HeroPower
11-29-2008, 09:04 PM
STATIC
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KRSSSHHHHH.........
The sound of static filled the darkened room, as the faulty projection from the monitor casted strange shadows across the walls. The light of the screen reflected in the cold, red eyes of the being that stood before the wall of monitors.
Purple-skinned fingers danced across a control console, activating the rest of the monitors along the wall, each one projecting a different image. Images of urgency. Of pain. Of anger. A clawed finger curled across the volume panel to pump up the sound of every set. All of the sets broadcasting at once. It was a terrible noise, but to the purple creature's ears, there was no problem.
"Stop your sniveling," he suddenly said, in a dark, ghostly voice.
The creature slowly turned its head and one of its red eyes seemed to spin unnaturally around to look directly at the frightened young woman sitting on the floor behind him. Her arms were bound by a tangle of cloth. Her golden-brown hair was a mess. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to control her fearful shaking. The sight of the being disgusted her, but not nearly as much as what she had seen him do to the others...
"Listen... Listen to the sound of my victory."
The creature turned back toward the monitors and raised his hands. The young woman had no choice but to remain there, as still as possible, and pray that somehow she would make it out alive. She looked up at one of the monitors with a trembling sigh...
CHANNEL 156- FOX NEWS- POWERED BY INFINICORP
The distinguished woman sitting at the news desk was Melinda Travers. She was the picture of distinction. She prided herself on showing no emotion toward the stories she reported. Only the facts as they were given her. She shuffled through the pages of her digital clipboard before the avatar of the Lead Story- the image of a DNA strand wrapped around a gun- appeared in the upper right corner next to her.
"Our top story today: The Earth Supreme Council began the first of several key meetings with ambassadors from fifty other worlds across the known galaxies in an attempt to create an everlasting peace treaty between us and our neighbors among the stars--"
Melinda Travers' face was replaced by the recording of several key Council Members arriving from flying vehicles just in front of the heavily guarded Council Tower. As a caption revealed his name and title, Senator Azarat Mercer stepped forth and began walking up the long flight of stairs to reach the entrance.
Several men and women in Time Force uniforms stood guard, with specially-enhanced sunglasses that allowed them to scan the area for any possible intruders. Among those officers were four familiar faces. Katie, Trip, Lucas, and Jen all stood vigilantly, under the light of the setting sun, watching out for any intruders, but no sign could be found.
"However, the meetings were postponed, after an astonishing attempt on Senator Azarat Mercer's life was taken just as he arrived at the site of the conference--"
Jen could clearly be seen speaking covertly with the officers serving under her through a hidden com device, undoubtedly reporting that there was no enemy in sight. But suddenly, Jen took a second look up onto the roof, and made a furious dash down the stairs toward the senator.
The senator's eyes widened, and his own personal bodyguards became alarmed, but there was no time for reason. Without words, without thoughts, Jen leaped down and tackled the senator to the ground.
Jen let out a loud cry as she could feel the aura of a powerful, purple beam burn its way through a clump of her hair and down her back, finally slamming into the stairway behind them, bursting into an explosion that launched several bodyguards through the air!
Within seconds, Lucas pinpointed the direction of the blast, yanked a blaster from his side, and opened fire, Katie, Trip, and several others quickly following suit.
The camera, struggling to maintain focus, whirled around to capture the amazing exchange of fire, but could only catch a quick glimpse of a purple-skinned creature leaping off the edge of a nearby building's roof and disappearing into the shadows of the approaching night.
"Mr. Mercer had been the most outwordly supportive of all Earth's members attending that day, stating many times that he hoped to help build a new Galactic Society, which welcomed all sentient lifeforms, no matter the species, creed, or genetic history. Only moments after the attack, Time Force Headquarters received the anonymous transmission of a man calling himself the Ender."
The screen switched to a visual representation of the text transmission:
"Earth is a lie. Liars must be dealt with. Genetic purity is a falacy. I will deliver us from such cancerous notions forever."
"Time Force has gathered a list of suspects, but have yet to gain enough evidence to release further information about the man known only as the Ender."
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CHANNEL 777- MTV NEWS BLIP- POWERED BY INFINICORP
A frenzy of colored lights scrolled the next monitor, as the viewer was bombarded with sounds and clips from the latest musical sensations, before finally settling upon the image of Dexter Niks. He was a man in his early thirties, but his colored, pink hair and flawless sense of style made him look years younger. He sat alone before a backdrop overlooking the capital of NeoTech City- the hub of commerce and new wave style.
"Hi, I'm Dexter Niks, with an MTV News Blip! A major security breach took place at the NeoTech Spaceport late last night. The perpetrator, now identified as the Ender, was apparently attempting to hijack a starship, in hopes of remote programming it to crash into the orbiting Senate Station, which holds over 150,000 officials and civilians at any given time. MTV News has obtained this exclusive footage, captured by an eyewitness' personal recorder--"
Dexter was replaced by the shaky image of the interior of the crowded spaceport, as recorded by an amateur with a recording device. The man struggled to keep it steady as he watched from afar.
The being in a black trench coat had been spotted by Spaceport guards, and the moment the Ender realized he had been spotted, he lifted a hand full of black claws and released a beam of purple energy from his palm. The blast cut through the air like a bullet, sheering across the floor in a dance of sparks that threw the guards several feet back, knocking them unconcious.
Furious that he had been spotted, Ender grasped the shoulder of his coat and tossed the wretched thing into the air. The sight of his horribly deformed body sent a wave of gasps through the crowd- as if the attack itself were not enough. Under the bright lights shining down above, he looked hideous to the humans. He was the physical representation of every parent's darkest fear. A living genetic deformity.
The man with the recorder knew not to come any closer to the mutant, but knew that his efforts could prove useful, so continued to record as the Ender ran down the wide corridor toward the hangar area.
One figure stood in the center of the corridor, while others huddled against the walls and watched in astonishment as he refused to move out of the way.
"Hey, buddy, move!"
"Get outta there!"
Random warnings from frightened, concerned faces did not deter the figure in black, with a large, round hat that cloaked his stubbled face in darkness. Not even the sight of the mutant rushing directly toward him, its hand now crackling with purple energy, could deter him.
"Out of my way!" the Ender shouted, hurling a beam at the stranger.
But suddenly, an instant before the blast could strike, the stranger's body whirled off of the ground, wildly spiraling through the air. Before the Ender knew what was happening, he could feel the man's boot drill its way into his back, knocking him off his feet, sparks shooting up from the crash.
Black boots landed with a loud thud on the steel floor.
The Ender quickly jumped back to his feet and turned with an angry snarl.
"J-Just who are you?!"
"Never ceases to amaze me," the man said under his breath, before grabbing the lining of his coat and tossing it away. A hand raised up to pull the hat from over his head, finally revealing the man in a long, white suit, with a flashing Time Force badge nestled on his chest. It was Alex. And he had been forced out of his year-long "vacation" by another maniac with superpowers.
"Time Force!" Alex shouted, valiantly. It had been several months since those words had escaped his lips, but he still knew how to deliver them. "You're under arrest!"
"Ha!" Ender laughed. "You don't look like any Time Force Officer I know. But if you are, then you support those lying pigs in office. Say goodbye!"
"Goodbye... Time for... Time Force!"
Suddenly, to the astonishment of all those watching, Alex threw his hands into formation and his fingers slapped across the panel of buttons on the morpher on his wrist. In an instant, the device was activated and an explosion of white light emmanated from the officer. When the flux of energy finally died down, the man was now revealed to be covered in a sleek, black battle-suit. His black visor was formed in the shape of an upside-down crescent moon.
"Black Time Force Ranger!" Alex shouted, as he snapped into a formidable stance. But his enemy refused to relent, and the image of his attack was reflected in the black of his visor.
Powerful blasts were launched from Ender's hands toward the warrior in black, but none of them hit their mark. Black Ranger rushed forward with blinding speed, faster than the blasts could fly. Explosions ripped up the floor, tossing flaming debris through the air just behind him as he furiously slapped a button on his wrist morpher, summoning a weapon.
"Chrono Saber!"
From a vortex of light, a long, translucent blade appeared in the tightening grip of the Ranger as he ran toward the monster, as he continued to fire beams. With the flick of his wrist, the Chrono Saber swung about, deflecting the blasts right back at the monster, who shouted out as sparks erupted from his purple body.
And there was little time to recover, because Black Ranger had already shot past him, slashing across his chest and back down his back over and over again. But before he could finish it, Black Ranger looked down to realize that Ender had grabbed the blade with his bare hand. The hand, still smoking from the injury of the collison, yanked the saber from him, and sent claws shrieking across the Ranger's torso.
Ender took advantage of the Ranger being stunned, and rushed down the corridor toward the hangar area as quickly as he could, likely hoping that he might still be able to do some damage. At the other end of the corridor, through the giant panels of glass windows, the great starship Zordon-3 could be seen, its hull illuminated by the light of the moon. Through its windows, passangers of all ages could be seen settling into their seats. And Ender was headed straight for it...
"Chrono Cannon!"
Black Ranger wasted no time, summoning forth his blaster, which was nearly as big as he was, taking aim at the running monster. But everywhere he looked, he could see frightened faces. And the starship just beyond the mutant was filled with innocent people. With battle-weary vision, he could see that there was no way he could fire his weapon from such a distance.
As quickly as he could, Black Ranger chased after the Ender, holding his Chrono Cannon down at his side with one hand. He leaped up onto a row of chairs and dashed across them in a desperate attempt to gain on him.
A group of at least six guards gathered at the entrance to Zordon-3, and Ender had no choice but to blast them. As much as they tried to fight back, not a single one of them could stand against his mutant powers, and were all left with smoking wounds on the battlefield. But the brief distraction had allowed the Ranger to get closer. Close enough to--
"GAAAGH!!!"
Ender shouted out as he felt the Ranger tackle him to the ground, just inches away from the entrance.
Ender looked up to see that the starship had begun to pull away from its dock. Only seconds remained. The two enemies struggled on the floor, each one desperately hoping to overpower the other. But in the end, there was simply not enough strength left in Alex's body to keep from being thrown backward.
Ender jumped to his feet and stood in front of the window just next to the starship, raised his hands, pulsing with vicious power, aimed directly at the vessel's engine. One blast would destroy it entirely.
There was no time to think. Alex took a deep breath under his helmet, yanked his cannon into position and pulled the trigger.
KABOOM! Ender cried out in horror as he felt a powerful blast strike him in the back and smash him through the window, consuming him in a torrid cloud of flame and glass that scattered across the night sky.
The enemy was not captured in cryo-stasis. The Black Ranger's cannon was not set in its normal Stun and Capture Mode. It was set for lethal force.
Black Ranger shook his head and slowly turned away from the shattered window as his suit dematerialized from around his body, the night wind creeping in from outside. Alex let out a terrible sigh... but then he looked up and realized that he was being filmed.
Alex's face quickly changed from uncertainty to urgency as he began walking toward the shaking camera, which turned around as its operator began to flee the scene!
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CHANNEL 151- COURT TV- POWERED BY INFINICORP
After the commercial, brought to their viewers by Infinicorp Broadcasting, the program continued with its coverage of the hottest case to have ever been shown to the faithful Court TV audience. It was the Alex Collins Case.
Alex stood in a pool of light cast down from some unknown source above, his arms bound together by a complex pair of restraints designed to negate any and all genetic enhancements that could have helped him escape. Alex was disgusted at the very thought of it. He would never attempt to escape. Cowards tried to escape.
The holographic projection of the three Court Councilmembers, each from a different species- Human, Aquitian, and Karmanian- re-appeared to continue.
"Mr. Collins," the Human spoke. "Up until recent years, your career was exemplary. Flawless. Then suddenly, this Ransik-incident changes everything. After your promotion, something happened that changed your work ethic. You became lazy, and disrespectful to the authority that gave you your power to begin with."
Alex remained silent and still.
"Yes," the Aquitian added. "And after the Ransik-incident concluded, you took an indefinite leave of absence from your duties as Commander of the Time Force NeoTech Branch... with no explanation as to why... I'd like to know."
Alex took a deep breath before responding. It was difficult for him to be so honest, but refused to lie.
"I loved Time Force... but I allowed my personal feelings sway too many of my decisions, and as you all know, that can be fatal... I didn't want to harm this establishment, which I respect too much, with any of my own personal issues. I love... it... too much."
"I'm afraid that's not good enough," the Karmanian replied. "You were an off-duty officer, and you used Time Force property to destroy a NeoTech citizen."
"A terrorist. A murderer. A mutant--"
"That's enough!" the Aquitian shouted, angrily. His fiery eyes stared right through Alex.
"I'm sorry," the Karmanian said. "I believe that all people have the potential to become something greater- something different than what they are now. That is why I have chosen to vote not to terminate your existence. But I am voting that you be put in stasis for a term of three years."
"As am I," the Aquitian quickly seconded.
Alex looked up at the Human Councilmember and realized how much it pained him to say what he was about to say, but there was nothing more that could be done. Regardless of personal feelings, or biases, he had a duty to carry out.
"I... I'm sorry, Alex. But I'm afraid that you will be sentenced to three years in containment..."
Alex did not move. He did not speak. Reacting would not change the reality of his situation. He simply stood there like a statue, as the council continued...
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The young woman looked up in uncertain fear as the purple creature seemed to be watching all the monitors along the wall at once, interpreting and consuming information from all of them. And he relished in it. Because every last broadcast was speaking about him.
"The Ender has struck again at the Mirinoi Embassy at Blue Bay Harbor. Time Force reports that the unique genetic traits within the mutant's body make all form of scans and detection completely useless. More details at 11."
"Once again, a recorded message from the terrorist known as the Ender has leaked onto the internet. In his message, he attests that the world has learned nothing in the last thousand years. It replaces one form of discrimination with another, against all those without the benefit of genetic modification. Another Time Force official was executed on camera by the Ender and--"
"Hey, I got a better idea about who to make the next President of the Earth. How about this Ender guy, huh? Now THAT'S a guy that knows how to make an entrance!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The young woman on the floor struggled to pull her last two fingers free from the cloth bindings the mutant had wrapped around them, in a desperate attempt to get herself free, as she knew that she might not survive this night if she was not ready to run at the next opportunity. But she froze in place when she saw the creature slowly turn down toward her, and she began to hear the sound of her own voice from one of the monitors behind him.
"This is Melinda Travers with a special report. After further investigation, Time Force officials have now concluded that there were no genetic remains left behind by the terrorist known as the Ender. In fact, they found no trace of him at all. Investigators say that he may very well still be alive, and on the loose. All citizens are advised to--"
"Now I remember where I saw you," Ender spoke, in his ghostly voice, growing angrier with every syllable. "You're the little witch that told everybody I was still alive."
"Please... I just report the news... It doesn't matter if I like what I tell the people or not. They tell me what to say, and I say it... Just let me go!"
"Soon enough, princess. Soon enough."
Melinda screamed as she felt the mutant's talons grab her hair and pull her into the next room. Melinda threw a hand over her nose. The horrible smell of smoke and destruction, and the unconcious bodies of several wounded or worse surrounded them in the news room.
Melinda was pushed over into the second seat behind the desk, where a videocamera was pointed at. The red lights on all the cameras told her that the system was recording live. They were at Inifinicorp Studios- the central operating tower that broadcasted television to the entire Earth and surrounding colonies.
"Ladies, gentlemen, mutants, and freaks," Ender spoke, sitting in the first seat at the desk, an ironically peaceful image of the city at night projected just behind him. "I am here to show you the truth about your world. Three years have passed since the death of my daughter. Three years since Human doctors refused to operate on her because we didn't have the credits, even though all Human patients are allowed treatment regardless of their financial status. The cancer spreading across this planet must be exised. The destruction of the entire Infinicorp Network will be the first in a series of operations. And when I'm finished... we will see who gets treated and who doesn't next."
"Are you finished?"
Ender turned his head just in time to see the fist that shot right into it, knocking him over the desk. He jumped back up to see a shocking sight.
"I thought they locked you up on murder charges!" Ender shouted.
"And I thought you were dead," Alex replied. "Looks like we were both wrong... Time for... Time Force!"
Ender wasted no time, hurling a blast at Alex, but the beam hit nothing but air, as a streak of white light shot past it and struck the monster in the chest. BWOOSH! The streak finally stopped, revealing that it was the Black Time Force Ranger, having just punched Ender across the room.
"Chrono Saber! Chrono Cannon!"
In a formidable mid-air flip, Black Ranger summoned one weapon into each hand, and furiously let loose a stream of energy-blasts. Like lightning showering down from the heavens, the silver blasts exploded through the floor, blowing huge flaming holes through to the rooms below them, as Ender was barely able to dodge them.
But before Ender could retaliate, Black Ranger had already come shrieking out of the sky, his saber raised and ready.
"TIME STRIKE!"
Melinda watched in amazement as the Ranger's sword, filled with power, was sent ripping down the monster's body with such force that sparking chunks of mutated flesh scattered into the air.
Black Ranger drilled a kick into the monster, launching him right through one of the cameras, completely out of range of any of the others. Melinda Travers, a reporter till the last, quickly got up and ran over to one of the functioning cameras.
"What the heck am I doing?" she asked herself, as she turned the camera toward the two fighters, one of which was badly wounded. Whatever possessed her to do this, she knew it was the right thing.
Ender's smoking body dropped to one trembling knee in pain, gripping awful wounds. There was no fight left in him. Nothing he could do.
"I'm a freedom fighter, Ranger," he let out. "Kill me... and my message becomes even stronger... Another dead mutant on the 11 o'clock news."
"Oh, would you shut up!"
Without warning, Black Ranger suddenly raised his cannon and instantly fired! Travers could not believe it. A huge explosion ripped up, dessimating the entire back side of the news room, leaving a huge crater through to the next three rooms. Flames crackled wildly.
"You... You didn't..." Melinda said softly...
"Didn't what?" the Ranger said, annoyed.
He slowly walked over to the sight of the explosion, and reached down with something in his hand. Travers, finally coming to her senses, pointed the camera down to zoom in.
A smile appeared on her face.
The camera clearly showed that the device in the Ranger's hand was his Time Force badge. And it was lowering down toward the smoking, miniaturized body of the mutant he had just battled. The badge cast a collecting beam and transformed into a canister to store the mutant.
He had not destroyed him. He had captured him.
"Power Down."
In a dance of light, Alex was returned to civilian form, and Melinda found herself at his side.
"They let you go. After finding out you didn't kill him, they let you go, and you came here after hearing his threats on TV."
"Here," Alex said, handing the canister to the reporter. "Make sure Time Force gets this."
"Why don't you give it to them yourself?"
"I got places to be... People to see... And one more thing."
"... What? Anything."
"Please, turn off these blasted cameras."
Melinda smiled. The camera in the far corner watched her, feeding her image to the entire world and beyond, as she walked over to the camera, flipped the switch, and turned it off. Her image was lost in a hail of static....
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THE END
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KRSSSHHHHH.........
The sound of static filled the darkened room, as the faulty projection from the monitor casted strange shadows across the walls. The light of the screen reflected in the cold, red eyes of the being that stood before the wall of monitors.
Purple-skinned fingers danced across a control console, activating the rest of the monitors along the wall, each one projecting a different image. Images of urgency. Of pain. Of anger. A clawed finger curled across the volume panel to pump up the sound of every set. All of the sets broadcasting at once. It was a terrible noise, but to the purple creature's ears, there was no problem.
"Stop your sniveling," he suddenly said, in a dark, ghostly voice.
The creature slowly turned its head and one of its red eyes seemed to spin unnaturally around to look directly at the frightened young woman sitting on the floor behind him. Her arms were bound by a tangle of cloth. Her golden-brown hair was a mess. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to control her fearful shaking. The sight of the being disgusted her, but not nearly as much as what she had seen him do to the others...
"Listen... Listen to the sound of my victory."
The creature turned back toward the monitors and raised his hands. The young woman had no choice but to remain there, as still as possible, and pray that somehow she would make it out alive. She looked up at one of the monitors with a trembling sigh...
CHANNEL 156- FOX NEWS- POWERED BY INFINICORP
The distinguished woman sitting at the news desk was Melinda Travers. She was the picture of distinction. She prided herself on showing no emotion toward the stories she reported. Only the facts as they were given her. She shuffled through the pages of her digital clipboard before the avatar of the Lead Story- the image of a DNA strand wrapped around a gun- appeared in the upper right corner next to her.
"Our top story today: The Earth Supreme Council began the first of several key meetings with ambassadors from fifty other worlds across the known galaxies in an attempt to create an everlasting peace treaty between us and our neighbors among the stars--"
Melinda Travers' face was replaced by the recording of several key Council Members arriving from flying vehicles just in front of the heavily guarded Council Tower. As a caption revealed his name and title, Senator Azarat Mercer stepped forth and began walking up the long flight of stairs to reach the entrance.
Several men and women in Time Force uniforms stood guard, with specially-enhanced sunglasses that allowed them to scan the area for any possible intruders. Among those officers were four familiar faces. Katie, Trip, Lucas, and Jen all stood vigilantly, under the light of the setting sun, watching out for any intruders, but no sign could be found.
"However, the meetings were postponed, after an astonishing attempt on Senator Azarat Mercer's life was taken just as he arrived at the site of the conference--"
Jen could clearly be seen speaking covertly with the officers serving under her through a hidden com device, undoubtedly reporting that there was no enemy in sight. But suddenly, Jen took a second look up onto the roof, and made a furious dash down the stairs toward the senator.
The senator's eyes widened, and his own personal bodyguards became alarmed, but there was no time for reason. Without words, without thoughts, Jen leaped down and tackled the senator to the ground.
Jen let out a loud cry as she could feel the aura of a powerful, purple beam burn its way through a clump of her hair and down her back, finally slamming into the stairway behind them, bursting into an explosion that launched several bodyguards through the air!
Within seconds, Lucas pinpointed the direction of the blast, yanked a blaster from his side, and opened fire, Katie, Trip, and several others quickly following suit.
The camera, struggling to maintain focus, whirled around to capture the amazing exchange of fire, but could only catch a quick glimpse of a purple-skinned creature leaping off the edge of a nearby building's roof and disappearing into the shadows of the approaching night.
"Mr. Mercer had been the most outwordly supportive of all Earth's members attending that day, stating many times that he hoped to help build a new Galactic Society, which welcomed all sentient lifeforms, no matter the species, creed, or genetic history. Only moments after the attack, Time Force Headquarters received the anonymous transmission of a man calling himself the Ender."
The screen switched to a visual representation of the text transmission:
"Earth is a lie. Liars must be dealt with. Genetic purity is a falacy. I will deliver us from such cancerous notions forever."
"Time Force has gathered a list of suspects, but have yet to gain enough evidence to release further information about the man known only as the Ender."
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CHANNEL 777- MTV NEWS BLIP- POWERED BY INFINICORP
A frenzy of colored lights scrolled the next monitor, as the viewer was bombarded with sounds and clips from the latest musical sensations, before finally settling upon the image of Dexter Niks. He was a man in his early thirties, but his colored, pink hair and flawless sense of style made him look years younger. He sat alone before a backdrop overlooking the capital of NeoTech City- the hub of commerce and new wave style.
"Hi, I'm Dexter Niks, with an MTV News Blip! A major security breach took place at the NeoTech Spaceport late last night. The perpetrator, now identified as the Ender, was apparently attempting to hijack a starship, in hopes of remote programming it to crash into the orbiting Senate Station, which holds over 150,000 officials and civilians at any given time. MTV News has obtained this exclusive footage, captured by an eyewitness' personal recorder--"
Dexter was replaced by the shaky image of the interior of the crowded spaceport, as recorded by an amateur with a recording device. The man struggled to keep it steady as he watched from afar.
The being in a black trench coat had been spotted by Spaceport guards, and the moment the Ender realized he had been spotted, he lifted a hand full of black claws and released a beam of purple energy from his palm. The blast cut through the air like a bullet, sheering across the floor in a dance of sparks that threw the guards several feet back, knocking them unconcious.
Furious that he had been spotted, Ender grasped the shoulder of his coat and tossed the wretched thing into the air. The sight of his horribly deformed body sent a wave of gasps through the crowd- as if the attack itself were not enough. Under the bright lights shining down above, he looked hideous to the humans. He was the physical representation of every parent's darkest fear. A living genetic deformity.
The man with the recorder knew not to come any closer to the mutant, but knew that his efforts could prove useful, so continued to record as the Ender ran down the wide corridor toward the hangar area.
One figure stood in the center of the corridor, while others huddled against the walls and watched in astonishment as he refused to move out of the way.
"Hey, buddy, move!"
"Get outta there!"
Random warnings from frightened, concerned faces did not deter the figure in black, with a large, round hat that cloaked his stubbled face in darkness. Not even the sight of the mutant rushing directly toward him, its hand now crackling with purple energy, could deter him.
"Out of my way!" the Ender shouted, hurling a beam at the stranger.
But suddenly, an instant before the blast could strike, the stranger's body whirled off of the ground, wildly spiraling through the air. Before the Ender knew what was happening, he could feel the man's boot drill its way into his back, knocking him off his feet, sparks shooting up from the crash.
Black boots landed with a loud thud on the steel floor.
The Ender quickly jumped back to his feet and turned with an angry snarl.
"J-Just who are you?!"
"Never ceases to amaze me," the man said under his breath, before grabbing the lining of his coat and tossing it away. A hand raised up to pull the hat from over his head, finally revealing the man in a long, white suit, with a flashing Time Force badge nestled on his chest. It was Alex. And he had been forced out of his year-long "vacation" by another maniac with superpowers.
"Time Force!" Alex shouted, valiantly. It had been several months since those words had escaped his lips, but he still knew how to deliver them. "You're under arrest!"
"Ha!" Ender laughed. "You don't look like any Time Force Officer I know. But if you are, then you support those lying pigs in office. Say goodbye!"
"Goodbye... Time for... Time Force!"
Suddenly, to the astonishment of all those watching, Alex threw his hands into formation and his fingers slapped across the panel of buttons on the morpher on his wrist. In an instant, the device was activated and an explosion of white light emmanated from the officer. When the flux of energy finally died down, the man was now revealed to be covered in a sleek, black battle-suit. His black visor was formed in the shape of an upside-down crescent moon.
"Black Time Force Ranger!" Alex shouted, as he snapped into a formidable stance. But his enemy refused to relent, and the image of his attack was reflected in the black of his visor.
Powerful blasts were launched from Ender's hands toward the warrior in black, but none of them hit their mark. Black Ranger rushed forward with blinding speed, faster than the blasts could fly. Explosions ripped up the floor, tossing flaming debris through the air just behind him as he furiously slapped a button on his wrist morpher, summoning a weapon.
"Chrono Saber!"
From a vortex of light, a long, translucent blade appeared in the tightening grip of the Ranger as he ran toward the monster, as he continued to fire beams. With the flick of his wrist, the Chrono Saber swung about, deflecting the blasts right back at the monster, who shouted out as sparks erupted from his purple body.
And there was little time to recover, because Black Ranger had already shot past him, slashing across his chest and back down his back over and over again. But before he could finish it, Black Ranger looked down to realize that Ender had grabbed the blade with his bare hand. The hand, still smoking from the injury of the collison, yanked the saber from him, and sent claws shrieking across the Ranger's torso.
Ender took advantage of the Ranger being stunned, and rushed down the corridor toward the hangar area as quickly as he could, likely hoping that he might still be able to do some damage. At the other end of the corridor, through the giant panels of glass windows, the great starship Zordon-3 could be seen, its hull illuminated by the light of the moon. Through its windows, passangers of all ages could be seen settling into their seats. And Ender was headed straight for it...
"Chrono Cannon!"
Black Ranger wasted no time, summoning forth his blaster, which was nearly as big as he was, taking aim at the running monster. But everywhere he looked, he could see frightened faces. And the starship just beyond the mutant was filled with innocent people. With battle-weary vision, he could see that there was no way he could fire his weapon from such a distance.
As quickly as he could, Black Ranger chased after the Ender, holding his Chrono Cannon down at his side with one hand. He leaped up onto a row of chairs and dashed across them in a desperate attempt to gain on him.
A group of at least six guards gathered at the entrance to Zordon-3, and Ender had no choice but to blast them. As much as they tried to fight back, not a single one of them could stand against his mutant powers, and were all left with smoking wounds on the battlefield. But the brief distraction had allowed the Ranger to get closer. Close enough to--
"GAAAGH!!!"
Ender shouted out as he felt the Ranger tackle him to the ground, just inches away from the entrance.
Ender looked up to see that the starship had begun to pull away from its dock. Only seconds remained. The two enemies struggled on the floor, each one desperately hoping to overpower the other. But in the end, there was simply not enough strength left in Alex's body to keep from being thrown backward.
Ender jumped to his feet and stood in front of the window just next to the starship, raised his hands, pulsing with vicious power, aimed directly at the vessel's engine. One blast would destroy it entirely.
There was no time to think. Alex took a deep breath under his helmet, yanked his cannon into position and pulled the trigger.
KABOOM! Ender cried out in horror as he felt a powerful blast strike him in the back and smash him through the window, consuming him in a torrid cloud of flame and glass that scattered across the night sky.
The enemy was not captured in cryo-stasis. The Black Ranger's cannon was not set in its normal Stun and Capture Mode. It was set for lethal force.
Black Ranger shook his head and slowly turned away from the shattered window as his suit dematerialized from around his body, the night wind creeping in from outside. Alex let out a terrible sigh... but then he looked up and realized that he was being filmed.
Alex's face quickly changed from uncertainty to urgency as he began walking toward the shaking camera, which turned around as its operator began to flee the scene!
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CHANNEL 151- COURT TV- POWERED BY INFINICORP
After the commercial, brought to their viewers by Infinicorp Broadcasting, the program continued with its coverage of the hottest case to have ever been shown to the faithful Court TV audience. It was the Alex Collins Case.
Alex stood in a pool of light cast down from some unknown source above, his arms bound together by a complex pair of restraints designed to negate any and all genetic enhancements that could have helped him escape. Alex was disgusted at the very thought of it. He would never attempt to escape. Cowards tried to escape.
The holographic projection of the three Court Councilmembers, each from a different species- Human, Aquitian, and Karmanian- re-appeared to continue.
"Mr. Collins," the Human spoke. "Up until recent years, your career was exemplary. Flawless. Then suddenly, this Ransik-incident changes everything. After your promotion, something happened that changed your work ethic. You became lazy, and disrespectful to the authority that gave you your power to begin with."
Alex remained silent and still.
"Yes," the Aquitian added. "And after the Ransik-incident concluded, you took an indefinite leave of absence from your duties as Commander of the Time Force NeoTech Branch... with no explanation as to why... I'd like to know."
Alex took a deep breath before responding. It was difficult for him to be so honest, but refused to lie.
"I loved Time Force... but I allowed my personal feelings sway too many of my decisions, and as you all know, that can be fatal... I didn't want to harm this establishment, which I respect too much, with any of my own personal issues. I love... it... too much."
"I'm afraid that's not good enough," the Karmanian replied. "You were an off-duty officer, and you used Time Force property to destroy a NeoTech citizen."
"A terrorist. A murderer. A mutant--"
"That's enough!" the Aquitian shouted, angrily. His fiery eyes stared right through Alex.
"I'm sorry," the Karmanian said. "I believe that all people have the potential to become something greater- something different than what they are now. That is why I have chosen to vote not to terminate your existence. But I am voting that you be put in stasis for a term of three years."
"As am I," the Aquitian quickly seconded.
Alex looked up at the Human Councilmember and realized how much it pained him to say what he was about to say, but there was nothing more that could be done. Regardless of personal feelings, or biases, he had a duty to carry out.
"I... I'm sorry, Alex. But I'm afraid that you will be sentenced to three years in containment..."
Alex did not move. He did not speak. Reacting would not change the reality of his situation. He simply stood there like a statue, as the council continued...
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The young woman looked up in uncertain fear as the purple creature seemed to be watching all the monitors along the wall at once, interpreting and consuming information from all of them. And he relished in it. Because every last broadcast was speaking about him.
"The Ender has struck again at the Mirinoi Embassy at Blue Bay Harbor. Time Force reports that the unique genetic traits within the mutant's body make all form of scans and detection completely useless. More details at 11."
"Once again, a recorded message from the terrorist known as the Ender has leaked onto the internet. In his message, he attests that the world has learned nothing in the last thousand years. It replaces one form of discrimination with another, against all those without the benefit of genetic modification. Another Time Force official was executed on camera by the Ender and--"
"Hey, I got a better idea about who to make the next President of the Earth. How about this Ender guy, huh? Now THAT'S a guy that knows how to make an entrance!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The young woman on the floor struggled to pull her last two fingers free from the cloth bindings the mutant had wrapped around them, in a desperate attempt to get herself free, as she knew that she might not survive this night if she was not ready to run at the next opportunity. But she froze in place when she saw the creature slowly turn down toward her, and she began to hear the sound of her own voice from one of the monitors behind him.
"This is Melinda Travers with a special report. After further investigation, Time Force officials have now concluded that there were no genetic remains left behind by the terrorist known as the Ender. In fact, they found no trace of him at all. Investigators say that he may very well still be alive, and on the loose. All citizens are advised to--"
"Now I remember where I saw you," Ender spoke, in his ghostly voice, growing angrier with every syllable. "You're the little witch that told everybody I was still alive."
"Please... I just report the news... It doesn't matter if I like what I tell the people or not. They tell me what to say, and I say it... Just let me go!"
"Soon enough, princess. Soon enough."
Melinda screamed as she felt the mutant's talons grab her hair and pull her into the next room. Melinda threw a hand over her nose. The horrible smell of smoke and destruction, and the unconcious bodies of several wounded or worse surrounded them in the news room.
Melinda was pushed over into the second seat behind the desk, where a videocamera was pointed at. The red lights on all the cameras told her that the system was recording live. They were at Inifinicorp Studios- the central operating tower that broadcasted television to the entire Earth and surrounding colonies.
"Ladies, gentlemen, mutants, and freaks," Ender spoke, sitting in the first seat at the desk, an ironically peaceful image of the city at night projected just behind him. "I am here to show you the truth about your world. Three years have passed since the death of my daughter. Three years since Human doctors refused to operate on her because we didn't have the credits, even though all Human patients are allowed treatment regardless of their financial status. The cancer spreading across this planet must be exised. The destruction of the entire Infinicorp Network will be the first in a series of operations. And when I'm finished... we will see who gets treated and who doesn't next."
"Are you finished?"
Ender turned his head just in time to see the fist that shot right into it, knocking him over the desk. He jumped back up to see a shocking sight.
"I thought they locked you up on murder charges!" Ender shouted.
"And I thought you were dead," Alex replied. "Looks like we were both wrong... Time for... Time Force!"
Ender wasted no time, hurling a blast at Alex, but the beam hit nothing but air, as a streak of white light shot past it and struck the monster in the chest. BWOOSH! The streak finally stopped, revealing that it was the Black Time Force Ranger, having just punched Ender across the room.
"Chrono Saber! Chrono Cannon!"
In a formidable mid-air flip, Black Ranger summoned one weapon into each hand, and furiously let loose a stream of energy-blasts. Like lightning showering down from the heavens, the silver blasts exploded through the floor, blowing huge flaming holes through to the rooms below them, as Ender was barely able to dodge them.
But before Ender could retaliate, Black Ranger had already come shrieking out of the sky, his saber raised and ready.
"TIME STRIKE!"
Melinda watched in amazement as the Ranger's sword, filled with power, was sent ripping down the monster's body with such force that sparking chunks of mutated flesh scattered into the air.
Black Ranger drilled a kick into the monster, launching him right through one of the cameras, completely out of range of any of the others. Melinda Travers, a reporter till the last, quickly got up and ran over to one of the functioning cameras.
"What the heck am I doing?" she asked herself, as she turned the camera toward the two fighters, one of which was badly wounded. Whatever possessed her to do this, she knew it was the right thing.
Ender's smoking body dropped to one trembling knee in pain, gripping awful wounds. There was no fight left in him. Nothing he could do.
"I'm a freedom fighter, Ranger," he let out. "Kill me... and my message becomes even stronger... Another dead mutant on the 11 o'clock news."
"Oh, would you shut up!"
Without warning, Black Ranger suddenly raised his cannon and instantly fired! Travers could not believe it. A huge explosion ripped up, dessimating the entire back side of the news room, leaving a huge crater through to the next three rooms. Flames crackled wildly.
"You... You didn't..." Melinda said softly...
"Didn't what?" the Ranger said, annoyed.
He slowly walked over to the sight of the explosion, and reached down with something in his hand. Travers, finally coming to her senses, pointed the camera down to zoom in.
A smile appeared on her face.
The camera clearly showed that the device in the Ranger's hand was his Time Force badge. And it was lowering down toward the smoking, miniaturized body of the mutant he had just battled. The badge cast a collecting beam and transformed into a canister to store the mutant.
He had not destroyed him. He had captured him.
"Power Down."
In a dance of light, Alex was returned to civilian form, and Melinda found herself at his side.
"They let you go. After finding out you didn't kill him, they let you go, and you came here after hearing his threats on TV."
"Here," Alex said, handing the canister to the reporter. "Make sure Time Force gets this."
"Why don't you give it to them yourself?"
"I got places to be... People to see... And one more thing."
"... What? Anything."
"Please, turn off these blasted cameras."
Melinda smiled. The camera in the far corner watched her, feeding her image to the entire world and beyond, as she walked over to the camera, flipped the switch, and turned it off. Her image was lost in a hail of static....
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THE END