an idea, but know not exactly… but I beg of you not to
even consider returning that sceptre to his hands, whatever weak state he may
now be in; it is a darkly enchanted thing and could work much against you.”
The
prince turned and walked across the bridge, “If you say so, Master Vile… please
make yourself at home.” He then gestured to his wife, “Come, my dear.”
Vile
watched the two go and turned to face Venjix, who had suddenly crept up by his
side; he looked hard at the loyal machine, realising that he had just acquired
a new shadow for the remainder of his stay here.
* * * *
Edmund
looked up as he was again blessed with the presence of the Machine Prince and
his bride; his weary eyes fell on the object the robot held firmly in his
grasp, a large yet rather two-dimensional thing cloaked in the folds of a robe;
“What now?” he queried.
The
Machine Prince sniggered under his breath, “What indeed,” he mused, stepping
round to his right whilst Archerina stepped to the left. They halted one to
either side of their captive, and the prince lowered his head to Edmund‘s ear
and whispered, “Now, you will remember.”
Tensely,
Edmund turned forward, watching as Gasket unveiled his hidden article and
suspended it before his face; “Remember,” he growled menacingly.
His
immediate reaction was to turn away, but he felt the iron grip of Archerina
tighten about his cranium and force him to look forward; he then wanted to
close his eyes, but some force wouldn’t allow him - he was drawn in by the
flickering reflection of himself that he saw in the glass of the Mirror of
Remembrance, a reflection that soon became turbulent and began to change form.
“Yes,”
the Machine Prince sneered, watching as his prisoner’s eyes widened in fear and
distress, the mirror working its magic and living up to its namesake, “Yes,
remember!”
~Remember~
Gasket’s
voice echoed round Edmund’s head as he fell away from reality and was sucked
into a dark and chaotic void; voices, all sorts of voices, rang around him now,
voices he did not yet recognise, but voices that he knew were from times passed…
~Remember
who you are~
“Who
am I?” Edmund found himself asking the abyss in a slow, measured tone,
completely entranced.
~Remember
who you were~
He
saw himself stood before him, staring from under a creased brow, dark hair
slung over his head, and he watched as the eyes of this likeness faded into
nothingness, leaving dark, black cavities in the visage.
He
inhaled sharply, trying to back away from the ghostly image, but could not - he
was trapped.
The
dark holes gradually changed hue until they blazed with a crimson-red glow. The
skin of his ‘reflection’ began to tighten, and thinned until his bones bore
through the skin and his veins bulged blue on the surface.
“What…?”
he gasped, cringing in disgust, yet feeling the void in his mind fill with a
disturbing yet enlightening radiance.
The
reflection grinned, his lips peeling back into raw muscle and sinew, sharp
teeth peering out from his maw; the red glare of his eyes expanded until a
whole screen of scarlet shielded where his eyes should have been. His
fingernails extended into claws, his prominent bones glazed over with silver,
emerging from the confines of his diminishing skin, and his arteries and veins
rose out, curling about his body in giant, transparent tubes.
Edmund’s
eyes narrowed - this monstrosity forming before him was familiar…
In
one final blinding flash, the transformation of his mirror image was complete;
once the glare faded Edmund saw a being before him of raw flesh, encased within
a few silver, bracket-like appendages, blood flowing out-of and back into his
body through the external arteries and his face enclosed within a chromium
mask, complete with red visor and grille mouthpiece. The brain was visible out
of the top of the cranium and a small ‘Z’ was suspended above his head.
And
then it clicked: the Zeo Crystal incident and its consequences, Zordon, Count
Dregon, his Empire, the Power Rangers…
“I
remember,” he muttered sourly.
TBC…
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