Chapter 1: Ken in PowerRanger Land
Universe 1566
Mithril agent Ken Fanell walked down the familiar hallway down to his father’s office, one hand holding some unopened mail while the other held his sandwich. Vainly trying to eat breakfast and read his mail at the same time, he gave up, stuffing the mail ungraciously into his pockets leaving both hands free to hold his huge sandwich, stuffed with all kinds of meats and vegetables. The whole process was a messy affair and Ken walked on, oblivious to the trail of crumbs he left behind.
As he walked on, Ken returned the greetings of his fellow workers with a ready grin and wave. His mind, however, was on the reason he had been summoned, which was his new mission. As far as missions went, it was pretty much out of the ordinary. During dinner with his family the previous night, Karl Fanell had only remarked to his third son that the mission required Ken to do reconnaissance for suspected Chaos Legion presence. It also required him to stay in the as of yet unspecified location for an unconfirmed period of time.
Naturally this piqued Ken’s interest as he was more accustomed to skirmish and rescue missions needing the use of his powers as one of the Seven Seals. Even the recon missions that he had been on usually required a period of no more than two weeks. Curious as he was, he pushed his questions to the back on his head as it took his concentration away from his breakfast, his main priority at the moment. Shrugging to himself nonchalantly, he continued to walk down the long hallway while polishing off his sandwich.
By the time he reached the door to his father’s office, he had already demolished his breakfast and was now hastily brushing off the crumbs off his uniform. Giving himself a quick once-over and satisfied that he looked presentable enough, he knocked on the door. In reply, he could hear the automatic click as the door unlocked itself and swung open slightly. Ken walked into his father’s office.
***
Universe 5502
“Thanks a lot, and hope to see you again sometime soon!†chirped Madison Rocca cheerfully as she handed over to her customer his CD and change. Once the customer had left the music store she was working at, she stretched out, letting out a relaxed sigh as her eyes wandered round the store. Her friends and colleagues were busy with their own pursuits and she smiled slyly as she sneakily pulled out her videocamera from her bag lying by her feet and proceeded to videotape her unknowing friends. After all, nobody had said that she couldn’t have her own pursuits and besides, she considered it another step towards her dream of becoming a filmmaker.
She first turned to Chip Thorn, a tall, gangly teenager with unkempt, frenzied red hair and a shock of freckles who was busy roleplaying a dashing knight, brandishing a rolled-up magazine like a sword against an imaginary evil firebreathing dragon. As she continued videotaping, he yelled proudly and moved in for the kill, thrusting and slashing with his “sword†with abandon, taking no notice at all of the customers who gingerly moved away from his enthusiastic fighting. There was a mis-step, though, followed by a loud shocked yell and then a resounding crash as Chip lost his footing and fell into the hip-hop music rack. At the same time, the loud techno music that had been booming in the music store came to an abrupt stop. Chip looked up, wincing, and immediately his face took on a petrified expression. Madison followed his gaze with her camera straight to the annoyed face of her twin sister Vida.
The look on Vida’s face quickly changed from annoyed to outraged as she saw that Chip had also accidentally stumbled onto and pushed over the rack containing her vinyl records for her DJing. With an angry snarl she leaped down the few stairs and chased the hapless redhead all over the store, making the mess even worse than before. Chip meanwhile was screaming frantically as he tried to escape from bodily harm. Even if they were childhood friends, he had no doubt whatsoever that Vida would tear him from limb to limb in payment for damaging her precious vinyls.
Near the DJ table that Vida had left, the unlikeliest of couples were chatting animatedly, lost in each other’s eyes and oblivious to the chaos happening around them at that very moment. From one of his many pockets, the troblin Phineas took out a straggly bunch of bright pink and brown flowers and presented them shyly to his vampire girlfriend Leelee, who squealed in delight in response and jumped out of her seat, hugging him tightly and knocking him out of his chair.
Over at his favourite couch, Xander Bly seemed to be making progress hitting on yet another girl, until the girl smiled sweetly at him then dumped her drink on him before walking off again, chalking up yet another failure for Xander. Spluttering, he hastily grabbed a rag, giving himself a quick wipe before going after the girl, evidently trying to salvage a mess. The moment he disappeared from Maddie’s view, she heard a loud slap from the direction, followed by even more grovelling by Xander. Chuckling to herself, she focused the lens on the door of the manager’s office, eagerly waitng for her boss Toby and his reaction. She didn’t have to wait long.
The door swung open and out walked her boss Toby casually, surveying the chaos in his beloved store with a practiced eye. Clearly he was used to such a spectacle. He didn’t even flinch when a bottle of water, thrown by Vida at Chip, hit him squarely in the face. The sudden noise, however, seemed to have snapped everybody out of their own affairs and now all except Maddie turned guiltily to face him. Calmly he rubbed his face, nodded once then walked back into his office, closing the door and locking it. Immediately, there was a muffled yowl of pain from inside the office and the chaos resumed once again. Madison again chuckled involuntarily, and then grew sombre almost immediately. Sighing, she slumped back into her chair, dropping the device inside her bag as she allowed her thoughts to wander.
It’d be perfect if Nick was here.
***
Universe 1566
“So what’s the mission, Dad?†asked Ken as he took a seat.
“I just received a call from an old friend who I haven’t heard from in a long time.â€
“Metahuman?â€
“Wizard, actually. Also a very good swordsman. I met him on my second assignment a long time ago. He’s a loyal comrade; he saved my life and I want to repay him.â€
“Uh…okay…â€
Karl Fanell smiled at the bewildered expression that had sprouted on his son’s face. “Long story short, he was once turned evil but turned good again, thanks to his family and some friends. Currently, he’s on a road trip with his family at the moment.â€
“What’s that got to do with his request for a metahuman agent to provide assistance?â€
“Ever since he left about 6 months ago with his wife and son, he’s been feeling traces of dark energy, different from what he recently fought and defeated but still vaguely familiar to him. The problem is that whatever it is, it’s heading towards his home in this city Briarwood, getting stronger as it gets closer. At the present moment, only he and his wife suspect that it might be the Legion. The son senses something too, but he doesn’t know what it quite is. I’m counting on you to investigate further and to provide help if or when things get messy.â€
“I’ll check it out then, sir,†Ken said as he rose from the chair. “Anything else, Dad?â€
“The usual. Keep a low profile as much as possible. You’ll be the only Mithril agent there so update us regularly on any changes, even those that might not seem out of the ordinary. The universe in question is number 5502; you’ll be leaving for it in about three, four days time. Stop by here again sometime later. I’ll have a list of gear to be procured from Logistics for you to bring on the mission.â€
“Will do, sir,†smiled Ken as he walked towards the door.
***
Universe 5502 (Three days later)
Three bikes rolled to a halt just outside the magical haven that was Rootcore. It was late morning and the sun shone brightly down on the forest. Spring was just about to give way to summer and the flowers were in full bloom. The three riders took off their helmets and allowed themselves a few minutes to look around happily. They had missed the place.
They had missed their home.
As the dragon’s mouth that was the entrance to Rootcore opened, two people walked out, a young woman in a flowing white dress followed by a slightly older man. Both had walked out, curious as to the arrival of the three newcomers. The curious expressions on their faces immediately turned to joy as they saw Leanbow, Udonna and Nick Russell grinning at them.
The man roared with delight and went over to hug both his teacher and student at the same time while Claire did the same to her aunt, the mentor who had taught her all that she knew about magic. The hugging was happily interruped by the the unmistakeable loud roar of a dragon. Swooping down from the skies above, the dragon Fireheart landed neatly beside Leanbow and Nick and rumbled contentedly as Nick reached out to rub his belly. From Daggeron’s lamp, his cat genie partner Jenji suddenly popped out and joined the reunion. There was laughter everywhere. Amidst the happy chaos, Nick’s cellphone morpher suddenly fell out from his pocket. He picked it up, smiling wistfully at the memories it evoked.
“Why don’t you go see them, Nick?†Leanbow asked his son. “I’m sure they miss you as much as you missed them.â€
“But I just got back, Dad. It just seems too soon. Besides, I missed these guys too,†he said, gesturing to the others.
“Then why do you longingly keep looking to the forest’s edge? Aren’t they the ones you missed the most?†smiled Udonna at him.
“I…â€
“Look kid,†said Jenji in a matter-of-fact tone, “it isn’t a party with just the few of us. Go get them here and then we can have a proper one.â€
Nick looked around at the rest of the group who were nodding in agreement. He grinned. “I won’t be long,†he said as he ran to his bike, put on his helmet and zoomed off.
***
Universe 1566
“So she’s repaired then, Charlie? She’s good to go?†Ken asked his younger sister’s boyfriend and fellow colleague who was standing there patiently as Ken swooned all over his newly-repaired motorcycle.
“Absolutely,†Charlie Jackson replied as he walked round the bike checking it for scratch marks, “the Blue Spader is good as new. Though I’m gonna have to ask you to treat the lady better. I hope you don’t plan on using her to ram a bunch of Zombies just to seal an Undead again.â€
“Hey, they had it coming to them. They were throwing themselves all over her, so I figured I might as well ram them if they wanted to know every inch of her so much. Besides, I didn’t know that that Undead had Legion backup and in any case, I swiped the Metal Trilobite card on the Spader’s Rouzer before charging in so I thought my baby could take it.â€
“All I’m saying is just try not to do it again, man. No wait, don’t do it again, period. You know how much time me and the other techs spent cleaning all that gunk from the engine?â€
“Well you did a great job anyway! You should be proud of that!â€
“Tell that to Lisa. The job cost me a date; there was so much Zombie gunk on the Spader I had to call it off. I tell you buddy, she was so angry, I thought I was a goner,†Charlie said as he shuddered involuntarily at the memory.
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise, Charlie,†Ken said as he gave Charlie what he thought was a winning smile.
All he got was a skeptical look in reply. “Yeah, in about six months or so, if I heard correctly from Jack. That’s pretty long for a recon mission.â€
Ken shrugged. Thanking Charlie again, he grabbed the Blue Spader by the handlebars and rolled it over to the warp portal already set up for him to Universe 5502. His father Karl and eldest brother Van were waiting for him there, with Van holding a black and blue backpack. “All set, little brother?†asked Van as he handed over the backpack to Ken.
Ken ran a finger lovingly along the paintjob of his bike. “Now that she’s here with me again, yep,†he said with a satisfied expression on his face. “God, I need to get out more.â€
“I concur,†grinned his brother.
“Ah well, it can wait. Any last instructions, Dad?â€
“My friend Leanbow should have already returned to Rootcore along with his family by now. Make contact with him, identify yourself and see how you can help out. Because you’re supposed to be low-profile, the only ones who should even know you’re there is Leanbow, his wife Udonna and his student Daggeron. Nobody else should know who you really are besides these three. You’ll be inserted into the neighbouring city of Briarwood. Find a place to stay, and then take your time to introduce yourself to Leanbow. As you already know, your Seal powers will be limited to about 20% of their maximum strength; you’ll need to obtain approval to access all of your powers. Even at 20% you are not allowed to use your lightning powers in battle unless absolutely necessary. Stick to the Blay Buckle instead. Any problems with that?â€
“I think I can with live with it, sir,†said Ken as he put on his helmet and started up the Blue Spader. The warp portal in front of him glimmered serenely, waiting for its passenger. The bike trundled steadily to the portal opening when it suddenly stopped. Ken turned back to his father and brother. “Hey what’s number 5502 anyway?â€
“I got one word for you, little brother. ‘Megazord’.â€
Ken stared back at Van incredulously. “You serious? I'm going to Power-Ranger Land?â€
“Yeah. Is that a problem?â€
Ken juggled the question quietly in his head before breaking out into a grin. “No, I don't think so. If anything else, this should be interesting."
***
Universe 5502
The motorcycle rolled to a halt outside the Rock Porium. Nick got off his bike and slowly took off his helmet. Glancing up, he invountarily chuckled as he studied the shop’s sign, one that was painted all over in various colours. It brought back memories of a time clowning around, him and Madison and Vida and Chip while Xander sat in the back of Toby’s truck happily ordering them around. The memory brought a smile to his lips. Udonna had been right. Out of all the people he knew in Briarwood, those four had been the ones he truly missed most. They had been the ones who had first accepted a loner into their company. They had been the first ones in a very long time Nick had truly considered his friends. And at that moment, he could not wait to see them any longer. He pushed open the door and walked in.
The four main employees looked up at the sound. Their faces broke into smiles as they saw the old friend before them smiling awkwardly.
***
Universe 5502: Underworld
“Well, you’re certainly in a better condition than before, Morticon.â€
“How is that so?†growled the newly resurrected master of the Underworld.
“Well, you’re not dead for one. I shall convey your gratitude to my masters.â€
“I suppose you wouldn’t mind bringing them a message from me too, would you?†Morticon asked as he fired an energy blast from his sword without warning at the figure hiding in the shadows. The figure swatted it away then turned to face Morticon coolly, stepping out of the shadows for the first time. He was clad in black armour with insect-like motifs and gold trimmings. Dark energy seeped out from his being, stifling the atmosphere.
“So now you know, Lord Morticon, that I am not someone to be trifled with. Let that serve as your final warning. And please keep in mind that I am working with you, not for you.â€
“Have it your way. All I’m interested in for the present is the destruction of the Mystic Force. These Undead working for you, I assume they’re more than capable?â€
“You have the word of Chalice, Warlock of the Chaos Legion, that this Mystic Force you speak of will be no match for them,†said Chalice as he walked out of the chamber, leaving a faint trail of dark energy behind him.
***
Universe 5502: Rootcore
The party was in full swing at Rootcore as the Mystic Force celebrated Nick’s return.
Leanbow put his drink down, his face becoming more and more overcast by the minute. Udonna, Claire and Daggeron did the same, their brows furrowed in worry. The Book of Magic that had lain closed on its shelf suddenly opened, flipping its pages furiously. “Dad?†asked Nick. “What’s the matter?â€
“The Darkness. It’s back.â€
Claire hurried to the crystal ball, her hands moving around it, trying to discern what was going on. “Udonna, Leanbow,†she said urgently, “look at this.â€
The others rushed to the ball to see an enemy rampaging in Briarwood; one they had thought was long dead. It was Morticon, and he was definitely back with a vengeance, judging by the way he was attacking the place, not holding back one bit. Nick turned to his friends. “Let’s go, Rangers,†he said as he strode out of Rootcore, his friends falling in step behind him.
“Just like old times,†Jenji remarked as the others proceeded to watch all that transpired through Claire’s crystal ball.
***
Universe 5502: Briarwood
With a great burst of effort, Morticon shoved away both the Green and Yellow Mystic Rangers who had tried to restrain him from behind. Without their meddling, he was now free to concentrate on both Madison and Vida who let fly with their respective water and wind powers. Hitting the Underworld general head-on, the attacks also served to block Morticon’s view of Nick who was now leaping down at him, Mystic Wand already in Sword Mode. Nearby, hidden from view, Ken stood on the branch of a tall tree as he obseved the battle, his hands fidgeting with his Blay Buckle and his Category Ace card.
There was a slight commotion as a tall burly man swooped in, standing on a flying carpet. He leaped down and ran straight for the battle, throwing a card in front of him as he did so. In a flash of light, the Rangers’ teacher Daggeron had transformed into the Solaris Knight and was now aiding his students in their fight. The Mystic Force Rangers now had a better chance of winning, and it showed as the six of them combined in a splendid display of teamwork to push back Morticon.
“It’s their victory, but just barely,†Ken said to himself as he dropped down the tree. A soft blue aura surrounded him. “Well then,†he smiled, “time to get some work done.†He was suddenly gone in a flash of blue light.
In the meantime, Morticon kneeling on the ground, supported supporting himself with his sword, looked up at the Rangers with an expression of intense hatred. “Give up,†said the Red Mystic Ranger coldly at him. Morticon bellowed loudly and slashed in front of him, sending a powerful blast of dark energy that knocked the six Rangers down. As they got up painfully, Morticon, still kneeling, sneered at them. “I’m sure you know by now Rangers; this isn’t over.â€
And then he was gone.
***
Universe 5502: Rootcore
“Is he…?†Claire asked Leanbow who shook his head. “Then what can we do?â€
“No choice but to get stronger, Miss Claire,†answered an unfamiliar male voice. Claire turned around immediately, raising protective wards around her. She moved in front to protect her aunt and uncle, who raised a hand to calm her down.
“Hold, Claire. Do not be so hasty,†he said to Claire who nodded once and stepped back while still maintaining her magical barriers. “Identify yourself, young stranger. While you have trespassed upon our home, your voice is familiar to me. You are no enemy, but I may have to treat you as such. Reveal yourself, and I can assure you no harm.â€
A tall young man, lean-muscled and sporting an easy smile on his face appeared suddenly before the shocked group. He bowed slightly, his right hand on his heart. “Greetings, Lord Leanbow, Lady Udonna, Lady Claire. My name is Ken Fanell.â€
***
Universe 5502: Briarwood (Rock Porium)
“Can’t believe Morticon’s back,†Nick muttered as he walked into the shop. Behind him, the others followed suit, each wearing disgruntled faces of their own. “We drove him back, but he’ll be back for sure.â€
“Well then,†said Vida grimly as she walked past him to her turntable, “we’ll just have to kick his butt harder the next time he shows his ugly mug here. I’ll be happy to start.â€
“Save some for the rest of us, Vi,†said Xander. “Just because you get first crack at him doesn’t mean that you get to finish him off.â€
“In the meantime,†said Daggeron as he entered the store behind them, “we’re going to need to prepare for more attacks. There’ll be training everyday, people, just like the old times. Better get used to it.†With that, he walked out of the store, leaving his students in disbelief at the thought of more training. All five were grinding their teeth with annoyance at Morticon and his lackeys as they went back to their work.
***
Universe 5502: Briarwood
“So you’ll be staying here for the time being, Ken?†asked Udonna warmly as she refilled his cup of tea. Over the past hour, Ken had briefed Leanbow, Udonna and Claire on his current mission, the investigation of the Legion’s activities in both Briarwood and Universe 5502. Ken shook his head regretfully.
“My apologies Lady Udonna, but that won’t be necessary. I don’t want to impose on you. Besides, I’d like to keep my presence here hidden until the time is right, that is to say when new orders come through. In any case, I’ve already got accommodation. Nick’s adoptive sister Amy is renting out one of the spare rooms in their house and I managed to snag it. Hopefully, it’ll allow me to stay low profile while keeping an eye on your son at the same time.â€
“You think he’s in trouble?†asked Leanbow.
“Not at the moment, my lord, but it’ll definitely come looking for him. I read up on him before departing. The Light will hold interest to the Chaos Legion, and I fully intend to screw them over when they try to get their hands on him.â€
“You’re ready for them?â€
The young Mithril agent smiled, a gleam of absolute confidence in his eyes. “I came prepared.â€
“So what’s next for you then?â€
“I’d like to make their acquaintance,†Ken said as he finished his drink and stood up. “Now seems a good time as any.â€
“Ken,†said Leanbow. “Thank you for your help.â€
Ken inclined his head, smiling gently. “It’s not a problem, my lord,†he said as he walked into a warp portal that had suddenly appeared before them. The portal disappeared, and the three mystics began to make plans for the future battles.
***
Universe Rock Porium
Nick’s bad mood from the reappearance of the Underworld hadn’t lifted as he went about his work. He was muttering under his breath while stocking shelves, earning curious stares from customers and bemused glances from his friends. He was so caught up in his irritation that he almost bumped into a customer until the young man quickly sidestepped away, catching his attention.
“Oh man, sorry about that dude. It’s my fault; I wasn’t looking,†he said sheepishly, putting down the box he was carrying and offering a hand in apology.
“It’s alright, no harm done. You seemed busy.â€
“Just thinking about stuff,†Nick grinned. “Hey, you new in town? Haven’t seen you before.â€
“Who’s this Nick?†asked Xander as he and the other Rangers came up from behind, looking curiously at the new guy. The young man grinned warmly and stuck out a hand in reply. “My name’s Ken Fanell. Nice to meet you all.â€
