The ground was shaking furiously, causing panic inside the youth center. Everyone was screaming while trying to find cover, all the while ignoring the bar manager as he tried to restore order.

"It's just an earthquake, we get them all the time, people!"

That did little to reassure anyone. Everyone continued to panic and scramble to escape while several of the arcade machines shook loose and fell over. Some of the light fixtures broke free and hit the ground, sending fragments of the bulb glass over the floor.

Racing out of the locker room, Jason hurried to help people get out, trying to help keep order. "Ernie!" he cried out to the manager. "Kill the power, we don't need anyone getting electrocuted from those broken lights!"

"On it!" the portly man replied as he ran into the back. He struggled against the shaking and managed to reach the main power box, opening it and flipping all the breakers off. While the lights now went out, the sparks from the damaged electronics ceased.

There was a cracking sound, and Jason turned to see a support column that was breaking free of the wall to fall onto one of the girls in the youth center. He suddenly ran as fast as he could to reach her in time. "Trini!"

The girl turned even as she heard the crack, and as it came down on her, Jason managed to get between her and the column, catching it with a wince. He struggled to hold it up, though despite the amazing act, he was losing his grip from the weight. "Move!" he cried to her. As soon as the girl was clear, he let go and dropped the column to the ground, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

"Thanks," the girl whispered, shocked at the thought of what had almost happened. "I-"

Shaking his head, Jason gestured for them to get moving. "Let's get out of here and find Zach," he said, now leading the way out. Most of the other youth center patrons had already escaped, leaving him and Trini all that remained. "This is no earthquake, something's going on!"

Alarms were screeching even as Alpha was trying to continue the search. "Ai yai yai yai yai!" he exclaimed. The sensor lights on his body were all blinking rapidly to indicate his painc, and the quake was not helping any. "Zordon, I can't work like this! The scanners aren't having any luck in finding the set parameters!"

The wavering face shook his head as he realized his error. "It has been so long that the originally set levels would no long exist on Earth. Reset the calibrations to account for the time span since the last Gaeans have existed on the planet, Alpha."

The little robot complied, though he didn't understand as of yet what good it would do. "Ai yai yai...there just isn't any-" He stopped as the computers managed to detect a match. Against all odds, there was someone out there who still carried the blood of the ancient heroes. "Zordon, we found someone! Three positive matches, we found them!"

"Excellent work," the floating face stated. Despite this small triumph, they still had to focus on their task. "Lock on to them and transport them to the command center at once!"

A nod from the robot as he began entering the commands into the computer network. "It'll take a bit, the system is trying to compensate for the tectonic disruptions." A pause before looking up to the energy tube and the face held within. "Should I ready the coins and morphers?"

"Yes. Our heroes will need to be armed as soon as possible for the trials that they will face."

Heroes Awakening

The quake continued surging throug the city, and the people were racing for safety, much to Rita's great amusment. "They're like insects," she mused as she and Goldar watched the chaos below them. It was a sight that greatly entertained her, and another blast from her staff brought part of one of the tall buildings crumbling down into the streets below. That was enough to cause even more chaos and panic. "The humans bore me though." She sighed. "I almost want Zordon to still be here to challenge us, it would be a good distraction."

Goldar nodded. He welcomed a good fight, and this was prove all too easy. "They offer no resistence as of yet, perhaps because that have none to give." A snort indicated his disgust. "It seems that in ten thousand years, the people of Terra have become lazy and unable to defend themselves. That alone is reason to be done with it. "This planet isn't even worth conquering anymore save to strip its resources."

There was a grunt of agreement from Rita before she suddenly shifted her gaze out toward the mounatins in the distance. "Something..." She narrowed her eyes. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something out there that was bothering her. Was it Zordon? He surely would have acted by now, unless he had something up his sleeve. If he still lived, after ten thousand years, what was he planning?

Perhaps it was just paranoia. It had been this long, surely Zordon was no longer a factor, not after what she had done to him before she had been imprisoned. even if he still lived, there was nothing that he could do. "Nothing more than a memory trapped in a time warp," she mused, almost laughing at the thought. "Not even the damn Utroms can get him out of that, and even if they do, he'll age so quickly that he'll be dead within days."

The alarms had finally ceased, allowing Alpha a small measure of calm as he tried to get the computer systems to gain a lock on the three detected signals. "I'm trying to get a fix, Zordon, but everything is just so eratic from that earthquake!"

The face only nodded in understanding. He knew that Alpha was doing all he could, and that the robot could not be blamed. "That was no earthquake, Alpha. It was Rita's work, no doubt of it." He paused, almost as if reflecting upon something he'd previously forgotten. "She must have discovered the leyline that lies beneath Angel Grove."

The robot gave his own nod, but something was bothering him as he continued to lock the computers onto the signals. "Zordon," he began, pausing in his task. "We have a lock on three signals, but in order for them to enter the cavern and gain the weapons, there needs to be five."

The face affirmed his agreenement and understaning with his own nod, but right now, they didn't have many options. For the time being, they needed to make do with what they could. "We unfortunetely don't have time to continue the search, Alpha."

Again, the robot knew that Zordon was right. It didn't make him feel any better about the situation. "Acquiring lock. Teleporting now!"

The chaos still continued as Jason and Trini searched through the crowds for their friend. "Zach!" he cried out, hoping to find any sign of the dark skinned teenager. "Zach!"

"Jas!" came the reply. Zach fought his way through the screaming crowd and made it to where Jason and Trini stood. "Dude, this is too freaky! I know 'quakes can happen any time, but-"

Jason shook his head. they all knew that this was no normal earthquake. "It's gone on too long to be that," he said, now leading the way to a safe place. He heard a high pitched sound, like an electrical whine, then pulled Zach and Trini to the ground as a bright red beam shot by overhead and detonated against the wall of a building they had been in front of. A crack resounded, and a large section of the wall crumbled off, now falling toward the three teenagers. An instant before it would have hit them, a bright flare of light cascaded about their bodies, and then, that light streaked away, leaving the debris to hit concrete pavement and nothing else.

Within moments, the light streamed into the sky, racing into the mountains and tearing through the air as it split into three streams, one red, one black, and the third yellow. Weaving about the mountains and twisting through the sky, the three streams came up as they reached a specific peak and arced around to enter the secluded construct that lay hidden there. The light flew down through various chambers and passages before at last reaching the massive main chamber that housed Zordon's energy tube and Alpha.

As the lights touched ground, they reformed into the three teenagers, who still had been expecting the debris that had been coming toward them. After an moment, they realized they were somewhere else, now coming to their feet and looking about at their new surroundings. No one said anything as the shock of nearly being crush and now finding themselves in a completely alien environment was taking more than a bit of time to take in.

Slowly and carefully, Alpha walked toward the oblivious humans. They hadn't noticed him yet, nor had they turned to see the giant energy tube that contained Zordon's floating image. It was best to make it easy for them, since they were clearly not accustom to this level of technology. "Greetings, humans!" he proclaimed, causing the three to jump in surprise. He took a step back as they whirled about to face him, mentally berating himself for having handled that less than tactfully. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Alpha-Five, I am an autonomous robotic assistance unit."

The face shifted as he looked down at the three humans. "We managed to teleport you just in time it seems."

The three humans looked up toward the tube, now noticing Zordon's image wavering within the energy chamber. "Robots and floating heads?" Zach exclaimed as he took another step back. He looked at his friends, not sure about any of this. "Okay, are we sure we're not going nuts? One minute we're about to get crushed, and the next-"

"We saved you," Alpha quickly interjected. He fidgeted as he made his way over to one of the computer consoles that was now giving an alert. "Ai yai yai...not good..."

The sagely face gave what could almost be seen as an expression of amusement. "I assure you, young human, you are not losing sanity. My name is Zordon, once a general of the armies that protect the universe form the Dark Empire." He paused, almost reflecting on his current state. It was best to explain his situation and appearance to these three. "Long ago, I was imprisoned in a time warp, which is contained here within this energy tube. That, my young friends, is the reason for my appearance to you now."

Again, he paused, but now he gave a glance to a spherical screen that was mounted on a wall at the end of the chamber. Images of what appeared to be a massive war were projected, showing the three teenagers what had happened long ago. "Ten thousand years ago," he began again. "Your planet came under attack by an obsessed warlord named Zedd. When he left the Sol System for the outer reaches, he left his lieutenant, Rita Repulsa, to carry out the conquest of Terra."

"Zordon managed to trap Rita and her minions within a Nemesis Chamber," Alpha continued as he finally shut off the system alert. "But even as she was being pulled into the chamber, she managed to strike one last blow to him."

The face nodded. He did not like remembering the events of his own imprisonment, and was grateful for Alpha to explained the details. "Trapped within this rift in time, I can no longer fight for the sake of your world myself."

Trini, as she brushed one of her bangs to one side, took a step toward the tube. "So, why did you bring us here?"

It was then that Zordon gave a sigh, He did not like doing this, especially to those so young, but these were the only ones they could trust with what must be done. "You three carry the bloodlines of the ancient elemental heroes that once protected this world," he explained. "For this reason, you are the ones we must trust with the power and mission of protecting Earth from Rita's advances." Again, he paused, and Zordon once more gave a deep sigh. "I regret that this has become needed of you, but we have no other choice."

A panel in the floor opened up before then, allowing a pedestal to rise up and reveal five objects resting upon it. Each one was octagonal in shape, while in the center of each device was a golden coin that shimmered and glowed with colored light. Jason was the first to step up to the pedestal, and as he neared, the center device began to glow brighter, casting a red light from the coin. As he looked at it, he could see that the image of a tyrannosaurus-rex was engraved in the face, and he suddenly remembered his dream. "Transforming into a great beast long dead," he whispered, suddenly recalling more the details of that dream. Now it wasn't seeming so coincidental.

"So what are these things?" Zach asked as he walked over, reaching out and picking up the device that bore a black light from the coin. He looked at the coin, noticing what appeared to be a mastodon on the face. The coin seemed to glow even brighter now that it was in his hands, something that did not go un-noticed. "And what's with the lightshow?"

As she walked over to the pedestal, Trini noticed that the device bearing a coin with a tiger or a saber-tooth was brightening. Reaching out, she took the device, noting that he was shining even more intensely now. That's when she noticed something different; she felt stronger now, completely energized. "These coins...they-"

"They are the Power Coins, forged from the energies of the gemstones created by Titanus long ago," Zordon explained, now nodding to Jason to take the center device. The young man slowly reached out to the objecting, feeling that jolt of power as the coin shined brighter now. "With the aid of the Dinosaurian God Titanus, I created these coins to empower those that I led in the defense of Earth." He looked down at Zach, noting that the boy was starting to feel the effects of the coin's power now. "Each coin channels the power and spirit of an ancient beast of this world from times long lost. You, young one, shall wield the power of the mastodon as the Black Ranger." His gaze shifted to Trini, he was now turning her head to look up at him. "You shall wield the power of the saber-tooth tiger, transforming into the Yellow Ranger."

Zach gave a bemused laugh before Zordon could continue. "A black guy as a black ranger and an asian girl as yellow? You been playin' into stereotypes, big blue?"

The floating apparition blinked in confusion. He didn't quite understand what the young man meant by his comment. "Have I-"

"Don't mind Zach," Jason stated, glaring at his friend in a warning fashion. It was clear then that Zach had been trying to be humorous and failed. "He's got a bad habit of not knowing when to keep his mouth shut and not make bad jokes." He then sighed and looked up toward Zordon, bringing up the device in his hand. "I'm guessing that I'm the Red Ranger and have the T-Rex?"

That made the sage even more confused, though this time for a different reason. It only took him a moment to understand the short-form name for the tyrannosaurus, but there was something in Jason's eyes when he had spoken that told of how he had known this somehow. "Yes...you speak as if you knew in advance of these things."

Now Zach and Trini were looking at him, wanting to know what was going on. It was best to say it out right now rather than later. "I've been having these dreams," Jason explained, noting the expression on Zach's face that indicated he was starting to get the idea now. "In them, everything around me is in ruins, and I see this woman, who's the source of it." He paused for a moment, looking at the device and the coin within it. "That's when I turn into a t-rex with red skin, so I can fight her and others with her."

The face shifted, almost concerned, but also in understanding. These three were indeed the right ones, most notably the boy who held the coin of the tyrannosaurus. "These dreams seem to have been a warning to you, young one." He frowned, looking over at Alpha for a moment before continuing. "It is clear that this was not chance, especially in your case."

"My name is Jason," the boy said. "Zach, you know by now, and she's Trini." He again felt himself drawn to the coin's icon, noticing that the image seemed to be looking back at him. This felt all too much of something other than chance. His dreams, the sudden quake, and now this. Had his dream actually been a warning? "So, we're supposed to fight this...Rita?"

The sage nodded. He was understanding Jason better than Zach, that was for certain, and the boy clearly had a grasp of things. "Yes, and though it is a burden I do not wish need be, you are the only ones who can bear this power." He noted that they were looking back at the remaining two devices. Regrettable that they did not have two others, but it would have to wait. "It was meant to be for five Rangers to carry the morphers and the power coins," he stated. "We were not able to find anyone else with your level of connection to the ancient Gaeans, unfortunately."

With a nod, Jason, looked up at the sage. "Are you sure we're the right choice though? We're just a bunch of kids really."

"Speak for yourself!" Zach exclaimed as he gave the morpher a light throw upwards as if he was playing with a baseball. "I may be fifteen, bro, but I am no kid!"

Trini gave a roll of her eyes. "Keep telling yourself that," she muttered, not very impressed with his antics thus far, even though she was used to them. "World in danger, and he thinks of his own ego, as usual."

Zordon sighed as he watched the by-play. They needed a commanding member, and obviously, Zach was not the right person. Trini had the potential, no doubt, but there was something about Jason. He had foreseen this in his dreams, and he seemed to display the strongest connection to his coin, no doubt indicating that of the three, he was the one with the strongest bloodline form the Gaeans. And he seemed to be the one between the three who could bring order to them.

"Jason," he called, causing the three to look up toward him. "Though you are all young, it is your world that you fight for, to ensure the future for your fellow humans." He gave a kind smile, one of understanding for their plight. "And despite your youth, you have displayed wisdom in understanding the depth of this crisis. A true leader does not seek command, but does so because he must. As such, it is you that I place command with, the Red Ranger."

That was an announcement one could not find an easy reply to. The world was in crisis, this ancient wizard was placing the fate of all mankin in the hands of a bunch of teenagers, and he had placed Jason in charge of protecting the planet. Despite the seriousness of it, Jason wasn't sure he could do this. Being an example was one thing, but actually commanding was another.

"Hey, you got the wrong bunch of kids!" came the exclamation from Zach as he held up the morpher device. "Saving the world is something for...I don't know, the military? We're not cut out for that, big blue."

The face gave a resound sigh. Told that the fate of the world depended on them, and at least one of these humans was backing out. He probably shouldn't have been that surprised. "Zach, I believe it was." A nod to verify he was keeping the name correct. "In this crisis, your militarized forces would not be able to protect your world. There have been too many political and theological differences in your world's nations for them to unite against this great threat." He paused, letting the sad but cold truth of it sink in. "If I tried to contact the armed forces of this planet, they would attempt to take our technology and use it for themselves, then fight amongst each other until there was nothing left, all for the sake of becoming the more powerful govermental on the planet."

"Leaving this Rita to pick up the pieces with no one in her way," Trini added, knowing full well the end result of that scenario. It was not a comforting thought. I can see your reasons, but, us?"

Jason was the one who answered, not Zordon. "Why not?" he said, looking at his friends with confidence. "It's like he said, this is our world. If no once else will fight for it, then we should."

"Jas, are you out of your mind?!" Zach exclaimed, though Jason was now turning to look up at the floating image of Zordon's face. "Man, we could get killed doing this, did that cross your mind?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take myself," came the young man's reply as h smiled to the face. "I'm in."

The sound of footsteps came, and he glanced to the side to see Trini standing beside him. Jason could feel his face getting abnormally hot, and so turned to look back at Zordon, hoping that the girl had not seen how flushed his face no doubt was. "Count on me," came her agreement.

After a moment, they both looked back at Zach, who was now shaking his head and walking over to join them. "Man, this has got to be the craziest thing I've ever done...crazier that trying to get with Angela before graduation." With a sigh, the boy threw up his hand in resignation. "Alright, I'm in, though I hope you know what you're doing, Jas."

There was the faintest hint of a smile on the sage's face as he looked at the three. Jason, he decided, truly was the right one to place command with. He had the talent for making people see the right thing to do, and the charisma to make things happen. "So be it. From this point forward, you are the Power Rangers, the guardians of the Earth and protectors of its future."

As she watched the chaos below, Rita took aim toward one of the low rise buildings and unleashed a blast that slammed into the wall. She could see the side of the building begun to crumble, and then noticed the three humans that were about to be crushed beneath it.

And then, what she saw next caused her to go wide-eyed with horror. An instant before the falling wall was about to crush them, the three humans were engulfed with light, now blazing away into the sky. Her observations of the current human culture had revealed they had no such technology, else it would have been in broader use. More so, it meant only one thing.

"Zordon!"

Goldar turned to see that Rita was infuriated. The scream alone had been enough to startle him, something not easy to do given his focused disposition. However, he was no more eager that Rita was to face their old enemy again. "He lives?" the griffizon questioned as Rita spun about to face him. "Mistress?"

"Back to the palace!" she hissed, walking past him and slamming the end of her staff against the roof. An instant later, she vanished in a blaze of purple light, followed soon by Golder as they translocated back to the lunar palace. Her staff now impacting against ancient stone, Rita made her way toward Finster's new workshop, forcing the doors open with a simple motion of her free hand. "Finster!"

The wizened old alien nearly jumped, dropping the small clay figure in his hands. The figurine shattered on the ground, causing the old cobbler to sigh in dismay. "Forgive the mess, my lady," he said as he bent down to clean the broken clay fragments.

"Nevermind that!" the woman stated, her voice on the edge of panic. Looking over to where the lone remaining golem stood, Rita tightened her grip on her staff. The rest of her new foot soldiers were below in the desolate sea that the palace lay within, completing the task of the mass burial for the former inhabitants of the castle. One golem would not be enough. "Goldar."

The griffizon gave a grunt and walked toward the woman. "Yes, Mistress?"

She turned, no longer smiling, but bearing a cold and angry expression. "Gather the golems that are working outside the castle and return to Gaea." With a snarl, Rita turned his gaze toward Finster. "You continue your work to develop us a way to create our own servants, preferably those that can be grown to suitable destructive sizes."

A nod from the old toymaker. "I had been work on such already, my lady," Finster replied, picking up the broke pieces of the clay figure. "The construction of the golems in indeed astounding, and though I do now have the ability to replicate it in full, I have devised an approximation using my old clay supply."

Rita looked to her chief warrior, gave him the nod to proceed with the attack, then returned her attention to Finster while Golder departed to gather their forces. "How so, Finster?"

Opening one of his cabinets, Finster produced another small clay figure, this one resembling a cyclops. "As you will remember, my lady, my clay figures once served as your playmates in your youth, through the magic you imbued them with." He paused for a moment, now setting the clay figure on the ground before Rita and stepping back. "Through those same spells, you can bring them a semblance of life, even make them grow in size to be able to function as our lieutenants."

There was a shine in Rita's eyes, one that Finster knew well from when this woman had been but a little girl. To think that the very toys he once made for her then could again serve her was a pleasure to him. "I take it that you are pleased, my lady?"

She gave no verbal reply, but as she lifted her staff, a bolt launched from the ruby sphere on its head and slammed into the clay figure. Energy crackled about it as it began to grow, shedding layers of clay and dirt as it reformed to stand over six feet tall. It stood still, unmoving, lifeless still. And then, Rita unleashed another bolt that rippled over the clay statue. For a moment after the display ended, the statue still did not move. And then, with a slow crack, the single eye opened, revealing nothing behind it but a ruby red point of light.

"I live to serve, Lady Rita," the clay cyclops stated as he bent down to one knee and bowed before the sorceress. Only after Rita gave him a nod that signaled her acceptance of his service did the creature rise again. "What is your command, my mistress?"

The woman once more was silence, but walked past the newly imbued cyclops and toward the window that looked out toward space. After a long quiet moment, she turned back toward the clay monster, her eyes narrowed and cold. "Depart for Gaea with Goldar," she ordered. The woman's tone indicated that she would allow for no failures. "Break their defenses, beat the humans into submission. And should Zordon send his own task force to stop you..."

A pause, and there was suddenly a malicious grin on Rita's lips. "You are to destroy them utterly. Leave no survivors among those who would dare to stand in our way!"

Alarams came to life once more in the command center. The three humans jumped at the sound while Alpha suddenly went into a panic again. The display globe sprang to life, creating a digital representation of the city and zooming in on the battlezone to reveal multiple unknown signatures.

"Ai-yai-yai!" Alpha exclaimed as he ran over to a console and began tapping at the control pad. "Database indicates that the main life form is Goldar."

Zordon filted his face, remembering the griffizon warrior well. It was not a plesent memory. "Zedd's chief solider. What of the other signals?"

The robot continued the scans, but as only further confused. "Sensors...are not picking up lifesigns from the other entities attack, Zordon." Another set of readings revealed the make up of the creatures, but only added further confusion. "Readings indicate that the other hostiles are made up of rock and some form of clay."

"Like a golem," Jason remarked as he watched the readout appear on the display globe. He narrowed his eyes, then turned toward Zordon. "We have to get out there now, or those guys are going to cause a lot more trouble, probably even kill someone."

The image of Zordon's face nodded, though he was reluctant to send his new heroes in so soon. "Unfortunate, but true. Alpha, enter the coordinate vectors and teleport them in to the field." He paused for a moment, then looked back down to the three humans. "It would be best if you three transform now, to preserve your identities."

With a nod, Jason unlocked the handle on the back of his morpher, now slipping his right hand in. After a moment, Zach and Trini followed suit, all three holding up the devices before them. "Let's do this," Jason said, then took a deep breath. "It's Morphing Time!"

"Mastodon!" came Zach's cry, and after a moment of eerie silence, he found himself thrust through what seemed like another world. Energy blazed everywhere, crackling about him. The morpher flew from his hand, now slamming into place on his waist and expelling a white belt that locked around his body. A split second later, black armor began to form out from the buckle, sweeping up and down to cover his body. He looked at his transformation in wonder, hands coming up as thick gloves were formed by the plates of armoring. He heard the trumpeting sound he knew as that of an elephant, though deeper and more powerful, and looked up to see the face of a mastodon looking at him. The creature gazed into his eyes, almost forming a bond, then bowed its head and blasted apart, the flecks of light flying about Zach's head and forming into a black helmet with a motif to match the creature who had transformed him.

"Sabertooth Tiger!" Trini's call flung her into the same transformation realm, her amazement matched by the transformation that took place as the morpher flew from her hand and into place at her waist. The white belt took form, now expelling yellow armor around her body. She lifted one hand as the white gloves built up, now noting the plates that linked together around her. There was a loud screech, that of a wild cat, and she looked to see a sabertooth standing before her. The creature bowed its head in acceptance, now transforming into light and forming her helmet.

"Tyrannosaurus!" came the final call, and Jason was sent flying through the transformation world, feeling a burning from within himself as the morpher flew from his hands and locked onto his waist, forming the white belt. As armor built up from the belt out, he raised his hand, watching as the armoring and gloves form, and clenched his fist just as the glove completed formation. A powerful roar gained his attention, and the young man turned to see a red skinned tyrannosaurus-rex towering before him. The beast lowered its head to meet his eyes, and as it bowed that mighty head, Jason felt something else now. A sense of purpose, command, and fulfillment, as if what he was meant for was coming to be. The dinosaur exploded into flecks of light, swirling about Jason's head and forming into his helmet.

Time within the command center has halted the instant the three had gave out the cries that summoned the spirits of the ancient kings of the earth. As the three teenagers were returned to real space, time began to flow again, revealing to Zordon and Alpha the armored forms of their new heroes. Light continued to crackle over their bodies, eventually colliding inwards at the chest plate and forming into a golden emblem that duplicated the coin in their morphers.

"Oh my god!" Zach exclaimed as he looked about. His vision within the helmet had changed, now able to see the crisscrossing flow of energy in the command center. Looking at his fellow Rangers revealed the pure nexus of power they had become. "Dude, I take back what I said!" he continued, his voice revealed to be distorted by the helmet. "That trip was awesome!"

Jason nodded, but instead of excitement, he somberly brought a hand to the emblem on his chest plate, noting how these larger 'coins' seemed to have marked them all. "We need to get out there now," he stated, now turning toward Alpha and nodding. "Take us there, buddy."

"Right away, Jason!" the little robots exclaimed gleefully. He entered in the commands to the computer system, then turned to watch as the three Rangers were transformed into streams of light that reached up and through the ceiling. With a sigh, the android now turned to watch the globe, internally praying for the safety and success of the three humans. "Good luck, Rangers."

As the golems preceded Goldar in clearing out the roads, the griffizon watched the humans running in panic. While this was his task, he refused to attack them. They were defenseless, they had no way to fight back. He was a servant of Rita, and thus her master Zedd, true, but he had honor and a code. The golems, it seemed, had no such compunctions, and it saddened him, but that was the way they were made.

Something impacted against his armor. With a snarl, Goldar turned to see a group of humans, dressed in camouflage uniforms and body armor, who were holding up firearm devices at him. While the bullets that had hit him didn't actually cause him any injuries, it was insulting that they would seek to avoid a close confrontation. "Cowards," he hissed, drawing his broadsword and turning in full to face the human forces. "You hide behind your weapons and refuse to face me in true battle, is that what your kind has been reduced to?!"

The reply from the humans was one he didn't quite understand, and judging from their reactions, they could not understand him. He'd forgotten that in ten thousand years, languages would most likely have changed. The language of the times he had fought in no longer existed, it seemed. He made a mental note of that while more fire was unleashed on him and his golems. However, now was not the time to inform his mistress of the issue for language barriers. It was time to teach the humans the folly of crossing his anger.

His eyes began to glow, almost like fire as he directed his gaze toward one of the heavily armored vehicles behind the humans troops. One of the shots grazed his face, leaving a bruise, but not breaking his skin. That was more than enough for him to widen his eyes and unleash a blazing line of heat that tore through the air and slammed into the vehicle. Seconds later, the automotive craft exploded. now sending the human soldiers into a panic. It also incited them to open fire all at once. Now it was more than just an annoyance.

His eyes lit up once more, unleashing a second assault of his heat vision that detonated another of the vehicles. With the barrage that impacted on him this time, Goldar found himself rising his arms to cover his face form the bullet storm. "These insolent fools!" he hissed, finding himself quite annoyed by the gall that the humans seemed to possess. "They hide behind their firearms, what kind of warriors are they?!"

With a roar, Goldar's eyes flared up and unleashed a blast that erupted upon hitting the group and sending the human soldiers scattering. He gave a snort, then growled again when what looked like a heavily armored weapon platform vehicle pushed its way through the debris of his attack. For a moment, he wasn't sure what the vehicle would do when it stopped, then realized what it was when the long barrel mounted to a rotating section on its top aimed toward him and the golems. "Cowards!" he roared as the shell fired. Before it could hit, he swung his sword and cleaved the projectile in half. A split second later, both halves exploded around him, but the griffizon only roared as he raced through the fire and cause the human troops to scatter. Within moments, he had reached the tank and now swung his sword with enough force to rip the vehicle in half in one strike. Behind him, the tank exploded before the crew could get out, scattering pieces of metal about.

The golden clad alien snarled as he looked about to see the humans running for cover. His golems were moving to rejoin him, but Goldar was now infuriated. The humans hid behind their weapons and armored vehicles, not fighting their battles with their own hands. It was not like the days he had known when there was honor in the fight, and it disgusted him.

Something was approaching, a sound he had not heard in a very long time. His eyes turned toward the sky, and coming down were three streaks of light. The streams touched to the ground, forming into three armored forms that he well recognized. It was a sign of the true enemy of his mistress, yet it also brought a smile to his face. Now he would meet real warriors in battle once more. "Zordon lives and sends his regards, I see." Goldar took a step toward the three, holding his sword down in a sign of temporary cease-fire. He wasn't sure if these three could understand him, but the gesture should be enough. "I ponder...do you understand what I say?"

"Of course we understand you!" came the reply from the black armored figure. "You're speaking plain english, how can we not?!"

The red figure looked to his companion. "Black, I don't think he really is speaking english," he said, his voice heavily distorted by the helmet. "He's an alien, why would he speak our language?"

"Our powers must give us some kind of translation feature in our helmets," the yellow figure, female in form, added. "We can understand him, and he can understand us."

They sounded young to his ears, and judging from the Black Ranger's comments, possibly a bit naive. But they had come to face him, and did not hide behind guns or weapons platforms. All they had was their armor and the weapons given them. He at least respected their courage in coming to face him. "I am Goldar," he announced, bowing to the Rangers and smiling as he rose again. "It's been a long time since I have seen those of your kind. I trust you know why I am here."

The Red Ranger nodded. "You're under Rita's command," came the sharp reply. He reached to the holster at his right side, drawing out the weapon there that snapped out a blade to form a short-sword. "That means we take you down!"

It appeared that these three were not quite like the Rangers he remembered. But that had been another era, another lifetime of this world. Things had clearly changed since ten thousand years ago. "You have a great deal of faith in yourselves, Rangers. I respect that." He paused, now raising his sword and signaling for the golems to stand back and only watch. "As such, you will face only me. I will allow you the honor of first combat."

The Black Ranger moved to rush, but the Red held him back, shaking his head. "He's a warrior," Yellow stated to their obviously less mature member. "Samurai code, he seeks a fight that is one of honor, not of who is simply going to overwhelm the other."

The Black Ranger looked at Goldar, tilting his head and indicating his bewilderment. "An alien samurai?" he remarked, thoroughly confused. "I thought Zordon said this guy was evil."

"Not all samurai could be considered good," Red replied as he took a step forward. "But they still have their code." He looked to the Yellow Ranger. "You know more about this kind of stuff. What do we do?"

Yellow didn't immediately reply, signaling to Goldar that perhaps these humans weren't exactly in full ready for what they were doing. However, they had more to them than the military forces, and clearly had a better grasp of his desire. That alone had gotten some of his respect.

"You're the leader," Yellow finally stated. She looked toward Goldar, obviously not so sure about this. "You make the call."

The Red Ranger looked toward the griffizon, then nodded. "Stay here then." He glanced to Black. "Both of you."

"But Jas-"

"No names!" the Red Ranger snapped back. "Color codes only, we need to keep who we are a secret!" He glanced to the Yellow Ranger. "Keep him from getting into this."

A nod. "You be careful," Yellow replied, now grabbing Black by the arm and pulling him away. "No arguments, you heard his orders!"

"But we're supposed to be a team and kick this guy's ass!"

With a sigh as he should his head, the Red Ranger held tightly to his weapon, now walking toward Goldar. "On your honor, you will not have your golems attack my team while we do this?"

A nod. "On my life," the griffizon punctuated. A gesture of his hand, and the golems suddenly took a stance that made them resemble idle statues. Goldar nodded to his opponent again, gave a bow, and took up a stance of readiness. "You do me a great honor, Red Ranger. Should you fall here and now, I will tell your people of your courage, no ill word will be said of you."

The Red Ranger nodded as well, readying himself after returning Goldar's bow. "I appreciate that, but I have no intention of dying today."

With nothing else said, the Red Ranger raced at Golder, blade weapon flashing out and clashing against the blade of Goldar's own sword. A twist of his wrist, and the griffozon was now on the offensive, swinging viciously at the Ranger. The human was skilled enough in dodging, but he dared not try to block against the attack. There was too much brute power behind Goldar's sword, and he knew it.

The griffizon grunted as he flung himself at the Red Ranger again, blade flashing through the air, but not making a strike. The young human was skilled, Goldar gave him that, but he was also lacking severely. Perhaps if he survived, he would gain the skill to be a true challenge. He certainly had the spirit, and he reminded Goldar of the last person to wear that armor.

Another swing came crashing into the ground, giving the Red Ranger a chance he had been waiting for. He made his own attack finally, catching Golder in the side and managing to cut a hole in the golden armor. It earned him a vicious backhand as the alien spun around and caught him with his fist, sending the Ranger flying back and crashing to the ground. In an instant, however, the Red Ranger was back-flipping to his feet, bringing up his weapon to the ready again.

The griffizon looked at the damage to his armor. With a snarl, his gaze returned to the Red Ranger, now rushing at the young human. His sword slashed again and again, but it failed to find it's mark. Brute power, clearly, would not serve in this battle. He took a step back from his opponent, turned his sword about, and slammed the blade into the road, now clenching his fist to signal that the rules of this battle had changed.

"No weapons," he stated as the Red Ranger retracted the blade of his own arms and sheathed it in the side holster. "Your blade is not enough to stand up to mine, and mine is too heavy to match your speed."

A nod, and the Red Ranger assumed his own ready stance. After a moment, they launched themselves at each other, fisting connecting with only armor and deflections. The Red Ranger lashed out with a kick, something more specialized than the type of hand-to-hand combat that Goldar was familiar with. He took the blow with a grunt, swing his fist and connected with the Ranger's armored body, sending the boy flying back a good dozen or so feet where he was caught by his companions. He didn't say anything as he steadied himself, only launching himself back into the fight and propel himself upwards. His feet flew in a barrage, slamming against Goldar's chest plate and ending with a kick than forced the Griffizon to fall back.

With the Ranger back on the ground, Goldar gave a grin. It seemed that though the Red Ranger was less skilled in battle than he was, the human was no less determined or able. This was indeed a grand battle that stood before them. "You're a proper warrior after all, human. I commend you, and acknowledge your courage."

The Red Ranger gave a slight nod in reply. He ready to continue this, as was Goldar. Yet before either one could move, a brilliant fireball slammed down between them, causing both foes to fall back as the flames erupted out from the explosion. When they had cleared, a creature stood within the crater, the single point of red light that was its eye gazing unblinkingly at the Rangers.

"What happened to your honor?!" came the furious cry from the Red Ranger.

"I have nothing to do with this!" Goldar exclaimed, then turned his attention to the cyclops monster. "Stand down, this is my battle!" The creature did not move to comply, infuriating the griffizon even further. "I gave you an order, stand down!"

The monsters did not turn to him, only shifting its shoulders and shedding a layer of broken clay fragments from its back. "You are not my master," the cyclops replied as it took a step toward the Rangers. "Mistress Rita has commanded me to finish this battle since you continue to toy with them."

The griffizon angrily grabbed his sword and drew it out from the ground. "I am in command here and now!" he roared at the clay monstrosity. He turned toward the Rangers, who were even now preparing to all fight together. Ths was not how it was supposed to happen. "I had everything under control, you should not have interfered!" The cyclops refused to answer him. "This was a battle of honor between two warriors!"

"Irrelevant," came the cyclops' reply as it turned its eye toward Goldar. "The mistress commands that this be ended now." It said nothing more before turning toward the Rangers again and opening its eye wide to unleash a burst of energy that exploded against their armors and flung them to the ground. The monster readied to fire again, but found itself thrown to the ground before it could unleash the blast again. "What are you doing?!" it roared as it saw that Goldar had been the one to stop it.

"I told you!" the griffizon retorted, holding his sword at the ready. "This is my battle!"

There was a crackling sound. Both clay beast and griffizon warrior turned to see the Rangers streak away in the same teleportive streams they had arrived in. Unspoken, Goldar whispered a reluctant thanks to the powers that been for preventing this mockery from continuing on. The clay soldier, however, was not so please as it returned to its feet.

"The mistress will not be happy with you," the cyclops snarled, turning and vanishing in a blast of light. Seconds later, the golems followed suit, disappearing from sight. Goldar knew exactly where they had gone, and he would be wise to return as well to the lunar palace.

He took one last look at where the Rangers had been, then gave a disgusted snarl and vanished. The battle would have to wait for another day.

Helmets were off as Jason was breathing heavily back at the command center. He still couldn't believe that he'd managed to survive that battle, let alone in one piece. "He's too strong for us," the boy at last stated, looking up toward Zordon. "I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for this armor."

The image gave a solemn nod. "Goldar is strong, Rangers. Stronger than any human, and nothing can change that fact. You took a large risk facing him on your own, Jason, but you have survived that." The image paused for a moment, nodding for Alpha to leave him and the Rangers alone for a moment. As soon as the robot was gone, he continued. "What have you learned though?"

Silence followed the question. It took a moment to sort through what had happened in the city, but eventually Trini gave an answer. "He has a code," she stated, now thinking back on what they had seen. "He may serve Rita, but he has a very clear code of honor. Battles to him are not just warfare, they're a personal test."

"Yeah," Zach added, suddenly getting where Trini was going with this. "He could have sent his rock buddies to take us while was fighting Jason, but he kept his word and left us out of it." The young man paused for a moment, recalling something else. "He wasn't any happier at that other guy showing up than we were."

The face gave a slow nod. He had himself been watching the battle, and he had noticed thing about the encounter that would be useful in the future. "Goldar is a true warrior, who lives for the thrill of the battle and the honor gained in combat with a worthy foe. I believe that in your cultures, an appropriate comparison would be a samurai, 'those who serve'." He again paused, now giving a sigh of relief. He was quite more grateful that these three had survived over the fact of what they had learned. "If there is a division in Rita's ranks, we may be able use this to our advantage. However..."

The projection sighed again, this time in dismay. "You are only three, and Rita's forces may yet become even more vast as this battle continues. We must find two more to complete your team so that you may enter the caverns and obtain the weapons kept within there. Only then will you truly be able to fight Rita and her minions on equal terms."

Jason shifted uncomfortably. He had a distinct feeling that as the leader of this team, it was going to fall to him to find those other two members. The problem was that he was reluctant to involve the two people who immediately came to mind. But it didn't seem like they had a choice.

"Ai-yai-yai!" came the cry as Alpha came running back into the chamber. He was in a panic, no doubt about that, but the reason for was still not clear. "We have another problem, Zordon! Look!"

As Alpha readjusted the information feed to the display globe, the Rangers could see what appeared to be a news broadcast transmitted from the city. "Martial law has been declared in Angel Grove in the aftermath of what can only be described as an alien invasion." Displayed now were images of Goldar's vicious retaliation against the military unit, then videos of the Rangers' arrival and Jason's battle with Goldar. "National guard units have been called in to deal with the alien aggressors, as well as the armored vigilantes who appeared only minutes ago during the attack."

"Deal with us?!" Zach exclaimed in shock. He clenched a fist, ready to walk over and punch the globe. "We're the good guys, we just saved their butts! How can they think that we're with them?!"

Jason gave a sigh. He should have seen this coming the minute they encountered Goldar. "This is the military and the police," he answered. He lowered his head in dismay. "And to them, we are vigilantes. We're not part of any kind of law enforcement or military unit. They don't know what's going on." He looked to his helmet, walking over and picking it up as he noted his reflection in the visor. "And the people we bring into this are going to deal with the same thing we are now, Zach. It's why we can't reveal who we are to the public."

As he turned back to look at the images on the globe, Jason notice the grainy close up of his own armored self. "Like it or not," he continued somberly, "the world is looking at us now, and until we show that we're here to protect the earth, we have to stay away from the authorities as Rangers."

To be Continued...