Bug Zapping

Bug Zapping is the eighteenth episode of Power Rangers: Lost Ninjas.

Synopsis
Still on the run from Tauza and her minions, Easton, Susana and Kerri take a minute to de-bug their Zords, which turns out to be harder than it sounds.

Last time we saw the Ethereal Rangers...
Reggie had interrogated a captive Easton about his teammates, and tricked them into thinking he was on their side. They followed his plan to "rescue" Easton, and when he turned on them, fought back. In spite of their inexperience and Kerri's growing troubles with her broken morpher, they escaped with Easton and their newly-repaired Zords.

February 8th, Tauza's Ship, Airspace Above the Himalayas, 10:30 am
"Vy von't you let me follow zem?" Reggie demanded, pacing back and forth across the bridge. "I could crush zem!"

"When you found them," Tauza replied, barely breaking a monotone. She didn't even look up from the console. "And assuming you'd recovered enough from your last defeat to manage three Zords, possibly a full Megazord. I'm taking the fight out of them first."

Reggie paused. His glare faded. "Take ze fight out of zem?"

The corner of Tauza's mouth twitched upwards in a slight smile. "I've tweaked Korassil's nanocam design a bit; they're more, shall we say, aggressive, when they're threatened."

"I like ze sound of zat," Reggie replied, starting to grin.

"I thought you would. Here, watch." She beckoned him to the console.

Somewhere in the Himalayas, 11:27 am
"Guys? I don't think I can stay morph—ow!" Kerri cut herself off with a yelp. The Batzord dropped, only just recovering. It passed so close to a mountain slope that it swept up a dusting of snow.

"Land. Now," Easton said. The Goldfishzord dropped into a dark canyon, and the other two Zords followed suit.

The Batzord almost lost control once more, clipping its wing on a boulder with a metallic screech. Snow puffed up around the robots as they settled. Susana barely waited for the Pandazord to touch down before springing out and running to Kerri's cockpit. Out stumbled Kerri, morph blinking in and out. Susana caught her. The Diamond Ranger was sweating in spite of the cold, and her limbs trembled.

"Power down," Kerri managed at last, and the suit vanished. She collapsed against Susana, panting. "Guys? I think . . . something's wrong . . . with my morpher."

"No kidding," Susana muttered, wrapping Kerri's arm around her shoulders and dragging her back towards the Pandazord.

As Susana helped Kerri inside, Easton's voice came over the intercom. "The Zords are bugged. We need to take care of that before we make any plans."

"What? How do you know?" Susana asked.

"I overheard."

"Can you look in the Batzord for me? I'll check the cockpit while I'm here," Kerri said.

"Fine."

Shutting her eyes, Kerri leaned back in the pilot chair and started humming. Susana stared at her for a moment, remembered how she usually got around, and shrugged. Now, how did she get into the back of the Zord?

"Easton, did you hear them say where they put the bugs?" She asked. "I mean, all throughout the Zords, or just in the cockpits?"

"They didn't say. We'd better check, just to be safe." Over the intercom came a muffled grunt. "Got one. They look like giant black beetles and they buzz when you touch them."

Kerri stopped humming, and sat up. "Easton, are you okay?" She sounded concerned. "You sound like you're hurt."

"I'll live. We need to hurry."

Finally, Susana found a small hatch in the back of her cockpit, just big enough to crawl through. Pushing it open, she slithered through the gap. It was almost pitch-black inside, and very hot. The only light came from a blinking panel deeper inside, gleaming off the metal innards of the Zord. Susana hadn't even gotten through up to her knees before she bumped her head on a pipe. She was hemmed in on almost all sides: clearly this part of the Zord was meant only for a mechanic. Then she saw the ladder directly in front of her.

Sitting up, Susana began to climb, slanting up through the machine. Rubbery tubes pulsed around her, full of dark fluids, and panels of circuitry blinked in time. A metallic groan carried towards Susana from deeper inside.

On one nearby green panel, Susana noticed a black smudge the size of her palm. Cautiously, she reached towards it. The thing felt perfectly smooth beneath her gloved hand, and it buzzed at her touch. She'd found one of the bugs. Grabbing it, and ignoring the louder buzzing, Susana yanked. An electric jolt shot up her arm, and she recoiled, letting go.

"Easton! You didn't say anything about the bugs being tasers!" She snapped into her communicator.

"What?"

"I found one, and I'm pretty sure it just shocked me." Susana flexed her fingers and looked back at the bug. Looking more closely, she noticed six spindly legs protruding from its body, digging into the panel. A blue spark jumped up one, into the bug's body. "It looks like it's attached to the Zord."

"Grab it with a non-conductor," Kerri called. "Plastic, glass, rubber, there might be some ceramic spare parts back there you could use."

"Right." Susana glanced around, but couldn't see anything that looked like a spare part or a cabinet for one. No, wait, there was a panel covered in writing a little further down. It slid open easily, revealing a set of tools hanging on the back, including a flashlight, and yes, a few strips of rubber. Grabbing a strip of rubber and clipping the flashlight to her belt, Susana turned back to the nanocam.

The buzzing rose to a high-pitched squeal as she pulled, and more electricity made the circuitry around it spark. With one final jerk, Susana tore it free. Several of its legs still clung to the panel, wires hanging out of the quivering ends. Susana looked at the thing. It wriggled in her grip. Clenching it between her hands, she crushed it with a pop, and threw it away. It plinked off the machinery.

Distantly, a pattering sound echoed through the Pandazord. It sounded like snow falling on the hull to Susana, so she didn't pay it any real attention. Climbing again, she looked around for more of the bugs, but couldn't find any, even with the flashlight. The pattering noise grew louder. Were those rocks?

"Um . . . guys? I think we may have a problem," Easton said.

"Can you be a little more vague, please?" Susana said, finally reaching the top of the ladder. It ended at an access tunnel, just big enough to crawl through. Glad she wasn't claustrophobic or especially tall, Susana slid inside, flashlight aimed straight ahead of her.

When Easton spoke again, it was in a rush, barely audible over an angry mechanical buzz. "The bugs are fighting back."

Susana stopped. The clattering noise ahead of her grew louder. Just ahead of her, the tunnel curved sharply to the left. As Susana aimed her flashlight at it, a mass of black bugs swarmed around the bend, heading right for her.

"Ethereal Shuriken!" Susana yelled, yanking the throwing stars out of the crest on her helmet. Hauling back to throw them, she banged her elbow on the wall, and her throw went wide. Most of the shuriken hit the walls, and the few bugs that got hit fell to the floor, out of the others' way. Realizing she needed room to fight, Susana started scrambling backwards as quickly as she could go.

"Susana? What's happening back there?" Kerri called.

"Busy!" Susana yelled back. Her feet brushed empty air, and after a second of kicking, she found the ladder. Catching one rung, she swung herself out. "Projection Blade!"

The weapon appeared in her hand, and she started swinging and slicing. The tip of the blade caught the tunnel, drawing sparks, and the bugs flew into it with bursts of plasma. They swerved around it, but Susana kept flailing. A shock jolted her ankle: looking down, she saw one of the bugs had latched onto her boot. She flattened it against the ladder and rubbed until it fell off.

"Do you need me, or should I just stay here?" Kerri called. Susana didn't reply, just grunted as she swung herself out to slice through a wave of bugs. Sparking and fizzling, they pattered down through the bowels of the Zord. "Guess I'll stay here, then."

Two more bugs shocked Susana, and her left foot slipped. She didn't lose her grip on the ladder, but the jerk sent a jolt of pain up her arm. More bugs swarmed around her, too close for her to get with any of her weapons. The electric shocks made her fingers and toes prickle, and then go numb. She felt herself slipping, and hooked an elbow around the ladder.

Her head pounded, sweat made her suit slick, her breath fogged up her already-tinted visor. Deciding to go ahead and risk it, Susana snapped it open so she could see. A few of the bugs made a beeline for her, but she easily smacked them out of the air. Her fingers cramped on the hilt of her sword. As her swings lost force, they grew wilder. And the bugs just kept coming.

The Projection Blade fell first, slicing through a pipe on the way down. Blue-green coolant spurted from it like a geyser, quickly soaking the ladder. It made the metal slippery, and Susana almost lost her grip. Any of the bugs that got it began to wobble drunkenly around, slow enough for Susana to swat bare-handed.

"Susana! Let go!" Kerri yelled suddenly, sounding much closer than before.

Susana looked down, and saw the other Ranger standing at the bottom of the ladder with a morphed Easton. In the Sapphire Ranger's distraction, a cluster of bugs dove, landing on her chest. Blue sparks flew, and Susana slipped off the ladder with a yell. The sound cut off as she hit a metal pipe with a clang, and dropped the last few feet to the floor. Kerri just missed her.

"What—" Susana panted.

"Morning Star, Stun Blast!" Easton shouted, raising a club topped with a spiked ball over his head. Out of the spikes shot yellow lasers, slicing into the bugs and frying them with little bursts of energy. They fell, clattering like hailstones through the Zord's interior.

Kerri helped Susana stand. The Sapphire Ranger swiped at the coolant clinging to her uniform. Lowering the Morning Star, Easton turned back to the two girls.

"I'll take care of Kerri's Zord."

But as he moved past the other two, a dull boom made the Pandazord tremble. Everyone exchanged glances, Susana and Kerri visibly bewildered. A second, louder boom rocked the Zord. Faintly, an all-too-familiar metallic shriek cut through the air. Their old friend the Black Ranger was back.

"I think you'd better hurry," Kerri said to Easton. Nodding, he ducked out the hatch, and she followed.

Susana was right behind them, slipping into the pilot's chair as they climbed out of her Zord. The Screech Owlzord wasn't visible, but it couldn't be far away. Once her teammates were clear, Susana moved the Zord away, and started scanning the area. Until Easton had cleaned out Kerri's Zord, she was the only one who could fight. Hopefully that wouldn't take too long.

A huge black shadow swooped over the canyon, briefly blotting out the sun. Susana glanced at the Batzord, and saw what looked like a golden gleam from inside. Hopefully that was Easton taking care of things.

"Guys? I think we should form the Megazord," she said into the console communicator. "If you think you're up for it, Kerri. We'll be able to help you out this time."

"Megazord? Cool," Kerri replied.

"We're done," Easton added. He zipped back to his own Zord in a golden blur, just as the Screech Owlzord paused overhead.

"Megazord sequence, activate!" The trio shouted.

The Pandazord rises up. Its legs stretch, unfolding from its narrowing body, and its head detaches, joining onto its right shoulder, and one arm drops out of it. The Goldfishzord attaches to its left shoulder, and a hand pops out of its head. Taking off, the Batzord latches onto the Panda's back, its head forming the helmet, and its body expanding into the wings. The Batzord's jaw drops, exposing the Megazord's face.

"Ethereal Megazord!"

The Megazord shot up, out of the canyon and landed on the slope with a boom. Susana glanced around. She'd been expecting to leave her cockpit, but apparently that wasn't how this one worked. Oh well.

"Kerri?" She asked.

"Fine, but we should probably keep this short," the Diamond Ranger replied.

"Gladly," Easton said.

The Screech Owlzord dove towards them, claws extended. Abruptly, the Megazord took off, shooting straight up into the air. It stalled and almost fell, but flapping its wings, it recovered just in time.

"This thing is heavier than I expected," Kerri said.

"We've all got Power Sphere attacks, let's use them," Easton said. "Koi Kunai Power Sphere!"

The Ethereal Sigil on the Megazord's chest popped open, and out flew a gold-banded Power Sphere. It popped open, revealing a set of golden fish-shaped kunai. They spiraled and flew at the Screech Owlzord, slicing at its hull and drawing sparks and smoke. The Owlzord dropped, recovered and came around again.

Kerri cried out in pain, and Susana heard a fizzling sound over the communicator.

"Kerri!" Susana yelled.

"I-I'm fine, just—we're landing," she managed. The communicator switched off for a few seconds, but not before Susana heard Kerri start to screech through her teeth. The Megazord dropped, Batzord jerking and flapping its wings convulsively.

"Sparrow Gun Power Sphere!" Susana ordered, dropping her own coin into the slot.

Out of the Megazord's chest emblem popped another Power Sphere, this one blue. It opened to reveal a large handgun, its pommel shaped like the wings of a sparrow. Catching it, the Megazord fired a volley of blue lasers at the Screech Owlzord. Susana held the trigger down, feeling the Batzord still jerking around inside the Megazord. Hull rupturing, the Screech Owlzord flapped wildly, but kept moving forward, tilting into a steep dive towards the Megazord.

At the very last second before it hit, a green light blasted through the clouds. The Screech Owlzord stopped, frozen in place inside the green beam. Susana didn't hesitate: she slammed her fist down on the trigger control, peppering the Owlzord with lasers. Unfortunately, the green light absorbed them all. It lifted up and away, taking the Owlzord with it. The Rangers glimpsed a black, insect-like ship through the clouds as it disappeared.

"Guys, we need to get out of here," Easton said. "Kerri?"

"No?" Her voice shook. Susana's fists clenched involuntarily.

"Kerri, I know it hurts, we need to get as far away from these people as possible, just hang on," Easton said. "I know you can do it."

Kerri audibly stifled a whimper. The Megazord took off, zipping around a mountain and away from the black ship. The Batzord's parts groaned, grinding against the other Zords as if it wanted to break out of the Megazord. They dipped and swerved a couple of times, but managed to stay on course.

"Here," Susana said, as a dark fissure opened up before them.

"But—" Easton started to protest.

"We're landing before you get Kerri killed!" Susana snapped.

The Megazord dropped, just a little too quickly for a normal landing, into the ravine. Darkness swallowed it up.

Villains

 * Tauza
 * Nanocams