POWER RANGERS VS. ALIENS by Joe Rovang Legal Disclaimer: I acknowledge that I am using concepts and characters from _Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers_ without Saban's knowledge or permission, and that I am using concepts and creatures from _Aliens_ without CBS/FOX Video's knowledge or permission. This story was written solely for entertainment value, and may not be distributed for profit of any kind. When reproducing this document, all parts, including this disclaimer, must be kept together in their original, unaltered state. --- CHAPTER ONE Rita pulled her head back from the Repulsascope, a disgusted grimace on her face. "Yick!" she exclaimed, walking over to Lord Zedd's throne. Zedd looked up at her. "What is it, oh rotten apple of my eye?" "Take a look at this," she instructed. Zedd stood and followed her to the balcony. His visor glowed with crimson energy as he stared into space. "I don't see anything," he growled. "It'd help if you looked the right way," she grumbled, grasping his head and pointing it in the right direction. "Good heavens!" he exclaimed. "Those are the most fearsome creatures I've laid eyes upon!" Rita beamed. Zedd mumbled, "And Goldar says you can't do anything right." A scowl formed on the empress' face. Zedd turned to her. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Rita's gaze wandered around. She looked back at him and chuckled, "Of course!" After a slight pause, she asked, "Zeddy, what are you thinking?" "If we can lure those pesky Power Twerps onto that planet, those creatures will have them for breakfast!" The two threw their heads back and cackled with delight. Nearby, Rito and Goldar glanced at each other, curious. A few moments later, Rito asked the question both henchmen wanted to know. "Gee, Ed, how d'ya plan on luring the Rangers there?" Rita grinned as everyone's gaze fell on a blue bottle sitting on a nearby table. Inside was Ninjor. *The carnival looks great this year,* Billy thought to himself. He looked at the thousands of lights all around him, and the hundreds of people, all having so much fun. He took a deep breath of the cool, night air. *Does it get any better than this?* He felt a gentle pressure on his shoulder. He turned around to see Katherine smiling at him. He smiled back. "Glad you could come," he told her. She looked around. "Where are the others?" He nodded toward the mass of machinery that towered over them. Dubbed the "Star Screamer", it consisted of a metal cage that seated fifty people inside, and a large counterweight attached to the cage. The cage began to slowly move back and forth. As it accelerated, it went higher and higher with each swing. Faster and higher, until it was nearly upside-down at the peak of each swing. One more swing brought it completely upside-down, where it lingered. Billy and Kat were interrupted from their spectating as Billy's communicator beeped. The two looked around and politely made their way through the crowd of people. Upon sneaking behind a nearby concession stand, Billy and Kat answered the communicator. "Come in, Zordon," Billy said. Zordon's voice echoed from the device. "Rangers, report to the Command Center immediately." Billy glanced up at Kat and nodded. They both touched their communicators and transformed into streaks of energy. A half-second later, the two Rangers appeared in the Command Center. Billy stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong, Zordon?" Zordon responded, "A transmission was received from the moon, announcing that Ninjor has been teleported to a small planet orbiting Alpha Centauri. Kat stepped closer to Billy, looking up at Zordon. "But why would Rita and Zedd just release their hostage like that?" she asked. "That is unknown," Zordon replied. Billy frowned. "Zordon, how do we know they're telling the truth?" Alpha Five looked up from his control panel and approached Billy and Kat. "We've been picking up Ninjor's energy signature from somewhere on the planet." "We have to go rescue him," Kat concluded. Zordon nodded and answered, "That is a very noble decision, Kat, and a sign of a true Power Ranger." Kat looked down and smiled. Zordon added, "Before you go, Rangers, I must inform you that there are lifeforms on the planet. In the likely event that this is a trap, you must be wary not to harm any of these creatures during your battles with Zedd and Rita's minions." Billy nodded. "Affirmative." "Time is of the essence," Zordon told them. "You two must go now, and Alpha will send the others once they are available." Kat and Billy nodded. While Billy glanced at data on a monitor, Zordon gave a final warning. "Remember, Rangers, that although your communicators worked on Edenoi, this planet is on the other side of the star Alpha Centauri. With such interference, your communicators will not function. You must use your own judgment out there. May the power protect you." "It's morphin' time!" Billy shouted. He and Kat withdrew their Power Morphers and summoned their powers. "Pink Ranger power!" "Blue Ranger power!" Pink and blue light flooded the Command Center as energy enveloped the two teenagers, forming power suits around them. They transformed into streaks of energy and vanished. Kat's experience with teleportation was limited. It had been like a sudden rush of disorientation, teleporting from one spot in Angel Grove to another. This, however, was very different. This seemed like a never-ending adrenaline high. When she thought about how fast she was moving, it only made her more sick than she already was. Could she ever get used to this? She wondered if Billy was used to it. Kat turned her head to look at Billy, and suddenly realized she'd made a big mistake. Spanning before her was an infinite realm of rainbow- colored streaks parallel to her. Toward the direction her feet were pointed toward, the streaks were red. As they stretched to the direction she was traveling, their color descended through the spectrum until they were a violet color. Kat realized she was very, very dizzy at this point, and decided to close her eyes for the rest of the journey. Billy couldn't remember how long it had been since they'd left Earth, but it seemed like forever. There was no way to tell how long it had been - a result of hyperspace travel. After what seemed like an eternity, Billy planted his feet firmly into the rocky terrain of the alien planet. He glanced over at Kat, whose body posture indicated she wasn't feeling very well. "Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded her head and responded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just takes a little getting used to, that's all." Billy scanned the area. The planet had a jagged, rocky surface, and the sky was a mass of dark, gray clouds. A short distance from them was a tunnel leading underground. Billy raised his hand and pointed to the entrance. Kat nodded. "I see it." The Blue and Pink Rangers began walking toward the tunnel, all the while looking around cautiously. "Be careful," Billy warned. "Rita and Zedd could spring a trap at any time." The two stood at the entrance and looked into the blackness inside. As Billy studied the tunnel, Kat glanced behind them. *That's odd,* she thought. *I thought I saw movement.* She shook her head and joined Billy in examining the entrance. *Your imagination's playing tricks on you, Kat.* "Well, it looks safe," Billy concluded. "But keep on your toes." The Rangers slowly edged their way into the tunnel. Kat glanced at Billy to see what he was fumbling with. Billy produced a small, blue cylinder from his belt and turned it on, illuminating a good portion of the cavern. Billy and Kat continued further underground. Suddenly Kat stopped. "No, now I'm sure I saw something move." Billy stopped and looked back at her. "What was it?" Kat shook her head and stuttered, "I.. I don't know, but it was like a blur over there." Billy pointed the light where Kat indicated. The light fell upon a black mass, equipped with a large set of teeth. A chilling hiss burst forth from the creature. Billy dropped his light, and a shattering sound could be heard, heralding the sudden darkness of the chamber. Kat began to retreat, but stopped after about ten feet, remembering that she was a Power Ranger now. She heard Billy shout, "Power Lance!", and watched him form a lance out of blue energy. The faint blue glow from Billy's Power Weapon was enough to reveal the creature was slowly approaching Billy. "Uh, can't we talk about this?" the Blue Ranger asked. Billy began to sweat underneath his helmet. This creature was big - and very menacing. Billy knew that it wouldn't be right to kill it; after all, he and Kat were trespassing in its den. Then again, Billy was ready to defend his and Kat's lives. He held his lance defensively and slowly backed up. The creature began to follow him, continuing to emit a frightening hiss. Suddenly, Billy simultaneously saw a blur whip by him, and felt a painful pressure rake across his chest. His lance flew from his hands, and a flash of sparks spewed from his chest, briefly illuminating the tunnel, showing that the creature had slashed him with its claws. Billy fell backward and collapsed on the ground. He could hear his lance clink against the ground behind him. "Billy!" Katherine yelled from nearby. Billy could see movement infront of him, and he didn't like that. He quickly grabbed his dimly glowing lance and thrust it forward. Billy felt the lance plunge into the creature's chest, accompanied with a crunching sound and a squeal of pain. Billy stumbled to his feet and removed the lance. "It's wounded!" Billy shouted to Kat. "Let's get out of here!" With that, he began dashing toward the exit, hoping he wouldn't collide with Kat. Moments later, Kat and Billy were outside. Billy whirled around and held his lance toward the cave entrance defensively, in case the creature had followed them. "Billy," Kat said with astonishment, "look at your lance!" Billy brought the end of the lance up to his face, and saw that a third of the lance had been burned off. He examined the smoking tip with amazement. "That creature..." he declared, "it's got acid for blood!" Leaning against a rock formation, Kat looked at Billy for a while. Then she said, "Y'know how Zordon told us not to hurt the creatures when Rita and Zedd spring their trap?" Billy tossed his ruined weapon to the ground. "Yeah." "I'm starting to think the creatures _are_ the trap." --- CHAPTER TWO The cage opened, and Adam, Aisha, Rocky, and Tommy stepped out, laughing to themselves. "That was one wild ride," Aisha said emphatically. "Yeah," chuckled Tommy. The four teens dizzily walked from the ride and stood infront of the arcade hut. "Where'd Billy go?" Rocky tried to yell over the cacophony of noise blaring from the arcade. "What?" shouted Aisha. "I said," Rocky yelled louder, "Where'd Billy go?" The Rangers scanned the area. Unbeknownst to the Rangers, their communicators were chiming, inaudible through the noise from the arcade. Aisha shouted, "Why would he just rush off?" "It's kind of hard to explain," Billy said. Underneath her helmet, Katherine's face revealed frustration. "It's there," he said, "you just have to feel it." Kat extended her hands, palms up. She was sure that she'd do it this time. After a few seconds, she told him, "I.. I think I feel it." Billy nodded. "Good. Now reach for it." Kat seemed to grasp for an invisible object. She seized it, and opened her eyes. Nothing. "It's hopeless. I'm never going to get it." "Sure you will," Billy told her. "You just need time." Then his attention quickly fell on the opening of the cave. There was a scratching sound from deep within the cavern, and it was rapidly becoming louder. "...which is something we don't have!" he added. Kat clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. She reached out, once more grasping the air. Suddenly, a gleaming pink archer's bow formed in her hands. She looked down at her new weapon. "I did it!" she exclaimed. "I formed the Power Bow!" Finding no time for congratulations, Billy insisted, "Hurry, shoot the top of the entrance!" Kat raised her bow, and a silver arrow formed between her fingers. She could her the scratching noise getting closer and closer, and she knew she only had seconds to act. She loaded the arrow and pulled the string back with all her might. Her fingers released the shot, and the arrow streaked from the bow, colliding with the rock above the cave's entrance. A bright explosion accompanied the impact, and several tons of rock covered the entrance. "Spectacular!" Billy praised. Kat breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her bow. "I knew you could do it," he said. They both smiled underneath their helmets. "So," she said, "I guess we're safe for now?" "For now," he responded. "The information Alpha collected indicated that Ninjor was located underground, within a mile radius of this location." "Oh, great," she sighed. "So we'll have to go back in the tunnel?" "Hopefully we can find another way underground that's a little less... inhabited." He paused. "We'll have to rely on your Power Bow to drive off any more creatures we encounter. We can pretty much rule out close combat against these things." Kat looked down at the laser gun hanging by her side. "Why can't we use our BladeBlasters?" "The BladeBlasters operate on solar charges," he explained. Looking up at the cloudy sky, he said, "Once they run out of energy, we won't be able to recharge them." Kat nodded. "C'mon," he said, "let's look for another way underground. They began walking along the rocky terrain. Kat stopped and twirled around. Billy paused and looked at her. "What's wrong?" he asked. "It's out here with us." "It can't be," he told her. "We sealed it in the tunnel." Kat's head jerked to the left. "There it is again!" "I don't see anything." Like an armored panther, the fearsome creature leaped out from behind a rock formation several yards away. "Run!" Billy shouted. The two Rangers began sprinting away from the beast. In response, the creature began pursuing its brightly colored quarry. Billy spotted another tunnel leading underground. "There!" he directed. The Rangers dashed into the tunnel. Kat aimed her bow toward the opening, ready to launch an arrow into the creature. After ten seconds of waiting, Kat decided it wasn't going to follow them in, and lowered her bow. Billy began to venture further down the tunnel. "We'd better hurry before he decides to follow us in." Kat looked away from the entrance and followed Billy, the light from her bow illuminating the tunnel. The two Rangers stopped upon reaching a junction of three tunnels. "Now where to?" Kat asked. Billy looked around. Staring at him from the shadows of the right tunnel was a set of hissing teeth. The jaws opened, revealing a second set of teeth. "Left!" he shouted. They rushed into the left tunnel. Kat spun around, putting her back against Billy's, and aimed her bow down the tunnel, but the aliens hadn't followed. A loud hiss nearby startled Kat; she couldn't figure out where it was coming from. "Kat, right here!" Billy shouted. She turned around to see that Billy was being confronted by one of the creatures. "Billy, duck!" she told him, aiming her bow. Before Billy could hit the floor, the alien wrapped its arms and tail around the Blue Ranger. "Billy!!" screamed Kat. She heard a second hiss behind her, and turned to find herself surrounded. She saw the clawed hand of the second alien flash by, followed by a painful pressure on her stomach and a burst of sparks. She dropped her bow and doubled over. Kat was more surprised than hurt. This was the first time she had felt her power suit absorb a blow. It was a new feeling to her - one she would have to get used to. Kat seized her bow and cried out, "Billy, teleport outside!" She glanced behind her to find that both Billy and the alien were no longer there. At least she now had an escape route. Outside, the White, Red, Black and Yellow Rangers appeared. "All right!" Tommy said. "We made it!" Aisha looked at the ground and saw the remains of Billy's weapon. "Look! Billy's Power Lance!" "Oh no," Adam said. "I hope he and Kat are okay." Kat felt a clawed hand grip the arm that held her bow. She drew her BladeBlaster and fired a pointblank shot into the creature's arm. The blast punctured its exoskeleton, splashing acid onto her power suit. Flashes of sparks burst from her suit where the acid had hit. It stung a bit, but she had succeeded in freeing herself from the alien's grip. The creature emitted a squeal of pain. Knowing the alien would probably be very angry, she slipped the BladeBlaster into its holster and began running down the tunnel. As she ran, Kat could hear the scratching sound of the creature chasing after her. Suddenly there was no ground beneath her feet. She tumbled through the darkness for about fifty feet until smashing into the ground. Kat collected her wits and looked up to see the alien coming down on her. She rolled out of the way as the creature landed. She hopped to her feet and shot an arrow into her attacker's shoulder, causing the creature to emit another squeal. Kat didn't like hurting a living being, but she was sure that, given the chance, the creature would make a light snack out of her, or worse. She released a second arrow, impaling the creature's head. It screamed and thrashed about until finally collapsing. Kat sighed with relief. She looked down the tunnel and saw an opening ahead. Upon approaching it, she could see that it led into an enormous chamber containing thousands of large, egg-shaped pods arranged in an orderly fashion on the ground. In the center of the chamber was an enormous, black structure. Billy weakly rose his head. He felt like a truck had hit him. The alien that captured him had pummeled him, and it took a lot out of him. He suddenly realized his body was ensnared from the neck down with a gooey substance. His gaze fell upon a nearby pod. It was made of a leathery material, and it had two slits in the top, forming an X. Very slowly, the top of the pod opened, revealing a slimy mass inside. A creature that looked like a three-foot-long scorpion crawled out from the pod. *Just teleport,* Billy told himself. But before the Blue Ranger could focus, the insect leaped into the air and attached itself to his face. Billy shouted in terror. Once Billy calmed down a bit, he realized that he now appreciated helmets more than ever. "Billy!" Kat cried out. She had heard him yell, but she was unsure where in the chamber he was. Nearby, Billy tried to respond to Kat's call, but his voice was muffled by the creature affixed to his face. Kat called for Billy a second time. The response was a cacophony of hisses. All around the chamber, swarms of aliens emerged from holes and crevices. "Uh oh," said Kat. Suddenly white, red, yellow, and black bursts of energy erupted from the other side of the chamber, striking random aliens. The other four Rangers had arrived. "Oh, thank goodness," Kat sighed. She withdrew her BladeBlaster and began firing at the aliens. The Rangers cleared a path through the aliens, through which Kat was able to join the others. "I'm so glad you guys came," she told them. "And not a minute too soon," Rocky commented, firing into the alien horde. "Where's Billy?" Aisha asked anxiously. "He's in here somewhere," Kat replied. "C'mon," Tommy said, motioning the other Rangers to follow him, "we'll work our way along the walls until we find him." The five superheroes crept along the wall, blasting the aliens. When Kat's BladeBlaster ran out of energy, she hid behind the others as they fired. Eventually the Rangers reached the spot where Billy was being restrained. Kat broke away from the others to free him, but stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh no," she gasped, noticing the large insect attached to Billy's face. Aisha stopped firing for a moment and glanced back at Billy. "Holy..." Kat transformed her powerless BladeBlaster into dagger mode and brought the blade close to the face hugger. She hesitated. "I can't take the risk of this thing having acid for blood too." As she put away her BladeBlaster, Kat noticed the face hugger's long tail was wrapped around Billy's neck. That ruined her plan of removing his helmet and the creature along with it. One by one, the Rangers' BladeBlasters ran out of energy. Eventually Tommy was forced to hold back the entire alien horde with Saba's eyebeams. Despite Tommy's attempts, the aliens were advancing. "Guys," Tommy said, "if you're gonna do something, you'd better do it fast!" --- CHAPTER THREE Adam rushed to Tommy's side. "I think I can buy us a little more time," he told Tommy. The Power Axe formed in Adam's hands. The Black Ranger pointed the handle at the aliens and began launching bursts of energy into the horde. Kat was beginning to worry. She hadn't seen Billy move since they'd found him. It looked like he was breathing, but she couldn't be sure of his condition. Aisha stared at the face hugger attached to Billy's face and thought outloud, "We can't hurt it without also hurting Billy. And we can't remove it without hurting it." Kat suddenly thought of something. "Hold on, Aisha. Maybe we can." She promptly removed one of her white gloves, revealing the communicator she wore around her wrist. She unfastened the communicator and placed it around the face hugger's tail. "Here goes nothing," Kat said. She closed her eyes and pictured being high above the planet's atmosphere. She pressed the communicator's teleport button, and the creature vanished in a blur of pink energy. There was a moment of celebration amongst the Rangers as Billy slowly stirred. He groaned, "That thing... it's gone." Aisha smiled under her helmet and said, "Thanks to Katherine." Now Kat smiled, and asked, "Are you okay, Billy? Why were you so still?" Billy replied, "It seemed like the creature cut down my air supply, rendering me unconscious." As Rocky cut Billy free from the goo with his BladeBlaster, Kat leaned in close to Billy, inspecting his helmet. "Your mouthplate's corroded!" "Any later and it could have eaten through," Billy said. "All the more reason for my gratitude." With that, he gave her a warm hug. Tommy ceased fire for a second and glanced back at his fellow Rangers. "Aw, that's really great, guys. But we kinda have some aliens to deal with." Blasting away, Adam added, "Yeah, and we still need to find Ninjor." "Uh, make that we've _found_ Ninjor," Rocky said, pointing toward the gigantic black structure in the center of the chamber. Among the remaining pods surrounding the structure was Ninjor's blue bottle. Adam and Tommy stopped firing. The last of the aliens had fallen. The Power Axe was dispersed and Saba was sheathed. "Yes!" shouted Aisha. The Rangers began walking toward the center. "That was almost too easy," Aisha chuckled. Suddenly the enormous black structure began to unfold. The Rangers stared in horror as an alien, twenty times the size of the previous incarnations, rose before them. "I think," Billy whispered, "that we just found the Queen." Rocky looked at Tommy. "I think the Power Cannon could take her down." Billy interrupted, "It's one thing to fight to save a friend. But if we kill the Queen, it would be genocide." Tommy turned to Billy. "Billy, what's the charge on your BladeBlaster?" Billy withdrew his weapon and glanced at the display before sliding it back into the holster. With a questioning tone, Billy replied, "About seventy-five percent." "How much damage would the BladeBlaster do to her?" the White Ranger asked, nodding toward the Queen. Billy glimpsed at the colossus and responded, "I doubt it would even do any damage." Tommy nodded. "Good. Here's the plan." Minutes later, Tommy was on the opposite side of the chamber. The Queen either didn't notice him go around or didn't feel threatened by him, as she remained motionless. Tommy waved his hand in the air, signaling the others. Catching sight of Tommy's signal on the other side of the chamber, Billy drew his BladeBlaster and released a series of blasts at the Queen. Rocky, Adam, Aisha, and Kat stood behind Billy and watched as the Queen pointed her head in their direction and released a hellish hiss, startling the Rangers. Now that the Queen was distracted, Tommy went into action. White energy crackled beside Tommy, forming his Shark Cycle. He hopped on and revved the engines. He only had one chance to pull this off. The Shark Cycle's rear wheel screamed, and the vehicle burst into motion. The engines roaring, Tommy swerved between the pods, straight for the gigantic Queen. The Rangers watched as Tommy sped toward her. The distance between him and the Queen rapidly decreasing, Tommy withdrew Saba and held it by the blade. He whispered, "You can do it, buddy," and extended Saba. The tiger head on the end of the saber's handle opened its tiny jaws. As the Shark Cycle roared inbetween the Queen and the bottle, Saba clamped his jaws onto the handle of the bottle and held on fiercely. The Queen, catching sight of the rapid white object traveling through her pod patch, let out a bone-chilling squeal, with echoed throughout the tunnels. Racing away from the Queen, Tommy held up Saba, the bottle in its jaws. He laughed with joy. "Ha ha, you did it!" He screeched to a stop next to the other Rangers. The Shark Cycle dissolved, and Tommy took the bottle from Saba before returning Saba to his belt. After a brief celebration, the Rangers rushed into the nearby tunnel for shelter. "It's time we headed home," Tommy said. The others nodded and prepared to teleport. Kat looked into Billy's visor. "Mind if I hitch a ride with you?" she asked. Billy smiled under his helmet and replied, "Not at all." Billy took Kat's hand. The Rangers transformed into streaks of energy and vanished. --- EPILOGUE The six Power Rangers appeared in the Command Center, holding their helmets under their arms. As Tommy was placing Ninjor's bottle on a table, Zordon said, "Welcome back, Power Rangers. I am very pleased to see you all made it back unharmed." The Rangers smiled. Tommy replied, "And we brought Ninjor back." "Excellent work," Zordon said. "I'm sure Ninjor will be very happy to be free once again." The Rangers looked at the bottle, which was beginning to move. Suddenly, a face hugger leapt out from the bottle, flying toward the Rangers..... [End.]