Leo: Rangers Under Siege

Rangers Under Siege is the third episode of the Leo arc, and the fifteenth of Power Rangers: Neo Zeo.

Synopsis
With an enraged Emperor Leo racing towards the Power Chamber, the battered Rangers scramble for a workable defense.

Plot
"Is it just me, or is he getting bigger?" Violet said over the intercom.

Super ZeoZord I turned towards the oncoming cloud of dust. Through it Emperor Leo was barely a dark silhouette, rushing straight for them.

"I think so . . ." the Pink Ranger said slowly.

"Super Zeo Power Axes!" Summoning both giant-sized weapons, Super ZeoZord III broke into a run, charging towards the monster. It hurled one, and the massive blade embedded itself in the ground. Unfortunately, Leo swerved and avoided it. Now he was definitely growing; he came almost up to the Super ZeoZord's knees. Leaping, he slammed into the Blue Ranger's Zord and knocked it off-course. The two rolled, sending up a massive cloud of sand. Super ZeoZord I moved in, Power Disc at the ready, but it was impossible to distinguish the fighters from each other.

Super ZeoZord III finally wrenched itself free and scrambled back. Rising, Leo loomed over her, five stories tall, tail lashing, eyes wild and breathing hard. Bloody foam edged his mouth as he panted. Super ZeoZord I hurled the Power Disc at him, but the Zodiac Emperor ducked, and the pink disc flew right over his head. Wheeling on his new opponent, the titanic lion let out a roar that made the ground tremble.

Behind him, Super ZeoZord III took the opportunity to pick itself up, but Leo hadn't forgotten about it. One paw swung around, blades the length of buses slashing into the Zord's chest armor. The Zodiac Emperor ripped out a handful of cables, wires and armor, not seeming to notice the fireball he created. Super ZeoZord III swayed, and a kick to the chest hurled it to the sand, smoking.

"VIOLET!" Casey screamed over the intercom.

There was no response.

Super ZeoZord I ducked under Leo's wide swing and lunged forward, punching rapidly. The blows forced Leo back a step, but he recovered quickly. Both forepaws slashed down at the Zord's shoulders, but its hands shot up and caught his wrists at the last second. To a casual viewer it would have looked like the two combatants had stopped. A closer inspection would have shown Leo straining to push down, and Super ZeoZord I straining to keep his paws at arm's length. Both fighters' feet sank into the sand.

Abruptly Super ZeoZord I lashed out with a front kick, catching Leo's left knee. The Zodiac Emperor stumbled, and Super ZeoZord I took off, shooting up over his head. His claws grazed the armor on one of its legs as it flew out of reach, leaving white lines.

"Yellow, a little backup would be nice," the Pink Ranger said.

"O-okay, I'm coming."

Emperor Leo made a few more futile swings at Super ZeoZord I, but it stayed safely out of his range. Finally he dropped to all fours, panting. Dust and sand bleached his fur yellowy-white.

"Fine. I still have someone to play with." He turned back towards the downed Super ZeoZord III. As he did, a blue light shot out of the cockpit, going past him. "Coward!"

However, the teleporting Blue Ranger didn't go back to the base. Instead, the blue light disappeared into the charging ZeoZord III. Leo grinned and lunged at his new opponent, but it managed to swerve and avoid his claws. They sliced into the ground, drawing a gout of sand.

Super ZeoZord I hurled its Power Disc again, this time striking Emperor Leo in the mid-back. It bounced off and zipped away across the desert.

"Rangers, we don't have a chance with edge weapons—we'll have to crush the fight out of him," Sabrina said. Now Super ZeoZord II was visible in the distance, flying towards the group. "Yellow, cover for me."

"Cover?"

"Try to keep him from hitting my Zord."

"Okay," the Yellow Ranger said, not sounding at all certain.

Violet's Zord was worrying at Emperor Leo's legs, keeping him on the move as he tried to catch the vehicle.

"Here, kitty!" He bellowed, making a grab for its tail. Super ZeoZord II slammed down on his extended foreleg, feet-first, flattening it to the ground. Emperor Leo let out a roar, more of outrage than pain, and swiped at the offending Zord with his free paw.

Super ZeoZord I came down on his shoulders with a deafening boom. Both arms wrapped around the monster's throat, throttling him. ZeoZord III kept snapping and clawing at Emperor Leo's flailing hind legs, unable to cause any actual damage but keeping his attention divided.

Arching his back, the Zodiac Emperor threw Super ZeoZord I off-balance. Before it could recover he twisted his arm over beneath Super ZeoZord II, caught it between his claws, and threw it at the Pink Ranger's Zord. Trailing smoke, they collapsed into the desert sand. Super ZeoZord II clunked down on top of them limply, twisted and oozing coolant fluids.

Emperor Leo stood over the three Zords, gasping for breath. His fur had been burnt to the skin in places, showing dark splotches that would be bruises later. One of his eyes was swelling up, and every exhale sprayed blood on the ground. But he was still standing, and the Zords weren't. A maddened laugh shook his shoulders as three teleportation lights flew out of the wreckage.

"Fly, little ones, fly as fast as you can, but you can't hide from me."

oZo

The three female Rangers teleported into the middle of the Power Chamber. Violet flopped down on the floor, coughing, and Casey collapsed outright. Unsteadily, Sabrina moved to a wall and leaned against it, trying not to look as tired as the other two.

"Are you all right?" Alpha 5 asked anxiously, hurrying over to the girls.

"Still—morphed," Violet replied, between gasps. Her suit was blackened in places, though. Casey gave a thumbs-up, paused and waved it sideways a little.

"We have to be," was Sabrina's response. "He's still coming."

Casey groaned, and hauled herself upright again, using one of the side consoles for support. "We have shielding, right?"

"Yes, the Phantom Ranger gave us shield generators, but I don't know how long they'll withstand a direct assault," Alpha 5 replied, not looking up from his own work.

"How much longer until he reaches us?" Violet asked, looking up.

Alpha paused to do a little mental math. "Fifteen minutes, maybe sooner."

"Can we interfere? Teleport him back or something?"

"I can't get a lock on him, and his link to the Morphing Grid will probably cancel out our own energy."

"Which direction?" Sabrina asked.

"North."

"He won't stay in giant form. What he wants is a challenge; I'll wait for him in the tunnels," she said.

"I'm coming too." Violet moved to join her, and Lidian started to sit up on the biobed.

"Neither of you are fit to fight," the Hex Rider said, stepping forward. "I am. I will go."

"The two of you can't hold him off alone," Lidian protested. "I'm rested, I can fight!"

"Rest. If you recover before we're done you can back us up."

"You're just as badly hurt as we are!" Violet added.

Hex Rider folded his arms. "Then stand up straight."

Lidian, holding a hand up to his face as if to shield it, scrambled off the biobed and onto his feet. He drew himself up, but it only took a second before his legs began to wobble. Stumbling, he caught himself on the biobed. With a grunt, Violet rose and turned towards the Hex Rider, arms folded. She lasted about a minute longer, visibly trembling.

"Point made." Hex and Sabrina headed out the northernmost door. Lidian watched them go, staring at the doors after they slid shut for almost a full minute. With a deep sigh, he sat on the biobed again. The only sounds were bleeping buttons (Alpha had turned off the alarm) and the breathing of the others in the room.

" . . . Should I have gone too?" Casey asked.

"No," Violet said. "We need you here."

Casey nodded slowly, not looking at all sure. "Right." She went back to monitoring the incoming Zodiac Emperor.

oZo

With a crash and shower of debris, Emperor Leo dropped into a dark passage, landing in a crouch. Sand poured in around the edges of the hole he'd dug, and bits of metal clanged to the floor. Slowly, he turned, sniffing the air. His harsh breathing echoed around the tunnel. Rising onto his hindpaws, he walked into the darkness, pausing only to smell the air occasionally. His claws clicked on the floor with each step. His eyes glinted in the faint, yellow light shining through grilles near the floor. His shadow loomed over him.

"I know you're here, Rangers. Get it over with, come out and face me."

Something clanked further down the tunnel, and Emperor Leo halted, tensed and ready to spring. He listened, but nothing else moved. Quickly he followed the sound, rounding a bend in the tunnel. Glimpsing a flicker of violet, he lunged, and felt a body hit the floor beneath him. It writhed in his grip, but he held it down with a paw on either shoulder—making sure to pin the forearms as well this time.

"Bane Blade!" The Hex Rider managed, and swung the sword that appeared at Leo's face. He merely turned his face away, and the weapon bounced off his hide. Extending his claws, he stabbed into the Hex Rider's shoulders, through the gaps under his armor. The trapped man arched his back and screamed in pain.

"Emperor!" That sounded like the Pink Ranger. Twisting around, Leo saw her walking towards him, Zeo Laser Pistol in hand. He sighed and turned back to the trapped Hex Rider. He'd gone limp, and was panting. Blood oozed around the claws still embedded in his shoulders.

"I'm growing tired of this—"

"Then stop toying with these children," the Pink Ranger retorted. "I'm the only worthy foe you have, face me!"

Zodiac Emperor Leo's claws retracted, and the Hex Rider gasped. Slowly, the leonine monster straightened, turning towards Sabrina as the last of the debris plinked to the floor.

"You? Maybe a few thousand years ago you might have been a worthy adversary, but now? You've gone soft, but then, who wouldn't surrounded by incompetent fools? If you want to give me a challenge, fetch your Red Ranger."

During the distraction, the Hex Rider had dragged himself out of Leo's reach, and now he teleported away as his foe turned back. Leo just shook his head.

"Run if you can, child, you'll only delay the inevitable."

Sabrina drew her Zeo Laser Blade, and attached her two weapons into one. She started towards Emperor Leo, footfalls echoing.

"I may not be Scorpina anymore, but I am not weak."

Shaking his head, Emperor Leo turned away. "Don't waste your time."

"I don't intend to. Zeo Pistol Powered Up!"

oZo

Violet caught the Hex Rider as he teleported in. With Casey's help, she set him on the floor and began checking his wounds.

"They look shallow," she said, "not bleeding too much."

"He's Edenoite, Lidian called, still shielding his face. "The physiology's a little different."

Breathing hard, the Hex Rider looked up at the Green Ranger.

"I really don't see the point of trying to hide your identity anymore, Lidian." The Green Ranger flinched at the sound of his name. The Hex Rider shook his head. "Did you really think I wasn't going to recognize your voice?"

Lidian sighed, and dropped his hand. "It was that obvious?"

"About as obvious as me using this getup." The Hex Rider gestured to his armor.

"Wait, stop, go back," Casey interjected. "You guys know each other? Then who are you?"

"Guess."

"Lidian's brother," Violet said curtly. "Lie down, keep the wounds below heart level. Casey, I need something to stop the bleeding."

"Okay, I think I know where some old tarps are." The Yellow Ranger scurried to the nearer door, where they'd dumped all the debris back when they'd first cleaned out the Power Chamber.

"Adoptive brother, but yes. I'm Ezra."

"Sooo . . . when did you get the armor?" Casey called.

"I've had it all along. Before you ask why I didn't help you before, I was in retirement. Personal reasons."

"Oh." Casey kicked her way back into the room through piles of rocks, her arms full of tarp, which she dumped beside Violet. "Wait, adoptive brother?"

"Unofficially."

"He rescued me," Lidian said.

"From . . . ?"

"Count Dregon's forces. My parents were part of the resistance, and his Plague Patrol took me into custody to try to make them cooperate. Ezra was working with Dregon at the time—"

"He WHAT?"

"I defected, that's a whole different story," the Hex Rider snapped. "But I changed my mind and took Lidian when I left. Why? He impressed me and I never liked the idea of hurting kids because of something their parents did. We've been hiding out on Earth ever since. Can't say I'm too surprised you got picked to be a Ranger," he added to Lidian. "You've always had guts."

Lidian smiled a little, and looked down at his hands. "Thanks."

" . . . Are there any more dramatic revelations you've got, Lidian?" Casey asked. "I-I mean, while we're getting stuff off our chests and all."

Lidian sighed. "Well, Ezra, David and I are all part of an interplanetary secret society called the Black Lily that helps aliens stuck on foreign worlds. That's why Sabrina's been staying with us, in fact. I think that about covers it."

"You guys are like those Russian dolls with the other dolls inside them, but with secrets instead of dolls!"

"Matryoshka?" Ezra suggested.

"Gesundheit." Casey returned to her console.

oZo

The Pink Ranger kicked off the wall and fired at Emperor Leo's head. One of her shots grazed the inside of his ear, drawing a startled snarl of pain. Before he could recover, her kick caught the side of his muzzle, snapping his head sideways. He staggered, thrown off-balance. Hitting the wall she slid down, landing in a crouch and shooting again. The lasers still couldn't get through his hide, but they seemed to be aggravating his bruises.

The monster took a swing at her, and she ducked. His claws tore through the wall where her head had been with a metallic screech. Coming up on the other side of his foreleg she braced her gun on it and fired directly at his open, snarling mouth. Emperor Leo let out a yowl of pain and backhanded the Pink Ranger into the far wall. She crumpled, Zeo Laser Pistol slipping out of her grasp.

Leo's hindpaw slammed down on the weapon, crunching it underfoot. Crouching at the Pink Ranger's height, he seized her by the throat and pinned her to the wall. Wordlessly, he began to squeeze. The Pink Ranger clawed at his paw, starting to choke.

"Zeo Power Sword!"

Leo's right forepaw shot up, catching the sword by the blade in mid-swing. Slowly, he turned back towards his newest opponent. The Red Ranger stood over him, holding his sword with both hands. Slowly, Leo began to grin; his fangs were bloody. He released Sabrina, who sucked in a massive gasp of air and began coughing.

"Thought—weren't coming," she managed.

"Everyone else is making dramatic entrances. Figured it was my turn," David replied.

With a low, unhinged laugh, Emperor Leo rose to his feet, still holding the swordblade. He pushed it upright and back, but the Red Ranger held his ground. Sabrina teleported out, but Emperor Leo didn't even notice. His attention was wholly fixed on his new foe.

"Been waiting for you."

"So I've heard. Though honestly, Violet's just as good a fighter, Sabrina probably better."

"Wrong. Red is always best."

"You have a lot to learn about Power Rangers." With that David wrenched his sword free.

oZo

"Now would be a really good time for a clever plan, guys," Casey said, as David and Leo started to fight.

"All of our best attacks have involved dropping heavy stuff on Leo," Lidian said, from where he was helping patch up the now-demorphed Ezra.

The Hex Rider, now lying on the biobed, was trying not to cry. He wasn't doing well. Catching her breath, Sabrina scrambled over to the man, and caught his hand.

"Squeeze if it hurts," she said hoarsely.

He gave her a grateful smile. His fingers tightened around her hand until the knuckles went white and the veins stood out, but Sabrina didn't so much as flinch. "Good grip" was her only comment.

"It might work. We don't have to cut through his skin," Violet said thoughtfully. She was starting to pace around the Power Chamber now.

"But where are we going to get enough of . . . anything to actually stop him?" Casey asked.

Violet turned, and her foot bumped a chunk of rubble. It skittered away into a corner, and Violet stopped. She was standing in the middle of a layer of dust and small rocks, tracked in by Casey earlier. The Blue Ranger turned back towards the tunnel, still full of debris, and the rest of the team followed her gaze.

". . . It's worth a shot," Lidian said.

"Aaand we're out of time," Casey said, pointing to the viewscreen. "Look."

The Zeo Power Sword embedded itself in one wall, quivering. Weaponless, David looked up at Leo in silence. The battered Zodiac Emperor grinned.

"Last chance, Red Ranger. Join or die."

Apparently deciding that actions spoke louder than words, David lunged at the Zodiac Emperor, slamming a fist into his solar plexus. His hand bounced off just like all of the other weapons they'd used so far, and David staggered, thrown off-balance. Catching him by the shoulder, Emperor Leo pulled him in close.

"Your teammates will be joining you shortly."

"Yeah, no, I don't think so," Casey said, and looked to Alpha. "What do I do?"

"Here, let me." Alpha 5 quickly took her place at the console, and Casey stepped aside, watching anxiously.

Swinging David around, Emperor Leo threw him towards the far end of the tunnel.

"NOW!" Casey, Violet and Lidian yelled in unison.

The air in the passage glowed white, and a mountain of rubble dropped directly onto Leo. He just had time to roar once before he was buried. A cloud of dust rose from the heap as the last of the rubble fell into place.

"David, do you read me?" Violet demanded via communicator watch.

Slowly, the Red Ranger picked himself up. "I'm fine, just a little shaken up."

Relieved, Violet sat down hard on the floor, burying her head in her hands.

"Did . . . did we just do that?" Casey asked in a tiny voice.

"Looks like," Lidian replied, not taking his eyes off the viewscreen.

" . . . WOOHOOOOO! ONE DOWN, ELEVEN TO GO! WE ARE AWESOME!" Casey yelled. Alpha 5 accepted her high-five, and she began bounding around the room, chanting "We are awesome, we are awesome, yes we are! Yes we are!" over and over, to the tune of Frère Jacques.

Lidian started giggling, and even Ezra managed a grin. Sabrina didn't look like she quite believed what was going on. Only Violet was still trying to focus.

"David, get in here so we can make sure you're all right."

"Coming." The Red Ranger stood.

In a lower voice, Violet added, "Thanks. You came right when we needed you."

David shrugged a little. "We're a team. You'd have done the same."

Violet smiled a little. "Yeah. But still, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Allies

 * Alpha 5
 * Ezra Byron

Villains

 * Fire Emperor Leo

Continuity

 * First use of ZeoZords I, II and III.
 * First use of Zeo Laser Powered Up mode.