Libra: Pure Justice

Pure Justice is the first episode of the Libra arc, and the nineteenth of Power Rangers: Neo Zeo.

Synopsis
Empress Libra begins to target criminals, just as Casey tries to help a fellow student with a bully problem.

Plot
Casey squirmed in her seat, waiting for her teacher to stop talking. She already had one hand on the computer mouse, and she drummed her index finger on the plastic. The computers she was working with for this class may have been years—or lightyears—behind the equipment in the Power Chamber, but she still found ways to challenge herself and have fun with them. At least, she could once her teacher finished rambling. ..

"I'm assigning you into teams of two for this project. You can organize the work between yourselves, just remember that it's due on Tuesday," he finished. Scanning the group, he began calling names, pairing the students off. Casey's mind wandered again, until she caught her own name.

"Casey, you and Quigley can work together."

Casey didn't know any 'Quigley,' and looked around eagerly for a face she didn't recognize. Her gaze fell on a short, stubble-haired ginger with so many freckles they almost looked like a tan from a distance. He looked nervous, so she grinned at him and waved him over, scooting her seat to the side to make room for him.

"Hi. Are you new?" She asked.

"Hi." He made eye contact briefly. "Yeah, kind of."

"Cool. So, what do you want to do first? Got any ideas for the program?" Casey asked. Quigley mumbled something negative-sounding. "Oh. That's okay, I've got some, maybe they'll give you ideas."

For a few minutes, Casey explained her ideas, avoiding jargon because she wasn't sure how much Quigley knew. He didn't seem to be paying full attention; he kept flinching and looking around nervously.

". . . So then we can use this to crack the Pentagon codes, order all of the nation's missiles filled with purple paint, and fire them at the Moon. Grey and white get pretty boring, don't you think?"

"Yeah, sure."

Casey jabbed him in the shoulder, and he started. "Are you okay? You're not really listening to me."

"What? Oh, sorry." Quigley flushed in embarrassment. "I'm fine."

Casey caught him looking over his shoulder at a couple of boys sitting two desks away and one row back. They were grinning, and not in a nice way. As she looked, they stopped and turned back to their computer, but Casey glimpsed one crumpling up a bit of paper underneath the desk. He looked like he was chewing, and Casey recognized the signs of spitball manufacture.

"You want to switch seats?" She asked, already getting up.

"Huh?"

"Scoot, scoot, scoot." Casey gave him a push, and he moved into her seat. Another glance at the suspected bullies showed them looking rather less smug. She looked to Quigley. "Better now? I mean, now you've got the window seat, so you can't smell anything weird or hear the other people making annoying noises."

"Yeah, thanks," Quigley said, looking relieved.

"No problem. So, programming?"

oZo

The car window shattered, and the thief reached through the hole to unlock the door. Swinging it open he climbed in and started hotwiring the car. It wasn't a particularly impressive car, but it was nice enough to resell, and had been left alone on a curb overnight to boot.

As the man worked, a shadow fell across him. He was too focused on the wires to notice, until a bronze-skinned hand seized the door, jolting the vehicle. Standing over him was Libra. The man swore in fright and scrambled back, only for her to seize him by the leg.

"Thief." Her voice had a deep, metallic ring, like a church bell. "It is time for you to face justice."

oZo

October had struck, and the weather was just starting to show it. Out behind the Byron house, Lidian and Casey were sparring. Sort of. Whenever either one landed a hit they'd apologize profusely, though that was rare since they lingered on catches and blocks—or anything else that got them close to each other.

With an exasperated sigh, Sabrina leaned on the ropes and called, "Neither of you is going to learn anything if you fight like that!"

"Don't be so picky!" Casey called back.

"You don't even care, do you?"

"Nope!"

"Whatever gave you that impression?" Lidian chimed in, grinning.

With a sigh, Sabrina wandered back towards the house. Ezra was just coming out, and turned towards her as she came closer. He wore a navy blue suit and was checking his watch.

"Sabrina, good, let Lidian know that I'm on my way to Arizona, will you? There have been rumors that an alien ship went down around there, I'm going to see if I can find any survivors."

"How long do you think you'll be gone?" Sabrina asked.

"A week, maybe longer, depending on how good they are at hiding."

"Do you have to go right now? I don't know how much more of this I can take," Sabrina said, looking back towards Casey and Lidian. The latter had just caught Casey's leg in a side kick, and there was a lot of giggling going on.

"I don't see why it bothers you so much," Ezra replied.

Sabrina's nose wrinkled up as she looked back at the pair. "They're so . . . lovey-dovey. It's sickening."

"You don't like sweet?"

"I don't like childishness. Romance is for adults," Sabrina said.

"You're stuck on a team filled with teenagers, you'll have to get used to them," Ezra replied.

"You and David are adults, and Violet's basically mature enough, that's more than half of the team."

"I'm not on the team. I just help out when you need it."

"We always need it," Sabrina replied.

"That 'you' wasn't plural," Ezra corrected her.

Sabrina paused, and Ezra's eyes twinkled mischievously. A playful smile spread across Sabrina's face. "You know, I think I could give sweet a chance."

"I was hoping you'd say that. You know much about Earth theater?"

"Can't say that's something I've explored much."

"There's a local group that performs Macbeth for the high school every year around Halloween. I think you'd like it."

Sabrina raised her eyebrows. "Is there much fighting?"

"Battles, ghosts, assassinations, violence aplenty."

"So, when you get back, then?"

"Perfect." Ezra stepped back, towards the house. "Do I get a kiss goodbye?"

"Ask Lidian."

Ezra made an exaggerated look of heartbreak, and Sabrina shook her head, smiling. With a sigh, Ezra headed towards the garage. She watched him go, her playful look fading into something more thoughtful. Behind her on the sparring court something thunked loudly.

"Unh!"

"Oh, Lidian, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yeah . . . fine . . . nice right cross, by the way."

"Thanks. Hey, what time is it?"

Sabrina turned back towards the pair as Casey ran for the corner of the sparring ring, fumbling through her gym bag for a watch.

"Uh-oh, I was supposed to be helping Q!"

"Q?" Lidian had picked himself up and joined her, grabbing a towel.

"Quigley Moore, we're working on a programming thingy for school," Casey said, pulling a sweatshirt over her tank top. She surprised Lidian with a hug so quick he barely had time to return it. "I'll be back later, bye!"

Off she charged, around the house and down the driveway. As she left, Sabrina turned towards Lidian. She glanced him up and down, and folded her arms.

"Five laps around the house."

"What?"

"Playtime's over. Time to get the real work done," Sabrina replied. Lidian groaned and climbed out of the ring.

oZo

Casey was just outside the library when she heard Quigley's voice. She started to yell hi, but stopped. He didn't sound happy. Speeding up, she came around the corner and saw two boys talking to Quigley. His back was against the wall, and the pair blocked him from leaving. It took Casey a second to recognize them as the spitballers from earlier.

"Leave you alone? But we're your friends, Quig-ley," the taller one said, dragging out Quigley's name mockingly. "Friends help their friends."

"Jon, Chase, come on—last time I got suspended!" Quigley protested.

The shorter, blond boy shrugged. "So be careful. You've been real good lately, haven't you? You're not even taking this test."

"Hey guys!" Casey burst in, really loudly. All three jumped. Taking advantage of the distraction, Casey pushed through the two bullies and caught Quigley by the strap of his bag. "Q, I'm stuck with this stupid piece of coding, I really need your help—right now."

"O-okay," Quigley stammered, catching on.

"So see you guys later?" Casey asked, turning to the bullies.

One snickered. "Have fun with your girlfriend, Quig-ley."

"Actually I'm already in a relationship." Casey pulled Quigley into the library. As the door closed, Quigley sighed in relief. It was shortlived; Casey turned on him now. "Those guys pick on you often?"

"It's no big deal."

"Yeah, maybe not now, but that kind doesn't know when to stop. If you let them lean on you they'll keep doing it, and it'll get worse and worse. They're not that tough. I could take them in a fight."

"I couldn't," Quigley said, looking down at his shoes.

"You probably wouldn't have to. Most bullies are secretly wimps. Just do something to make an impression on them and pff, no more bullying."

Quigley didn't reply, and the two stood in the doorway for an awkward minute or two. At last, Casey shrugged.

"But enough about those jerks. I really do have a coding problem."

"Let's see it."

oZo

"Come on Amy, just grab it, nobody's looking," the girl urged her friend, in a low voice. The two teens stood in a convenience store, empty except for themselves. The man behind the counter had stepped into the back room.

Amy looked hesitant. "What if he comes back?"

"So what? He's not going to chase you down the street for a dollar's worth of chocolate. Come on, don't wimp out on me now."

Amy sighed, and with a glance around the shop, snatched a candy bar off the shelf and shoved it into her purse. Her friend grinned, and swiped a second for herself.

"There, was that so hard?"

Amy still looked anxious. "He's coming back, should we leave?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The two slipped outside, into the shadows. A bigger, burly man pushed in past them as they left, knocking the purse out of Amy's hands.

"Hey, watch it!" Amy snapped, but the man didn't notice. She shook her head, picking up the bag. "Rude much?"

"Tell me about it."

They were heading down the sidewalk when there was a loud pop, like a firecracker. Both girls jumped and looked around. Amy's friend looked suddenly nervous.

"What was that?" Amy asked. "Was that a gun?"

The store door slammed open and the man came charging out, carrying a bag tucked to his chest. Before Amy or her friend could react, he reached a car parked on the curb and tried to yank the door open. It wouldn't. He swore loudly in confusion.

"Your escape will not be so easy, wrongdoer."

The voice was almost as loud as the gunshots had been, and the thief froze. He turned around, pointing his gun in every direction—Amy dragged her friend flat with a frightened yelp.

"Who's there? I'm warning you, I have a gun!"

"Bullets cannot turn justice away."

The peculiar reply seemed to throw the thief off. Into the light stepped Libra, and at the sight of her the thief opened fire. The girls screamed as bullets pinged off Libra's body. Reaching out she grasped his gun arm and twisted up, forcing his hand open. The gun clattered to the pavement, and Libra planted one sandaled foot on it, crushing it flat with a crunch.

Out from behind her strode a pair of Jewel Golems pale peridot green. Instead of hands their arms ended in two metal discs, set sideways like pizza cutters. Libra tossed the would-be robber to them, and they caught him as he struggled.

"Nor will minor crimes be overlooked when the greater are punished," Libra said, turning towards the street where the two girls cowered. Amy's eyes went wide, and all her friend could manage was a petrified squeak.

oZo

Casey and Quigley sat at one of the school library's computers, going over their program. It was late afternoon and everyone else had gone home.

"So all we need to do is finish this scan, and unless it catches any bugs, we'll be all set," Quigley was saying.

"Perfect!" Casey exclaimed. "I've never gotten an assignment done this early before, Q! Thanks!"

Quigley looked embarrassed, but pleased. "You worked just as hard as I did."

"Yeah, but you kept us on track. Usually I get distracted and finish just in the nick of time, or not quite. You can go home if you want. I'll finish it off."

"Thanks." Quigley gathered his things.

"Oh yeah, and Q?" Casey was fishing around in her bag for a headset, but she paused as Quigley looked back. "Don't let anyone push you around."

Slowly, Quigley nodded. Casey gave him a thumbs-up, which he returned, before waving goodbye. She turned on her music, and started bobbing her head to the beat.

As Quigley left the library and headed down the hall, Jon and Chase appeared, strolling around the corner. Quigley saw them before they saw him, and began to back away. Unfortunately he tripped over his untied shoelaces and fell down, attracting their attention. At once their faces lit up, and not in a nice way.

"Well, well, well, look who's here," Jon said.

After a moment's hesitation, Quigley drew himself up. "I'm not stealing any more test answers for you two."

Chase frowned. "What's gotten into you? Your girlfriend give you a pep talk?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm not going to help you cheat again. Ever."

"Really?" Jon folded his arms. "But what if something happened to that precious program you've spent so much time on?"

Quigley flinched, but pulled himself together. "Even if you could ruin that, which you can't, I'm still not going to help you."

"Oh yeah?" Chase grabbed his backpack, trying to pull it off.

"Stop that!" Quigley yelled, struggling.

"Hold his arms!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Jon tried to avoid the flailing ginger.

Quigley shoved away from the two, backing up. "I told you, I'm not helping you! What are you going to do about it, beat me up? You were just in detention, how's that going to work out for you?"

Jon and Chase exchanged looks. Quigley was red in the face and glaring intently at them. Slowly, the smug looks on the two boys' faces began to fade. Recognizing this, Quigley grew more confident. He adjusted his backpack and started away from them.

Something metallic thudded on the hallway floor, and the trio looked around. Out of the shadows came Libra, flanked by Jewel Golems. At the sight of them, all three boys froze, Quigley blanching beneath his freckles. The monsters halted.

"Cheating is a crime," Libra intoned. "And all crimes must be punished."

The two bullies let out yells of fright and bolted. Libra stayed where she was as the Jewel Golems came forward. Hauling back, they hurled their disc-hands after the two, trailing ropes. With clangs the discs knocked both boys flat, one by one. They screamed for help as the ropes snared them, dragging them back. Quigley stared in confusion, and maybe a little bit of satisfaction. Just a tiny bit.

Casey, still wearing her headphones, looked out the library door. Her eyes went wide, and after a moment's indecision, she ducked back into the room. The only person to notice was Quigley, and he just had time to look puzzled.

Libra's hand came down on his shoulder, hard enough to hurt. He yelped and pulled away, but Libra's grip was steely.

"Those who aid criminals are no better than them."

"I didn't have a choice!" Quigley protested.

"Your recent refusal proves that to be a lie. Lying is also an offense I cannot permit."

As Libra's grip tightened on Quigley's shoulder, the library door burst open and the Yellow Power Ranger charged out, Zeo Pistol in one hand and Laser Blade in the other. She fired at the nearest Jewel Golem—Jon's captor—and hit it in the head. It staggered, dropping Jon. Libra pulled Quigley behind her and drew herself up as the Yellow Ranger approached.

"Let them go."

"I cannot. They have done wrong and must be punished. Justice demands it."

"Are you the new detention officer or something?" The Yellow Ranger sounded confused. "Since when do you care about kids picking on each other?"

"These three will serve in the Zodiac Emperors' army," Libra replied.

"What?" Jon yelled. Chase let out a choking noise, and Quigley went from white to a shade of pale green.

". . . That's kind of over-the-top, isn't it?"

"We require troops," Libra replied placidly. "We will train them to defend themselves; they will be better off when we have finished. "

"Let them go or I'll take you on right now. The other Rangers are already coming, by the way," the Yellow Ranger added, giving her gun a twirl. "So you can't win even if you wear me out."

"I have no wish to fight you. From my perspective, I am doing your world a favor by removing its wrongdoers, giving them a greater purpose to serve."

". . . Are you trying to have some kind of moral debate here?" The Yellow Ranger asked, cocking her head to one side. "Because I'm not that good at that kind of thing. I'm better at making stuff go boom. Even stuff that isn't supposed to."

"Then I shall wait for your teammates to arrive. Jewel Golems, take these three—"

"HEY! You're not taking them anywhere, got it?" Casey snapped, raising her weapons again. "Not if you want a philosophical discussion instead of a firefight. Actually, how about you let them go, so we have a reason to think you're not tricking us?"

Libra pursed her lips disapprovingly. "If I were to allow these three to go free, I would be committing a wrong. All cheaters deserve punishment."

"Yeah, no, let the kids go or bang bang." Libra didn't look convinced. The Jewel Golems started to pull the bullies away, but Casey put up both hands. She spoke slowly, working out what she was going to say as she said it. "My job is to protect Earth, and the people on it, even the ones that suck."

"Hey!" Chase protested.

"Shut up, I'm trying to help. And . . . and if I just let you take some of them, it would be like me saying you can take whoever you want, because my job is 'defend the Earth' not 'defend the Earth except for the jerks.' So let them go. Please?"

Libra thought this over for a long, tense minute. The Jewel Golems waited patiently.

"Your point is a reasonable one, child," Libra said. "Our duties conflict upon this point."

A new voice spoke up. "You want justice, correct?"

Everyone looked around to see the other four Rangers standing in the hallway. All were armed, and the Pink one in particular seemed ready to fight. The Red Ranger was the one who'd spoken. He stepped forward. At a backwards glance from him, the others lowered their weapons.

"Is it just to punish cheating on a school exam with possible death in battle? You can't deny that's a real possibility if you press them into your army. It's disproportionate to the crime."

"Besides, do these three look like soldiers?" Zeo Yellow spoke up again. "I don't think you'd lose much by leaving them behind."

Libra looked thoughtful. "Your point is a good one, Rangers. For now, I will leave these three in your keeping, while I consider this issue."

At a gesture, the Jewel Golems released the boys, and Libra let go of Quigley. Both Jon and Chase stumbled, the latter falling down. Libra snapped her fingers, and the foot soldiers vanished. She herself was gone in another second.

The Yellow Ranger let out a sigh of relief, throwing down her weapons. "I can't believe that worked! Are you okay?" In a lower voice, she added, "I don't just mean about the attack."

"I'm fine." Quigley glanced at the two petrified bullies, and managed a little, shaky smile.

The Yellow Ranger slapped him on the back, hard. "Good." To the other two, she added, "I hope you guys learned your lesson. Don't cheat on tests, or . . . an alien empress will kidnap you and force you to serve in her slave army," the Yellow Ranger said slowly. "Okay, that's probably kind of a fluke."

"How about don't discuss your cheating openly," the Blue Ranger suggested, picking Chase up. He clung to her.

"That's a terrible lesson!"

"Why does it matter? We're Power Rangers, not Sesame Street," Zeo Red put in, sounding a little irritated

"You obviously haven't been a Power Ranger for very long," the Pink Ranger replied dryly.

Allies

 * Alpha 5
 * Ezra Byron
 * Brett Slater

Villains

 * Earth Empress Virgo
 * Earth Emperor Taurus
 * Air Empress Libra