Pink overflies the giant glass crater where Casa Rita used to be. "Are we safe? Being this close?"
The Triceratops Dinozord is noticeably ahead of the rest of the pack as it approaches the edge of the crater. "The armor on the exterior of our zords is more than thick enough to block the alpha and gamma radiation, and the air filtration system will keep out radioactive particulates. In four years someone in a regular space suit could walk through the crater without any consequences for their health."
Why anyone would
want to, that's another question.
"Huh. I though it was, like, hundreds of years?"
"It's about a hundred for
salted nuclear weapons, where they're deliberately designed to spread as much highly radioactive material as possible. But Earth's nuclear powers don't actually have those. I checked.
"
Yeah, any use of those are pretty much a war crime. Still a big mess, lasting radiation or not.
Yellow pings me. "Why did you check that?"
"Well, if I'd used a salted nuke, it would have motivated you more and blowing up Rita's base would have been even more emphatic. It's not like anyone is actually using the moon for anything."
...Yet. Given that Humanity can be
interplanetary in a decade or two...
The Tyrannosaurus Dinozord looks over the crater rim, it's head turning left and right.
"And you're sure this isn't a trick?"
Can you imagine Rita letting
this stand just so she can ambush you?
"I didn't use five nuclear bombs because I wanted recoverable body parts, but these warheads were designed to incinerate hardened bunkers and anyone standing within a mile of them. Rita's facility wasn't actually all that big, and the protective spells appear to have mostly been designed to deal with attacks from the outside."
"Pterodactyl Dinozord's sensors show nothing. I mean, other than the glass bowl. And dust. And radiation. B-blue, are you sure this isn't dangerous?"
...So, the Zeo Crystal's containment facility is either well-hidden or simply
gone.
"I am as sure as modern human science allows me to be that the radiation isn't dangerous to us. It wouldn't be dangerous through our armor either, I just thought this was a reasonable precaution in case Rita was storing something dangerous."
Ring, scan.
Who knows, you could have recreated the last boss fight of the SNES game.
Compliance.
"Did you know that mildly elevated radiation exposure is actually good for you?"
To be fair, we get trace amounts of radiation as it is. Mostly radio frequencies and solar-based stuff...
"I don't believe that's true. Every chart I've seen shows an almost completely straight line correlation between radiation levels and cancer rates."
"Yes, above a certain point that's true. The problem is that because it was such a straight line at higher levels the researchers just assumed that it would carry on at lower levels and didn't check. Partly because people who had received lower levels of exposure were harder to find. Low but elevated levels appears to trigger the human body's radiation countermeasures, causing-."
Oh, no, they're having a geek-off.
"Well I'm not getting out." The Pterodactyl Dinozord wheels around. "She's gone, good riddance."
"Did you..?" Zack sound uncertain. "Plan all this?"
Would you have preferred running blindly in, Indiana Jones-style?
"I didn't think Red would use the zords like that. Good work there, genuinely impressed."
"Thanks."
Somehow, I don't think he appreciate the compliment.
"But aside from that-. Yellow, did Squatt even turn up for your fight?"
"Yes. And then he left."
Not unexpected. He never did seem to have much bravery around actual combat.
"About what I was expecting."
"I still had to fight the putties."
Like they're a threat, except maybe to your patience?
"And now you'll never have to fight them again."
"But…" Something's giving Zack difficulty. "Even the nuke? And where you put them, you knew where they could go to wreck the planet."
Yes, well, it's not hard to work that out with a little intelligence and an alien supercomputer.
"Of course I did. Back in the comic, we used to keep an eye on places like that so we could be there in time to stop someone doing what I pretended to do. You can't guard your vulnerable spots if you don't know where they are."
"And you knew they'd do what they did?"
Plus, personal experience from the couple of times said disasters nearly happened.
"There was a chance that Goldar would demand to stay behind. Him surviving on his own wouldn't be much of a problem. And there was a small chance that they'd find the bombs and disarm them or teleport them away… It was a calculated risk. But it paid off. Any plans for your new free time?"
"There's a new hair and nails salon that just opened in the mall-." I hear four quiet sighs. "I need to de-stress, okay? I'm not used to nuclear explosions."
If it works, it works.
"Wait." The Tyrannosaurus Dinozord's head turns towards me. "All those wars you said we could stop. Is that what this is about?"
"No-. Well, sort of. It's never about any one thing. I'm not sure exactly what Zordon authorises you to use your Power Ranger equipment for, but I'm aware that you might start using it for forceful interventions against human war criminals. Or you might not."
And Zordon would probably rather keep
out of human politics. It's a very messy thing, after all.
"He could just take it back. With Rita dead, he might not need Power Rangers any more."
"No, because Lord Zed is probably going to send someone else in a few years, and-."
Mis-spelling because he doesn't remember the actual phrasing, of course.
"Who's that?"
"Lord Zed? Rita's employer, and the one who sent her to Earth in the first place?"
He should be turning up in a few months.
The communications systems go quiet for a moment.
"You didn't know about him, did you."
I'm guessing Zordon kept mum because he hoped that the standoff would avoid getting his attention...
"No, but it makes sense." William sounds phlegmatic about it. "Rita was already a highly capable magician when she came to Earth. There's no obvious reason why Earth would be the first planet she conquered."
"So the added field training will be useful. Oh! Good news! With Rita's base completely destroyed, there's no more green candle. Green Ranger can return to active duty. I'll.. get the Dragonzord valeted."
...I hope he's correct about that. Could be embarrassing if it turns out he goofed.
"Forget the salon, I'll go tell him as soon we we're done!" … "Are we done, Red Ranger?"
"We're done. Zordon, we're at the site. There's nothing here. Are you picking up anything that we're not picking up?"
Nothing he'd tell you about, anyway. No doubt keeping the Zeo Crystal details up his... Tube? And the whole Gosei thing... And all those
other little future Ranger team-related things...
"No. The detonation appears to have been completely successful. I will return you to Earth now. Orange Lantern, I wish to speak with you upon your return."
"Certainly. I'll transport myself back."
Not a fan of their transporters?
Now that I'm paying close attention, I can feel the difference between my old transitioning and what I'm doing now. I scan the Command Centre and… It's like I'm literally jumping at faster-than-light speed. I appear at the entrance a moment later and then jog inside, a lightness in my heart. Yes, alright, everyone I know and love never existed-.
And it's gone.
Eh, you'll find new friends. Or simply cease to be eventually...
1st April 1995
15:30 GMT -7
"Orange Lantern." Zordon doesn't look annoyed, so I suppose that someone of his experience can take things like this in his stride. "Congratulations on killing Rita Repulsa."
No need to sound so
disappointed, big blue. Let me guess, not the way
you wanted it done?
"Glad to help."
"The governments of Earth are in uproar. This will make my work of protecting the Earth much more difficult if someone does not explain things to them."
And since the Rangers can't exactly do it - faceless colour-coded heroes probably aren't the best public spokesmen - guess who's elected...
No rest for the wicked…
"I'll get right on that."
...And soon it'll be Zordon having the headaches as he sees what letting OL talk to the press will do.
