(This is the personal journal of Bryan Stone, leader of Cyberspace Task Force GammaRanger and prisoner of war, for September 18, 1998:
Right now, I really don't know what to think. My mind is filled with the confusion of the stories that I thought I knew, but didn't. The stories of the probe and the Gammaproject. I also feel pain because my friend, Eli Namrock, Jr., a prisoner of his father, is near his death bed. Despite this negative emotion, I also feel hope. My friends, with the help of Sei, are preparing a launch of the conjoined Stations into the depths of space to rescue us. I only hope that they reach in time.)
(The scene: the NetStation. The GammaRanger are preparing a launch into deep space in search of the Satellite Namrock.)
Scottie: System check. Report!
Amy: Thrusters online.
Eric: Oxygen supply at maximum.
Laura: Solar panels charged.
Jill: Infrastructures at full bondage.
Sei: Guiding system nominal.
Scottie: All systems are go here. Let's save Bryan!
(The retro boosters of the Station go into high gear as the Station prepares for the final levels to increase.
Launch!
(The Station heads out of the atmosphere in a silver and blue blur.)
Okay. We've cleared the atmosphere. Now let's run a universal search for the Satellite. Bryan, can you remember where the shuttle that was carrying the probe was headed?
Bryan: (over the ComLink) The Mu sector.
Scottie: Sei, run a search engine on any foreign matter from Earth to the Mu sector.
Sei: Are you forgetting something? The probe will not be launched for another eighteen years! That Satellite could be anywhere in the galaxy!
Scottie: She's right. What do we do now?
Jill: (after thinking for a while) I've got it! Sei, can you use your powers to amplify the viral search patterns on the Station's computers?
Sei: I can't. Don't you remember? I'm powerless! Ever since I gave you my powers as GridRanger, I cannot do much of anything!
Amy: C'mon, Sei. We need you on this one! You're our only link.
Sei: Okay. I will try to help. First, I suggest we locate Bryan.
Laura: Where can he be, though?
Sei: The only way that we can be sure is to locate his Cyber Loader.
Scottie: But so far, we've only been able to use the Cyber Loader search string for local searches. And believe me, Tradewinds is a big place!
Eric: Yeah. I mean, we were dealing with a maybe eight or nine miles. This is a possible eight or nine LIGHT YEARS we're talking about here!
Laura: Would Bryan give up if he was looking for us? No. (cue flashback scene to data14: "A Promise I Make") Even when I was imprisoned in the dimension created by Beta Specter, Bryan and the Rangers still came to help me.
Eric: (with flashback from data08: "AWOL") And when I went to fight off the Namrocks without his authorization, Bryan still came to help me...
Amy: (with flashback from data09: "Statuesque") And when I was saved from being the hard knock on a store window...
Jill: (with flashback from data28: "Eric and Jill's Final Fantasy") Bryan did help us out when I was trapped in that game.
Scottie: (with flashback from data10: "Tanks for Nothing") And when I went to see if my father was all right after the oil rig was hijacked (flash to the present), Bryan was there too.
Sei: Do you see? Bryan assisted each one of you without question. Now is the time to repay the favor.
Eric: She's right. Scottie, expand the search string to cover all points of the known universe.
Scottie: Done.
(The Rangers spring into action as they head for deep space. Meanwhile, on the Satellite, Bryan is watching, waiting, and hoping, while Eli is on his last legs.)
Eli: Bryan... I must ask you a question.
Bryan: What is it?
Eli: Do you still have the coin?
Bryan: Yes.
Eli: Whatever you do, don't leet Namrock have it!
Bryan: I never intended on it.
(Galevan walks by the cell.)
Galevan: Hey! You two! Quit your jammering! Or I'll give you something to jammer about! (pulls out his sword)
Namrock: Leave them! We've more pressing matters to tend to.
(Galevan grunts as he leaves for the Satellite's command post.)
With one Gamma User here, no doubt the rest of them will come for him.
Galevan: What do you want to do, sire?
Namrock: Ready yourself. And ready Beta Guardian as well. Its impierceable armor will prove to be the Gamma Users' undoing.
Rhexus: The Beta Guardian is ready.
Chouzo: (holding his dagger) And we tested it ourselves! This guy is one tough cookie!
Galevan: I like tough cookies. And now I shall train you to be the best digital warrior we've ever known!
(Bryan listens in the distance. Worried, he sends a transmission to the NetStation.)
Bryan: If you come and rescue me, you'll be putting yourself in danger! The Namrocks have created and trained a new Betamon to fight you once you get here...
(back to the Station)
...That's why you have to find me and get me out of here fast! Hurry! Eli doesn't have much time left! (shuts down)
Eric: That's what we got so far.
Scottie: What do you think this monster is made of?
Jill: Probably the strongest, most concentrated of the rarest metal alloys in the galaxy!
Laura: Hold on. I just had a thought. What if that message was trying to tell us more than it did?
Amy: What do you mean?
Laura: I mean, if we have the message, why can't we just find out where the message came from?
Sei: Ingenious, AquaMercury!
Scottie: Wait a minute... How do we do this?
Sei: Try cross referencing the message with RedJupiter's Cyber Loader.
Scottie: Running cross-reference now.
(The onboard automap - which is being powered by four Cyber Loaders and a Grid Loader - expands on the search. It finally locates the wayward Ranger and the Satellite orbiting one of the moons of the Andromeda galaxy.)
Eric: There it is! Let's go!
Scottie: Amy! Full speed! Activate the Driver engines if need be.
Amy: Way ahead of you, bro!
(The Station zips toward the Andromeda galaxy. They locate the Satellite as a giant probe orbiting an Andromedan moon.)
Scottie: Downloading stealh mode plug-in. We never know who could be watching. Everyone, grab your Cyber Loaders. We're going in.
Amy: I've warmed up the transloader. Sei, watch the Station and alert us if you find anything wrong.
Sei: At once, YellowVenus.
Jill: Let's move! (running toward the transloader) Grid file, download!
Scottie: Good move, Jill! Rangers, let's lock and upload!
(The five Rangers teletransload - transload and transform - to the heart of the Satellite.
GreenMars: Man! Not even 15 seconds and I know it's going to be a maze. Anything, Jill?
GridRanger: Nothing yet. I'm trying to bring up my automap.
(She brings it up. Sure enough, they're are at the center of the third deck. Their goal is Bryan, who is located in the northeastern quadrant of the Satellite.)
This way. Hurry!
(They navigate their way through the maze of twists and turns of Satellite. All the way, they have to fight through hallways after hallways of Balzac. GridRanger is trailing, shooting every security camera that the Rangers encounter. After arriving in the designated quadrant...)
YellowVenus: And that's... (kiai) the last... (kiai) one!
Beta Guardian: Not yet!
AquaMercury: Bryan!
Bryan: Behind you!
(The Rangers turn around to see a knight with a horse's head. It is the Beta Guardian.)
Beta Guardian: I was hoping to defeat only the red User. Now I get the chance to defeat all of you!
(Beta Guardian begins to throw the five Rangers all around the place. Bryan reaches for his File Coin and Cyber Loader and rushes to the front of his cell in anger.)
Bryan: (psyched) LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE! RED JUPITER FILE, DOWNLOAD! (In anger, he slams his File Coin into the Cyber Loader and transforms while the other Rangers try to fight Beta Guardian.)
RedJupiter: JupiterSaber, download!
(He activates the JupiterSaber and uses the sword to slice the energy field holding him in. The Ranger then proceeds to kick Beta Guardian, whose holding both BlueNeptune and GreenMars by their necks - in the back of his head. Beta Guardian then drops the two Rangers hard on the floor.)
BlueNeptune: (picking up his NeptuneLance) You OK, Eric?
GreenMars: (picking up his MarsBreaker Axe) I think so. Let's put him out of commission. Bryan! (Bryan turns around) Thanks...
RedJupiter: No problem... I mean, after all the things you've done for me...
GridRanger: Can we talk about this later?
RedJupiter: There's no beating this guy with our regular weapons. But I have an idea. Did you bring the Station?
AquaMercury: And everything on it!
RedJupiter: Good. DriverCycle, download!
(While the DriverCycle rolls in from the "invisible" Station, the Rangers form the MD Cannon.)
Man, it's good to see the DriverCycle again! Now, download DriverCannon mode!
(The DriverCycle transforms.)
Now, GridRanger, get on the other side of Beta Guardian. If we can triangulate our fire, maybe we'll defeat this guy!
(The Rangers take their positions.)
DriverCannon, fire!
GridRanger: GridBuckler, fire!
Remaining Rangers: MD Cannon, fire!
(All three lasers hit the monster, but...)
GreenMars: It didn't work!
BlueNeptune: That's it. This may not be pretty, but it's the only thing that we can do to destroy this guy.
RedJupiter: You're not thinking...
BlueNeptune: Yes I am. I saw the self-destruct button on our way up here. The only way we're gonna destroy him is to destroy the Satellite!
YellowVenus: With us in it?
BlueNeptune: HELL NO! We're getting out of here!
RedJupiter: What about Eli?
GreenMars: We'll take him with us! I betcha got some fancy stuff at the G-Project that will make him better.
RedJupiter: In that case... No objections? Good, because Beta Guardian's right behind us... and he's angry!
GridRanger: RUN!!!
(The Rangers run towards the self-destruct mechanism and the Station. Bryan holds Eli in one arm. Laura draws her arrow at the self-destruct button and triggers it.)
Voice: The self-destruct has been triggered. You have ten minutes to escape the Satellite before critical mass.
GreenMars: Yeah, no s***, Sherlock!
(The Rangers run for the third deck lift to the center of the Satellite, where they will transload back to the Station.)
Voice: Five minutes until critical mass.
Galevan: Do we still have the digital outpost in Cyberspace?
Namrock: Yes, but if we go there and the Satellite is destroyed, then we'll be stuck there!
Rhexus: It's a chance we'll have to take!
(Meanwhile, running toward the lift, RedJupiter hurries to contact Koike.)
RedJupiter: Stone to Koike, I need you to open a time hole in the Bravo moon of the Andromeda system! And for the love of God, hurry!
(The scene turns to black and white as the Rangers and Eli head down the lift to the third deck. Meanwhile the self-destruct counts down the Satellite's final seconds as several scenes of the Satellite flash.)
Voice: Ten seconds to critical mass. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One...
Did the Rangers escape the Satellite in time? Did Namrock escape the doomed base? All these questions will be answered in the second episode of Betapocalypse Now: "Out of the Dark"
For any more questions or comments, e-mail me.
Get your own Free Home Page