The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 2 - Heather Ray (general ebook reader TXT) 📗

for all the work we do to keep this town on the map. They'd be insulted if we didn't attend the party."

"I wonder why they changed the date of 'Power Rangers Day' though," said Tommy. "Wasn't the original date sometime in March."

"True," said Kim, "but this year, the mayor wanted to have an extravagant parade, with massive floats made entirely of Angel Grove flowers. Now, most of the flowers grown here are in full bloom in the summer, and they continue to bloom until winter time. So, having the parade December 3rd makes sense."

"It's a shame Billy, Rocky, and Tanya can't be up here," said Kat quietly. "After all, without their help, we would've been lost. Especially Billy. He's practically devoted his life to being our advisor, and he can't get any acknowledgment for his work. He must feel so -- left out."

"He was upset this morning," said Kim, "I had called him to ask where he'd be standing on the parade route, so we could at least wave to him or something, but he told me he had to work on the zords for some reason. You know how he always drowns his sorrows in work? It can't be healthy."

"Now that you mention it, we rarely see Billy out of the CAC anymore," said Zack. "We definitely have to do something about that, guys. He's our bud! We can't treat him like Zordon. He's a teenager, just like us, and he has a life outside the Central Access Complex. We should at least try to spend more time with him."

"He's been cutting himself off," said Tommy. "We can't force him to open up. Maybe if we're patient with him --"

"This'll have to wait guys," whispered Jason. "We're at City Hall."

The float upon which the rangers were standing came to a stop, and the rangers climbed up the steps of City Hall. Atop the steps was a podium, and standing behind that podium was Mayor Amelia Leighton. Once the rangers reached the top, they each shook the mayor's hand, and stood beside the podium in a row. The mayor rose her hands into the air in an attempt to quiet the audience of thousands, who were applauding and cheering excitedly.

"Today is a very special day for us. Angel Grove, a rather sleepy town throughout its existence, suddenly was shaken to its very foundation one day over two years ago, when we were first attacked by alien invaders. We surely would've been destroyed, along with the rest of the planet, if it weren't for the intervention of five brave men and women. These five constituted the team called the Power Rangers, a team that has merited our complete trust, even though they are shrouded in mystery. Day in and day out, we trust these heroes with our very lives, ladies and gentlemen, and over the years, the team has changed. The monster robots they use to defend us have changed in form and stature, and the very rangers themselves have changed in color and uniform. However, no matter what they wear, or what they drive, they shall always be the Power Rangers, and therefore they are our defenders! Now, many people outside Angel Grove believe the Power Rangers are a gimmick, or a fantasy, like the Loch Ness Monster. They feel we in Angel Grove made up these heroes, in an attempt to make our small town known to the world as a tourist attraction. But there are witnesses. Yes, my friends, each and every one of you is a witness. A witness to the selflessness, devotion, courage, wisdom, and strength that is personified in each Power Ranger that has ever served to protect our fair city. They are heroes in every sense of the word, and today, December 3, 1996, we celebrate them. Usually, the Power Rangers only show themselves to thwart evil, but today, they have agreed to show themselves to the public, so we can applaud their efforts and thank them for all the work they've done. And I, the mayor of Angel Grove, California, would like to show my appreciation, and that of this community, by presenting this team of young heroes with this, the key to the city!"

The crowds applauded thunderously as the Red Ranger stepped up and accepted the framed golden key from the mayor. She then stepped aside, allowing the Red Ranger access to the microphone. He motioned the other rangers to stand with him at the microphone, and handed the key to the Black Ranger.

"First, we'd like to thank Mayor Leighton for this thoughtful gift. It really is an honor to receive this key, as well as all this praise and recognition. But, the real honor comes from being privileged to serve and protect this city, and this planet, from intergalactic threats. I think I speak for us all when I say that we love Angel Grove, and the planet Earth, with all our hearts. That's why we dedicated our lives to protect them. No alien invasion will threaten humankind so long as the Terran Rangers are alive to defend it!"

The crowd once again applauded as the Black Ranger stepped up to the microphone. He handed the key to the Yellow Ranger and waved at the people.

"Well, the Red Ranger really said it all," he said. "We're proud to serve a community such as Angel Grove, and the rest of Crystal County. We couldn't have accomplished so much without the help of you all. Several of you have had your safety directly compromised by alien threats. Some were even held captive --"

A six tone sound erupted from all the Power Rangers' communicators, and the tone was magnified by the microphone. The rangers looked at each other worriedly and stepped back from the microphone.

"Excuse us for a moment," said the Green Ranger, joining his friends in a tight circle back from the podium.

"What's going on, Billy?" whispered Tommy. "We're kinda in the middle of something here."

^I'm well aware of that,^

said Billy. ^But something of extreme importance is afoot on the Moon! Please report to the Central Access Complex immediately.^

Tommy shrugged and deactivated his communicator. Katherine walked over to the microphone.

"I'm afraid there's an emergency that requires our immediate attention," she announced to the crowd. "We're all sorry we can't stay for the rest of the ceremony, but we are nonetheless grateful for all the work you've put into this event. Good-bye."

She then stepped back, and joined the other rangers in a line. Simultaneously, all six Terran Power Rangers touched their belt buckles, and vanished in streaks of light, leaving behind a hushed audience. At almost the same time, the six individuals materialized in the Central Access Complex. They see Billy Mitchell, their advisor, mentor, and friend, madly pressing buttons on the large screen mainframe computer, in the corner of the vast technological hub.

"What's the emergency?" asked Tommy, removing his red helmet and walking over to Billy. Kimberly, Adam, Katherine, Jason, and Zack follow in like manner.

"Just one second," said Billy, finishing typing a command into the computer. The screen flashed to life, revealing a static blue screen. Billy turned to his friends, a serious expression on his haggard face.

"Billy!" shrieked Kimberly. "You look awful!"

Billy smiled wanely. "Well, I've been working on improving the strength of the hulls of the Terrazords for the past several hours," he explained. "That kind of manual labor is quite tiresome. But, that is not the reason I summoned you here. About five minutes ago, we received an incoming message on the Viewing Globe. The message originated from the Moon."

All six rangers looked at Billy in surprise. Jason stepped forward. "What did it say?"

"See for yourself," he said, turning back to the computer and pressing a button, "I recorded the message so you could hear it. You'll find it quite fascinating."

All present turned their attention to the large screen. The blue image vanished, revealing an image of the infamous Lord Zedd himself, cruel dictator of scores of planets, and would-be conqueror of Earth.

^Greetings, Terran Rangers,^

started the recording, ^I have decided to throw in the towel. When I first decided to add Earth to my intergalactic empire, I had no idea how formidable you teenagers can be. Now, I've thrown just about everything I could come up with at you, and you've managed to thwart every single one of my fiendish plans. To put it in other words, your puny, backwater planet isn't worth all my trouble. While I waste my time here, other planets in my empire are starting to revolt. So, I'm leaving. Good-bye, Power Rangers. You've finally won the war.^

With that, the screen returned to its blue hue, and Billy then turned off the computer and turned to his friends to examine their reactions. Tommy's eyes were wide open in shock, Jason had a frown on his face, Adam was scratching his chin in thought, Katherine wore a confused expression, Zack's mouth hung open, and finally Kimberly blinked, and then looked at Billy in disbelief.

"It's...not possible," she stammered. "Is it?"

"Of course its not!" yelled Jason. "It's a load of bull! Just how dumb does Lord Zedd think we are?!"

"But, what if he's telling the truth?" asked Katherine, "I mean, Zedd's been fighting the rangers for years, to no avail. Maybe he's seen the futility of the whole thing."

"We can't trust him!" said Zack. "What if this whole thing is a trap, just to lull us to sleep?"

"You're right, Zack," said Billy. "We can't trust him, but at the same time, we can't ignore this message. Although it is improbable, it is possible that Lord Zedd has decided to move on. There are other planets in the galaxy that would be more strategic to conquer."

"Yeah," said Adam. "He's been fighting us so long out of pride. Maybe he's learned his lesson?"

"Well, I think its too soon for us to come to any conclusion about this matter," said Tommy, "So, I think we should keep an eye on the Moon for a while, just to make sure there's no suspicious goings on. If he's really leaving, we'll witness it."

"I've already set up various computer scans to keep a visual eye on the Moon Palace. If there's any activity up there within the next twenty-four hours, the scan will pick it up."

Character Thesaurus

So, you wanted to know about the characters in this book? )(That is....if you don't know them already!)

That is why I created this character thesaurus for you all! Enjoy!