15539/Rolling Scorpions

Rolling Scorpions
Date of Scene:	28 August 2023
Location:	Brooklyn Sewers
Synopsis:	John Connor encounters a new and pinker type of lightning.
Cast of Characters:	John Connor, Pink Ranger

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John Connor has posed:
Rolling? Nope, that road flattener machine had sat parked for three days. A city work crew had been on site, but no work was being done, at least not to the road. What had begun as simple road repaving, had expanded into some kind of tunnel excavation.

It was a wonderful thing to have a Staff of Mesmerization. Sometimes Rita Repulsa was actually somewhat competent, or maybe it was that Scorpina was behind this particular effort. She had used the staff, using the human workers to aid the putties in digging beneath the road and the sewer.

They were even somewhat smart about it. The humans only worked during the night, as per their shifts, and were allowed to go home in the morning, thinking that they had done their real work on the road above, telling their families, as if everything was perfectly fine.

But it was bound to raise some suspicion. New York wasn't exactly deserted, and occasionally, Scorpina, Goldar, or the putties would teleport up or down, come up out of the manhole, and they had to get rid of the dirt somehow.

Currently, Scorpina was standing in her red and gold outfit, arguing with Herman Sanderson, the foreperson of the construction crew, about how to get a truck to pick up the debris.

"Scorpina, my queen," he said, "this assignment didn't call for a dump truck. We'll need to commandeer one somehow, and that might alert our enemies."

John Connor had noticed it on the third night, as he just so happened to be staking out a nearby electronics company, and had randomly caught sight of the teleportation in progress. Leaving Cameron in the truck for now, he said, "I'll look into it." Of course, it's never that simple. There would be some discussion on why he should investigate instead of her. He could be a while.

Pink Ranger has posed:
Maybe being a bad guy was just inviting bad luck sometimes? After all, the best laid plans sometimes could be unravelled by being in the wrong place at the wrong time...or having a do-gooder in the right place.

"I'm only here for two more nights Tommy," Kimberly spoke as she moved, smiling lightly as she chatted on her smartphone. "One for the ceremony, and the other celebrating with the girls, then I'll be back in Angel Grove..." A laugh as she walked, there was a spring to the step of the brunette as she spoke with the person on the other end. "I'm looking forward to it. Just wait till you see these super cute shoes I got! I'm like the super-genius of finding awesome sale-...huh, I'll call you back."

There was no mistaking that voice that came echoing up the drain she was walking by, a frown on her lips. She could be imagining it...but she had to be sure.

Moving out of sight and leaning down with her superhuman strength to pull the manhole cover free she sighed. "Great, sewers and I just ruined a manicure. I -hope- there's a villain down here that needs punching."

John Connor has posed:
Sitting in the blue pickup truck, a 'borrowed' one at that, though it had been borrowed from a parking lot near the airport, and would hopefully be returned before anyone knew it was missing, John Connor was currently having a debate about whether he could be a better infiltrator than a well, programmed infiltrator.

"Look, you have better eyes than I do, especially at night, so why don't you keep watch of the building. This,' he gestured with his thumb, still inside the cabin, 'is probably just some late night work being done. They like to do this kind of work at night so it's not as disruptive to the community."

He told a bit of a half truth. The machines they were using, or seemed to be, were noisy enough that they didn't usually do that at night, but yes, construction at night was preferable as it didn't interfere with traffic.

Scorpina was still arguing with the foreperson, who was now making a call, though they weren't in sight of Kimberly, and the putty noises coming from the sewer were unmistakable. At least to anyone familiar with putty speak.

John at this point saw a girl, dressed in pink, move an adjacent manhole cover. "Look, we need to watch the place, and I'll just be a minute. If you don't see a text from me in five minutes, then you can come do the hero thing." And before Cameron could argue too much more, he was opening the door and slipping out.

Pink Ranger has posed:
Were it early days? Kimberly might have paniced, worried she couldn't handle putties to this level or goldar...but she wasn't some rookie valley girl anymore, she was experienced, she could hold her own against Tommy...but that didn't stop her from shooting a quick message to her boyfriend to teleport to her position if he didn't hear from her in 30 minutes.

With that said and her shopping set aside she moved closer, counting hostiles and potential innocents that might be at risk as she drew her morpher into her hand.

John Connor has posed:
30 minutes was a long time in any battle. If Tommy had any sense, he'd likely be messaging her after five minutes, ten tops. Hopefully it was set to vibrate mode. Then again, with the ruckus, the digging, the power tools, she could probably hold a conversation down in the sewer and nobody would notice, so long as she kept out of sight.

John Connor on the other hand made his way to the site, it was dark, he pulled his hoodie up, so that it covered his face. He walked with purpose, like he lived there, wasn't taking any notice of the work going on. But he was observing, glances, as he made his way closer.

Down below, Goldar was gloating in that gruff voice of his, "once we have the Power Mace, my lord Rita will be all powerful, and together, we will destroy the Power Rangers, and finally conqueror this world, haha haha haha ha!"

Pink Ranger has posed:
"You know Goldar?" her voice echoes out through the tunnels of the depths below. "I've never seen someone like you more in their rightful place than you in the sewers right now..."

Whatever reaction might be said, her hand comes up as she steps forth. "But your digging is done, it's morphin' time!"

A sudden surge of crackling energy lights up the dark and from the depths two glowing arrows of plasma energy slam into the hearts of two putties, shattering them instantly.

The Pink Ranger was here.

John Connor has posed:
John Connor was close to following after Kimberly, not that he had actually seen her, since she left her manhole open. He was a little cautious about it having been left open like that, carefully peering down after he had laid down on the pavement. He then began to climb, slowly, and likely giving Cameron whatever the Terminator equivalent of a heart attack would be.

Scorpina had seemed to finish her argument with the foreperson, and was descending down another manhole, to speak with Goldar.

On their way, both of them saw the crackle of pink energy illuminating the sewer below.

Goldar looked to the putties who were already destroyed, doing some emphatic gestures with his hands, "you, Pink Ranger, will pay for that, for I am Goldar the Mighty, and my vengeance will be swift, but your pain will be slow! Haha haha haha ha!"

The remaining putties tried to flank the Ranger, but the space was confined, and as per usual, they would attack her one on one.

Pink Ranger has posed:
One might not expect it from warriors in bright colors, however Kimberly was the markswoman, and the movement through the dark tunnels was narrow, shrouded, and made easy pickings of the putties that charges her in disorganised fury, met by sharp staccatto of power arrows.

"Just because you say it louder each time doesn't make it so Metal head!"

For now? She had no idea of the apparent civillian who'd stumbled into things.

John Connor has posed:
Oh no, he didn't stumble. John Connor was still on the ladder, looking, watching, eyes wide with wonder. He really didn't know what to make of this. There was a guy dressed in gold armor, with wings, and a blue wolf like face. There were people with rock like faces being destroyed by a pink light show, and a girl in a spandex outfit, complete with skirt and white bow.

And coming up behind her was a woman in red and gold. Against his better judgement, he shouted, "watch out!" as Scorpina was lunging at the Pink Ranger's back, and he began scurrying up the ladder, knowing when he's outclassed.

Goldar said, "after him!" to the remaining two putties... could he handle them?

Pink Ranger has posed:
Scorpina and Goldar at once from two different directions? Skilled as she was? Well, most of the team was required for such a fight and Kimberly wasn't so foolish or egotistical as to try and end this fairly.

With the warning called there was enough time for the Ranger to twist and weave, rolling her body past the two and then lifting her bow to set loose a salvo of shots intended to pelt the pair back before she lifted her weapon upwards and drew back the energy string to charge a heavy shot...and aiming upwards.

John Connor has posed:
John Connor had a gun, he could have fired, but he was now being pursued by putties, whatever they were. He knew a gun would make quite the noise in the sewer too, and didn't want to risk it as he scurried up the ladder. Once on the surface, he thought about trying to push the manhole cover, but knew that probably weighed like 250 pounds.

Cameron could toss it like a Frisbee, but he couldn't even push it, okay, maybe push, but it would take leverage, and time, two things he didn't have.

So he made his way back towards the car, trying not to alert the workers above, and hoping they might lose him in the darkness of night.

Meanwhile, down below, Scorpina and Goldar were both caught unaware by the alert that he had given, and the Pink Ranger used that moment to full effect, hitting them both. They also managed to run into each other, for comedic effect. And to add insult to injury, the Ranger managed to get the putties climbing up the manhole too. Though the blast light up the space above the manhole.

John, upon seeing it, and how the workers likely did, said, "crap."

Pink Ranger has posed:
If anything, Kimberly's earlier display of moving the manhole might be enough one would wonder if there was another brunette murderbot running around, but for now there was the main issue of her foes stuck in the tunnel.

Well...time to ruin their night, at a little cost of property damage anyway.

Lifting the weapon, she drew back the heavy shot she'd intended and aimed at the concrete ceiling above the pair.

"You want to dig? Dig yourselves out of this!"

John Connor has posed:
Thankfully, the workers didn't notice John, or think he had anything to do with the light show. Curiously, they didn't even go to check on Scorpina. They just seemed to hang around, pretending to be working, and not actually doing anything.

But inside, the tunnel was suffering some serious damage as the roof was being brought down. It wasn't enough to go all the way through to the road above, but it did crack, and was showing signs of damage even through all that material.

Debris, dust, and of course, rock, brick, and other materials, fell on Goldar and Scorpina, separating them from the Pink Ranger. Goldar was certainly alive, as the noise of his growl caused even more to fall on him!

For his part, John made his way back to the truck, settling in besides Cameron, who was giving him a look that suggested curiosity and anger. "Just some construction," he replied, as if that covered it.

Pink Ranger has posed:
Onwards, upwards, Kimberly coiled her legs and then lept upwards with that same motion that had propelled herself upwards and out without bothering to stop for the ladder just like she'd leap to her zord.

It might be a strange sight, a ranger holding a shopping bag leaping out of the sewers only to disappear in a flash of pink grid energy teleporting her away.