An extract from my Mighty Morphin Power Rangers redux - this being the rewrite of "Changing of the Zords". This is the scene where Zedd enters the Command Centre and blackmails the Rangers into helping him. As always, because this is my personal rewrite, there may be some facets which don't make sense - such as Zedd's religion - but when I (hopefully one day) get the whole saga finished, these elements should make sense.
Rated 12 or PG-13 for some bad language.
"Sacrifice" - a sample from Grace's MMPR Redux projectZedd looked between each of the Rangers, seeing the fear, horror and disgust in their youthful countenances. Seeing him up close appeared to have a profound effect on them – all of them except the two stalwarts, Tommy and Jason. Zedd looked around the Command Centre, his vision taking in the consoles and computers, the viewing globe, Zordon’s energy tube, and Zordon himself of course. It was an impressive setup, and looked not one of the many thousand years old that it was. Lexion had done a good job. “Not a bad place,” he mused, his chrome-plated toes clinking against the metallic floor. “You are well equipped.” The Rangers stepped back each time he got too close to their personal boundaries; they were determined to keep the maximum distance between themselves and their nemesis as he meandered around their control room. “Get on with it, Zedd,” Zordon commanded. “Kimberly’s life is on the line.” “And so it is,” Zedd concurred, pirouetting on the spot and turning sharply to look up at Zordon. “The Pink Ranger is incapacitated, her Coin in my possession and her life in my hands.” He paused and lightly shrugged his shoulders. “And so I put it to you: What can you possibly offer which might encourage me to save her?” Zedd then turned around slowly and fixed each of the Rangers with a stare, aware that he was treading dangerously, fanning the flames whilst he stood within the inferno. “Go ahead,” he continued. “Convince me to be charitable.” Jason swallowed, his rigid expression telling of his inner rage, yet in his typical manner, he managed to contain it. With arms folded over his broad chest, he stepped toward Zedd and, giving him a level stare, said, “Well, why don’t you tell us what you want?” Zedd stared back. “That list would be long indeed,” he mused. “You must each fear what I might ask of you… and feel sickened by the nerve I have in asking anything of you here, on your own territory.” “You’re taking a great risk,” Billy stated, his words cold and clipped. “We could trap you here, attack you…” “Kill me?” Zedd posed, adding the unsaid threat to the list. Billy swallowed, but said nothing. “That is all very true,” Zedd continued with a low sweep of his head, “But you must understand that whilst I hold the Pink Ranger, you will instigate her death by harming me. If indeed you have the propensity to harm me at all…” Tommy twitched, this banter taking too long. “Will you just get to the point?” he demanded. Zedd snickered then surprised them a little as he clapped his hands together and began circling them at an energetic pace. “All right, Power Rangers,” he said, “this is your dilemma: I swear to the great DaiShin-Ryu that I shall release your Pink friend if one of you, in turn, does a good deed for me. A trade of favours, if you will.” The Rangers exchanged yet more uneasy glances, perturbed. “Which would be what exactly?” Trini challenged. Zedd smirked, though the gesture was lost on his audience, and then gestured a hand toward himself, bringing attention to his mutilated form. “You don’t know how this happened, do you?” The Rangers were confused and now even Zordon was becoming agitated by the Emperor’s dillydallying. “Your incompetence caused your debility, Zedd. It bears no significance to Kimberly’s imprisonment.” Zedd’s head jolted upwards and he stared at Zordon. “It was a similar incompetence which led you to be trapped in another dimension!” he snapped, pointing a claw at the sage. “Do not presume to lecture me on such things.” The Rangers shifted uneasily, an historical significance now hovering in the air between the wizard and the warlord. Zordon never had told them the story behind his present state so their curiosity was, as always, triggered by speculation on this. This was all except Tommy, however, whose impatience now overrode his curiosity and bolstered him into stepping in front of Zedd and snarling, “What ‘favour’ do you want, grille-face?” Zedd tensed, glared, and pulled a fist back to strike. But then he thought better of it and slowly lowered his hand, laughing uneasily and flexing out his fingers. “Have you ever heard of the Zeo Crystal?” he asked. The Rangers were slow to react, eyeing Zedd with distrust and uncertainty. “No,” Jason said, speaking for them all. “What is it?” “It is, as its name suggests, a crystal, but it is one of inordinate power. No one knows from whence it came, or for what purpose it might have been created, but that is of no consequence. All that matters is that it exists.” “And you want to get your grubby paws on it, no doubt?” Trini challenged in a seething tone. “Yes, Yellow Ranger, I would like to get my – what did you say? – “grubby paws” on it. Heheh. I like that phrase. I shall remember it.” Billy meanwhile was listening carefully and connecting the figurative dots. “And the Zeo Crystal did that to you,” he deduced, gesturing a hand toward Zedd and motioning from the Emperor’s head down to his toes. Zedd nodded slowly. “Not quite. It was the force-field that protects the crystal that did this to me.” Zack looked disgusted, “So you want us to risk getting maimed on your behalf and get this stupid crystal for you? Well not one of us is gonna get fried for you, you got that?” “Oh, Black Ranger – you do not understand,” Zedd countered. “This force-field is selective.” “So it only mutilates scum like you?” Tommy interposed. “You are testing my patience, boy!” Zedd thundered. “But that’s what you’re saying, right?” Jason pushed on. “You think one of us will triumph where you failed.” Zedd nodded. “Aye. Whether the curse was against my blood, my nature, or my species, I know not. But I believe one of you selfless, magically impotent creatures might have the capacity to evade the shield and retrieve the crystal safely.” “Yeah but still, you know we can’t do that,” Zack continued solemnly. “We can’t freely hand you a crystal that’ll no doubt give you the power to destroy us all.” “Then I leave now and slit the throat of your little pink friend! It is of no consequence to me.” “No!” Tommy shouted. “You can’t kill her!” Zedd grabbed Tommy’s collar and shook him. “Then bring me the Zeo Crystal!” “Let him go!” Jason ordered. Zedd looked at the Red Ranger and flung Tommy toward him. “Have him,” he grumbled. “Now I’ll give you a moment to make your decision.” “That’s it? You’re giving us no more details?” Zack asked. “I mean, where is the crystal?” “You need no more details at present – all that is required is a response to my proposal: either you agree to get me the Zeo Crystal or you agree to allow me to kill your friend.” “Bastard,” Tommy hissed. Zedd stared at him and indulged in a long silence before he motioned his head steadily from side to side and murmured, “Tick-tock-tick-tock.” Tommy was ready to pounce but Jason took a hold of him and kept him back. “Tommy, enough!” he said. “For Kimberly’s sake.” Jason’s firm reproach was enough to bring Tommy out of his rage and he took a step back, though did not remove his eyes from Zedd all the while. “Then we get the crystal,” Tommy said. “There is no question.” Jason swallowed and looked between each of his team mates. None of them wanted to make this terrible decision. All of them were anxious to have Kimberly back, of course, but they knew that the cost may be too great to bear. Into this terrible silence, Zordon made a forlorn plea. “I urge you to reconsider, Rangers,” he said. Tommy felt his stomach drop and his eyes flashed savagely at Zordon. “There’s nothing to reconsider!” he thundered. “How can you ask us to make that choice? Kimberly’s one of us! We have to save her.” “At the cost of all those you swore to protect when you joined this team, Tommy Oliver?” Zordon rallied. “At the cost of millions of human lives?” Tommy hesitated, then said, voice broken, “But we swore to watch out for each other, too. Kimberly has given everything to keep this planet safe and now, when she needs us most, you want us to turn our backs on her? You’ll allow Zedd to kill her? After all that Kimberly has done for you?” Zordon’s eyes moved to Zedd, that age-old nemesis of his, who had been trying to thwart his every plan and tear apart his team, be they wizards or Rangers, since time immemorial. “What do you want with the universe, Zedd? Why such obsession with order and dictatorship? Why can you not break the chain of your forefathers and bring this war to an end?” “It is not the Dragon’s will,” Zedd rallied. It was Zordon’s turn to laugh now, and it was a bitter, cold scoff of a laugh. “The Dragon? You believe that deity exists and that this is Her will?” “I know She exists. Do not insult my intelligence by suggesting otherwise.” “And this is how She rewards you? By disfiguring your body, ordering you to make bloody war, and taking away all that is important from you?” “No, Zordon – this is how She tests me.”
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TBC...?
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