Mayhem from Moon Palace Read online

  PENGUIN YOUNG READERS LICENSES

  An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

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  Cover illustration by Dan Panosian

  Ebook ISBN 9781524786588

  Version_1

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Excerpt from Fish in Troubled Water Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 1

  Bright and early on a Saturday morning in May, four of the six teenagers who make up the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers waited in the Angel Grove High School parking lot. Jason Scott leaned casually against his car, next to his best friend, Zack Taylor. Around school, they both were known mostly as athletes, but Zack was a practical joker, too. Jason had a more thoughtful side, teaching martial arts and going out of his way to be kind and responsible. On either side of them were Kimberly Hart and Tommy Oliver. Kimberly was a gymnast, dancer, and musician, while Tommy—the newest member of the group, and a bit of an outsider in school—shared Jason and Zack’s interest in martial arts.

  They were waiting for Billy Cranston and Trini Kwan to show up with their experiment for the district science fair. It was mostly Billy’s idea, from what they understood, but Trini had pitched in, too. Sometimes she was the only other Power Ranger who could understand what Billy was talking about when he got talking about science.

  Jason had parked all the way across the lot, past the football stadium, because Billy didn’t want anyone to see his experiment before he unveiled it in the gym. So they were all supposed to meet there and carry it in under a sheet.

  Billy was being super secretive about the whole thing. Over the past few weeks, he hadn’t even told them what the experiment was. Now they were all dying to see it.

  Billy’s customized Beetle, the Rad Bug, came rolling toward them from around the back of the stadium. He parked next to Jason’s car and got out, looking around to see if anyone was watching. There were no cars within a hundred yards. “You didn’t fly?” Jason joked. “Would have gotten you here a lot quicker.” The Rad Bug had a ton of modifications, including the ability to fly and remote-control operation.

  “No way,” Billy said. “I wish I had a way to make it invisible.” He opened the trunk. Inside sat a big square object wrapped in a sheet. “Trini and I made a little platform to help carry it,” Billy said. “Zack, give me a hand.”

  The two of them picked it up. “Man, this thing weighs a ton,” Zack said. He eyed the distance to the school.

  “We can carry it in shifts,” Tommy said. “You guys start. Halfway there, Jason and I will take over.”

  “That lets me and Kimberly off the hook,” Trini said.

  “You had to help him already this morning,” Zack said. “You’ve done your part.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Billy asked.

  “You’ve been kind of tense about this lately, Billy,” Trini said. “In case you haven’t noticed.”

  “I have not been tense!” Billy said. “Have I?”

  Kimberly patted him on the shoulder. “Maybe a little.”

  “Well, it’s a big deal. If I win, I go on to the state finals.”

  “You’ll win,” Tommy said. “There’s nobody smarter than you.”

  “We’ll see,” Billy said.

  At the edge of the lot, on the access road that curved around the back of the stadium, there was a maintenance shed. It held a couple of lawn mowers and the machine used to paint the lines on the football field. Jason happened to be looking that way over Zack’s shoulder, and he saw something move. At first he thought it was an animal.

  No, two animals.

  Wait, three . . . and they weren’t animals, at all. They were Putties!

  “Guys,” Jason said. “You might want to put the experiment down.”

  Zack looked over his shoulder to see what Jason saw, but he couldn’t turn far enough and still hold the experiment. He started to lower it. “Not on the ground!” Billy yelled. They put it back in the trunk.

  “Putties?” Trini was already dropping into a fighting stance. “What are they doing here?”

  “Maybe Lord Zedd doesn’t want Billy to win the science fair,” Zack joked.

  Billy didn’t smile. “That’s really not funny.”

  “Better morph, guys,” Jason said. He took a quick look around the lot. Everyone else coming to the fair was parked around the other side of the school, closer to the door. “Okay. It’s Morphin Time!”

  Chapter 2

  They called out their team signals in sequence: “Dragonzord!” “Mastodon!” “Pterodactyl!” “Triceratops!” “Sabertooth Tiger!” “Tyrannosaurus!”

  As each one spoke, they morphed and became Power Rangers. Jason became the Red Ranger, Zack the Black Ranger, Trini the Yellow Ranger, Billy the Blue Ranger, Kimberly the Pink Ranger, and Tommy the Green Ranger. They joined forces to battle the Putties.

  These weren’t the old Putties that Rita Repulsa used to send after them. Lord Zedd had his own Z-Putties, stronger and smarter than Rita’s. Lord Zedd marked each with his signature Z on their chest plates, but those plates were also their weakness. A strong blow right on the Z would blow a Z-Putty apart. The problem was getting a shot at the Z. The Z-Putties didn’t make it easy. They would be a handful, even though there were only three of them.

  In a flash of light, two more forms appeared on top of the shed: Rita’s minions Baboo and Squatt! Baboo squinted at the Power Rangers through his monocle. Like Squatt, he had blue skin, but there the resemblance ended. Baboo was tall
and thin, bat-like in appearance and dressed all in black. Squatt looked much like a blue warthog on two legs, in metal armor with heavy fangs jutting up from his lower jaw.

  “What have you got there, Rangers?” they called out. “We’ll take it!”

  The Blue Ranger stepped out in front of the group. “Oh no, you won’t.”

  The rest flanked him and faced the Z-Putties. More had appeared after the first three. Now there were six, spreading out in a half circle. The Green and Pink Rangers charged out to stop the Z-Putties from surrounding the team. The Black and Yellow Rangers teamed up to cut off one of the Z-Putties from the group. They knocked it down but couldn’t get a clear shot at its Z. Billy and Kimberly tried the same with another Z-Putty, but they found themselves fighting off three Z-Putties at once. Tommy came flying in and knocked down one of the Z-Putties, giving Kimberly and Billy some breathing room.

  Jason figured the other Power Rangers could handle the Z-Putties for a minute. “You guys keep at it. I’m headed after Baboo and Squatt!” he called out, running toward the shed and jumping to catch the edge of its roof. As he pulled himself up, Baboo and Squatt squealed in fear and tumbled off the other side of the roof. They bounced through the brush behind the shed and ran away. Jason would have gone after them, but there were still Z-Putties to deal with . . . and as he turned to do that, there was a shimmer of light at the edge of the parking lot, and Goldar appeared.

  “Look out!” Jason called. “Goldar!”

  Baboo and Squatt never fought. All they did was talk a lot and then run away. But Goldar was a different story. Huge and apelike, with black wings, he wore golden armor and wielded a long golden sword. He had always wanted to destroy the Power Rangers to please Rita Repulsa, but now that Lord Zedd had taken over and banished Rita, Goldar was loyal to him. He was eager to please his new master.

  Goldar raised his sword and pointed it at Jason. “Lord Zedd commands you to surrender or be destroyed!”

  “We’ll take option three,” Jason called back.

  “What? I only gave you two options!”

  “Option three is sending you back to Lord Zedd with a message,” Jason said. “The Power Rangers will never surrender to him!”

  He jumped and somersaulted off the shed roof, landing near Goldar and dropping into a fighting stance.

  Goldar stepped up to meet him as one of the Z-Putties flew to pieces nearby. Tommy had hit it square in the Z with a palm heel. The team had a good handle on the Z-Putties. That gave Tommy a chance to go after Goldar.

  “Oh, I’ve been waiting for this!” he said.

  He and Goldar had a history. Goldar had never yet defeated him in single combat, and Tommy was always ready to extend his winning streak. He charged straight at Goldar, who barely had time to get his sword up before Tommy got him with a flying kick. Goldar staggered back, flaring his wings for balance. Jason leaped forward, hitting Goldar again before he could recover.

  The other Power Rangers were starting to turn the tide against the Z-Putties. Tommy had destroyed one. Now Kimberly ducked under a Z-Putty’s spinning kick. She popped back up and put everything she had into a reverse elbow to its chest plate. The point of her elbow hit the engraved Z dead center, and the Z-Putty reeled back. A moment later, it blew apart into bits of clay.

  Billy and Trini sparred with another Z-Putty, waiting for it to give them an opening. When it turned a little too far trying to spin away from Billy’s kick, Trini saw her chance. She shot out a kick and planted her heel in the Z. The Z-Putty blew apart.

  There were only three Z-Putties left now. Jason and Tommy kept after Goldar, not letting him fight either alone.

  “I got this,” Jason said. “You help with the Z-Putties.”

  “You sure?” Tommy glanced back at the Z-Putties. “Goldar knows he can’t beat us if we face him together.”

  “Yes, I can!” Goldar roared. With a quick swipe, he knocked Tommy flat on his back with a blow from his sword.

  Jason jumped in before Goldar could hit Tommy again. He blocked Goldar’s sword and punched him three times in the head, stunning him. Tommy jumped up and joined in, pounding Goldar with a flying kick. Then he dashed back to rejoin the rest of the team against the Z-Putties.

  Kimberly and Trini had just taken out another Z-Putty. Now there were five Power Rangers against only two Z-Putties. Trini knocked one down, and Zack came flying through the air to land on its Z plate with both feet. Pieces of the Z-Putty scattered across the parking lot. Then they all tag-teamed the last one, with Kimberly landing the final punch to its plate.

  As the last pieces of the Z-Putty flew through the air and disappeared, the Rangers turned to help Jason against Goldar. Jason was getting back to his feet after Goldar knocked him over, and Tommy led the way, dodging the sweep of Goldar’s massive sword.

  “Come on, Power Rangers,” Jason said. “Let’s deliver that message.”

  They formed a circle around Goldar and came closer. Goldar turned around, trying to keep them all in front of him. Then he flared his wings and said, “You have not defeated me, Power Rangers! I will be back!”

  In a flash of light, Goldar was gone. The Power Rangers were alone in the parking lot again.

  Chapter 3

  From his throne room in the Moon Palace he now ruled, Lord Zedd watched the battle unfold. The throne room’s lights shone on his armor and his skinless body. His disfigured face was hidden behind the black-and-silver helmet he always wore, with a letter Z as its crest, but his tone of voice left no doubt about his mood.

  “Soon these Power Rangers will learn what it truly means to oppose me!” he growled. “I will find their weakness once and for all, and I will destroy them!”

  Baboo and Squatt appeared in the throne room a moment later.

  “Useless idiots!” Zedd roared. He pointed a clawed finger at them. “You were supposed to distract the Red Ranger and keep him apart from the others so Goldar could attack him!”

  “We tried, Lord Zedd,” Baboo said. “We did everything and gave it our all.”

  “Gave it your all? From the top of the shed? Fools, do you forget that I am always watching? I see how useless you are, cowards! Get out of my sight before I banish you!”

  Goldar transported in as Baboo and Squatt fled. Zedd waited until he was sure they were gone. He wanted to speak only to Goldar, and often Baboo and Squatt hid behind a wall in the throne room, watching and listening. But this time they had run away to another part of the base. Good, Zedd thought. He would deal with them later.

  “Goldar, of all Rita’s minions, I thought you were worth keeping,” he said.

  “If you say so, it must be true, Lord Zedd,” Goldar said. “You are always right.”

  “But you could not defeat them, even with my most powerful Z-Putties to assist you!” Zedd clenched a fist. “You had the Red Ranger cut off, and you let his friends help him! How could you let that happen? Perhaps I was wrong about you. Perhaps you belong in a space Dumpster like that old space witch Rita Repulsa.”

  “No, Lord Zedd!” Goldar cried out. “I will do exactly what you command and destroy the Power Rangers next time. The Red Ranger will not be able to defeat me again.”

  “See that he doesn’t,” Zedd said. “I have given you too many chances already.”

  Chapter 4

  Fearful of what Lord Zedd would do if he found them, Baboo and Squatt went all the way to Finster’s laboratory, where he created bizarre creatures and strange machines. He was a small gray creature, bearded with long, pointed ears, and he was much more at home in his laboratory than anywhere else. He hadn’t come out since Lord Zedd had banished Rita because he was afraid Lord Zedd would banish him, too.

  “What are you two doing here?” he snapped, glaring at Baboo and Squatt as they entered.

  “We are hiding from Lord Zedd!” Squatt shut the door behind them and leaned against it. “He thr
eatened to banish us.”

  “He blames us for everything,” Baboo added.

  “Well, soon he will change his mind.” Finster placed a circuit carefully in a nest of wires. He linked them all together.

  “How? What are you doing there?” Squatt came too close to Finster’s project, and Finster leaned over to block his view.

  “I can’t tell you,” he said. “I am working.”

  “On what?” Baboo asked. He looked closely at what Finster was doing.

  “I’ll tell you when it’s ready,” Finster said.

  “Tell us now!” Squatt begged.

  Finster considered. On the one hand, he was afraid of being banished, and he could use some allies. Lord Zedd might not banish them all at once, if they stuck together. On the other hand, if he told Baboo and Squatt too much, they might tell Lord Zedd.

  Finster didn’t want Zedd to know what he was doing. He wanted it to be a surprise—one that would prove Finster’s worth to Lord Zedd. That would keep him out of a space Dumpster like the one where Rita Repulsa was currently sitting, somewhere out in orbit.

  So he didn’t really want to tell them anything. The problem was that Finster knew Baboo and Squatt too well to think they would keep a secret.

  If he told them nothing, though . . . they would tell Lord Zedd he was working on something the minute he did anything to scare them. And then Finster would have to face Lord Zedd. He wouldn’t have any help from Baboo and Squatt. They would do anything to keep Lord Zedd’s fearsome temper pointed away from them.

  Finster decided the best thing to do was tell them part of what he was doing. That would keep them happy for the moment.

  “Fine,” he said. “I am building a device that will take control of Zordon’s irritating robot, Alpha 5. But you can’t tell Lord Zedd because it is supposed to be a secret.”

  “Oh, I don’t know if we should keep secrets from Lord Zedd,” Squatt said. He started to tremble at the thought.

  “Don’t think of it as a secret. Think of it as a surprise.”