Streaks of Purple Saga Volume Four, Heather Ray [accelerated reader books txt] 📗

sequence," he commanded. Saba's eyes flashed as the sentient saber complied, programming the transformation. The Lion, Griffin, Unicorn, and Firebird reconfigured their shapes and snapped into place, and the Black, Yellow, Blue, and Pink Rangers joined him in the Megazord cockpit.

"Let's rock his world!" Zack cheered.

"We have to be careful," Trini warned, "The Misfits were incredible fast and agile. If this version is even a fraction as nimble, we'll never land a punch."

"Good point," Tommy murmured, activating his communicator, "Jason, Alexis, do you read?"

^I'm here, Bro.^

^So am I, Tommy.^

"You guys have to knock the Misfit off balance. Set him up, then we'll take him down."


Chapter Forty-Four

Jason quickly reviewed the information fed to the Red Dragon's computers. His face tight, he switched the all-call communication frequency to just the Eaglezord. "Alexis, we'll have to hit him together. Hopefully we can get him to stagger, and that'll open him up for the Megazord. So sweep in fast, hit hard, then get out of the way. Your Zord is more agile than mine, so you get first strike."

^Copy that.^

Jason tensed as the Eaglezord tore away from him, reaching speeds the hulking Red Dragon simply couldn't meet. The bird of prey made a daring swoop, edging so close to the towering menace it almost looked like she'd collide right into its broad chest. However, she angled perpendicular to the ground, skirting to the right while releasing a deadly volley of Wing Blades. The sharp metallic feathers bounced off the sleek surface without harm, but managed to get the Mega Misfit's attention.

"Not bad," Jason conceded, his left hand reaching for a lever, "My turn."

While the Red Dragon lacked the maneuverability of the far smaller Eaglezord, it did possess a brute strength and firepower befitting its larger size. The great flying Zord angled forward, spitting a stream of fire from its jaw that crashed into the Misfit's side. The monster stumbled at the force of the impact, and did not recover its bearings in time to dodge the Dragon's heavy tail.

The blow knocked the Super Misfit off its feet entirely, forcing him into the spacious school parking lot.

Jason winced. "Something tells me there'll be some new carpooling regulations for the rest of the year," he sighed, aiming the Red Dragon's flame-thrower. As the flowing stream of unearthly fire pummeled the shaken Misfit, he flipped his communicator. "Alexis, keep your distance," he advised, "Tommy, he's all yours!"

Chapter Forty-Five

"Nice work, guys," Tommy congratulated, "Let's veer left, and keep clear of Jason's fire."

Blue and Yellow nodded in compliance, and programmed the path in which the Mega Tigerzord would tread. Once the large Zord was about fifty feet away, a grid covered the screen, targeting a shot.

"Kim, fire at will!"

Fierce triumph lit Pink's eye. "Firebird, locked on and ready!"

Energy engulfed the arm-mounted Firebird, sending it tearing through the air at speeds that broke the sound barrier. The energy storm it created crashed into the Mega Misfit dead on, tossing the beast into the hard pavement with enough force to utterly decimate much of the area.

However, to the Rangers' astonishment, the creature did not explode into a fiery burst of magic. Instead, it rose to its feet.

"Now what?" Zack demanded, snarling in frustration, "We served it the Firebird and he's coming back for seconds!"

"We won't beat this Misfit with brute force," Trini realized, turning to Billy, "Did you figure out the connection between the Misfits and last night's victims?"

"Actually, we did hit upon a development..."

"I knew it!" Kim interjected, "So can we do anything; like break the bond or something?"

Billy was startled by her choice of words. "Zordon and I had hypothesized that if we were to destroy the Misfits, the victims would likely regain consciousness."

Zack huffed. "Easier said than done!"

"However, we never had the opportunity to consider the reversed causal factor."

Trini's smile lit up. "So what would

happen if the victims regained consciousness? Would that destroy the Misfits?"

"Perhaps," the genius murmured, his thoughts shaping a new plan of action, "If I had some time, I could investigate the possibility of 'breaking the bond,' as Kimberly put it. It might have a staggering effect on the Misfits, which would turn the tide of this confrontation."

"Then go back to the Command Center and keep working on it," Tommy decided, "Trini, you go with him. Hopefully the two of you can bail us out again."

Trini frowned. "Both of us?"

"Right. We're disconnecting the Megazord, and the Griffin and Unicorn will retreat for now." Tommy grimaced. "We don't have the firepower to destroy the Misfit, so our most powerful attacks will only flatten the neighborhood. We'll resort to smaller Zords and quicker strikes to keep the Misfit distracted and minimize damage."

"Sounds like a plan!" Kim agreed.

Tommy activated his communications relay. "Alexis, Jase, you two keep the Misfit busy. We're disengaging the Megazord, and Trini and Billy will work on a Trump card."

^We're on it,^ Jason replied.

^Good luck, you guys!^ Alexis called.

The five Rangers exited the cockpit, each one hurrying to his Zord as the Megazord separated.

Chapter Forty-Six

Within moments the Yellow and Blue Rangers materialized in the Command Center.

"Alpha," Trini murmured, her eyes sweeping across the headquarters, "where's Aisha?"

"I healed her as best as I could, and then teleported her to one of the living quarters so she could rest without being in our way," the small robot explained, "Once she wakes up I can send her back to Angel Grove."

"RANGERS, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE," Zordon decreed, "DO YOU HAVE ANY THEORIES?"

Trini pulled off her helmet, and rested it against a console. "There must be some

way to block

their minds from the Misfit."

"What do you mean?" Alpha questioned.

Billy also removed his helmet, and began pacing as he thought aloud. "Earlier, we had determined that the victims' consciousness is being channeled into the Misfits. So, it follows that there is a channel through which that neural energy is traveling. There is a connection... perhaps a magical link... between the victims and the Misfits. If that link was severed, if Zedd's magic could be blocked out, then the victims should recover, and the Misfits would be cut from their neural sustenance."

Billy raced to the nearest computer interface. "Some kind of mental shield," he muttered, a plan taking shape.

Trini turned her gaze to her mentor. "Zordon, do you have access to any technology that protects the mind from magical influence?"

The sage considered the suggestion. "ALPHA, PLEASE RETRIEVE THE KEROVAN BATTLE HELMET FROM THE BASEMENT."

"Great idea!" Alpha chirped before hurrying toward the elevator.

Both Trini and Billy stared up at Zordon. "Kerovan?" Billy repeated, his tone curious.

"KO 35 IS A HUMAN COLONY LOCATED APPROXIMATELY TWELVE LIGHT YEARS FROM EARTH. THE KEROVANS HAVE BEEN MEMBERS OF THE ALLIED PLANETS FOR CENTURIES, AND STRUGGLE AS WE DO AGAINST THE FORCES OF EVIL."

Billy's green eyes widened in awed astonishment. "There's a human colony? Remarkable!"

"THE KEROVANS ARE NEARLY IDENTICAL TO EARTH HUMANS BIOLOGICALLY. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE A DEEPER MASTERY OVER THEIR MINDS, AND HAVE PRACTICED TELEPATHY AND TELEKINESIS FOR GENERATIONS. THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORKINGS OF THE HUMAN BRAIN FAR SURPASS MY OWN, AND THEY HAVE DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGY TO BOTH STIMULATE THE MIND, AS WELL AS PROTECT IT FROM OUTSIDE FORCES.

"HOWEVER, THE KEROVANS AS A WHOLE ARE NOT MAGICALLY INCLINED. THE MAINSTREAM SOCIETY SHUNS MAGIC AND INVESTS ITS RESOURCES IN TECHNOLOGICAL OR TELEPATHIC EVOLUTION. AS A RESULT, THE KEROVAN BATTLE HELMET WAS DESIGNED TO AUGMENT THEIR OWN TELEPATHIC AND TELEKINETIC ABILITY, AND SHIELD THEIR MINDS FROM TELEPATHIC MANIPULATION. IT WAS NOT DESIGNED TO BLOCK OUT MAGIC SPELLS."

"It's still a step in the right direction," Trini recognized, "but, we'll need the technical blueprint of the helmet if we're to make changes to the design."

"THE FULL BLUEPRINT AND DESIGN PHILOSOPHY ARE AVAILABLE IN THE DATABASE, UNDER KO 35 TECHNOLOGY. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE TECHNICAL SPECS FOR AN AMPLIFIER, WHICH IS USED TO CAST THE PROTECTIVE SHIELD OVER A RADIUS OF UP TO ONE HUNDRED FEET."

"Good," Billy murmured, picking up his helmet. "Trini, please conduct the initial research. I will join you momentarily."

"Where are you going?"

He hurried to the teleporter. "To the hospital. We'll need to test the helmet on someone already under Lord Zedd's enchantment."

Chapter Forty-Seven

Once upon a time, Angel Grove Memorial Hospital could have been compared to any other medical institution in