(Omni-base)
Next day...
The control room was silent, with the seats of the Vanguard table almost completely occupied. Although the room was quiet, there was a sense of Joy in each of the team's faces. Even Zayne smiled from time to time as he looked at them.
"Yohoo…. I'm rich," Ethan was the first to break the silence, his joy hardly contained.
The rest also jubilated in silence, happy about the blessings that had just fallen on them. Their eyes could hardly close as they looked at the string of zeroes on their phones.
A few minutes ago, after their arrival, Zayne paid them their salary, and to say they weren't overjoyed would be a lie.
They remembered when the recruitment contract was signed. There had been a clause for salary, but they never thought much of it. They thought payment wasn't necessary, since they were superheroes. This path was something they chose willingly.
But now, Zayne had shocked them by actually paying, and it was no ordinary amount.
"One-One million dollars!" Peter stammered, struggling to catch his breath. He was the poorest of them all, and seeing this amount of money in his always-empty bank account was a huge shock.
Even the rich second-generation, like Kira and Trent, were shocked. Although they received monthly allowances, it was never this much.
"My boyfriend is this rich." Kira mentally calculated the money they all received, and it surprisingly added up to an astonishing number of seven million.
For a normal high school student with no parents, that was a huge sum of money. This also made Kira happier and more satisfied with her choice of love. Their future kids were going to have a bright future.
"How does he do it?! He's only eighteen. Damn, it's getting more absurd." This thought flashed through Trent's mind as his impression of Zayne climbed up again.
Not only was their leader powerful, but he was also this rich. It was as if he were blessed with every good thing.
The team was curious about the source of the money, but they kept quiet. Prying into someone's private life isn't respectful.
Zayne looked at his team and was happy inwardly. Looking at their pleasant expressions reminded him of his past life when he paid his workers. They were also always happy when he paid their wages. And as an orphan who lacked most joy of life, making others happy gave him a sense of quiet contentment.
As for where he got this money.
The stocks he invested in many companies had brought him a lot of income. The amount of money he earned from stock trading was over twenty million.
"I hope you guys are satisfied with it?" Zayne asked.
The team instantly looked at him, feeling as if he was mocking them. How could they not be satisfied? They even felt like it was too much. Not even CEOs pay this amount monthly to their workers; at most, in top companies, it was yearly. But Zayne was giving them that amount monthly.
The team couldn't even reply, so they just hummed in reply and went back to looking at their phones. Most of them were already planning how to use the money. Especially the girls who loved to shop.
Only Peter was still confused. He had never gotten this massive amount of money before, so he planned to take it slow.
After some while…. the excitement subsided. Zayne's former expression had also become stern. He was now locked in.
Zayne stood up, brought out several holograms in an instant, and spoke. "You all aren't just here today for the salary. The most important is about to begin. The aliens are almost here."
As his words fell, the atmosphere of the room became solemn. There was no longer joy in receiving a salary, as this was more important. The safety of Earth was their lifeline, and they could never joke around with it.
Zayne continued. "We are expecting invasions from three colossal forces besides Mesogog. Two are from endless space, and the other from another dimension."
He paused and swiped the hologram, magnifying the mothership of one of the invaders. "This here is a fleet of the one they call Thanos. I assume you read the report sent yesterday, so there's no need to ponder on his identity. All we have to know is that although he won't be participating in this invasion, his fleet alone can render almost all of Earth's forces useless.
The only ones that can put up a fight are the S.P.D., the mages, and finally us. Thanos forces would arrive here using a space wormhole. And our goal is to seal that space and prevent them from overwhelming the planet with their numbers."
Zayne paused, looked at his team, and noticed their focus. He nodded, magnified another hologram, and continued. "The other invading force from space is controlled by an Evil space Ninja known as Lothor. He's more troublesome than Thanos, and this is because of his special ability of instant teleportation. Since he doesn't need a wormhole, we can only stop him with direct combat and suppression.
Moreover, both alien leaders possess an overwhelming military fleet. So, Zords have to be deployed from the beginning to battle on equal grounds for some time. This..."
Zayne was like a lecturer as he explained the plans, one by one. He made it understandable and easy for the team to execute. So, this made the omni-team calm and devoid of anxiety. Instead, their eyes burned with confidence.
They were even more pleased by Zayne's ingenuity in making these counter plans. Each plan was extremely effective; they were sure none of the invaders would see it coming.
"So….do we all understand?" Zayne stopped his explanations and spoke.
"Yes leader" x6. The entire team replied.
"Good…. but before we begin. We need to make y'all stronger." Zayne smiled, then added. "It's training time."
This seemingly normal smile appeared scary in the team's mind. Several past training regimens flashed through their minds, and they couldn't help but shiver.
Their leader's 'training session' had never been normal. It was extreme and hardcore, always pushing them to their absolute limits. If they don't break, it was never enough.
Although it helped them grow stronger fast, the pain was something they weren't fond of.
Zayne saw their expressions and immediately understood their worries. So, he quickly spoke. "Don't worry, guys. This time it's going to be a lot easier than the regular training. I promise."
The team's expressions became peculiar as they struggled to speak. But in the end, most of them sighed, knowing they could not escape it. They thought the next few days were going to be hell for them.
After all, none of them know about training cards. So, their worries and reluctance were normal.
"Sigh…. maybe I should reduce the intensity of the upcoming training after this one. After all, becoming stronger should be enjoyable and not unpleasant." Zayne thought to himself, instantly making a silent decision.
"Alright, let's go." Zayne smiled and waved his hand, teleporting both himself and the team. This was quite normal in the base.
As he had supreme authority over this space, performing a short-distance teleportation was easy.
Whoosh!
The entire team appeared in another place within the base. This place was secluded with almost no animals present.
The team immediately began to warm up their bodies and minds. Each of them could already imagine the intensity of the training. Their hearts were filled with fear, but with even more determination.
Zayne looked at his team, smiled, and commanded the base. "Increase space-time acceleration to max."
Following his order, a strange invisible energy permeated the entire base. Although there was no immediate change in the surroundings, the space-time acceleration had already occurred. The time dilation increased a hundredfold.
None of the team members noticed this power; only Zayne did.
"I promised training this time was going to be easier, and I meant it." Zayne brought out six of the training cards and sent them flying towards the team.
Each of them grasped it with confusion, waiting for Zayne to explain its purpose.
Zayne noticed and quickly spoke. "These cards are called training cards. They are automatic training devices that improve strength fast after use. Whether it is physical strength or the ranger powers, this card improves them in a very short time. So, y'all won't need to break your bones anymore to get stronger; this card does that for you without cost."
The entire team gasped at Zayne's words, but they didn't overreact. Their leader shocks them almost every time, and they are already used to it. They were only happy they could become stronger more easily now. There was no need to 'push past their limits' again.
They needed all the strength they could get for the upcoming mission.
"Good…. let's start then." Seeing they all understood, Zayne added.
"Yes, leader". The team replied, fusing the cards the next moment.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~~ Whoosh~~~
Pillars of colored light appeared above them, as various energies in the base fused with the rangers. This energy permeated their body and morphing powers, making them stronger.
The transformation would take a while. After at least a year, their strength would improve. As for how much, that would be known later on.
...
In a vast seabed. Black clouds churned in the sky, with wind breezing through every corner. The atmosphere of this place was naturally dark, with no sun in the sky. Only endless ocean water and an island with a building existed in this place.
The temperature was always humid, never changing. With all these characteristics, it was clear that this place was another space formed outside of Earth's domain.
It was rare to find places like this and even harder to occupy them. This space was naturally Mesogog's lair.
Then...a green, eerie portal abruptly appeared in this place. It was as if space forcefully tore open as the green portal itself struggled to hold on.
Whoosh~
A figure in black slowly flew out from this portal. The figure was a female with a mature face and an almost perfect figure. The most beautiful attribute of this female figure was her eyes.
If one looked closely into her eyes, all one would see was a black pupil radiating endless chill, and it was as beautiful as black jade.
This female figure was Elsa. She hovered midair, head facing upward, looking at the dark building atop the island with unconcealed hatred.
"Me…so…gog!" Elsa spoke slowly, her words cold as ice.
After flying for days, she finally arrived at this place. Her plan before was to teleport here instantly. But she found out the teleportation device was damaged, with only a part of it working. Even worse, it was low on energy.
It was only after she found out that the strange residual energy in her body could power up the device that she could get here. It would have been impossible to arrive here.
As she hovered midair, her complete majesty was revealed.
Elsa now looked completely different from before. She looked more beautiful and fuller in most places. The terrigen mist seemed to have changed her entire biology. Even more surprising was the new power in her body. It was a very cold, powdery, or rather misty day. This mist was omnipresent in her body and could be turned to ice at Elsa's will. Moreover, it wasn't normal ice. The mist manifested as Black ice.
So…she changed her name from Elsa to Black Ice. As for how she could fly, it was an additional super-power from the mist, but also due to her former mutation.
The flight power wasn't biological but conceptual, so it could not be improved by conventional means. Moreover, her flight speed was normal, only as fast as a vehicle on land.
"It's time to settle the score. The debts of many years shall be repaid today." As she remembered the time she was captured and controlled by Mesogog for years. And even forced to commit several atrocities, the guilt and hate in her intensified.
If it weren't for the ranger who removed the mind control, her future fate would have been tragic. She would probably be destined to be used until death.
Whoosh~
With a slight momentum, Elsa, or rather Black Ice, flew at her top speed, gliding towards the dark building. With a roar…
"Mesogog!!!"
The void around her vibrated.
--- ✦ ---
To be continued.
Power stones, guys.