Chapter 27: Unraveled

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Triforia had been in a state of emergency since learning of the original arrest of General Axis. Only after Lieutenant Salva returned home and delivered a message on behalf of the General himself did the panic start to subside. Unfortunately, the return to tranquility proved short-lived. The warrior nation soon learned through their tracking systems that Admiral Axl and his sizable space station raced towards their doorstep.

The station soon began to blanket the mountain range next to the capital city in its shadow. Hordes of people turned their gaze skywards and watched in amazement and fear as it locked itself in place.

Panic ensued once more as Triforians the planet over received confirmation that they were to be the first of the culled. Hopelessness and the ever-present question of "why?" lingered in their eyes, eyes that saw their downfall being delivered by the most unexpected of hands. The realization cut deeper than the sharpest of blades could ever hope to. A handful tried to run. More tried to escape. Perhaps some would succeed. But evacuating everyone would require a miracle.

But just then, a video transmission came in. All throughout Triforia, every available screen, computer, and personal electronic device received the feed. The commotion froze in place as the people bore witness to their General. "People of Triforia, lend me your ears!"

The world stood silent as they heeded their General's call.

"I know... I know all too well the fear that consumes you. Just as Admiral Axl plans to oppress our planet, so too did he oppress me nearly all my youth. One of our own now turns on us in his quest for a universe of power. This is not who we are. This is not what we do. So I call upon you now, my brothers and sisters. Do not cower. Do not run. Do not sit idly by while Axl turns our race into planetary target practice! Rise. Rise and fight. Defend your planet, your people, your culture, till your very last breath. Or, your next breath may truly be your last."

The Triforians slowly began hooting, hollering, and cheering. The panic began to give way to a new sense of hope and fiery resolve. Their true leader had returned.

"I'll fight till my last breath, My General!" cried a civilian.

"For Triforia!" cried another.

One civilian hopped up to the top of a transport. "What are we waiting for!? Let's blast that thing out of the sky!!!"

The Triforians gathered everything from missiles and blasters to sticks and pebbles and rallied to help fight this threat. Even the youngest among them who barely understood the gravity of their plight and the oldest among them who could barely walk pushed themselves forward to stand alongside their fellow man.

Meanwhile, the Astro4 carefully navigated towards Madman's space station from above. Taylor pulled up video footage of the Triforian surface which revealed to everyone that Axis' grand speech effectively riled up his people.

Axis gently smiled at the sight. "They never cease to amaze me. If our best guns can get in range, then we can at least slow it down. But we'll need to get inside to dismantle the weapon and stop Axl."

"Alright," Carter looked to the others. "We'll be splitting into two teams: one to stop Axl, and another to stop that weapon from ever firing. Madman, Ethan, Kendrix, get to that weapon, fast as you can. The rest of us will confront Axl."

"I like the sound of that plan," added Jason.

Carter then looked to Alex. "Think you can keep the Astro4 ready for us? I'd hate to ask Jason to do it again."

Alex nodded. "I'll be ready."

Soon after, the Astro4 found an opening so that the team of weapon busters could begin their part of the operation.

"We're getting close to the drop point," Carter said. "Team 1, get in position and suit up."

Madman, Ethan, and Kendrix began to depart.

"Wait, Kendrix!" Jason quickly caught up to her. But his nerves got the better of him, costing him his train of thought. "I just... I wanted to say..."

Kendrix smiled with a subtle shake of the head before gently kissing Jason on the cheek. "We're going to make it through this. And after we do, tell me all about it."

"I will. I promise."

Kendrix then followed Madman and Ethan to the top of the Astro4 while Jason re-joined the others, no longer trembling about what lay in front of him. All his mind could dwell on was the after. He could feel that singular thought driving his confidence forward.

Soon, the Astro4 made its way to a higher level of the station.

"Looks like we're up," said Taylor.

"Ready guys?" asked Carter.

"Ready!" both Jason and Taylor responded.

Axis rolled his eyes in anticipation. "Anything but that battle cry..."

"Chronic Storm, Ranger form!" the team cried as they morphed into Ranger mode.

...

Meanwhile, Madman, Ethan, and Kendrix raced through the space station to track down weapon controls. Madman led the charge, but looked a bit lost when he reached a three-way hallway. "Okay, uuuhhhhh... next right over here." He led the pair right and they continued to rush down the long corridor.

"Are you sure?" asked Ethan.

"I should be. I did build it, right?"

"Why are you asking me!?"

"What do we do when we get there?" asked Kendrix.

"Once we get to weapon controls, we'll need to overload the circuits," Madman replied. "The firing apparatus takes up so much juice that a few tweaks here and there should delay it considerably."

"Delay?" Ethan asked. "Doc, we need to destroy this thing so that it can't ever be used again!"

"Weeeeeeell, that's a bit trickier. Oh! Down those stairs." Madman led the pair down the set of stairs. "It's a very complicated device that could collapse the whole station if not treated carefully. We can't just pull in guns blazing and zap the thing to death."

Ethan sighed in frustration while Kendrix continued to think about the nature of the weapon.

But then, the trio arrived at a dead end.

"Oh... oops," said Madman.

"What do you mean 'oops'?" asked Ethan.

"We didn't take the stairs far down enough. The control panel is literally right under us."

Ethan took to his Morpher. "Thankfully, this baby can solve that. Long story short, I couldn't help but fool around with the upgrades on our way back to Earth. And turns out, I can phase other people, too."

He pressed a button and grabbed Madman and Kendrix by the arms. Before too long, all three became invisible before suddenly phasing through the floor and into a brand new room filled to the brim with display screens monitoring weapon stability.

"What was that!?" asked Madman with wide eyes.

"Ghost powers. Cool right?"

"Guys, we're here," Kendrix added as she carefully walked up to the bevy of control screens. "But how do we shut it down?"

...

From the bridge of the space station, Admiral Axl watched over the Triforian skyline while pulling up visuals of the surface to the sides of him. He stood motionless and unphased at the sight of his former people rallying against him. "Those Triforian fools. Do they really think they can dent this weapon with yesterday's blasters? It's time to end this miserable race and finally rid myself of them forever."

Axl turned a knob on the bridge's console which began to warm up the weapon. Then he pressed a series of buttons, locking onto the chemical signature of Triforian lifeforms. The front tip of the space station started giving off a yellowish-white light that steadily grew in intensity, bathing the skyline in its gleam.

The Triforians down below reeled back at the sight of the charging beam, as if a second sun started to emerge above the mountain range. They attempted to fire everything they had at the station, including the capital city's long-range laser cannons, but nothing proved effective, as the dazzling glare continued to shine on.

Madman, Ethan, and Kendrix could feel a newfound rumbling at their feet.

Madman knew immediately and communicated with the rest of the team. "Uh oh, sounds like Axl is warming up the weapon. Better get moving."

Carter responded from higher up in the station. "We're almost at the bridge now. That's where he should be operating from."

At last, Carter, Jason, Taylor, and Axis reached the bridge doors and quickly kicked them down. They took a look inside, but no sign of the Admiral. All the while, the floor beneath them started to shake.

"We haven't a moment to lose," said Axis.

"That's correct, brother." Suddenly, Axl appeared from around a hallway. "But only because you have no moments left."

Axis looked back at him with an intense glare and shaking fists. "This is the highest form of treason! I will see to it that you regret your actions on this day for years to come. Decades, if needs be."

"You're a talented talker, brother. Always have been. But none of your words will make a difference now. My weapon is charging. There is no stopping it. And, in the meantime, I can slay the last Triforian."

Axis reeled back a step, stung by the dismissive and relaxed nature of his brother's words. "Have you truly fallen so far as to forget your own people, brother...? Our parents, our old dwelling? Does none of that mean anything to you anymore!?"

"All that matters to me is universal conquest. And soon, my conquest will stretch far beyond the four Quadrants until all is mine. If that means sacrificing these people, so be it."

"We're here to stop you," Carter stated. "It's four on one. You have the option to give up now. It doesn't have to get any messier."

Axl started to rev up his electric powers out of both hands and fired them upon the team. A blinding pile of smoke built up around the area he zapped. "Hmm, all too easy."

Axl started to turn around only to see Jason charging in out of the corner of his eye. "Not today!" He emerged from the smoke while whipping out his Chronic Blaster and shooting down every inch of Axl he could see with a barrage of green lasers.

Axl grabbed the blaster from Jason's hand, crushed it with the force of his grip, and tossed it aside.

From behind Axl, General Axis let out a lightning blast of his own landing square on the Admiral's face. Carter and Taylor followed in from the front and gunned down Axl with repeated shots from their blasters, forcing Axl down to one knee.

Tiny fragments of his red and black mask started to chip away under the heat of the battle and a sizable crack could be found cascaded across his concealed face. "Now... you've made me mad." He surrounded himself with an electrical field as he rose from the ground.

The blaster rounds kept coming, but they couldn't penetrate the field. Not even Axis' electricity could counter the barrier.

"Now, die!" Axl unleashed the electrical energy in almost every direction, taking aim at Taylor, Carter, and Axis.

Axis managed to avoid the strike while Jason rushed in front of Carter and Taylor. He then called upon his green aura, built up his power in both his fists, and rapidly punched the electrical surges away.

Axl continued to push volt after volt of power into his attack to break through Jason's resistance, but his aura kept repelling the continual surge. Through the burning sensation, Jason gritted his teeth and tightened his muscles to put more into his aura while walking forward. "You... cannot... be allowed... to win!!!"

Axl focused everything he had on trying to repel Jason's forward motion, but struggled to stop it. Just then, he lost his footing. "What?"

He looked back to notice Axis had been using his electrical powers to burn the surface underneath Axl's right foot while Jason's aura stole his attention.

"You must learn to mind your surroundings, brother. A lesson for the afterlife, I suppose."

With the General's distraction, Axl's attack broke off while his right foot stood trapped in place.

Carter walked up to an out of breath Jason and patted his shoulder. "Jason, got any more juice?"

Jason took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and reignited his green hue. "Plenty."

"Good," Taylor replied. "Let's take it to him."

Carter and Taylor rushed into Axl and smashed the sides of his midsection with harsh kicks.

Jason focused his aura's energy completely into his right fist and feet and charged Axl with everything he had, using his power now to accelerate faster than ever before. "Now, you're finished!!!"

He connected with a punishing strike to Axl's face followed up by a powerful kick to the stomach.

"GAAHHH!!!" Axl grieved in pain.

As Axl tried desperately to gather himself, Jason punched him two more times across his mask, refusing to let up. "That was one for every member of my team that you threatened the life of!"

Jason tightly clenched his fist and cocked back his fist once more. "And this last one, it's from all of us; every planet, every person, every nation that you can't harm anymore because your reign is coming to an end!"

He threw one last punch as hard as he could, landing squarely on the face mask of Axl. The decimated mask retained only half of its form as the broken fragments started to clack upon the floor, littering the ground with black and red shards.

Axl tried to cover the exposed left side of his tan face while turning away from Jason. Axis looked into his one exposed eye; a sight that left his lips and eyes to quiver uncontrollably.

"Taylor to Team 1," she communicated to the others. "Axl is down, but things are still bumpy here. Is that weapon still charging up?"

"Taylor, it's Ethan. We made it to the control station. We delayed this thing but we can't stop its charging sequence with anything here."

"Darn it all!" Madman cried. "I built this thing and I can't even turn it off? Hahaha, the irony is killing me!"

Just then, an idea jumped into Kendrix' mind. "Wait, I think I might know a way to shut the weapon down. If it has too much energy to turn off, then maybe we can use that energy against it."

"But how?" asked Ethan.

Kendrix used her Morpher to scan through detailed information on the weapon's internal mechanisms. "Based on the unfinished schematics from the Moonbase, this weapon eliminates life by elemental targeting, correct?"

"That is technically true," Madman replied. "With all the different elemental components of lifeforms and non-lifeforms, calibration becomes hard and... Wait a minute, you've really got something, haven't you?"

Kendrix nodded. "First, we reprogram the weapon to fire on any sign of the metal that this station is made out of. Then, we reverse the polarity of the firing apparatus so that the blast goes inward. Last, we get out of here before this whole thing implodes with us inside."

Ethan looked to Madman. "Can we do that?"

"Ha! Yes, we can! I completely forgot about reversing the firing apparatus!"

"Did everyone get that clear?" communicated Kendrix.

"Kendrix, you're a genius!" replied Jason.

"Alright team, we know our play," Carter said. "Get on it and Alex will have the Astro4 waiting for you around your position."

While the Rangers finalized the details of their plan, Axis approached his fallen brother while closely examining him. "As I suspected. It would seem we have an impostor."

Jason and the others quickly whipped their heads around. "Are you saying that's not Axl? Who else could it be?"

Axis grabbed the Axl look-alike by the collar. His repulsed expression could barely make eye contact with the fraud he flung him towards the others. "Have yourself a good look at the true face behind the mask."

As Jason did so, he immediately became paralyzed by fear and shock, as if caught in a deep trance. His heart rate jumped and his eyes watered while the view through his visor seemed to grow foggier. "No... no no, it can't be... This... isn't real, hehe, it's all just a misunderstanding. Hehe, it has to be!"

Taylor and Carter looked on with equal shock and alarm at the darkest of twists. The man behind the mask was no man at all. It was the weakened face of Queen Diane herself. Nobody knew what to do with this newfound information. Nobody knew how to respond. The vigorous rumbling of the station and Jason's heavy breathing provided the only audible sounds.

But Carter forced himself to shake off the burning sensation lingering inside his gut. "Guys... we have to get back to the Astro4. We only have maybe minutes before the station goes critical. I'll contact Alex and tell him to bring the ship around."

Axis lifted Diane onto his back. "I assume none of you would like the honor?"

"Shut up and move," stated Taylor coldly.

Axis smirked. "I like this one. Much more bite than your last Yellow Ranger."

Carter, Taylor, and Axis started to move out, but Jason stood frozen in place, still.

Carter noticed and quickly walked back to him. "Jason... I know... But we have to go."

Jason could barely hear Carter's words, let alone register the sights and sounds bouncing around inside his mangled senses. But still, his body seemed to move all by itself, as if overtaken by an unfamiliar spirit looking to escape the danger while his mind fluttered away. He couldn't even hear his own footsteps as he looked down upon his dashing feet. Nothing felt real. Nothing felt at all.

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