The Terran Rangers/Final Fantasy VII, Heather Ray [desktop ebook reader txt] 📗

sucessor. At this point, his plan was working flawlessly. The attack of the Contagion monster had been brilliant, as well as its selected place of attack. The rangers were all exposed to the disease, and considering that they had been locked away in the CAC for over an hour, it was obvious they were affected. Although Goldar couldn't see what happened inside the hidden Power Ranger headquarters, he did keep an eye on the Youth Center itself, hoping for a clue. Unfortunately, the rangers had ordered that no one enter the Youth Center, effectively avoiding a plague capable of wiping out all life on Earth. But the rest of Earth would be child's play to destroy, as long as the rangers themselves were out of commission. And, considering that the Green Ranger had lost consciousness, and needed to be teleported out of the Youth Center, the odds were that the other rangers suffered similar symptoms.

"Now that the defenses are down, the King is exposed," Goldar said, his claws clasped together, "and it's time to put the King in check."

"A chess metaphor?" Finster said, visibly startled. "My my, you have been here too long."

Goldar shrugged. "I always enjoyed games of strategy. Did you finish creating the army of Viper Putties?"

"I already told you, what you're asking is impossible," Finster sighed, "Viper Putties are a very special breed of Putty Patrolers, meaning they require a very special type of clay, mixed with my very own recipe of toxins and lizard DNA to give them their poisonous venom and regeneration ability. You are asking me to create thousands of Putties, to invade dozens of cities! I simply don't have the resources to do that. If I did, Zedd and Rita would have come up with this plan months ago!"

Goldar's eyes widened. He had always believed the only reason why Zedd and Rita didn't attack the entire planet was because of their obsession to get revenge on the Power Rangers, and Zordon before them. But in reality, they didn't have an efficient way of doing it.

"Could we create an army of giant-sized monsters?" Rito suggested, his voice nasal.

"No. Only Zedd and Rita can expand the size of monsters, and my Monster-Matic can only make a maximum of three monsters at once. And those three monsters are substantially weaker than they would have been had they not been created together."

"I don't believe this," Goldar muttered. "So close..."

"Let's face it, without Zedd and Rita, we don't have the resources for global conquest," Finster said, crossing his arms. "We don't have the power to match their magic. If we did, they would have served us, instead of the reverse."

"Good point," Baboo muttered. "So, now what?"

"I think we all need a vacation," Squatt said. "When was the last time we relaxed."

Goldar growled, and slammed his fist on the armrest of the throne. "No! We will not rest, not when the rangers are down! The affects of the virus are unpredictable! Who knows how long they will be out of commission?"

"Who knows if they are out of commission?" Finster retorted calmly. "If we create a plan of invasion, based on the assumption that the Power Rangers will not interfere, then we are doomed to failure."

"Then, what do you suggest?" Goldar grumbled.

"It is simple. The best way to expand our forces is for you and Rito to join the battle. I can create a total of three monsters, meaning five powerful warriors will be on Earth. I believe we should first destroy Angel Grove, just as Rita and Zedd had always planned. If the rangers truly are ready for battle, they will certainly intervene. That is the test, to see whether or not they are out of commission. Once we determine that the rangers are taken care of, we can instigate a search for the Central Access Complex. We already know its beneath the remains of the old Power Chamber, but it is hidden. If we can take out the base of operations, then we will inflict the fatal blow."

Goldar remained silent, thinking over Finster's plan. It was flawless, keeping in mind all the possibilities. The likelihood of the Power Rangers being able to defeat five monsters at once was nill, even if they are all in perfect health. And if the rangers are ravaged by the Space Virus, the team of villains can locate the hidden base and destroy it, possibly with the rangers still inside. If they were ill, they would certainly not risk infecting friends and family by leaving the contained environment of the CAC. The perfect plan...it was just a shame Goldar hadn't thought of it.

"Let us put your plan in motion, Finster," Goldar decided. "All those in favor?"

"I!" all the villains chorused.

"Excellent," Goldar said, rising from the throne, "Finster, how will you decide which monsters you will create?"

"For once, I can choose the monsters myself, rather than rely on Rita's shaky schemes," Finster muttered, rubbing his chin, "I shall choose monsters that are equipped to deal with the rangers."

"Perfect. All five of us shall go our separate ways, as far away from each other as possible. The rangers' fabled teamwork won't do them any good if they are forced to split up!"
Chapter Nine

On the southernmost continent of the distant planet of Midgar, two powerful beams of white sliced through the bluish-purple sky. They continued downward, and came to a halt at a small clearing within a dense forest. Once the lights touched the green grass, they materialized into two young humans, who had traveled millions of miles to reach this destination. Their friend's life was at stake.

"Okay," said Zack, turning full circle, "where are we?"

"I don't know," Billy answered, peering into the trees. "Obviously a forest of some kind, but I'm not sure which direction we should be going..."

"Oh wow," Zack muttered, staring directly above him. "Check it out!"

Billy followed Zack's gaze, and stood in silent astonishment. Hanging in the northern part of the sky was a huge rock, glowing with a purple aura of energy. It lit up the typically blue sky of the entire planet with its colored energy, and sparks of energy flashed on occasion on its cratered surface.

"A meteor!" Billy exclaimed. "And it's falling to the planet! A meteor that size could completely destroy Midgar!"

"That can't be good," Zack muttered. "This entire planet will be destroyed? Can the inhabitants do anything about it?"

"I doubt it," Billy said solemnly, "Midgar is technologically comparable with Earth. It has no space program at all, so its unlikely they have machines capable of stopping that meteor."

Zack shook his head, and continued walking around the clearing. "We don't have tons of time here," he said finally. "We should get moving."

"If memory serves, the high-density energy source I picked up at the CAC was inside a forest forest," Billy commented, digging through the pouch strapped on his shoulder, "This must be the right path."

"Good," said Zack, "which way should we go?"

"Let me see if I can get a reading on the energy," Billy said, pulling a small device from the pouch. He pressed a few buttons, and a beam of blue light fired from the sphere atop the device, and pointed west.

"Rocky packed a tracker," Zack commented, as he began following Billy through the thick forest. He then began searching through his own pouch. "Another tracker, a medical laser, an energy rope, and rations! Good job, Rocko!"

"Affirmative," Billy said, "this equipment will certainly make our job much easier."

As they walked, the air around them took on a greenish glow. Zack stopped walking, and stared at the faint swirls of green mist. "What's that stuff?"

"It's the raw form of Mako energy!" Billy said, a smile on his face. "Naturally, Mako is a liquid, but apparently it's been boiled, sending vapor into the atmosphere. We must be getting closer."

Zack nodded, and continued following Billy through the forest. He stopped short when he saw movement from the corner of his eye.

"What was that?" he asked aloud, turning around again. But all he saw were stationary plants, just as before.

"What's wrong?" Billy inquired.

Zack took a quick look around, and then turned back to Billy. "I guess this forest is creeping me out is all."

Just then, a figure growled from above, and leaped from its high perch. It was shaped like a wheel, with a hard green shell, and it rolled right into Zack, knocking the wind out of him. It then rolled to a safe distance, and stretched out. Billy's eyes widened when he laid eyes on the five foot long green insect, with beady violet eyes, and a scorpion-like tail.

"I think we've encountered our first Midgar monster," Zack muttered weakly, forcing himself to sit up.

Without giving the pair the chance to regroup, the monster rolled into a wheel again, and rolled quickly in Billy's direction. Billy cartwheeled to the side, barely avoiding the monster. Instead the insect crashed into a tree, and reduced it to splinters. The insect then unrolled, and looked around in confusion. Billy saw his window of opportunity, and pulled the laser gun from his pouch.

It's a medical laser,

he thought, but it should prove effective against this creature. It was made to cut through flesh and bone with pinpoint accuracy.

The creature soon recovered its bearings, and it reared on its hind legs, preparing to jump at Billy. It never got the chance. A tight beam of blue light streamed from the gun, easily slicing through the insects armored shell. Suddenly, the creature vanished in a pulse of red light.

"What happened to it?" Zack asked, weakly rising to his feet.

"The monsters on Midgar are composed of magic, just like the monsters Zedd and Rita send to Earth," Billy answered. "Perhaps when they are defeated, the magic is released from its corporeal casing, just like the monsters back home."

"That would make sense," Zack said, glancing at his own laser gun. "Wow, this thing has ten

settings! From match-lighting mode to Shake 'n Bake mode."

"I had my laser on level seven," Billy said. "Unfortunately, the stronger the setting, the quicker the laser runs out of energy. If we are to succeed, we will need to find weapons with more --"

He stopped short when he saw a rustling in the bushes nearby. Another insect leaped out of its hiding place, and glared at them menacingly.

"I think he's mad," Zack whispered.

"I would agree," Billy said, glancing at another bush, "and unfortunately, he has brought some friends!" Zack turned to where Billy was looking, and stepped back when he saw three more insects crawl into the small clearing. Soon, even more joined in, until seven monsters surrounded them.

"Plan?"