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Fandom Power Rangers: Bio Strike

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"Of all the ways I don't want to die, being eaten by a plant wasn't there just yet," Tidal commented. That sickly sweet smell used to draw flies and other bugs in? Yeah, it's already making him dizzy. And no helmet to at least somewhat prevent him from breathing that stuff in. Won't be too long before he passes out to that. And the more he struggled to break free, the more trapped he got.
"At least you're not being held close to it's head!" Lucas shouted from being held up in the air by the vines. Somehow, this plant reminded him of those fire-breathing, character eating plants in Super Mario. Who'd have thought those things were real? At least this plant didn't breathe fire! It... didn't breathe fire, right? Either way, that shooting asshole made sense now. Weed killer and flame throwers would come in very handy. Or maybe Calvin was right and they ought to try and tame it? Might make the Earth green again. Or it just eats everything and everyone it comes across. Calvin was one of the few to just be trapped and not look like he was going to be eaten. Of course he'd be "nicer" to the plant than some of the others.

"Trust me, none of the stragglers, dwellers, wanderers... nobody out here would want THAT THING in their 'gardens'," Tidal commented. That plant looked more like it would eat people than that it looked edible in any way. Then the plant ROARED. If freaking ROARED. "Yep, definitely seems more like it would eat people," Tidal commented before he started to feel even more hazy. And Lucas struggled in the viney grasp of the plant. He'd rather plummet down and break a bone rather than being eaten by a roaring plant about to take over the Earth. When people used to say that one day Mother Nature was going to take back over from mankind... definitely nobody had expected "Mother Nature" to come in the form of a sentient aggressive plant placed there by an evil bitch from outer space.
 
"I can't help but think studying this is a bad idea," Olivia sa...well it's what she wanted to say. Vines over the mouth stopped that real quick. She let out a scream of frustration but it hadn't been heard for the foliage invading her space. Yuck. After this is over, if she makes it out alive, she'll need to pick up a lot of mints and mouthwash to get this taste out of her mouth. Freshly cut grass smells great but freshly grown vines taste horrible. Like vomit but more vomit-y.
---
Speeding through the gates of Inezia on Bio Cycle A, Drew tracked the location of this thing down to Olivia's signal. Following the little pink dot on his dash is how he'll make it to his friends. The yellow and blue dots were moving a lot... so that plant is totally swinging them around like King Kong. Black and green dots are standing still like pink. Assuming they aren't dead and just immobile at the moment, Drew revved his engine some more as dirt kicked back on the wheels through the traverse of the wastes. Did not see any wasteland drives in his future. Splica's plant makes no sense to him personally, but the brief description form Olivia was just that--brief. An assailant involved as well. New friend to play with?
Drew finally, after a good while, drove up and stopped the bike right at the edge of the plant's growth. In all directions it have vines spreading, leaves popping up and other growths sprouting as fast as a cheetah on meth. Drew nearly ran over a lot of the overgrowth on his way here. Not bothering with the kickstand he ran past an old car to behold the sheer size of the massive thing. "Guys!" He shouted at them under the plants roars. Olivia widened her eyes and jumped slightly in her place in its grasp. He made himself know to the others here for the rescue. But the Zeninian grew aware as well. It roared again, pulling Jane and Lucas up close to its head, threatening to chomp them up into little Ranger bits.

Clutching the red visor piece in hand, Drew remembered what Wilson told him to do. "You have to work," he told it. Not a sentient item here, but he can't well speak to the others now.
Instamorphing into Squadron Mode Red, Drew eyed down the Zeninian as he firmly grasped and readied the Battlizer. Splica's garden is about to be weed whacked. Attacking the visor onto his morpher, Drew rose it up to his mouthpiece. "Battlizer, Initiate!" Immediately a surge of red electricity overtook his body. Painful like before, Drew cried out in pain. The energy washed over him in such a manner it looked like it would kill him. Olivia screamed under the vine for him. But...
Drew's eyes burst open under his visor. Revitalizing his body with energy, he felt as if he'd been given a series of performance enhancers of the non-intimate variety and felt his Protection Spirit come to full power. His suit under the metallic additions of Squadron Mode became less of a fabric material and morphed into black armor. His shin guards enlarged like shock absorbents, his arm gauntlets extending twin blades from the underside, his torso armor bigger with a booster on his back, The helmet remained the same minus a new golden visor trim around the metallic red. His Squadron Mode supercharged, his power now a full suit of tech armor. "Battlizer, ready! Bio Commander Mode!" Drew announced himself, a spark of red smoke behind him. Where the hell did it come from???

Olivia paused and wowed under the vine. It works... it really works? Excellent!
Zeninian roared again, violently swinging Jane and Lucas around as it did so with little room for them to be in awe of Drew's form. He eyed the bestial plant from the ground. His massive armor bulked him up. "Flight mode, activate!" he shouted, leaping from the ground, his back boosters jetting him in the air, soaring in the direction the plant with his blades out, faster than he's even been before. Edging the ground, Drew passed Olivia and Calvin, cutting them both free with one swoop. Vines attacked him, Drew spiraled under them to cut Tidal free as well in another quick motion of blades and superjets. Olivia let out a massive breath as the now-dead foliage surrounded her. "I'm free... we're free!" she said, breath back into her body.
 
Plants don't slobber do they? Jane completely felt some form of spit hit her as the thing roared. Pans Labyrinth has nothing on this insanity. Nor does it have anything on being hugged by a monstrous plant with sentient (maybe) ability. What other explanation for it roaring and moving like it has a degree of thought is there? Fucking none, that's what. "I promise, plant monster, we taste like shit! I've got no meat on my bones hardly and he's...well he's Scottish, and that food is all goat fungus!" Jane tried awfully reasoning with the monster. Is that offensive? Stuff like that goes dark when life and death juggle you around. Or in this case a plant is juggling you around. Calvin continued trying to get free but felt himself moving about as freely as a snake wrapped in a barbed wire tube sock.
So what if his assertion that making this thing a part of Earth is dumb. So what if Tidal knows firsthand what people want and need out here. Terror aside this entire thing is kind of fascinating. Where is a tank when you need one?

"Drew!" Calvin shouted to his friend/leader as he pulled up in the city. Boy is he glad to see him! Jane waved from all the way up in the air, flailing around. By those sounds she's either having a great time or mortified at what my happen. Coin flip?

He morphed. Morphed into Squadron. Alright, alright, he's getting busy. Calvin's solder brain and Jane's gaming addict brain ravished in awe as a new toy got busted out of the toy chest. Shiny things in toy boxes demand attention. At first it seemed like whatever was happening pained him. Like it nearly killed him. But then comes a suit of battle armor and a gnarly paint job to go with it. Thus the Battlizer comes into play! Both of them were shocked and let out impressed sounds. "Awesome!" "Bitchin!" You can guess for yourself who said which word between the two. Should not come as a surprise to anybody.

"AHHHHH!" Jane screamed when tossed around in the air again, colliding with Lucas a couple of times. Sacks of flesh weighing in about 120-160 or so pounds each is oddly painful. Like a sawblade is painful to skin. Watching Drew fly around like something out of a movie amazed them, Calvin being cut free in the process. He rubbed his arms and legs in relief of freedom fro the grasp. Quickly he got away form the growth before it got him again. He went to help Olivia and check on Tidal, still recovering but also watching Drew as he flew around and around.
 
Was the giant plant drooling? It sure seemed to be so. Something wet was flying around anyway, and it definitely came from the plant. Nowhere in any story of movie he's ever heard or thought of would there be a man eating drooling plant swinging people around like a pair of maracas. Or was it.... Sudden childhood memory of a cartoon came back to Lucas. Something with a witch and a wizard, a cat and a bird... a city overgrown by plants due to an evil spell... Plants sprouting fast everywhere and only some hours before it's permanent. Similar situation to here? Yes. And somehow, that memory made him want a banana. Thinking of food prior to being eaten, huh? "Hey!" he retorted to Jane's statement on Scottish food. "It's not all goat fungus. Some of it is haggis... which really doesn't make it any better." Okay, thinking of Haggis while being shaken around really only led to Lucas feeling his breakfast coming back up.

The sound of an engine got his and Tidal's attention. "Glad to see you," Tidal said upon seeing their friend in charge pull up. Not a moment too soon... or late? Whichever. Whatever. They're just all glad Drew is there because they could all really use some back-up. Lucas, much like Jane, was too busy being flung around to really greet him properly.

Morph one. And morph two. Squadron Mode and ready to go? Nope, not quite done yet. Drew morphed a FREAKING THIRD TIME?! Lucas' eyes widened up there as it looked like whatever was going on might kill Drew. But he held on and kept standing. In a new armor. Pretty damn amazing looking armor at that! Just where did that explosion of smoke come from? Is there a way they can utilize that and blow up their enemies? Man, wouldn't it be useful if they could... just morph and BOOM, all enemies gone. That's mostly Tidal's train of thoughts going on there. Lucas is too busy trying to keep his food down and not puke all over the plant, if it would even go in the direction of the plant.... He's seen something similar happen at a funfair once. Really took the "fun" out for that poor girl and those around her.

Tidal kicked his legs as he was freed. Finally some feeling back in them. "That was absolutely awesome," he said, joining with Calvin and Olivia to check whether they were alright. 'Three freed, two more to go," he said, shielding his eyes from the sun and looking up at the plant still flinging his friends around.
 
Limbs severed from the conscious body has to be a painful thing. Experiences like that are something few people should go through in life. This plant, this Zeninian as Wilson called it, hasn't given anybody time to consider it a person or life form worthy of respect. It's dangerous, powerful, and continues to grow as Drew slices parts of it off. A mythological beast is known for growing two or more heads in place of one that is cut off. Hydra? Monstrous enough to compare to the scale of this foliage fiend. Again it roared, wildly flailing Jane and Lucas in its vine-like tendrils. Gripping them came easy, tightening so fast to crush them before they could say 'Vegemite.'
Drew flew up to Lucas and Jane in the monsters grasp. Roots drilled deeper into the Earth's soil and it spread farther and farther. "Hangin' out, guys?" he asked them with a cheeky expression on his face under his visor. Cue something loud on their end in return?

Followed by another roar of the beastliness in this plants genetic makeup. He can take a hint to get down and dirty! Not in that way, however. Inappropriate.
"Someone better take a weed-whacker to you, pal," Drew taunted the monster growing taller and taller, meaning Jane and Lucas got higher and higher. Olivia said a small prayer to herself that they'd not fall and die. Not so much a prayer as a general 'please do not die' sentiment. Drew kicked off of the monsters head before it could roar again, dazing it long enough to cut Jane and Lucas free as it swung them upward in the air. Meaning they were now flying up from the throw of the monster and the timing of his cut. "Trust me!" he yelled up at them in the air as their distance from the ground rose. Now eyeing the beast, he flew around and around, flipping his arm blades around to more blunt-ended sides, holding gun barrels. Charging fire, Drew encircled the Zeninian in energy pellets to weaken it as well as light it ablaze. With the jet booster he burned a portion of it at the mouth to spread along its stem.
He flipped back into blades and flew even higher than Jane and Lucas, actually passing them in between on his way up.
"Battlizer, Final Attack!" he read off the inside of his visor, touching his blades together and soaring downward. Drew caught the plant mid-roar, deliberately going into its mouth and spiraled down, slashing it up from the inside all the way down to its...gut?

Sparks flew, lines crossed, cuts grew, Drew soared up through the mouth again to catch Lucas and Jane as they continued gaining altitude. He caught Jane in his stronger arm around her waist, Lucas in his weaker arm but with a firm hold. "In the end, I get the girl and the best friend?" he commented, the Zeninian roaring as it exploded once and for all. A bigger explosion more on par with a Megazord battle. Nice backdrop as the three original Rangers landed safely on the ground again, Drew letting them go as the got their footing.
Olivia clapped and checked on Lucas tenderly, saluting Drew in his fine efforts. "Threat Terminated," Drew recited as the flames of the blast shrunk down. "I guess whatever scheme Splica hatched for a settlement with this thing is bust!" Drew chanted with a hefty demorph. Lots of layers had to come off! He let out a breath in exhaustion and relief.
 
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"Haggis? Are you really defen--!" Jane started, then screamed in terror on this not-so-thrill ride as the plant violently swung around and around again. Bitches that do yoga and perform as acrobatics in a circus get less of a headache from annoying movements than her. Damsels must feel so distressed all of the time for a reason. It is not easy being a helpless bitch like this. Never one to need saving, Jane's not used to this. She isn't a little girl who needs a handsome prince fantasy to save her skin from the big powerful monster. She can save herself. She would, too, if not for the whole... ya know... being held like a damsel and all. Fuck this plant. Drew being slick and flying to them made her grumble. "Hangin' out? What about this says hanging out?" she retorted upside down. "Drew Valentine if you don't cut us down right now!"
Tomboy gets mad fast. Remember the pose-debate ear drag? Well that doesn't matter now seeing how she's just been cut free but also slung up in the air like a toy in a tantrum. Flailing her own freed arms and legs now she flapped her arms like a bird to no effect. Works in the cartoons! Now she has to trust the super armored up guy??? Save now kill later! "I'm gonna be surprised if those two will ever follow high risks again... no joke intended?" Calvin said to the others on the ground, getting clear of the dead bits of monster all over the ground. Decorating the run down city with chopped up lettuce giants, huh? But really this is crazy. The Battlizer's cool and all but why does it make things more dangerous? Two of the team are flying up like eagles! Incapable-of-flight eagles! Morphing may be an option but it'll cushion so much of the fall! Gah! "Oh hi Dre--..." she said as he flew up by them, then... back down. "...then bye, Drew," she said rather calmly for somebody flying up in the air out of control.

Down below the flying duo and in front of the grounded trio Drew cut the Zeninian into bits. Explosion time? Like really big explosion time? Explosions that Micheal Bay may shriek over? Ehhhhh and yes explosion! Single-handed and big gunned/bladed Drew destroyed it! Calvin like a whopping 'wooo' from the ground, Jane feeling Drew catch up to her and Lucas finally. She elbowed his armor. Ouch. "Lucas? I didn't know you were a woman," she said in response to Drew getting the girl and the best friend. Oh no, she is not playing into this at all. Uh uh. Nope, no can do buddy. Don't let little hints here and there, and a big one in the wasteland a while ago with Landshark witnesses, get to your head! Shall be thwarted.
Landing was a stitch. Jane found her feet rather comfy on the ground again. Calvin inspected the Battlizer up close. Shiny, red, big, sturdy. "I wonder if it comes in green?" he wondered. Seriously, firepower and agility like that would be great for a full unit of soldiers.

Heat reflecting from the explosion riled sweat beads for the moment. "Damn right it is. Shame we can't look at it closer, though. Menacing as the thing is it has to be packed with so many new things. What we could grow from this..." Calvin said. "But not worth it. Let's just celebrate a job well done. However she'd use this thing to make a place on Earth, she can't now. Another point for us," Calvin reassured and patted Drew on the back of the shoulder post-demorph.
"Fuck yeah!" Jane added. "One thing on my head, though." And it is not the getting the girl thing.. Because....no...? "Who was that guy before? Possible new Armada agent?" Now that sacred her more than a big plant. In the long run...
 
"Why on Earth would anyone defend Hagg-aaaah!" Lucas started before being flung around again. No, he was not defending that atrocity that was sold off as food. He was saying it was even worse than goat fungus. Not much time to give it a lot of thought though. Being shaken around like they were just rattles your brain a bit too much. He was honestly getting quite tired of being swung around like this. And of slowly being crushed by plant tentacles. Seriously, breathing was starting to get difficult. So Drew trying to be funny... that didn't sit too well. Lucas grumbled another series of rather colorful Gaelic. "Stop messing around and get us down already!" Lucas said, full Scottish accent there. Ginger guy's had enough of this already. Moments later, they were free. But that's no reason for cheering. Now they were soaring higher and higher up into the air, being tossed up by the angry plant. Higher up, and higher up.... the others on the ground now seemed to be ants. Yeah, if Jane and him were to plummet down now, things would get very messy.
Tidal chuckled, dusting the dead plant-bits off himself and out if his shirt. How'd that even get there? Guess plant bits are like sand. It just gets everywhere and stuck in all the nasty places. He looked up, seeing his friends almost disappear as high as they were up now. Who'd ever thought a plant would be so dangerous?
Drew raced past them up in the air, and then went back down, leaving Jane and Lucas still flying higher. "Help?" Lucas asked as Drew went past them for the second time. Seriously, what's his plan here? Create a cushion of dead plants for them to fall on? Would that even work?

As the plant went kablooey in front of them, Tidal just uttered a 'sweet'. That Battilizer was a powerful thing. It had just proven to be powerful enough to completely destroy the Zenian without all that much effort. Now they were standing near a giant fire. Like a nice bonfire. All that's missing is people dancing around it, some old music, and snacks. Perfect day out, not? No, not at all. Toxic Wasteland doesn't make for a nice place to have a picnic. The three of them on the ground knew that from experience.
Back up there... Lucas grabbed on to Drew's arm, holding on for dear life. The ground's still a long ways away. "Hey, who's said I need to be a woman for that?" Lucas joked. It was 100% possible for a female to have male friends. And for males to be attracted to other males. Or both. No need to be a woman for a dude to get the girl and the best friend.... He's giving it too much thought, isn't he? Lucas' brain stopped functioning properly after being shaken around and being sure he's going to fall to his death out here.

Once safely on the ground, Lucas rested his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths, mainly to get his stomach under control again. He glanced at Olivia and gave her a small smile as she checked up on him. "Or in black..." Tidal added on. Seriously... if all of them got a Battilizer like that, the Armada would be history in SECONDS. No more worrying about giant monsters and megazords. Well... still about the giant monsters but they'd have even more ways of taking them down! "I'm just glad this is all over," Lucas said. Another win for the Rangers. For now no settlement for Splica on Earth and no more monstrous murder plants.
Tidal furrowed his brow. "Good point," he said. "It's not someone we've seen before... But I feel like this wasn't the last time we've seen him."
 
Well, those two sure are pushy! Just because death nearly got them in the end is no reason to get all snippy with him! Drew laughed at the two of them slightly after landing. A powerful tool such as this one is going to be a useful asset against the Armada in the future. Destroying a giant thing today as a human sized fighter? Zords will never be obs elite but they sure have a fine substitute. Olivia gentled pecked Lucas on the cheek, thankful he's alright. PDA is not her forte but she can put aside her professional side for a moment. Human nature means more in this case.
"Whoever the guy was, he won't stand a chance now. C'mon, let's go home, everyone. We have a lot to tell the Captain. And then a lot of non-salad foods to eat," Drew said. Olivia smiled and nodded. The team grouped together, Drew wheeling his bike back until the others were with their vehicle again. Driving back to Inezia after a day saved, the remains of the Zeninian lingered still. But they were harming nobody now.
---
Specimen of the Zeninian in its container on board the ship, Splica coddled the container of the remaining part to the root of the plant now battling the Rangers. Red, anyhow. Her plan worked perfectly. She distracted them all enough to get it planted, and even introduce them to a new playmate. Little prickly vibes had she gotten from the container, tapping along its glass exterior in a rhythm more satisfying than none. Whistling softly she admired the small growth as if it were an animal. May as well be for its intelligence levels. Golden reflections of her appearance conflicted the small growth. It sees her as some kind of a goddess or material figure. She is the one who gave it life, so whatever alien system it is from may give it the ability to register her as such. Splica as a mother may not be ideal but she can not deny the thought peaks her interest. Goddess-hood even more so attracts her. Power is conquest and conquest is power.

"Well, the Rangers destroyed your counterpart. Shame. Zeninians are in fact a dying species, after all," she said to herself. But the plant comes from a planet that supports life like no other? Is that not what was thought up before? Unless... Actually it figures if Splica saw to the destruction of the Zeninian plant lifeforms personally. Controlled numbers are better than free range numbers. "Tsk tsk tsk. I guess I will have to redeem your species once my colony on Earth is decided on," she said, marking a location for settlement on her map. Close to where the Rangers found the creature. But a little ways off. Natural benefits aside, she knows humans will not touch the plants remains out of fear. Once it rots away in time, she can use that decayed state to flourish more of a life on Earth. Besides, life always find a way. Splica found her way into directly taking the small growth into her hands from its container. She laughed, crushed it in her grip, and took a sample of its DNA with a syringe. "This will be the species' redemption," she said to herself, injecting the needle into herself, thus fusing her own DNA with the Zeninian specimen. Her eyes glimmered, her voice temporarily gained a filter to it. Tossing the dead specimen into disposal bins, she looked out at Earth. "Fools. We make our land on Earth before the coming dawn. Now I will control the Zeninian, just as I control your pathetic planet," she monologued, cackling and returning to a normal voice.

Ahh. So through meddling of genetic variety she can eventually control the dead plants into living sprouts? Why...that is...perfect.
Entering from behind, the hooded courier approached her and knelt down. Removing his cloak he still yet concealed his face in hair and goggles. The mask had since been removed after exposure to cleaner air. Bowing his head down he reported to her kindly. "It is done. I have planed to specimen at your request and left it to be dealt with," reported the man.
Splica sensually petted his hair, playing like a lover. Only not because...gross. She had his raise his left arm. She eyed a most familiar device, albeit darker and less akin to the Rangers. "Good pet. It has been difficult withholding your presence. Present times call for immediate action. The trap is set. The data collected." Splica so sinisterly said.
"Bio Blood, your mission begins now."
Under the goggles, his eyes glowed a synthetic blood red. Fade out to Splica laughing as Blood's chapter starts.

END OF ARC 32
 
Lady Insanity Lady Insanity marorda marorda

Arc 33: Blood Battle

A great man once said that the ability to do good is matched with the want to do what you are able to do. Followed up by a great woman who believed being brave enough to act on that want is something people need to thrive toward. Drew's parents weren't philosophers or anything but he definitely remembers everything they ever said as being wise and memorable. Isaac is home alone, again, while Drew visits their parents' burial site in the cemetery. A small stone is their landmark, for it's all Drew could afford. Better than an unmarked grave, at least? Thinking about how many people are buried without any symbol above them is sad. Understandable if their families can't afford it but...sad. "So much has happened, mom and dad. Inezia is getting harder to live in... Domes keep falling... Just this morning I heard another one's been taken over. Just about 12 or 13 cities left on the planet that haven't been taken. It's scary to think about but we're all hanging out. You'd never believe that I'm making a difference somehow... I went from being a guy that fixes cars to leading a team saving lives. Isaac's health is... well he's still here so that's good? My friends are incredible. You'd have loved them. Lucas is a huge nerd but he's the most reliable guy I know. Olivia is smart, but she's definitely had her ditzy moments. Jane is pretty tough, but I'd never call her pretty to her face unless I wanna get walloped. Tidal is...like that one kid from my high school you never liked. And Calvin has to be the most incredible soldier in the army. Still can't believe I'm in charge of him. Me of all people. There's a reason but... I won't bore you." Drew shuddered, remembering just why he of all people is the leader of the Ranger team. More or less the reason, anyhow.

He looked back more as he lay a small bouquet of flowers down. Mixture of blue and pink flowers for his dad and mom. Old school, but those were their favorite colors respectively. It's been a week or so since the Zeninian attack. The Battlizer left him still really shaky and pumped with adrenaline. He poured cereal this morning and nearly emptied the box due to jitters. Isaac wasn't thrilled about that! Those were his Sugar-O's, anyway! Gah! Speaking of him, his cell phone buzzed in his back pocket. "Remember to buy more cereal on your way back. And a new battery from the med supply shop since my sleep machine made that noise again," Isaac texted him.
Sleep machine being a device he uses to monitor heart rate in his sleep. Doctors gave him a lot of weird things. "K," Drew replied. So wordy, he was.

Olivia, as was her only place to be, remained at work in HQ. The mysterious figure they'd encountered in the wasteland bothered her. His fighting, his power by force alone, his...well everything just threw her off. She hasn't obsessed over him, really. Studied is a better term. Hard to study when there isn't a book to read from or video to pull on but she finds a way. Her father and the good doctor had no clue who he might be so she's personally took an interest. Her stomach grumbled while she wrote on a tablet in the common area of HQ's living quarter building. She isn't always in the command hub you know. She likes to lounge on the sofa! But this sofa doesn't have food. If only she could just snap her fingers and have somebody deliver her a nice warm meal by surprise...or just a bagel with hazelnut spread. Mmmm hazelnut. She accidentally typed 'hazelnut' in her notes about the courier they'd met. "Oh my..." she said. A sign she's maybe working a lot more than need be? Such is the lot in life for her position.
 
Finally, after months of hard work and probably more coffee that was healthy for a human being, Lucas had finished and submitted his thesis. Now the real stressful period would start. Waiting. And defending his thesis when the professors were done reading it. Surprising how he managed to focus on that with everything going on. But until that moment came, he finally had a chance to sit back and take a breather. And what better way to celebrate than getting bagels with one of his favorite people on his planet? He knew Olivia had been working hard on trying to figure out as much as possible on that mysterious new agent. To be fair, he was curious as well. Kind if hard not to be if this is the first time an agent shoots them out of suit... And teleports... It was kind of unsettling even more so since he looked so human.

Knowing Olivia she probably hadn't taken a break since the attack. And it was unlikely she would take one, too... But he wouldn't know for sure unless he asked. Lucas picked his phone off the table to text her. "Got the time to go get bagels? Or should I drop by?" One way or another, there would be a bagel-break today. Unless of course the Armada wolid suddenly show up again. Then it would be all back to the old "joke" where he owed her a bagel and there would be an attack every time they would try and get one.

In a way, the human looking evil agent reminded Tidal of when he was brainwashed and working for the Armada. Another poor sod with a similar fate, perhaps? Or a genuinely evil person willingly having joined their ranks? Whichever one it may be, it scared him if he were honest. Maybe "scared" wasn't quite the right word. Highly unsettled? The realization it could have been him just struck a chord deep in his soul. But this guy was different. He was an ordinary agent. Not an evil Power Ranger. Still, one way or another this man needed to be stopped. Tidal had spent the fairer part of the last couple of days training. The new agent was strong, so if they wanted to stop him, they had to be stronger. And faster. Though speed might not do too much against a villain that can teleport.
"What do you think we should do, Sally?" he asked the red tabby. The cat lifted her head from the sleeping spot on Tidal's bed. "Mrow?"
"Yeah, that's what I thought..." Tidal sighed and scratched the cat behind her ears. Sally jumped up and climbed on his shoulder, sitting there and purring in content while rubbing her head against Tidal's scratchy beard.
 
"Okay. One more sentence. One more damn sentence in conclusion to an essay about things I don't care about and...." Jane spoke only to herself on the college grounds in the library. With the semester nearing its end and other people submitting thesis', students like Jane were just wrapping up classes and preparing for finals week. Coffee, caffeine patches and a lot of strained eyes and dead fingers run rampant this time of year. Isn't it easy to get an education? No stress or worry at all in the slightest. Stress didn't bother here, seeing how she chose to stick to a healthier "C's get degrees" attitude earlier on in the semester. This has been the longest semester ever. She could have sworn it started in the Fall term but just dragged on. The city must not celebrate holidays like she thought.
It is great to shoot for high grades and be a success, but Jane walks a different path. Does what she can and aims for a goal in reason. "Done!" Jane cheered when finally turning in her last essay. She has but one physical final to show up for. As of this moment, she's most of the way finished with college this year. Her fingers beckoned for something other than an essay to work with. Controllers are better suited for her hand-eye coordination....

"Jane, can you be any less considerate to people in here?" Tanner asked from the computer across from her.
She glared while peering over the monitor at him. "I have an energy drink in my backpack and I doubt you want the can busted over your product-filled hair, richy," she said semi serious. Tanner threw his hands up over his precious hair and backed off. Jane smirked in victory. Hahaha! "It'll be so good to be done with college. Doing something else rather than needless general education that will not help my degree out what so ever if the degree is worth chasing in the first place," she said on behalf of too many kids in college.
"It isn't like you haven't got something...else to do with your time?" Tanner referred to the gaming company she's been working with since she saved their butts. And the other thing about being a superhero and all of that jazz. Saving people but never being saved... minus the one time recently... shut the fuck up.

Observations can be the most boring part of your job or the most laid back, all in how you look at it. Everybody taking the day to tackle more personal or alternate worries left Calvin alone in the lab with Dr. Wilson. The Battlizer is incredible to say the very least. Too incredible, one might add. A massive plant monster gave them a run for their money, certainly, so the battle armor stepped it up when needed most as did most new pieces of gear coming from this lab. Strolling around he fondled a few of the things they'd gotten before. The Astro Cannon, a Squadron Morpher, a blaster that's sort of stuck in baton mode after somebody got a little too careless with the spring action... clearing his throat now. A holo visual of the Battlizer showed up as technicians worked on it on computers. Calvin stared into it. Long ago had he accepted and welcomed Drew as his leader in combat. He's proven a great friend but something inside still embarrassingly affected him. Calvin out of everybody is the most qualified in a combat team. The others have come far from the start, this is true. However in the back of his mind he feels...jealous? He wouldn't say it out loud but he did. Childish?
When Red became the color everybody turned to the most... let's say Calvin became green even outside of his suit. Exhaling, he shook his head and heard Max approaching. He cna tell it's him because of the powerful cologne no doubt making somebody ill.
 
Slipping the smartphone from her pocket, decked in a new case via half-off sale at the market, Olivia delightfully answered the text message from Lucas. "It is like you've read my mind. I'll cover the charge if you'd bring something by to the commons?" she replied. Nice to get a taste of normal couple stuff. Feels weird to engage in it, seeing that work is very important and the two of them understand that and made it known going into this...thing? Professionalism is key with her. She is not going to turn down a treat, though. Away with her phone, she returned attention to her notes. Nothing familiar about this individual. The Zeninian specimen struck her curious mind even deeper. According to data in their banks its from a far-off world with no real purpose to the Empress as far as she could tell. A super plant, new human agent, another city having fallen as of late. Pieces to a puzzle Olivia isn't sure she wants to solve.
---
Dawning the same uniform as before, a man behind Splica listened as she took pleasure in a conversation via console. Humans would call this 'webcamming.' The receiving end of the conversation was a nearby ship in the fleet. Far more decorated than the other ships, almost commercial by design. Flashing lights, the size of a studio, thunderous noises coming from within. Hearing things in the vacuum of space isn't a reality but it's been planet side enough times to get that recording. Dytrons, Deathtrons, the generals and this new ally basked in Splica's good mood and her pulsating injection sight under armor. "Cosmoso, I trust you'll put on a good show for me? Blood Battle is my favorite intergalactic program, after all!" she said. Wait...this ship is a...TV show, essentially? That's different.
"Of course, Splica baby!" Cosmoso reassured on screen. Glowing yellow eyes on top of the stereotypical TV game show host, mixed with monstrous alien genes, relayed comfort to the Empress. It's hard being ruler of galaxy. Everybody needs a break. "You did enjoy my last show, did you not?"
"I did, indeed. Watching those humans pit against each other and practically hand over there city was ingenious," replied the Empress, meaning the latest fall of a city on Earth was this guys doing.

"I know just what'll make you happy this time. What other way to win over the Empress of the Milky Way than by featuring Inezia as my next on-set location!" Cosmoso claimed. Splica clapped and took her seat on the throne. What a good show this will be! Splica let Cosmoso go so he could get to work on his ship.
Blood, next to her loyal generals, prepared seats for them to partake in the viewing as well. "What may I do for you, mistress?" he asked.
"Hmm. Since Blood Battle is heading for Inezia, I want you to go down there and keep the Rangers from interfering. No better time to begin your work, pet!" Splica instructed. With no other purpose, he nodded, bowed before her with respect, and exited the room. "Now that is a field agent, if I do say so myself. Would you not agree?" She asked of the two loyal brainwashed generals. Up until this point it's safe to assume they hardly even knew of him.
---
Parting ways with the burial site is never easy when you were forced to grow up really fast because of your connection to the place. Has to be done, nonetheless. Visiting parents in a graveyard comes easier after some time passed. Initially it's hard to come and go from there, but after a while and you've coped a healthy way for yourself it's easy to visit. Took Drew forever to be comfortable going. Isaac, too, but the boy does get upset every time he physically sees the landmark so he avoids going at his own discretion. Drew will never force him to go there. Heart's bad enough as is.
Having grabbed the cereal and the battery, Drew started on his way home. Boy it'd be a lot faster if he could fly home! Technically he can if he wants to also be a little irresponsible. He's walking, don't worry.
While walking, he passed by an older-styled electronics shop with TVs in the display window. On was a fight from a "professional wrestling" match. Like anything there is real to begin with. Needless to say, it is really fun to see a guy in red spandex toss people around. Fun in a way that doesn't suggest Drew wants to toss anybody but bad guys around. "Red Rocker versus Green Gutbuster... " Drew read aloud from the TV. Pleasant folk, they sound like.

HQ isn't safe from the match, either. Lab techs and people in common areas had the fight going on, as well. People really like wrestling, it seems like. Boxing is a close second.
 
Writing down her name on the sign-in/out sheet for the last time, Jane over dramatically wrote her name and tore the paper a little. The woman at the desk had little else to do than glare at her as paper isn't cheap here and it's the only college in the city so everything is precious. Something in college kids must make them prone to destroying things in rage or excitement because literally every time school has kicked her ass, she's kicked back and every time she's kicked schools as first...well something literally got kicked. Fun kicking, no stress kicking. Stress kicking has to be bad on the ol' toe beans. Toe beans are just toes...so the bean part is a little weird when it's put into thought for too long or really at all. Screw logic, Jane's done with college save for a final she has to take.
"I'm gonna celebrate with something bad for my teeth," she announced as she and Tanner left the computer lab together, stopping at a vending machine in the building and selecting a delicious and well-earned chocolate bar.
"Didn't you have one of those for breakfast?" Tanner asked.
"Maybe I did, what's it to ya?" Jane responded, cramming the first bite into her mouth with sweet bliss.
"You see I'm worried for you. There won't be hardly any chocolate at the wedding reception for Jesse and Christy you know."
Jane's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Eh? I thought there'd be a fountain of it?!"
Tanner gulped. "Mine and Jesse's dad decided it'd be an unneeded cost."
"Okay no offense... but I don't like him very much now. No chocolate fountain--what wedding won't have that? My wedding sure will!" Jane blurted. Tanner chuckled as the two left the building. "What, me getting married funny?" she asked. Tanner hushed. "That's right, buddy boy."
---
Cosmoso rubbed Volmour the wrong way. An intergalactic gameshow prominently featuring fighting among people, at times bettering the progress of the Armada as it is the Empress' favorite show? When she has the time to partake in an episode of this show escapes him. Escaping him, as well, is the existence of this Blood character on board. Volmour should be on top of things around here, not letting it go by so easy. The intelligence program inside of him encountered another pesky block that had been set ages ago now. He can be so easily re-written by his superiors so it's possible that anything other than coordinating assaults and launching troop movements goes over his head. Blood Battle being taken to Inezia peaked his interest, however, as it should definitely be a ...blood bath.
Cosmoso getting things lined up means he may need help. Volmour had a slew of troops waiting to be dispersed when needed. Always on standby, they are. Blood going down for a mission... now that's a twist. Not him? Actera?
"My lady? If you do not mind me asking, why send him? It's come to my attention I am not familiar with Bio Blood. He's fit with our technology but nothing about him says he's been trained by us. Actera, you haven't developed anything have you?"
---
Calvin watched on a screen as a wrestling match caught the eye of a tech on break. Green Gutbuster and Red Rocker? Names only a mother could love. Could the spandex be any tighter in all of the wrong places? Even Jane and Tanner noticed the fight being shown on Tanner's phone through an app. But the soldier looked more interested in the Battlizer. "Weapons are through the roof, readings off the charts. I can't believe I never got asked to test this..." He sounded jealous.
"Aye, you sound jealous, amigo," Max interjected from behind, earning a stern whack as he did so. It's what he gets for being sneaky when nobody needs a sneaky sneak running around the place. He recovered from it and swung an arm casually over his friends shoulder. "Looking at it again?"
"Yeah I am. It's amazing. How could Drew ever figure this out, it looks just like the old training program we went through to prepare for battle armor...before battle armor never happened widespread." Calvin really did sound a bit jealous. Max picked up on it.
 
"On my way. Be there in 30 latest" Lucas replied, slipping into his jacket and heading downtown to that little cafe where they went for bagels the first time. Plenty of choice in deliciousness there. And it's relatively on the route to HQ anyway. He hopped into the car and rode off. 30 minutes was a fairly long estimate. Depended on how busy it would be at the cafe. With any bad luck he'd be there around lunch rush, but he might arrive just in one of the quiet moments too. Lucas wild figure that out soon enough. He parked his car nearby and walked the last short distance. No line, that was promising at least. As he walked in, he was quite sure he spotted the same elderly couple he and Olivia had seen here before. The pair that had presumed they were a couple just a little while before that had actually happened. He smiled briefly to himself. What a strange day that had been. Tempest making the city unsafe, hurricanes, a blizzard, and a heatwave all in the same day at the same time. Such a strange day indeed, but by far from the strangest. Living typewriters, overgrown dolls, and monstrous plants had been things after that day. That is the life in one of the few remaining cities on a planet under siege. More specifically, the lives of the people protecting said planet from being conquered.

Apparently somewhat lost in thought he had been staring in the couple's direction for a little longer than appropriate.
"Can I help you?" the man asked.
"I... Ah, excuse me. You just seemed familiar, that's all. When I was here with my... well, now she's my girlfriend..." Lucas stammered, shaking his head lightly. He was babbling again, wasn't he?
"You've got a keen eye for faces, boy," the man smiled kindly. "She's not with you this time?"
"No, I just dropped by to pick up some bagels and bring them to her at work."
The lady jokingly slapped her husband. "You never did that for me." The three laughed, and this nice little conversation had given him enough time to decide what bagels he was going to pick up.

A little while later he walked into the commons, bag with bagels in hand. "I got you one with hazelnut," he grinned. "That's one of your favorites, isn't it?" He handed her the bagel and sat down on the sofa as well. So nice to be able to take a break after lots of hard work!
---
Actera knew nothing about this Bio Blood figure. She hasn't seen his file anywhere, hasn't heard a thing about him... And suddenly he's here om board as a new field agent. But the strangest thing was that even though she had never heard of him before, the man seemed familiar. She couldn't place why or how, but something very deep down inside said she had seen him before. Actera simply shrugged it off and shook her head at Volmours question. "I have not," she said, turning her attention back at the screen. Blood Battle. One of the most brutal, lethal, and fun things to watch in this universe. People slaughtering their own kind for the entertainment of those watching never got old.
---
Tidal didn't really have a lot to do this day. He'd spent the morning training, but didn't feel like doing that the entire afternoon as well. So he settles on just launching in his room, Sally somewhere nearby, and playing videogames. Something to take his mind off that battle with the new agent and the monstrous plant.
 
Deep down inside Splica knew sooner or later Blood's truth would come out. Until it needed to, anyhow. Currently needed is a brief mention of how he came to be. The Empress crossed her legs and gazed into the screen as Blood Battle neared a live airing for broadcast across the galaxy. Inezians fighting each other will be glorious to watch.
"It is a simple story, you see," Splica began. "While I was on my own, I did have methods of keeping tabs on Urthemial. Emperor to no one but his own arrogance. Investing into my own resources had been a private matter, but as I arrived here I set things into action. Looking at your previous failure with the Shadow program, I emulated it as seen fit with data collected over time. Desomax' psych amps played a huge role. I collected a nobody from a a dead world and in secret had him trained. Now the time for talk is later, Generals. It is showtime," Splica shushed them and kept her sights on the monitor. Let the games begin.
---
She hadn't had to have laid eyes on him. The scent caught her attention before the sight. Olivia placed her tablet aside and glanced at Lucas with the bagels. "Hazelnut is indeed my favorite. Thank you," she thanked him with a soft smile upon her face, clearing the space beside of her by moving her tablet. From the looks of it, she'd been working on a file for this mysterious figure with only a blurry visual taken from the wasteland. The saturation didn't look right, the picture almost had a crimson tint to it. Momentarily this hazelnut spread bagel is her top concern.

Lab associates fumble over the upcoming fight on the television, whereas Dr. Wilson and Captain Scott fixated attention more towards two soldiers side-barring near a Battlizer graphic. Remarkable, that thing is. The Captain already had doubts about amplifying power with Squadron Mode but the results were in favor of humanity. The Commander Mode in its testing phase nearly obliterated Drew alone, and while it does take any means to win this war, that would be going a smidgen too far. At this point all it had done aside form nearly kill him was prove to be a top of the line weed killer.
"Fascinated by Mr. Valentine's new set, Taylor?" Captain Scott formally asked Calvin. He'd dropped the formalities a while ago but there's an inspection coming soon, so he may as well get back into the swing. Colonel Smith really knows how to push some buttons for an old man.
"My, what people do for entertainment nowadays... " Wilson mumbled, eyeing the TV to the side before shaking his head and focusing on the conversation. He rose a brow to get his two cents back into it.
 
"Ah. I see! You mean to tell us Blood is a secret project long in the making? You are a most cunning woman, my lady. I look forward to seeing the addition this Blood agent makes to our fleet's force," Volmour said after getting a short but sweet idea as to who this new guy is. Analyzing everything that's happened up to this point, even to the former buffoon of a leader they had, no such credit could be given to cleverness. Harvesting people into their ranks is the largest part of their formation as a unit but pulling them from seemingly nowhere is new. Good eye, the Empress has. Better than the Emperor had...at least she has two eyes. Wiping his mind for the moment, Volmour looked into Blood Battle with his Empress to see just how this Cosmoso would deliver in his actions.
---
Captain Scott's sudden entrance startled Calvin and Max, the men snapping in a 180 and leaping into attention with a firm salute. Army guys are going to do that a lot. Is it so easy to tell he's been into the Battlizer lately? Really had he been that observant of it every time he'd entered the lab since going into the wasteland last? Max would probably say yes. They went out for a drink the other night and it was all Calvin talked about. Jealous meter is leaning toward the indication of yes with a capital 'y.' "No sir I...I.... Well yes sir. Just the Battlizer is a really formidable piece. Drew's got to be honored to use it," he said.
"That's his way of saying he wishes he could be the one inside of it. Grease monkey over a soldier is just like tomato and potato to him," Max interjected without a single person asking him to. Thanks, Max. Usted exagerando caca... See Calvin can think in Spanish, too, Max!
After clenching a little and giving Max a hard nudge into the side Calvin cleared his throat. "Not jealous, sir. Just I... well I know Drew is our team leader. But I don't see why he's been chosen for this. It hits all the marks on my records... other than the paint job I'm a little confused why it's on him, is all. Forgive me for being out of line, sir."

In town while looking on Tanner's phone at the fight coming up, Jane and her soon to be in-law came across Drew making his way home. Tanner would have kept walking and maybe waved without drawing attention from anybody else. Then there's Jane.
"Drew! Heyyyyy Drew! Wait up!" she obnoxiously called out. Tanner embarrassingly chuckled at followed behind as she ran up to her friend. "How's it going? I just came from the college, basically finished the semester with flying colors...me being a flying color? You aren't covered in oil. So you're off work today I'm guessing?"
 
"Of course someone as clever as you would have resources and a plan ready for when you'd inevitably take your rightful place as the Armada's ruler," Actera nodded. Urthemial had been nothing but an impatient, one-eyed fool. How he had managed to stay in charge of the Armada more and more grew to be a mystery to her. If their Empress had been around since the beginning, Earth would npt have had a single chance. And those colorful "heroes" would have been killed before they'd pose a thread. Or be drafted into their ranks. Were it not for them constantly getting in the way, the Rangers would make excellent soldiers. But the time to ponder on that, let alone discuss it was not now. The Empress wished to enjoy her show, and she too was curious to see how Inezia would fare in Blood Battle.
---
"Anytime," Lucas smiled back. He eyed the tablet as Olivia put it aside. "Been working hard on this, haven't you?" It was more a conclusion rather than a question. As thought before, knowing her she probably hadn't taken a proper break since the attack. Blurry Wasteland pictures didn't exactly make for the best study materials. Especially not when the saturation looked that odd. Really, you could make someone's hair look green if the saturation was too messed up! "Perhaps you could let Evie take a look at it? She'll know how to fix the saturation and fix some of that blurriness." The perks of working with Graphic Design! That, and the fact she could totally Photoshop an eagle-pegasus on a rainbow in space. She could, and would do that if you'd ask her. Really.

Everyone is so hyped up over that wrestling match. Tidal doesn't quite get the appeal. What fun is it to watch people in way to tight spandex fight each other for entertainment? There's not even a real threat involved! See, if there were giant monsters around, and the spandex didn't make them lok half naked, then maybe it was somewhat more interesting? But what did he know? he fought monsters in spandex on a regular basis. Him being the one in spandex. Not the monsters. Now that's a visual.
 
"Indeed he has to be. The Battlizer is in fact the most state-of-the-art piece of weaponry ever developed in our labs. Most experimental, as well, I might add," said the Captain. Personable matters are hit or miss but he is no fool and can tell if a person is being honest or not. In this setting it's more that Calvin's upset and coming to terms vocally over it. Nothing he hasn't seen at one time or another in his service. Jealousy in the rankings of the Rangers hasn't been a thing really so it's shocking to see said jealousy coming from the most honorable of them all. Literally the most honorable. "You're dismissed, Lt. Sanchez," he said to Max. Lieutenant, commander, lieutenant commander, it makes no difference to him. Seeing Max off, he invited Calvin to sit down for a moment.
Graphics of the battle armor displayed nicely before them to represent the topic. "I have no room for soldiers who can not speak up when they need to do so. You are not out of line. When Mr. Valentine had been appointed team leader it was for a variety of reasons, you know this already. His having it is for the experimentation, although it's unlikely we can develop five more battlizers. Maybe what's bothering you about this can tell you something about yourself." The Captain isn't a "way with words" man but he makes sense from a vague view. Everything that irritates us about others does say something about ourselves. Calvin's bugged about Drew having the new toy more or less so there's something to be found here.

Placing voices in a crowd comes no easier than placing a tomboy screaming at you to get your attention. He jumped but Drew laughed when he saw Jane. Going home might be an odd time to see someone you know, but he could invite her and Tanner over. Isaac would't mind. In fact he might like it since Jane plays the same video games as he does! "Hey kudos on school. I'm not working, nope. Just picked up a few things on my way home from seeing mom and dad is all. After I take these home I have no idea what I'm going to do with the day," he said truthfully. The shopping bags with cereal and a new battery in one hand, he used the other hand to shroud his eyes for a moment. Sun's getting bright it looks like. Artificial sunlight, actually...weather control people are weird. Not as weird as distant arguing coming from a long ways away. Doesn't sound pretty. Thank God he's not involved in that.

"Is it that obvious?" Olivia asked Lucas when pointing out her work. Her blood practically dictated she never sleep or break from a new discovery or anomaly that's pooped up.
"Would she? If Eveline has the free time I'd appreciate that. This image isn't much to go on, even with enhancement, but it's more than we've got. The stranger's fighting, his actions, his faction. I don't like it one bit," she said. It's been eating at her, but the planet dying eats at her too so this isn't a new feeling. What isn't eating at her, but rather being eaten by her, is the hazelnut bagel. Sinking teeth into it she breathed a sigh of joy in a stressful situation. "I think this is how alcoholics feel when they have a sip of red wine in the morning," she said, comparing the feeling of alcoholism to...a bagel being yummy. She's off, isn't she? She sounds so sure of herself, too.

Over head out side of the dome flew the spacecraft Splica had been in contact with. Neon lights brightly shone through the hazy atmosphere of the Earth's surface. Seemingly at random, neon green beams fired into the dome going right through it. All over the city of Inezia, citizens either flew into fits of rage and began assaulting one another or disappearing all together. Notably, Red Rocker and Green Gutbuster vanished on live TV before their fight. People freaked out over that! Ehhhh? Alarms rang through HQ within minutes. Captain Scott and Dr. Wilson's attention directed to it as it should. "What's going on, Wilson?" the Captain demanded. The scientist rushed to his computer.
"Sensors are telling us that in just minutes, fights are breaking out all over the city and multiple disappearances being reported already. Whatever's happening is happening fast, a source coming from this location," Wilson explained with a point on the navigator blown up to better size.
"Commander Taylor, go!" the Captain ordered Calvin before putting out the SOS. "Power Rangers, emergency detected, report to your nav point immediately," the Captain hastily said into the mic. Business as usual!
Olivia in the commons with Lucas heard the alarm. She looked at him with the look of sadness that their moment is ruined but sternly ready to do her duty. "On our way!" she replied to her father. "Let's hurry," she said to Lucas.
Drew got the call with Jane in town. Figures something like this happens as they have a normal day. "We'd better go," he said to her.
 
Max awkwardly saluted and excused himself per the Captain's suggestion, accepting he had maybe overstepped a bound or spoke out of turn. This won't affect his record at all now will it? He'd like to remain enlisted and everything. Something about speaking whenever or whatever you like is going to come back and bite him in the ass someday. Max exited the room as well as the building in general, having to take care of a few things elsewhere anyhow.
Is he hearing voices or did the Captain just give permission to speak up even when sort of out of line? Insubordination is never encouraged by superiors! He's used to just following orders and going with the flow, never asking why and serving his purpose. Joining the army was the biggest choice he had ever made and becoming a Ranger mixed with civilian-level people was a bigger one. Drew was the leader for a reason, Calvin didn't forget that for one minute just... the nagging in his mind is getting to him. "Something about myself?" he repeated, not quite knowing what it meant. He feels as if he's more qualified to handle this certain thing and admittedly a little jealous. Nothing new in that statement at all, so what does it mean?

"Mom and dad?" Jane asked, getting the picture a minute later. "Ohhhh I got you. I--wow the sun's being fucking insane. Cool it, weather people!" Jane said, trailing a bit off topic but shrugging her shoulders. She's known for that. Saying one thing but going to another. It's kind of her thing now. She used to swear like a sailor and always poke fun. Now she isn't as much, ya god damn know-it-all. Ha ha ha! Tanner noticed her train of thought leaving the station and waved a hand by her eyes, rewarding him with a swift elbow in the gut. He groaned, she grinned. "I thought about maybe hitting the comic book store later or getting a burger. Screw out training diets, I like big fattening burgers and french fries damn it. Topped off with a big tasty milkshake," Jane said and did the finger kiss thing, waving a hand into the air. Her stomach nearly popped just thinking about it! "Wanna join in?"

Not a second too soon the call came in. Jane looked at Drew's morpher after hearing it and exhaled. Food needs to wait. "Better be a french fry robot at the hand of what's going on," she commented, nodding at Drew to get going. She took the bag from him and handed it to Tanner. "Take this to Drew's place kay? Kay thanks!" she said, starting to go with him. Tanner nearly choked. "I don't know where he lives!" he shouted, really having no clue where to go! He's supposed to just take this and go?
"Thank you Tannerrrrr!" is all Jane shouted back. Tanner hung his head.
Calvin saluted, jumping at the alarm in the base. "Sir yes sir!" he said, grabbing his coat and running out. As he did so he zoomed past Max, catching his friends attention and making him think 'well I know where he is going.'
 
Lucas chuckled softy. "That, and I know you by now." It'd be pretty bad if he didn't, now would it? He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled kindly. "You really shouldn't forget to take a break every once in a while though. Working hard is a good thing, but you can overdo it." He worried about her sometimes, hardly seeing or hearing anything from her in days when something new that required investigating showed up. But she wasn't the only one who didn't like this new agent. This guy seemed dangerous, maybe even more dangerous than what they'd seen so far. After all... he teleported! And shot them while they weren't Ranger'ed up! So far no villains have done that. "Of course she would. Just send her the picture and ask," he picked up the tablet for a moment, inspecting the picture. He wasn't a master of photoshop, but he could estimate pretty well how much work this should take. "My guess... it'll take her two hours tops." He put the tablet back down and couldn't help but frown a little as Olivia compared the bagel to... alcoholism. That's not a good thing! Then again, it's Olivia. She says stuff like that more often.

And of course then the alarms started blaring. Lucas answered Olivia's sad look with a sight and a light shrug. Finally they were having a nice little moment, and then of course the Armada had to drop in and ruin it. Business as usual. He nodded to Olivia and hurried out of HQ with her.

Trailing back to fighting monsters in spandex, by the sound of the alarms it was time to get right back to that business. Tidal saved the game he was playing and shut down the computer, running out of his room to get to the city and figure out what kind of monster was causing what kind of trouble today. Of of his room and on the way out of HQ, he ran into Lucas and Olivia. "Hi there," he called as he caught up with them. "Think it's the guy from the Wasteland again?" he asked as they made their way to the blinking point in their GPS.
 
"Yeah thanks!" Drew piled onto the awkward if not blatantly rude action of handing the bag to Tanner as Jane led on and implied he will find Drew's apartment easily. Nobody has time to think of solutions for stuff like this when in a pinch. The city's in trouble! Besides if anything he could go to the Corner and have somebody call Isaac. A lot of focus is being put on this battery and cereal box. How important is it in the long run? Not very important at all. Drew chuckled as he and Jane booked it to their location according to the sounds of people fighting and just the general shit you hear.
Acknowledging she needed a break once in a while, Olivia agreed with Lucas before they left in a hurry. Tidal along the way posed a good and relevant question in her mind. "No idea. But I guess we'll find out soon enough," she said with that breaking mid-run tone somebody has while...running.
---
Converging into their group of six the Bio Rangers formed the unit to confront whatever is behind all of the chaos in the city. Every monitor passed by, billboards and screens in windows alike, had gone static as if broadcasting went down. Funny since it was on a minute ago having shown the two wrestlers being abducted by light. Peculiar. Rounding a corner to an area cleared of civilians in an eerie manner to imply they had all vanished, a lone 'survivor' stood in the area, back turned to the Rangers. Discarded items lay around and decorate the ground with purses, phones, books, cases, food, anything somebody may have held on to at the time of disappearance. People going missing all at once is not a good sign. Not good at all by any standards. The silence in the area was nearly deafening. Just a moment ago, Drew and Olivia both heard the sounds of people arguing intensely...now nothing. Worry struck them like lightning. What happened to all of these people?

Stopping and laying eyes on the man left behind, Olivia swallowed. Drew noted her nerve. "Liv?" he asked her.
"It's him. From the wasteland," she replied, guard going from 1 to 10 fast. Tension swept over her with visible caution. Drew eyed the figure.
"So you're the one? The one working with the Rexians? Just who the Hell are you, then? What happened to all of the people in the area?" Drew questioned. He just knew this guy had to be responsible for what was going on. The insanity running rampant then nothing...the way the others described him... too convenient.
Slowly but steadily with a blank expression on his face, no long obscured by a mask but by goggles once more, he turned around with no expression. Just coldness. One step forward in their direction made Olivia brace herself. His teleportation never left her mind. "Careful, everybody," she warned the others.

Raising his one arm up, the stranger revealed what appeared to be a....wait what? No it can't be. It. Can't. Be. On his left arm...just as they wore...the stranger bore a morpher. Clearly a replica or Rexian retool of their own technology. "Olivia? I thought Tidal's was the only one that got stolen?" Drew asked, hands up ready to fight. She shook her head. "It is impossible... there are no other morphers. This has to be--"
"Pure Armada technology," the stranger cut in. "My Empress perfected what already failed," he eyed Tidal. "Now, through her own work, I am here for one reason. And one reason only. To destroy you," he said. Drew and Olivia both flinched. The others back at the base were in shock. Who is this?? And what does he have to do with what happened? He's got to be another distraction. "Initiate," he commanded by voice, hitting the central button just as the Rangers do. Crimson red energy swirled around him, breathing new life into this man in the form of a crimson, dark red suit. It had been armored just as Tidal's original Shadow powers had been, only this time state of the art and designed to kill. "Bio Blood, ready," he introduced himself, holding his wrist as a pose.

Taken back, Drew and Olivia stared in disbelief. He almost looks like an evil version of Drew's ranger power! Only with a more animistic visor and just...dark energy about him. The watched Blood take out a blaster and approach them. Drew felt his blood run cold at the sight of this all over again. An evil Power Ranger? Purely for the Armada? Olivia almost forgot to breathe. She didn't like what he said...by Splica's work he's here. More experimentation. Is this man a poor soul? Whatever he is, he is dangerous and they have to act. "Now, guys! Bio Morpher, Initiate!" Drew led, Olivia following after regaining herself. In a flash of red and pink they changed into their suits and cautiously backed away as Blood encroached in.
"Stay back. Don't make us hurt you," Olivia tried getting through to him.
 
Scaling from lots of background noise and overall bad shit down to nothing and complete silence is how every suspense scene in movies gets the jump scare. Rallying with everybody lessened the blow of the suspense but seeing discarded items all over the place unsettled them. Jane first thought something vaporized everybody in the area so they were dealing with a twisted dickweed from the Armada racking up a huge kill count. Calvin felt this feeling before in combat deployment so if death is what's happening he isn't too scared or affected. That isn't meant to be cold it's just that he's seen a lot of things before. Numbness hit him like a ton of bricks until feeling had been pushed back in upon arrival. Hanging close together is the most sensible thing to do in uncertainty.

Skidding to a halt, almost making that tire sound and mark on the ground, Calvin and Jane both feasted their eyes on a familiar friend.
Guard and tension like Olivia's flushed them, sweat forming on Jane's brow at the memory of this guy. She gripped her leg where it had been shot, the wound still there not in as much pain as it was initially. Calvin's head rang from memory of being hit so hard. This guy meant business. Drew's hunch that the guy is connect to what's happening is more than likely correct. But being so abrasive with him...Drew hadn't felt the strength of this guy. Everybody else had and knew better than to set him off with words. Are they afraid of him? Hell no. But they know what he can and will do. "Noted," Jane said to Olivia's warning of caution. She almost sounded nervous.
"Don't come any closer," Calvin told the figure as he came closer, looking him up and down every detail to the finest. This man is almost a zombie by his mannerisms.

Their hearts...stopped. The stranger wore a morpher. A god damned morpher of full Rexian design. "Uh...old friend of yours?" Calvin asked Tidal just as a way of speaking even if it's rhetorical. Baffled and dumbfounded by the sight of what was later revealed to be exclusive to the Armada, Calvin stared at the device and thought back to when he first joined the Rangers. The wasteland, followed by attending fallen soldiers funerals, volunteering himself to be captured to rescue people who had vanished all to fuel strength found in the new Shadow Ranger just a week or so into his welcome as the Green Ranger. Now that he thinks of it, some of his strength is possibly inside of Tidal. Freaky. Is that what this is? Splica's crack at it doing what Urthemial couldn't? He stopped breathing the moment he transformed...and now facing Bio Blood.
"Oh we did the evil ranger thing already! Even looks the same!" Jane complained at the villain. Half humor, half nerves by her tone. "Last time a Ranger tried to kill us he joined us. I'm sure there's room for you too, pal," she said to him. Calvin shut that down with a grunt. His teleportation and now Ranger power made him the ultimate threat. No way he's joining them.

Snapping out of it, they morphed as he acted fast in coming closer. "Bio Morpher Initiate!" blue and green covered them, backing away as he came closer. Jane kept her distance even though she wanted to pounce like a caged tiger. Her leg served as a warning reminder... Did Lucas feel this way about his arm?
"Bio Baton!" Calvin shouted, summoning the blaster-turned-baton and running ahead of the others on his own. Jane reached out like he was a fucking loony! Glancing at Drew and the others, he thought to himself that any real leader would be doing this. Caution is needed but they have to stop him before something happens. He'll do it himself. Calvin swung the baton down at Blood.
 
When things suddenly go quiet, like really eerily quiet, you just know something horrible is about to happen. They've all seen a horror movie. Any moment now the big scary thing comes jumping into their faces! At least they didn't make the horrible mistake to split up and all go to look somewhere else. Never split the group up. Trouble is bound to be a lot more serious when this happens. Discarded items everywhere were... unsettling, to say the least. Not even that long ago Lucas had written a scene in his book where the heroes stumbled upon a place that was suddenly abandoned... and things really went south from that point on! He nervously shifted his weight from one foot to another. Wherever this was going, he didn't like it one bit. Neither did Tidal, and he had lived in abandoned cities for all his life! The point is... those places are more or less "supposed" to be abandoned. A random spot in a big and still very much alive city such as Inezia? Not so much.

They all stopped, eyeing the figure they already knew so weel even though this was the second time they saw him. The two became wary, almost instinctively taking on a defensive stance. Tidal recalled the nasty taste of plant while Lucas, indeed much like Jane, gripped his arm where it had been shot. The memories were about as fresh as the injuries. "Y'know... when I wondered if the alert was because of this guy... I didn't actually want to be right about it," Tidal said to Lucas and Olivia. Well, at least he wasn't....--! Oh for the love of... Did that guy have a morpher on his wrist? "Didn't want to be right about that either..." he mumbled. The notion to be careful was obvious. None of them were just going to blindly rush in.
Lucas and Tidal tensed up even further as the stranger showed off his morpher as pure Armada Technology. He morphed just the same way as they did...
"Crimson..." Lucas mumbled, immediately recalling the picture on Olivia's tablet. That one had a weird crimson hue to it... Freaky. He swallowed louder than he wanted, trying to seem not so afraid as he really was feeling. Almost felt like the day they first saw an Evil Ranger... For a moment Lucas eyed Tidal. The latter turned back to the others. "Now I know how you guys were feeling back then..." he said to them, followed by a deep breath and a big firm "No," to Calvin's question on this guy being an old friend.

Did the Armada get their hands on another guy like him then? Someone else who was brainwashed and made to serve? By his mannerisms it almost seemed to be so. This guy seemed... thoughtless. Other than blatantly wanting to kill the other six rangers. But that might just be a "programmed" order this guy is supposed to fulfill. Either way... neither Lucas nor Tidal was very keen on the idea of this guy joining them.
"Bio Morpher, Initiate!" the two called, yellow and black energy surrounding them, backing away slightly as the man approached. They were too wary to just go in and attack, even if they had their reasons for wanting to take this guy out as fast as possible. And then... someone, Calvin, rushed in without a second thought. Okay, so Tidal had to get back on his own thoughts on someone not doing something and then doing it. "And this is something I wish I was wrong about..." he mumbled, to which Lucas gave him a "the heck are you talking about" look.
 
"Calvin? What are you--?" Drew called out to his friend recklessly running out to Blood with a point to prove. Taught in every training course ever invented for a team system is to never run in alone with an unknown enemy. Drew's a grease monkey and he knows that. Unless Bio Blood is a person from some secret past of Calvin's, him running in is beyond explanation. This kind of thing maybe could be expected of Jane or Tidal, maybe Drew on a bad day. Calvin's like Olivia and Lucas--calm and observant before charging in. So why he's running is a mystery. The very presence of this seventh ranger is enough to send chills down even the most brave of spines.

Chuckling and tilted his head back, Blood teleported away before Calvin's weapon could hit. While confusing Mr Green, he reappeared behind him and startled Drew and Olivia. "Look ou--!" they were cut off by Blood shooting Calvin point blank in the back, sparks flying everywhere, followed up with a kick in the same spot and a mischievous grin under his visor. If blank expressions can be called grins. Watching him fumble into the ground, Drew and Olivia both rounded around Blood to check on Calvin as he no doubt seethe in pain from the shot. Drew knelt down beside of him in panic as Olivia stood ground around them with the others. Time slowed down, or it felt as it did, allowing Blood to shoot Olivia, Lucas, Jane and Tidal each in the chest one by one, picking them off with powerful shots knocking them far off of their feet until the Christmas-colored Rangers were all that is left. Raising his blaster again, he fired into Drew as he stood up and shielded Calvin from a shot right in his chest. Sparks flew, Drew falling to his knees and wheezing for breath. The hell, why is this blaster so strong??? What is it, nuclear???

"Found two more. Have fun," Blood patched in to his com channel. Seconds later, a beam of light swooped in over Drew and Calvin from outside of the dome down onto them, beaming them up and away. Out of the city. Olivia gasped as they both just vanished, abducted by light.
"What...what have you done to them?" she demanded to know. Blood chuckled and sisterly turned her way.
"Worried about them? Worry about yourself," he reminded her, changing stance and forming his blaster into a blade. With lighting speed he zoomed past her, striking her right in the side before roundhouse kicking Lucas and Jane out of his way to get to Tidal. Sparks flew from the kicks as well. He's a powerhouse. Getting to Tidal, Blood picked him up by the throat and lifted up. "So, Shadow. How does it feel to see a true work of perfection from the Armada?" his grip around Tidal's throat tightened.
---
Something smells of rust. Iron, sweat... new car smell and blood. It's dark, there's a pain, a ton of people shouting in a commotion elsewhere.
Re-materializing after being transported together, Drew and Calvin found themselves on board a ship. Unmorphed now, as well. In a dark corridor, both of them in cells beside of each other. The corridor looked like a prison. A prison with neon signs everywhere you look. So much for the darkness aspect. Drew grabbed a hold of the bars to his cell after realizing where he is. Panic took him. Shaking the bars did no good as they are made of a metal far stronger than any man. Frustrated he backed away and approached Calvin's neighboring cell, only separated by more bars. "Calvin? Calvin you alright?"
 
Running in goes against everything he ever learned in boot camp. Shot to the back really set that one into perspective. Dropping the weapon, Calvin fell onto his front and smoked from the impact sight on his suit, clutching the ground tightly while balling a fist on the pavement. So stupid, he was. Captain Scott now knew how he felt, so having vented the what... inferiority complex to Drew over the Battlizer, he should feel like there's less to prove. If what he meant by this bothersome thing telling him about himself then Calvin must have a deathwish. The power of the shot stung his entire back, right into the nerve. Point blank even if a suit like this leaves a mark like a hella strong paintball. A kick didn't make it feel better, either. If not for the semi paralysis he'd be reaching around and punching the guy in the face. Gritting teeth will have to do.

Jane surrounded him with the others, checking to see if he was okay, getting only grunts and groans from Calvin. Curling her fists she stared at Blood. "You bastard. You're gonna pay for that!" He didn't scare her! No--fuck this dude. Front and center she made an easy target when being shot as well. The blast knocked her far from her feet, rolling over top of Lucas and beside of Olivia. Cue a 'sorry' for the impact and a 'sup' on the landing. Rolling over, Jane held her chest tightly. She never can get used to being shot almost daily. No med packs or healers to just refill her HP in real life.

Calvin looked up when Drew shielded him from a blast. Valiantly, without second thought. The entire time he watched Drew go down he thought of how stupid he was. Not Drew, but himself. He is not being jealous of someone selflessly protecting him...is he? He's better than this! This isn't kindergarten, they're both adults here. Childish thoughts he was having didn't make sense. Nothing affecting his mind other than pure stupidity. Damn it... He reached out to check on Drew after getting some of his own stamina back. That is, until they both beamed up Star Trek style.
From the ground over yonder Jane watched this with the others. Getting back up and assuming position she huffed. "You're just a douche canoe!" Second time she outright threw an insult Blood's way. Paying for it with a kick, knocking her back like a rag doll. What is with her always being tossed aside? It's like the universe is saying she's a sideline. Screw that, universe, you're not her dad! Rage minded, she threw a hand on Blood's shoulder as he gripped Tidal's throat. "Hate to say it, but red looks so much better on the other guy," she pointed out to his crimson red suit. She attempted pulling him down and freeing Tidal. Attempted.
---
Awaking after what felt like seconds, Calvin totally did pass out in the short inter-rum of being beamed. Blinking his eyes open, he felt the cold floor of a dark cell on board a space ship. Not again... He's been beamed up to a ship before, and it wasn't fun the first time either. Cursing to himself, he felt himself out of suit and coughed. Looking around he got a feel for what must be the Las Vega department of the Armada's ship. The hell is going on here? He nearly thought he were alone if not for Drew in the neighboring cell. "Yeah I'm okay. Where the hell are we?" he asked as if he would know. Wow, didn't even ask how Drew was feeling. The shock is what probably caused that.
 
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