The Terran Ranger/The Spectrum Force - The Preliminaries Volume 2 by Heather Ray (if you liked this book TXT) 📕

a massive beating, and without the Unicorn or Firebird zords, the Megazord cannot be formed."

The Spectrum Force listened to Zordon with knowing expressions on their faces. Rachel turned to Zordon.

"Umm, what exactly is the Megazord?" she asked.

"The Griffin, Unicorn, Red Dragon, Lion, and Firebird zords combine to form the Megazord. It is substantially more powerful than the individual zords. It is their only chance."

"Then, let's get going," said Billy, putting on his helmet. He also threw something at Kimberly. She caught it, and her face lit up.

"Billy, you found my coin!" she cried in excitement.

"Affirmative. Now, to destroy Dracola."

"Don't waste your time," grumbled Keith, leaning against a consol. The other Spectrum Enforcers also wore similar expressions of deadly seriousness. Kimberly looked at them, puzzled.

"What do you mean?" she asked Keith.

"You see, that shield is a magical protection against technology," answered Keith, running his fingers through his shoulder-length blonde hair. "Your zords are technology, so whatever they do will not affect the monster. Its one of the Denebian Empire's favorite little magic tricks."

"Elaborate,"

said Zordon.

"Back home, the Denebians use that magic trick to protect their spaceship from the Earth governments," said Tamara. "No Earth scanners or satellites can pick up the existence of the ship, and no bullet or bomb can affect Phaedra's armies. That's why we're Earth's only hope."

"What's strange is the fact that your machines had any luck at all," said Craig, "I mean, your scanners shouldn't even register Dracola's existence."

"That may be because the energies of the Power Rangers' devices are all supplied by the power coins,"

said Zordon, "and the coins themselves, even though they were forged with advanced technology, contain magical energies."

"Be that as it may," said Rachel, "the zords can't stop Dracola. You should pull your Power Rangers out of the fight, before serious damage is done to the zords or the Rangers themselves."

"But, we can't just stand here and do nothing!" protested Kimberly, "The Power Rangers are the only obstacle keeping Dracola from destroying Angel Grove! He already crushed half a dozen sky-scrapers!"

"Don't worry," assured Craig with a smile. "The Spectrum Force will stop Dracola. Or at least, keep him from doing any more damage while you guys come up with a way to destroy him. He's several times bigger than any monster we've ever faced, and I don't think our usual attacks will finish this thing off for good."

The Spectrum Force put their masks back on, and prepared for departure. They looked around in confusion, then Craig turned to Billy.

"Ah, Billy," he asked sheepishly, "how do we get outta here?"

"I'll take care of it," said Billy, holding back his laughter. He made his way to the teleportation system and teleported the Spectrum Force to the rock quarry.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Kimberly.

"I need to know everything the Spectrum Force has told you two about the nature of their abilities and their enemies," said Zordon. "Our only chance may lie within them."

Chapter Sixteen

The Red, White, Black, Yellow, and Purple Power Rangers teleported to the Command Center at Zordon's instruction. They removed their colorful helmets, revealing expressions of concern, anger, and frustration.

"Zordon, our Thunderzords aren't doing a THING

against Dracola!" complained Jason. "That shield is protecting it from energy beams, missiles, and even punches and kicks!"

Trini turned away from Zordon and sees a familiar blue-clad man busily running a variety of tests.

"Billy!" she cried, giving her long-time friend a warm hug. "When did you get back?"

"The Spectrum Force and I arrived about fifteen minutes ago from the Moon. Of course, how we got there is another matter entirely."

"So, where is the Spectrum Force now?" asked Zack, looking around the Command Center.

"They went to occupy the Dracola beast the moment I returned you here,"

said Zordon. "They should be able to keep it busy until you are able to rejoin the battle."

"How?" asked Alexis, "I mean, do they have zords? And don't forget, two of them are still fighting Celea."

"You can see the ongoing battle in the viewing globe," said Alpha.

The team turns towards the globe, and to their collective surprise, the Spectrum Force appear to be inflicting pain on Dracola.

"I don't get it!" said Zack. "How come their energy blasts penetrate the barrier? They can't be stronger than the firepower in the Thunderzords!"

"The shield around Dracola is a protection from technological weapons," explained Kimberly, who was busy helping Billy organize the computer printouts describing the findings of his extensive analysis. "No attack from a machine can affect the shield."

"Well, if that's the case," said Tommy, walking over to Billy and Kimberly. "Then the Power Cannon won't work either. What do we do then?"

"Billy's working on it," said Kimberly, not looking up from her work. Trini approached them, offering her assistance.

"So, what do we do in the meantime?" asked Jason, "I mean, could we at least help Matt and Jocelyn fight Celea?"

"It is best for you all to remain in the Command Center until Billy finishes his analysis,"

said Zordon. "Until we can find a means for you to wield your powers without a mechanical medium, you cannot be very effective against Celea's magic."

So, the Power Rangers waited impatiently for Billy to come up with something. Kim and Trini continued organizing the data, while Billy, who seemed completely oblivious to everything but the work he was focused on, continued to manipulate data in the computer and frown. Jason and Tommy didn't take their eyes off the viewing globe, watching as the four Spectrum Enforcers desperately tried to keep Dracola from doing any more harm to the area. Occasionally, the scene on the globe switched to the smaller battle between Matt and Jocelyn and Celea, which took place beneath the shadow of a large cliff. Matt and Jocelyn seemed to be weakening, and Tommy anxiously began to pace around the room. Zack and Alexis sat quietly, waiting for Billy to find the answer to their problems, like he always did.

"Eureka!" cried Billy, waving a single page of computer printout in the air, "I have the answer!"

"Well, don't keep us in suspense!" said Zack, hopping off his seat. "What did you come up with?"

"I analyzed the basic power of the power coins, and I have come up with the only way to successfully wield our powers. The Power Cannon is a complex machine, but the old Power Weapons focus the magic in the coins, and since they aren't really advanced technology, I don't see why they shouldn't serve."

"But, is the Power Blaster strong enough to stop Dracola?" asked Trini. "It's not even strong enough to destroy a good deal of Zed's regular monsters!"

"Actually," said Billy, "only the individual weapons will work. Once the Power Blaster is formed, we cross the fine line between magic and technology. But there is also another possibility, which may serve even better, especially against the Dracola. Alexis, your Bomb Attack is the focused totality of the mystical energies of the coins. Since the energy flows directly into your coin, and from there into your body, the majority of that power skips the medium of the morpher. That beam of energy should also affect Dracola."

"Great," said Tommy, putting his helmet back on. "Let's go then!"

"Wait Tommy," said Billy, "I haven't told you the greatest discovery of all."

"Well, spill it already!" said Jason, starting to get impatient. "We're running out of time!"

"Well, Spectra, the mentor of the Spectrum Force, once told me that the power signature of the Power Coins is nearly identical to that of the Spectrum Stones, which is why she didn't sense a shift in the balance of power when Jocelyn and Matt disappeared. Apparently, Kim and I arrived at that same moment, and so the total signature energy didn't change. Well, I analyzed the scan data Trini collected when Jocelyn and Matt arrived at the beach, and I ran a correlation scan. The basic energies of the Spectrum Stones aren't merely identical to those of the coins, but they are also compatible."

"What are you getting at, Billy?" asked Kimberly.

"Don't you see? Alexis channeled the energies of the coins in her Bomb Attack, right? So, why can't she also channel the energies of the Spectrum Stones?"

"Can I handle that much raw power, Billy?" asked Alexis, "I mean, just the usual Bomb Attack leaves me completely exhausted. The Spectrum Stones will have the same amount of energy as the coins, so we're talking about containing twice the raw power!"

"It'll be risky," said Billy. "The amount of energy we're talking about is very intense, and could possibly overload your brain, leaving you in a perpetual coma. The chances are pretty good that you'll sustain minimal physical or mental damage, but they aren't quite one hundred percent."

"The choice is yours, Purple Ranger,"

said Zordon, "I cannot order you to take this risk."

"What choice do I have?" said Alexis sternly. "After all, I am a Power Ranger, right? Besides, this is our only chance to beat Dracola, so let's do it!"

Chapter Seventeen

Meanwhile, Jocelyn and Matt continued to fight Celea. While the Spectrum Enforcers continued to get weaker, Celea seemed to get only stronger. It took nearly all the willpower Spectrum Enforcers have to keep from giving in to exhaustion. Suddenly, for a brief instant, Matthew's costume reverted back into his street clothes. It then quickly returned to the costume.

"Joce!" he yelled, "I think my stone is running out of power!"

"That's because we've been fighting for so long without a solar re-charge!" said Jocelyn, not taking her eyes off Celea. She continues to block Celea's sword thrusts with her bow.

"Wait," said Matt, looking up at the sky. "That's it! Joce, follow me!"

Matt began to run away from the huge cliff above them. Jocelyn dodged one last swing from Celea, and followed Matt.

"Where