Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1998

The wave of energy swept over the armies of minions, turning them to dust and Goldar watched the wave Rita and Zedd next, except they weren't dissolved, but rather made human. The wave hit him, Scorpina, and Rito next and instead of dust, he watched his hands become human and while Rita, Zedd, and Rito seemed void of evil now, anger still burned inside him and apparently Scorpina as well, as she scowled at their former Masters. He was a proud Titan warrior! And Zordon had seen fit to turn him into a weak, filthy human. He would have rather been turned to dust and the thought of living out his existence on Earth made him sick.

"This won't stand, Zordon…you'll regret not turning me to dust, when I torture those pathetic, hormonal children you gave powers to," he growled.

~*~

2004

Angel Grove

"Good evening and thank you for joining us this evening, I'm John Malone," the reporter introduced himself to the camera for news station channel four in Angel Grove.

"And I'm Tanya Park. We have breaking news this evening, as the manhunt for the dangerous and wanted serial killer that boasts the name Ares, has come to a head. We're going live to our reporter, Jackie Phillips, who is at the scene of the local gym and well known high school hangout where the FBI and Angel Grove police believe they have cornered this mad man inside," Tanya reported, as the TV studio switched to broadcast from the live cameras at the Gym and Juice Bar.

"Thanks Tanya, as most know, the name Ares is derived from the Greek God of War. However, the FBI has shed no light on what war this serial killer is trying to wage. I'm Jackie Phillips and I have with me, Detective Rocky Desantos of the Angel Grove Police Department," the female reporter said to the distracted looking detective.

"Detective Desantos, what can you tell us and how did the FBI trace the suspect to this location?" the reporter asked.

"As you know, Ms. Phillips, the man we're dealing with is severally unhinged and has raped and murdered eighteen women that we know of. Special agent Scott and his team caught a break earlier this evening when the suspect escalated and made a careless error, allowing the FBI to track him. Details are sparse at this time, but we're hoping to have the suspect in custody soon," Rocky informed.

"We'll keep in touch with you Detective, thank you and back to you, John and Tanya," Jackie stated, as the camera panned back to the studio.

"Thank you Jackie," Tanya thanked, as her co-anchor took over with another story.

"In other news, the autopsy results on billionaire business mogul Emmanuel Chavik revealed no foul play. The cause of death was confirmed by the coroner to be a massive heart attack. His wife of two years, Sabrina Chavik, declined our interview, asking that the public respect her privacy in this time of grief. With no children, Mrs. Chavik is the sole heiress to her husband's fortune," John continued…

~*~

Victor Goldman, better known to the public as Ares, switched off the television in the darkened youth center. The teen hangout had changed several hands over the years and even became different types of establishments, but ultimately returned to its roots as a gym and juice bar under new ownership a few years ago. He smirked, as he felt the presence of the one he was looking forward to facing.

"Lingering in the shadows is not really your style, Supervising Special Agent Scott," Victor hissed. Special Agent Jason Lee Scott emerged from the shadows and leveled his gun at the sociopath.

"End of the line, Goldman," Jason stated. Victor chuckled evilly and turned to face him.

"You are as good as they say you are, but then why wouldn't you be? All those years of hard training have paid off," Victor goaded.

"You gave us a good chase. I've been after you for three years. Never did get the name Ares though. It's a little generic, don't you think?" Jason asked. Goldman smirked.

"Still trying to profile me?" Victor asked.

"It's kind of what I do. So tell me, why rape and kill innocent young women? What war does that represent?" Jason asked. Victor chuckled.

"Innocent? Oh no, Agent Scott. The women that my victims represent are hardly innocent," Goldman hissed.

"So there are others you're really after," Jason concluded.

"You have no idea," Victor drawled.

"Doesn't matter, this is over. On your knees and put your hands where I can see them," Jason ordered.

"Oh, it's very far from over and aren't you curious as to why I led you here?" Goldman asked.

"You didn't lead me here. You finally made a mistake and our technical agent tracked you," Jason refuted. Victor chuckled in amusement.

"Ah yes, your colleague, the esteemed special agent and multiple PHD bearer, Dr. William Cranston," Victor stated. Jason glared at him, trying to figure out where he was going with this. The guy was all over the map. Every time they thought they had a profile nailed down for him, he changed M.O. or did something completely opposite of what the profile suggested.

"I know everything there is to know about you, agent Scott and everything there is to know about Dr. Cranston as well for that matter. And when I say everything…I mean everything…" he hissed, looking Jason straight in the eye. Something about this man's eyes had haunted him since the moment he started hunting him, but he could never put his finger on why.

"I study your kind and I don't mean FBI agents when I say that. I know about every single one of you…even Tommy's newest batch in Reefside. Oh, forgive me, I guess it's Dr. Oliver now," Victor said. Jason lowered his gun just slightly, as his eyes widened in surprise. But he quickly regained his composure and leveled his weapon at the man's head. He turned his earpiece off with a small press and switched it so only Billy would be picking him up.

"So…what? You killed all those women to get the attention of the Power Rangers? That's a little off target, you know. Rangers deal with the more alien variety of scum and you're human, so you fall into my jurisdiction now," Jason spat.

"Yes…humans, I guess that is what I am," Victor said, though his tone bore disappointment that confused the first red ranger of Earth.

"Listen…the time for your games is over. Put your hands where I can see them now. You're under arrest!" Jason demanded. Victor chuckled.

"And if I refuse?" Victor questioned.

"Then you'll provoke me into shooting you, but trust me, I'm a good enough shot that I can take you down without killing you," Jason promised. Victor chuckled, unnerving Jason even more.

"Care to share the joke, because I hardly see anything funny," he snapped.

"Your cluelessness is highly amusing, but you're right, I too am tired of this little game. It's time to end it and move to the next phase," Victor stated.

"Fine, then put your hands up. Don't make me ask again," Jason spat. Victor laughed again.

"That's not the kind of end I'm talking about," he hissed, as he grabbed a hidden gun from behind the bar.

"Put the weapon down!" Jason screamed.

"Make me, red ranger," Victor hissed. Jason's eyes widened in surprise again, as he called him out. And with his refusal to drop the gun, Jason ended it by putting a bullet in Goldman's forehead. The murderer fell to the floor like a dead weight and the former red ranger loomed over him. And just like that, this three-year-old case that had haunted him, stolen sleep from him, and taken up nearly all his time was finally over.

"Billy, did you get all that?" Jason asked into his earpiece.

"Yes and I'm as baffled as you. But I already erased the parts that expose our pasts from the recording. I've also finally managed to hack through Goldman's entire database and I downloaded it all to the ranger database. Then I wiped it all out," Billy replied. Jason sighed.

"If our bosses find out…" Jason started.

"Relax…they won't. I've covered my tracks and logged in as Victor. It makes it look like he was responsible for wiping his own system clean. Who the hell was this guy, Jase?" Billy asked.

"I don't know Billy, but we need to find out how much he knew and if anyone else knew about his little ranger obsession. I still have no idea what raping and murdering young women had to do with our pasts as rangers," Jason mumbled.

"Don't worry, I'm on it. The boss is headed your way," Billy warned.

"Agent Scott…I assume there was no other means to subdue the subject," the director presumed.

"No Sir, I had him cornered, but he deliberately pulled a weapon and chose suicide by cop instead of coming quietly," Jason reported, as Rocky and his partner entered.

"Nice work, Agent Scott," Rocky complimented. Jason allowed a small smile.

"It's thanks to you that you pinned this guy down so quickly when he popped up here, Detective Desantos," Jason said, as the two men slowly walked out of earshot.

"You've got that look," Rocky stated.

"What look?" Jason asked.

"You know what look I mean. We both have an affinity for red, so I know it when I see it," Rocky replied.

"I'll fill you in later," Jason promised.

"But this is over…right?" Rocky asked. Jason sighed.

"I hope so, but if I have to go with my gut, then I would have to say not so fast," Jason replied simply, leaving Rocky behind to ponder his words.

~*~

Billy Cranston typed away on his laptop, completely and utterly fascinated and horrified by his findings in Goldman's database. This man had an obsession with rangers, but he had no idea what connected it to the eighteen rapes and murders he had committed. Sighing and deciding it was probably time to call it a night; he pushed back from the desk. A message invitation blipped in the corner of the screen and he smiled, accepting the video chat invite and welcomed the sight of his beautiful wife on the screen before him.

"Hey there handsome," Kat Cranston cooed to her husband.

"You really know how to flatter a tech nerd," Billy replied.

"You are not a nerd. The FBI would be lost without you. Besides, I've seen you fight and you carry a gun, which is clearly not nerdy. You're very cute in fact and your brain is sexy," Kat said playfully. He chuckled.

"I'm glad I'm cute then. How are the girls?" he asked.

"Full of energy as usual, though they're finally asleep. I meant to call earlier, but after keeping tabs on the news broadcast in Angel Grove online, I knew you wouldn't be able to talk. Guess it's over now though?" she asked. He nodded.

"Should be. We'll probably just have odds and ends to tie up and with any luck, I'll be home in Quantico by tomorrow night," he replied. She smiled.

"Good…I can't wait. We miss you," she said. He smiled.

"I miss you too. Kiss my little angels for me," he requested, as his phone beeped.

"That's probably Jason. He wants to go over a few things to wrap this up," Billy replied. She nodded.

"Okay…but try not to stay up all night. I love you," she said. He smiled.

"Love you too," he replied, as their video chat ended. Billy texted Jason back and packed up his laptop. He would meet with Jason in their hotel room and go over what he had found. He glanced at the victim board where they had the eighteen young women that had lost their lives in the last four years to this monster. He remembered how Goldman always bragged that the last words each of his victims heard was him saying, "I have the power now." And suddenly realization hit Billy Cranston like a ton of bricks.

"Holy shit…" Billy cursed, as he quickly took down the eighteen photos, stuffed them in his laptop case, and jogged out of the police department and was about to hail a cab when he saw Rocky. The former blue zeo ranger said goodnight to his partner and spotted him.

"Hey Billy…you look like you've seen a ghost," Rocky said.

"Maybe we have. Where's your car?" Billy asked.

"Over there," Rocky said, pointing with confusion.

"Good, you're driving me to the hotel. We need to talk to Jason right away," Billy said.

"Oh crap, I knew it. Jason had that look too. What the hell is going on?" Rocky demanded, as they got in his car.

"I'm not exactly sure yet, but if my hunch is right, then we might have a big problem," Billy responded shortly. Rocky groaned.

~*~

An Unknown Location

Victor Goldman strode confidently into his hideout, alive and well, with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"You look happy with yourself," a beautiful woman of Asian descent drawled. A small, sniveling man in a white lab coat almost cowered in the presence of this man.

"Why shouldn't I be? You haven't lost your touch, Finster," he said to the scientist.

"Your clay model of me worked perfectly as a clone that went willingly to slaughter," he said, as he looked at his companion.

"You should be happy too. You're a very rich woman and you're finally rid of that weakling husband," Victor chuckled. She smirked.

"I am and I'll admit, I am enjoying watching you torture Jason Lee Scott. And you're right, his money is ours now. If we have to be cursed to live the rest of our lives on this mud ball, at least we can do it in style now," Sabrina said.

"You should have seen the look on his face when I referred to him as red ranger," Goldman chuckled at the memory.

"That's great and all, but I still don't get why you did all this and where we go from here," she said.

"You've really lost your imagination living as a human, Sabrina," he chided.

"I had to spend two years seducing that bastard of a husband for money, so explain it to me," she demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" he snapped, as he looked around the room. The walls were papered with photos and surveillance captures of every living ranger that had ever donned armor, the most recent being Tommy Oliver's Dino rangers.

"Zordon cursed me with this human form, that's why!" Goldman roared, causing Finster to slink away.

"I am a proud Titan warrior in the body of this weak, disgusting human! I can never return to my home planet. The wise and great Zordon thought it would fit me better to become this!" Victor continued to rage, as he poured brandy into a glass, before gulping it down.

"I would have rather been turned to dust," he growled.

"So you want revenge?" Sabrina asked.

"Zordon isn't here or I would have already shattered that old wind bag's tube myself. But those he loves most are going about their happy little lives. That's about to come to an end. They're going to pay for Zordon's transgressions, every single one of them. When I'm done, there will be nothing but a trail of blood left of his legacy," Victor seethed.

"Fine, but what are we going to accomplish with you supposedly dead and us living in this hole?" Sabrina asked.

"We'll accomplish everything if you fetched what I asked for," Victor replied. Sabrina smirked and produced a long pointed metal staff embellished at the head with a Z.

"Of course I did, how else do you think I came up with a clone of you so quickly. Finster made the clay model, but the way he is working on his monster machine, it would have been years to animate the clone. Fortunately, I was able to do it in seconds with the Z staff," she said.

"I still don't get how this thing wasn't turned to dust with everything else," Sabrina mentioned.

"The staff itself isn't evil. It's only enchanted and its magic belongs to whoever is lucky enough to control it. Did Zedd or that human he is posing as, try to stop you from stealing it?" Victor asked. She smirked.

"Of course, but he's gone soft in his human life. I threatened Rita's life and he took me right to the place where he had hidden it," Sabrina said.

"Can you believe he actually liked being good?" she asked in disgust. Victor chuckled.

"Zedd is a joke. Even before he became human, he was the laughing stock of numerous galaxies. So did the weakling just hand it over?" Victor asked. She smirked.

"Of course not, he insisted on fighting so that's what we did and I pried it from his cold, dead hands," Sabrina replied evilly.

"And the body?" Goldman questioned.

"I dumped it in an alleyway that's well known for gang activity and took his wallet. The stupid police will think it was just a robbery that went bad," she replied indifferently.

"Excellent…now we wait until the dust settles and they drop their guards again. Then, that's where the fun will begin," Goldman said…

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Unnerving Pattern

Angel Grove

"You're seriously freaking me out," Rocky said, as he and Jason watched Billy pin up the photos of each victim in order of their murder.

"Okay, we know the reason that we had so much trouble nailing this guy down was because he was all over the map with his victims. In fact, if he hadn't killed them all in the same exact way, then we might have never connected all the murders to one person," Billy started trying to explain.

"Yeah, he killed at random. A lot of serial killers go for a type, but not always. Some just hate women in general," Jason replied nonchalantly.

"What if his victims weren't random?" Billy asked, looking at them both.

"How do you figure that? I mean, you've got race and background that is all over the place. The fact that they were female seems to be only common denominator," Rocky pointed out.

"That's what it looks like to anyone else. But if you apply one common denominator that only we might pick up on, there's a very scary pattern," Billy said.

"I'm assuming that you mean rangers by that, but I still don't see where you're going with this," Jason replied, still trying to understand.

"You will," Billy said, as he turned to the wall.

"First victim, Caucasian petite brunette, second victim, Asian, specifically Chinese, third was African American, fourth was a tall, leggy blonde, fifth was another African American, sixth was another Asian woman, followed by another Caucasian with dark blonde hair," Billy said, as he kept pinning something beneath each photo that Rocky and Jason couldn't see yet.

"Eighth was another blonde, who wore glasses, ninth was another brunette, exotic looking, tenth was another blonde, eleventh was an athletic brunette," Billy continued pinning the cards beneath more photos.

"Twelfth was another petite brunette and thirteenth was another African-American. Fourteenth was a very petite brunette, possibly of partial Asian descent, fifteenth was another blonde, sixteenth was an athletic blonde, and finally seventeenth was a petite girl with dark blonde hair," Billy rambled, as he stepped back from the wall. Jason and Rocky's eyes widened, as they read the names below each photo.

"What the hell…" Rocky cursed.

"You think the pattern is related to every female ranger?" Jason asked in disbelief.

"They were killed in order that each woman served and each victim closely matches the name below her photo in physicality," Billy said.

"But…why? Or more importantly how?" Rocky asked.

"You said this guy knew about our pasts as rangers," Billy said, as he sat down at his laptop.

"He was beyond obsessed with rangers and he knew the identity of every single one of us, even Tommy's new team," Billy stated.

"But why kill all these girls that resemble all ranger females?" Rocky asked.

"To send us a message of what he wants to do to all rangers. This was just his way to get our attention, because let's face it, most of us are married to ranger females," Billy explained. Jason looked dumbfounded. Rocky snorted.

"He certainly knew exactly how to piss us off," Rocky concluded. Billy nodded.

"That's my theory, but fortunately he's dead, so he can't carry out the next phase of his plan, assuming that he thought he could somehow manage it," Billy said. Jason shook his head.

"That still doesn't explain how he knows who every ranger is. I mean, he even knows about Time Force and the Galaxy rangers. Who the hell was he?" Jason said, as he started pacing the room.

"I haven't got a clue. He was surprisingly careful as to not reveal much about himself. What we know about him was a surprisingly mundane life. Somehow, I have a feeling that he kept most of his real life off the grid," Billy replied.

"But…it's over. He's dead, right?" Rocky asked.

"We've always assumed he worked alone. His profile jumped around all over the place, but never to anything that suggested he had a partner," Jason replied with a shrug.

"There's no way to tell," Billy said.

"All his information is backed up on the grid now and no one can get access to it?" Jason asked.

"Just us," Billy assured. Jason sighed.

"Okay, all this stays out of the official report, of course and we go on like normal, but we remain vigilant. We'll make a detour to Reefside and brief Tommy and Kim on all this before we return to Quantico," Jason decided. Billy and Rocky nodded, thinking they had dodged a bullet. Life would return to normal now that this possible enemy to all rangers was dead…

~*~

Reefside

Dr. Tommy Oliver parked his jeep in his driveway next to his wife's white convertible and headed inside. Since their move to Reefside, things had been anything but quiet.

"Hey handsome," Kim said, as he came into the kitchen where she was making dinner.

"Beautiful," he whispered huskily, making her giggle. Since he had been freed from the confines of being stuck in his ranger suit or invisible, they had been insatiable for each other, even more than usual. It had been three days since their team up with the Ninja rangers of Blue Bay Harbor and Lothor's defeat. Kimberly was just grateful that Mesagog had been quiet since then and she hoped it stayed that way, though she knew it wouldn't last much longer.

"Smells good, but that's a lot of food. Don't tell me Conner is coming over to eat us out of house and home again?" he asked. She giggled.

"No, but we are having company. Jason actually just called and apologized for the late notice, but he and Billy have time so they're swinging by for a quick visit tonight before they head back to Quantico," Kimberly replied.

"Seriously?" Tommy asked with a grin, as he went to open the fridge.

"Truly," she replied with a smile.

"Is Rocky coming?" Tommy asked.

"I don't think so," she replied.

"Then since when do we buy Jolt Cola?" Tommy asked, but then thought about it for a second.

"Conner," they stated simultaneously.

"I heard on the news that they finally got that guy," he mentioned. She nodded.

"I know, as evil as Mesagog and all the others we've faced are, it's harder when you put a human face on that evil. I'm not sure how Jason and Billy do it for a living," Kimberly said, as he wrapped his arms around her.

"It's part of who they are and it would probably eat them alive if they didn't have good women behind them, just like I do," Tommy told her. She smiled and their lips met, passion swelling between them.

"I love you," Kimberly whispered. He smiled.

"Love you too beautiful," he whispered back, as their lips met again.

~*~

Two hours later

"I'm so glad you guys had time to stop by," Kimberly said, as they sat out on the porch. The guys each had a beer and Kimberly opted for a glass of her favorite wine.

"Us too…and I wish it was all casual, but we kind of came to clue you in on something we ran across during the investigation," Jason stated. Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"Something we won't learn from the news reporters?" he asked.

"This is really sensitive information," Billy replied.

"Are you allowed to tell us that kind of stuff?" Kim asked.

"It's not FBI classified, but rather ranger classified," Jason replied. That caught their attention.

"What could a serial killer have to do with the rangers?" Tommy asked. Jason glanced at Billy and he pulled out a disc.

"You have a command center of sorts here?" Billy asked.

"The Dino cave in the basement," Tommy replied.

"Is the security good?" Billy asked. He nodded.

"Hayley's system is top notch. She's almost as good as you," Tommy assured him. Billy nodded, as Tommy and Kim led them down to the Dino cave.

"You two are freaking me out. Most of us haven't been rangers in years, excluding Tommy," Kimberly mentioned.

"We know, that's what's bizarre about it, but Victor Goldman knew who we are, every single one of us, right down to your new team," Jason stated, as Billy pulled up the victim board on the computer after inserting the disk.

"There's no way…how could he?" Tommy uttered. Jason shrugged.

"We don't know, but Billy cracked his victimology that we couldn't pin down. He murdered a woman that closely resembles each ranger female in order of service," Jason said.

"Oh my God..." Kimberly uttered, as she looked at the young women, right down to the last one, noticing that she did indeed resemble Kira.

"We think he wanted to enact some sort of plan by going after the girls first, thinking it was the easiest and quickest way to get the attention of the ranger males. Fortunately, I just put a bullet in him so the danger is over, but we thought you both should know," Jason stated.

"Somehow this guy got around ranger security of not just one team but all teams, which I find nearly impossible. There's more to this, but with him dead, there are no answers or ways to know if he was working with anyone. I've combed his whole system too and there isn't anything to go on," Billy said, sighing in frustration.

"Okay…this information will go no further and we lock down all this information in the grid," Tommy suggested.

"Already done, we just wanted you in the loop. If we're lucky, then we dodged a bullet today and we'll never have to worry about any of this," Jason said.

"But we'll keep vigilant and I'm going to keep researching," Billy added. Tommy nodded and sighed, hoping they were right. But a small nagging in the back of his mind, his finely tuned instincts told him that this would eventually come back to bite them. Hoping he was being paranoid, Tommy put on his usual confident front and led his wife and friends back upstairs. They lightened the mood, as they reminisced on old times, before Jason and Billy had to head to the airport to return to Quantico.

~*~

2005

One year later

Reefside

Kira sat on the bench, her guitar across her lap with a paper and pen beside her. She strummed and sang a few lyrics, before writing down a few things and continuing. Nearby, several children ran around on the soccer field at play, while a young man in red looked over his list on a clipboard. It had been a year since Mesagog's defeat and he had just completed his first year in college, becoming MVP for Reefside University's soccer team and winning the state championship. But his time as a ranger had both humbled him and made him more aware that there was much more to life than soccer. Today was the first day of his soccer camp for kids, ages eight to twelve, and he was excited to be doing something to help kids, especially since many that were signed up were under privileged.

A blue van pulled up and parked nearby. Kira smiled, as she set her guitar aside and went to greet the occupants.

"Hey guys," Kira said, as Hunter, Tori, and a boy she knew must be Charlie got out.

"Hey," Tori replied, as she hugged the other girl. Since they met a little over a year ago, the ninjas had kept in close contact with the Dino rangers, particularly Tori and Kira.

"You must be Charlie," Kira greeted. The boy nodded shyly and waved.

"I'm going to go get him checked in with Conner," Hunter said, as he and Charlie jogged onto the field.

"So, how are things at the Academy, Sensei Hanson?" Kira teased. Tori rolled her eyes.

"The same. Blue Bay's been pretty boring since Lothor, not that it's a bad thing," Tori replied.

"I know what you mean. Reefside has been the same," Kira replied.

"How's the album coming?" Tori asked.

"Slow, but now that classes are over, I plan to spend the whole summer working on it," Kira replied.

"It's really great of Hunter to use his free time to bring Charlie here," Kira mentioned.

"I know, he has such a big heart and Charlie's been through so much. First he lost his dad and then his mom got sick. Hunter knows what it's like to lose your parents and he's really great at keeping him positive. Charlie's mom is responding well to the chemo though," Tori mentioned. Kira smiled at the way her friend glowed when talking about the older Bradley brother.

During her days as a ranger, Tori and Blake seemed that they might have something between them, but Blake left to pursue his career in Motocross. With the distance between them, whatever might have once been there soon fizzled. They were still friends, but Blake had moved on with someone else he met on the tour, another rider, and Tori accepted that, wanting him to be happy.

Unfortunately, neither Tori nor Hunter could see the chemistry and obvious attraction between them. Kira was hoping to give her friends the gentle push they needed, but Conner had refused to help her, stating that he wanted no part of what he called meddling or daresay, matchmaking.

"That's good, I'm glad she's getting better and you're right, he has that whole brooding bad boy with a heart of gold thing down to an art. I'm surprised some girl hasn't come along and snatched him up," Kira mentioned.

"Oh yeah, that was really subtle there, Kira," she thought sarcastically. Tori shrugged.

"Girls hit on him all the time, but he never seems interested. I guess I'm kind of glad for that, because the ones that do are always tramps," Tori said. Kira suppressed a knowing smile.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Conner is usually up to his ears in annoying bimbos," Kira grumbled. Tori grinned.

"Jealous?" she teased.

"I would be if he reacted, but he seems really serious about pursuing me," Kira said with uncertainty.

"I think it's sweet. He didn't give up until you agreed to go on a date with him," Tori giggled.

"Are you done teasing me?" Kira asked.

"You mean about the fact that you were caught completely off guard that you actually had a great time on said date, even though you insisted that you could never date Conner McKnight, King of all Jocks," Tori mocked teasingly. Kira tossed a mock glare at her.

"Maybe I'm not the only one in denial…" she preempted. Tori gave her a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" the blonde asked.

"Uh…duh, how about tall, blonde, and broody over there," Kira replied, indicating the blonde in crimson on the field.

"Me and Hunter? Whatever, we're just friends," Tori protested.

"So you don't think he's attractive?" Kira asked. Tori looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I didn't say that. I mean, he's…handsome, but…" Tori said, suddenly at a loss for words.

"But…" Kira prompted.

"But we're not going there," Tori stated. Kira recognized her tone and let it drop for now.

"Okay, I guess we should go help Conner out with the kids," Kira said, changing the subject.

"How are Dr. and Mrs. O, by the way?" Tori asked. Kira smiled.

"Good, we see them at Hayley's from time to time. Kim just found out she's pregnant," Kira announced.

"That's great! They must be so excited," Tori mentioned. Kira nodded.

"They are ecstatic," Kira replied, as they jogged onto the field.

~*~

Zedd's dark dimension

"So this is it?" Sabrina asked, looking around, unimpressed. He had been working on this place for a year and the island seemed to be more like a paradise than the supposed deathtrap he was promising.

"Don't be so quick to judge and don't let the scenery fool you," Goldman replied.

"This is Zedd's dark dimension that he was working on creating when Mondo took over?" Sabrina asked. Goldman nodded.

"He pulled out all the stops with this one. I've finished it for him and now our fun begins," Goldman said.

"If it's so horrific, then why does it look like a freaking tropical island?" Sabrina spat.

"Like I said, don't let the scenery fool you. Even if the male rangers do make it to the mansion, they'll never get out," Goldman stated.

"Over the years, I've learned not to underestimate these brats," Sabrina hissed.

"It seems that no matter what you throw at them, they never fail to escape and they never die. What makes you so sure that this is the end of them all?" she asked.

"I will make sure it is this time!" Goldman hissed, as he got a psychotic look in his eye.

"Even if I have to sink into the ocean with this island myself, I'll make sure I take them all with me," Victor snarled. Sabrina's eyes widened. Going down with the ship was not a part of her plan, but she remained calm. She had learned that he definitely wasn't the same warrior he had once been. His time as a human had driven him insane and she knew she would have to wait for the right time to either get rid of him or escape from the island herself.

"It's time now. Are you prepared for the next phase?" Goldman asked.

"I am assuming you mean capturing our bait," Sabrina replied. He nodded.

"The teleportation grid is online. Use it to capture Katherine and Trini first. They live in Virginia and this afternoon is the perfect time to snatch both. Jason and Billy are on a plane thirty-thousand feet in the air right now," Victor stated.

"Fine, you want me to bring them back here?" she asked. He nodded and pulled up a dingy looking cell on the basement level.

"Nice dungeon," she commented.

"After you have those two, grab the newest yellow ranger. I'll handle Kimberly, Aisha, Tanya, and Tori," Goldman stated.

"Fine, then what?" she asked.

"We wait. The others will come for them and even if they make it out of this fortress, the elements and creatures on the island will get them. And if not that, then the island itself will when it sinks into the ocean. They have no zords and there's no way off unless I get them off. End game and I win," Goldman stated.

"Okay, so you kill them all and then what? What happens after we eliminate all rangers that have ever held the power?" Sabrina questioned.

"Then there's no one to oppose us. With Zedd's magic, the sky's the limit," Goldman promised.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Ghost

Tommy pulled into his driveway and grabbed the grocery sacks in the passenger seat, before going inside. Kim greeted him with a kiss, as he came into the kitchen. They were both excited for tomorrow, because it was her first ultrasound appointment.

"Hey beautiful," he whispered in her ear.

"Hey yourself handsome," she replied, as their lips met tenderly.

"Oooh...is that my ice cream?" she asked, as she noticed the carton poking out of the sack. He chuckled.

"Yes and before you ask, I remembered your pickles, chocolate sauce, and peanut butter too," he replied. She let out her cute little cackle, as she opened the ice cream and took a big spoonful, before popping into her mouth. He chuckled at her antics and started putting away the rest of the groceries.

"Mmmm...I think the baby really likes ice cream," she mentioned.

"I think you like ice cream," he joked.

"Are you making fun of me?" she asked playfully. He shook his head.

"Nah, I've just never seen you eat so much. I think you could give Rocky a run for his money," Tommy joked. She gasped, her mouth dropping open in mock outrage.

"I'm kidding, beautiful. No one eats as much as Rocky and Conner and you are eating for two, after all," he said lovingly, as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. She turned her head and their lips met again, telling him that his joke was forgiven.

~*~

Blue Bay Harbor

After soccer camp, Tori and Hunter made the thirty minute drive back to Blue Bay Harbor and dropped Charlie off after grabbing some pizza together. Since there was still a few hours of daylight left, Tori wanted to catch a swell or two and Hunter agreed to accompany her to the beach. She had promised all her friends after the incident where she wiped out and ended up in one of Lothor's wacky, twisted alternate dimensions that she wouldn't surf alone.

In the past year, Hunter had been her companion of choice to go with her to the beach and originally it had begun when she offered to teach him how to surf. She was floored when he actually took an interest in learning, as none of the guys, even Blake, had let her teach them how to surf, for more than an hour anyway. Truthfully, Hunter wasn't crazy about surfing, though he now had a much deeper understanding and respect for the risky, difficult sport. But the look on Tori's face when he asked her to teach him had done it for him. To him, seeing her face light up the way it had was worth a million wipeouts.

He was well aware of his growing feelings for her, but knew she would probably never look at him that way, not the way she had looked at his little brother. Blake and Tori's parting had been amicable, as nothing more than a chaste kiss and a good friendship had developed between them. Still, he doubted she saw him as anything other than "one of the guys".

"Hey…" Tori said, finally getting his attention, as she returned from changing into her bathing suit. He was already wearing his trunks with a crimson muscle shirt.

"You were like a million miles away," she mentioned. He gave her a lazy smile.

"Sorry, just thinking," he replied lamely.

"Charlie seemed to have a lot of fun today," she mentioned. He nodded.

"I think he did and I don't think Conner was just being nice when he said Charlie was a natural at soccer," Hunter responded.

"Most thunder Ninja's excel at sports though," she mentioned with a smile, referring to Charlie's recent status as a new student at the Thunder academy. The boy's interest in martial arts and difficult personal life reminded Hunter greatly of himself and he recognized his potential right away. Talking it over with Charlie's ill mother, she agreed that him attending what Hunter described as very disciplined martial arts classes was a good idea. Charlie, of course, loved learning martial arts even more than playing soccer.

"I'm just happy I can actually stay on my surfboard for more than sixty seconds now," Hunter replied. She smiled.

"You're doing really great. You've picked it up really fast for someone who has only been learning for about a year now. Just think of the looks on the guys faces when you finally show them up. None of them will even touch a surfboard," she complimented.

"It will be kind of fun to rub it in their faces," he agreed, as he pulled off his crimson shirt and picked up his board. And not for the first time in the last year, Tori found herself staring at her friend's toned physique, his years of hard Ninja training obvious, as powerful muscle ripped through his arms, chest, and abs.

"Ready?" he asked, snapping her back to reality. She smiled and grabbed her board, as they headed out into the waves.

~*~

Virginia

Katherine Cranston parked her car at the grocery store and prepared to head inside. She had about an hour before she needed to pick up the twins from the babysitter and since trying to take them shopping with her was usually a hassle, she opted to get it done now. Billy would be home tonight and she planned to make him all his favorites. Kat had her teaching degree and enjoyed the flexibility of substituting while the twins were little and had decided that she wouldn't look for a permanent position until they were in school full time since Billy's salary supported them comfortably.

In high school, she and Billy wouldn't have been two people most would have put together. Most were convinced that Katherine had eyes for Tommy and while she admitted she had a crush back then, she wasn't the type of person to steal someone else's man, least of all Kimberly's.

After passing on the powers and rescuing Kim and Jason from Muranthias, they had parted ways, except Tommy and Kim. She had gone off to a prestigious dance school in New York and dated a few guys in college, but never anything serious became of those relationships. It was by pure chance or fate some may say that she ran into Billy in a huge place like New York City in 1999. He was the last person she expected, especially since he was supposed to be on Aquitar.

Catching up over coffee, she found out that he decided to come home after Astronema's attempted conquest, citing that he and Cestria had broken up and he was severely homesick. Upon returning, he went to school, receiving numerous degrees in record time and instead of using his vast knowledge to make millions, he opted instead to choose a career where he could really help people. Jason had recruited him to the FBI and the bureau was highly impressed by his unprecedented hacking and computer skills. Thanks to his ranger days, he passed the physical training and weapons handling with flying colors and within a year, he was an agent, fast tracked thanks to his skills. His first and long term mission, embedded in a corporation suspected of criminal dealings, lasted two years and by the time the case broke, which resulted in the FBI taking down several of the executives and key proponents, he and Katherine had fallen in love. She was finished with school by that time and in 2001, Billy proposed. They moved to Virginia where the FBI headquarters was located and married in 2002. Their twin girls were born in late 2003 and they named them Carly and Michaela.

Dropping her keys in her purse, Kat started toward the building, her flaxen blonde hair blowing in the breeze. She noticed an elderly woman that was struggling to lift bags out of her cart and into her car. She slowed in concern and was about to continue on when it seemed the woman could handle it when she saw her lose her balance and fall. Katherine jogged over and crouched down.

"Are you okay?" she asked, as she helped the woman up.

"Oh…I'm so clumsy, thank you so much, dear," the woman replied. Kat smiled.

"It's no problem. Are you hurt?" Kat asked.

"No…but you're about to be," the woman snarled. Kat's eyes widened, but it was too late, as the woman jabbed a taser into her side. Kat screamed, but she and the woman disappeared in a flash, before anyone could be alerted to her plight.

~*~

"Paging Dr. Kwan-Scott," the nurse said over the intercom. Trini made her way there, trying to finish her rounds. She was excited since she and Jason had planned to go out for a romantic dinner. He'd been gone for four days on a case in Dallas, along with Billy and his team, but they were due to land at the airport very soon. Their careers, his as an FBI agent and hers as a doctor were very busy, but they found time to be together and she never imagined being so happy, especially with a man that had once been her childhood friend.

"What's going on Stella, you know I'm trying to get out of here," Trini said pleasantly, as she approached the nurse's station.

"I know, but there's a young woman in room 236. She thinks she is pregnant and she's really scared. I think she might be uncomfortable with one of the male doctors, at least that's the vibe I'm getting. I know you're trying to get out of here, but you have such a way with people…" Stella pleaded. Trini rolled her eyes.

"Okay, this shouldn't take too long, but that's it," Trini said, pointing her finger in a teasing manner. Stella chuckled.

"I promise. As far as I'm concerned, you're gone already," Stella replied, as Trini walked into the room, after snatching the chart from the holder outside.

"All right…Ms. Stephens, is it?" she asked, noticing the meek looking woman on the exam table. The Asian woman nodded.

"Did you take an at home pregnancy test?" Trini asked.

"Three and they were all positive," she replied, as tears welled in her eyes. Trini put a hand on her arm.

"It's okay, I'm going to do a routine exam, take some blood, and once we find out for sure, we can discuss your options from there," Trini promised, as she averted her eyes to the chart.

"You're very kind," the woman mentioned, making Trini smile.

"It's really too bad," the woman added, making Trini frown slightly in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked, as she felt searing pain in her abdomen, before losing consciousness. The nurses had heard her cry out, but by the time they burst into the

room, it was empty.

~*~

Angel Grove

Aisha Desantos closed the door to her vet clinic that she proudly owned and locked up, before walking to her car. It had been a long, yet another rewarding day for her. After helping the situation return to normal in Africa, Aisha returned to Angel Grove shortly after the Muranthias incident to attend the vet program at Angel Grove University. She immediately reconnected with her best friends, Adam and Rocky. She often saw Adam at the University, but she and Rocky grew close while he was attending the police academy. They married after graduation and now had a three-year-old son they named Zeke.

She was on her way now to pick him up from daycare and hoped that Rocky wouldn't be too late that night. His career demanded long hours, especially with the growth Angel Grove had experienced in recent years. With that growth in size and people naturally came with increased crime.

A year ago, his time had been absorbed by the serial killer that made his way to Angel Grove, murdering four women, previously hitting Mariner Bay and a slew of other towns. But despite his long hours, they still managed to make it work and eke out time for each other and with their son. She just prayed there were no more cases like that one.

She unlocked her car and suddenly felt the eerie feeling that she was being watched. She turned and was ready to sink into a defensive stance, as she called out to her surroundings.

"All right, you can come out and show yourself. I know you're there," Aisha called. But nothing prepared her for the man she was now facing.

"You're…dead," she stammered, as she fell into a fighting stance. Victor Goldman chuckled.

"A clone is so easily created when you have the right tool…a magical tool that is," Goldman said mysteriously.

"So that whole standoff with Jason was a set up then? Mind telling me what exactly you expect to accomplish?" she spat. He chuckled again.

"You'll learn that in due time, little bear, but right now it's time to go," Victor said.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, freak," she spat and he rolled his eyes.

"Why must you all insist on doing this the hard way?" he asked, as she launched at him. He blocked her punches and kicks, before knocking her onto the ground. Her eyes widened, as she saw Zedd's Z staff appear in his hand. She cried out in pain, as he used the sizzling energy to knock her unconscious. He scooped up the petite woman and waved to the security camera, though he kept his back to it the whole time. He knew it would be the first thing Rocky looked at, Once he had her, he disappeared.

~*~

Reefside

"Freak you out…freak you out…" Kira sang idly, as she strummed her guitar. She was waiting on Conner to finish with his older student's game and then they were going to grab dinner together.

"You're very good," a woman said, as she passed by. Kira smiled.

"Thank you, I'm hoping it will be a career someday," the former yellow Dino ranger mentioned.

"If you don't become famous, then it will be a huge injustice. I'm surprised someone with your talent doesn't have a gig somewhere," the woman mentioned.

"Oh, well I know the owner of Hayley's Cyberspace so I actually have a regular spot there a few times a week. I'm just waiting for my boyfriend right now," Kira explained. The woman gazed out onto the field.

"The one in red?" she asked. Kira nodded.

"Handsome, I bet he'll miss you," the woman sneered. Kira looked at her in confusion, as the woman yanked her to her feet by her arm.

"Let me go!" Kira cried.

"Sorry little songbird, time to sleep," Sabrina hissed, as she used the taser on her neck, dropping her instantly.

"KIRA!" Conner screamed, as he used his super speed to run to her. But Sabrina was ready and launched a blast of red energy. Her magic had been returned to her, thanks to Goldar and the former red Dino ranger went flying back. He landed hard on his side, but that didn't stop him from climbing to his feet.

"Sorry pretty boy, but little miss rock star here is coming with me," Sabrina hissed, as she disappeared with Kira in tow.

"NO!" Conner cried, as he took out his cell phone and dialed Tommy's number.

~*~

Angel Grove

Tanya Park arrived home and dropped her purse and keys on the table. She sifted through the mail and then headed to the bedroom to change. She and Adam were having Rocky and Aisha over for dinner, along with little Zeke, their Godson, which they often did. She returned to the kitchen later in jeans and a yellow t-shirt and took the meat that was thawing out of the fridge. She started taking things out to make a salad when she heard a noise in the living room.

"Adam…is that you?" she called. When she received no answer, she ventured into the living room and gasped, wondering if she was seeing a ghost. Being a reporter, she had seen this man's face splashed all over the news days after he was supposedly shot by Jason.

"Hello Tanya…you look like you've seen a ghost," Victor hissed, as the former yellow zeo and turbo ranger slowly backed away.

"You're dead…" she whispered in disbelief.

"Magic makes things very easy, like creating a quick clone to take your place when necessary. I'm afraid that I need you to come with me now," Goldman said. Tanya slowly backed away and toppled over a plant to try and obstruct his path, as she ran for the back door. Running out into the backyard, she grabbed a baseball bat near the shed and held it defensively, as Goldman approached calmly.

"Aisha tried to fight me too and things didn't go well for her either. Put down the bat and come quietly. I won't have to hurt you that way," Victor stated.

"Yeah right," Tanya hissed, as she took a swing, but a zap of red energy left his fingers, immobilizing her. She tried to move, but found it impossible. With another zap, Tanya lost consciousness, as Goldman tossed the former yellow ranger over his shoulder, before disappearing.

~*~

Reefside

Kimberly Oliver clapped, as one of her small students successfully dismounted the balance beam.

"That was great Kristin," she complimented, as another of her students came up to her.

"Ms. Hart, Valerie says there's a concerned parent that wants to speak with you. He's in the reception area," the girl informed. Kimberly nodded.

"Okay girls…take a ten minute break," Kimberly called, as she grabbed her clipboard and headed out into the reception area of her small studio that she owned in Reefside.

"Can I help you, Sir?" Kimberly asked, as she saw the man turn. She immediately gasped in horror and then noticed her receptionist Valerie, who was lying behind her desk in a pool of her own blood, throat slashed. Kimberly was about to scream, but the man raised a very familiar looking sword.

"Scream and all your little girls are dead," he warned. Kimberly stifled her scream, as she clasped her hand over her mouth and tears welled in her eyes.

"You're coming with me, pink ranger," Goldman said, as he grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

"You recognize my sword…don't you Kimmie?" he hissed, as tears slid down her cheeks.

"You know, I always did have a thing for you and I always wondered what you saw in a fool like Tommy. Maybe we can get…reacquainted later…" he hissed, as he disappeared

with her.

~*~

Blue Bay Harbor

"You were awesome out there!" Tori cheered, as she and Hunter trudged onto the beach from the water.

"It's all your teaching," he complimented.

"Say what you want, but I think that was all you out there, thunder boy," she said, as they plopped down in the sand beside their gear.

"You killed it out there too, like usual," he replied. She shrugged and dried off with her towel.

"Yeah, she wasn't bad…for a chick," one of the surfer guys that frequented the beach commented, intruding on their conversation. Hunter glared at the pair of guys, Jeremy and Lance. They were always harassing her and she could easily handle herself, but that didn't make him want to pound them for disrespecting her any less.

"Walk away dude," Hunter warned. The two chuckled, seemingly not threatened by Hunter.

"What's it to you, dirt boy?" Lance goaded, knowing of Hunter's reputation on the motocross track

"Excuse me, I missed the part where we invited you idiots into our conversation," Tori spat. Unfortunately, this only egged them on.

"Sorry babe, but we were just watching your moves out there. You're good, but you'll never be as good as us," Jeremy goaded. The last time he had said something like this to her, she had gone back into the ocean with fury, leaving him and his buddies behind to laugh at her. But Tori wasn't taking the bait this time.

"Like I'd want to be anything like you or near you for that matter," Tori said shortly.

"Yeah, be our guest and please go catch a wave, preferably one that's far away," Hunter added, making Tori smile. Jeremy scoffed and eased back under Hunter's intimidating stare.

"Forget it Lance, let's get out of here," Jeremy said.

"Yeah, let us know if you get tired of playing with dirt boy. You'd look great on my arm…and in my bed," Lance sneered, as his friend laughed. Faster than they could blink, Hunter was suddenly in front of them, much to theirs and Tori's surprise.

"Listen, unless you want me to crack your heads open and spill out what little brains you have, you'll leave her alone. Don't go near her, don't talk to her, and don't even look at her. If you mess with her, then you'll deal with me," Hunter warned dangerously. Still baffled at how he had moved so fast, the two idiots held up their hands in surrender.

"Fine…freak," Lance spat, as they trekked off. Hunter sighed and turned back to Tori, who was watching him in surprise.

"Sorry…I probably shouldn't have done that," he said, though truthfully, he wasn't sorry for telling them to step off Tori.

"No…they definitely deserved it," she replied, as he sat back down.

"I know, but you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. I know how you hate when we go all "caveman" on you," Hunter said, giving her a half smile, which she returned.

"Usually I do…but sometimes it's kind of nice when someone wants to take care of you. Thanks," she said. He smiled.

"Anytime," Hunter replied. He understood what she meant by that, given her history with her parents. The Hanson's loved their daughter dearly, but they were busy with their careers and traveled a lot. They had left their daughter on her own much of the time during her teen years, always well provided for with plenty of money, but Tori would have been happier living in a cardboard box if it meant being with her parents more. Her independent streak had developed from being left on her own most of the time and it was one of the many things he loved about her.

"It's getting dark…we should probably go," Tori mentioned, breaking the awkward silence between them. He nodded and stood up, extending his hand to help her up. She accepted and he pulled her, their eyes meeting as he did. Time seemed to stop for a moment, as they stared into each other's eyes, before it grew awkward again.

"Um…I'll drive you home," she mentioned, as they packed up their stuff and tossed it in her van.

"Thanks," he replied, as he got into the passenger side. Tori drove a few miles to his apartment complex, which was only about five minutes from her parent's beach house.

"See you tomorrow," Hunter called. She smiled and waved, sighing as she watched him go inside, before driving off.

"Get a grip Tori…this is Hunter we're talking about," she mumbled to herself, aware of the stirring feelings inside her.

As she parked her van, she dragged her stuff into the darkened beach house. Her parents were on a trip to Paris this time. Last month it had been business in Seattle and the month before was New York City. Tori dumped her things by the door and padded into the kitchen, turning on the light.

"Hello Ms. Hanson," a deep voice said. Tori screamed, as she saw a man standing there. Falling into a defensive stance, she launched herself at the intruder and found all her kicks and punches being blocked with ease.

"Impressive blue ranger," he chuckled and her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Who are you?" she asked, as she started backing away.

"You'll find out soon enough, but for now, I'll ask you to kindly come with me," Goldman stated calmly. Tori ran and grabbed her cell phone, speed dialing Hunter. Goldman rolled his eyes at her antics and grabbed her around the waist. She screamed and fought, before biting his arm. He growled and threw her into the kitchen table. She crashed painfully and cried out, as she heard Hunter's voice on the other end of her phone.

"Hello…"

"HUNTER HELP ME!" Tori screamed, before the man hit her in the head, knocking her out cold.

"Tori…TORI!" Hunter cried through the phone.

"Tori is unavailable, crimson ranger," Goldman spoke into the phone.

"Who are you? What did you do to her?!" Hunter screamed. Goldman chuckled.

"Red rangers are always so hot headed, especially when it comes to their women. She's mine now and I suspect Dr. Oliver is about as angry as you right now. You might want to call him," Goldman replied, as he dropped the phone and then stepped on it, smashing it to pieces. He slung the unconscious blonde over his shoulder and teleported out…

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Mystery Unraveled

Reefside University

Dorm room of Ethan James

"Dammit Dr. O…answer your damn phone!" Conner screamed, as he paced wildly in Ethan's dorm room at Reefside University.

"Dude…calm down…" Ethan chided. Conner hung up his phone.

"Calm down? Kira is gone!" he cried.

"And you losing it isn't going to help us get her back. Let's just head over to Dr. O's house," Ethan suggested. Conner nodded, as his phone rang again.

"Dr. O…" he answered.

"Sorry Conner, I was on the other line with Hunter," Tommy said shortly and Conner could hear the stress in his voice.

"Kira was abducted…" Conner blurted out.

"She's not the only one. Tori's gone too…and so is Kimberly," Tommy stated. Conner's mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"It doesn't end there though. There are other former female rangers missing now too. Get my house as soon as possible," Tommy instructed.

"Yeah, we'll be right there," Conner said, as he hung up and headed out the door with Ethan following him closely behind.

~*~

Goldar's Dark Dimension

Goldman smirked and hit a button on the remote. The screen zoomed inside to the cell block level of the fortress, showing the seven ranger females in a dingy cell block. He laughed evilly then, as he used the remote to spy on the locations of the male rangers. Their reactions were as he expected, but no less entertaining.

"What if they don't figure out how to find this place?" Sabrina asked.

"Their resourcefulness in the past has been nothing short of amazing and I don't doubt they will soon know exactly who I am. In fact, I'm counting on it. How are our lovely guests?" he asked. Sabrina smirked.

"They're all conscious again finally and complaining about the condition of the cell they've been put in. For rangers, they certainly seem ridiculously afraid of a few rats," Sabrina said, as she glared at the captive females on the screen.

"You always were jealous of the female rangers," Victor goaded, as she glared at him.

"Shut up…I'm not jealous of any of those prissy little bitches. I may be cursed with this human form, but at least mine is attractive, unlike yours. I can have any man I want with the bat of an eyelash," Sabrina hissed.

"Yes, that's how you seduced your billionaire husband, but we both know that he wasn't a nice man. You had to put up with a lot for that money," Victor goaded.

"What's your point?" she snapped. He caressed her face.

"My point is that you had to whore yourself for that money, while those silly ranger women bat their pretty eyes and have drawn good men that don't just use their bodies. It makes you simmer in rage to watch what they have with their husbands and boyfriends when you know you'll never have that," he hissed, as he caressed her cheek.

"Screw you…" she hissed. He chuckled.

"Spoken like a true whore," he hissed back, as she angrily drew back her fist, but he caught it and shoved her away.

"Don't worry, I'll let you torture your pretty little nemesis' soon enough," he laughed, as he left to attend to other things.

~*~

Reefside

Home of Tommy and Kimberly Oliver

Cars were piled in Tommy's yard, the last to pull up being a red mustang, belonging to none other than Conner McKnight. The red Dino ranger stepped out with Ethan and Trent in tow, who was in town from New York visiting his father. They walked in and looked around, seeing some they recognized from Dr. Oliver's video diary and others they knew better, like the Ninjas of Blue Bay Harbor.

"Glad you guys are here," Tommy said, motioning to them.

"How many are missing?" Trent asked curiously. Tommy sat back down and sighed, his worry for Kim, especially in her current condition, was almost stifling.

"The first five ranger women to ever serve, plus Tori and Kira now," Tommy confirmed.

"Aren't there a few teams missing in between us?" Conner asked. Jason nodded.

"Yeah, but for whatever reason, whoever we're dealing with has decided he wants to deal with the original twelve, minus Justin, first. Your teams got pulled in because of your close relationships with some of us," Jason said.

"Wes is spreading the word. The other teams are on their guard, but I think we're phase one," Tommy added.

"Which means it's safe to say that it's someone who has an axe to grind with the original Morphin teams," Billy added.

"But I thought that you told us Zordon's wave wiped out all evil in the universe when the red space ranger sacrificed your mentor at his request?" Trent asked in confusion.

"Zordon's wave wiped out most of who we had faced up to that point. Obviously, plenty of evil beings escaped the wave or none of the teams after us would have had to come into existence," Tommy reminded.

"And some of those beings were returned or given human form, including Rita and Zedd. We know they both took that as a second chance and are living peacefully, or were, in Zedd's case," Jason replied.

"Were?" Shane asked.

"Zedd was found murdered, not long before my showdown with Goldman, over a year ago," Jason added.

"He was found in an alley, stabbed to death with his wallet missing so we ruled it as a robbery gone badly. It was made to look like that anyway," Rocky chimed in.

"But you think it's connected to all this," Hunter stated, starting to piece it together.

"Zedd was human after the wave, but he knew how to take care of himself. I kind of find it hard to believe that a few punks with knives could take him out, much less kill him," Tommy mentioned.

"But we don't know who really killed him or why yet. That's the mystery and if we figure that out, I think we might figure out who has the girls," Jason added.

Ethan sighed and looked at his former teacher.

"Okay, let me see if I have this right. A possible old villain from your days as rangers has kidnapped the women from our teams, because he wants to destroy us all? And this person is possibly human now, because of that whole fiasco in '98 when Astronema tried to take over the planet," Ethan stated.

"That fiasco caused the death of our mentor and in turn saved us all," Tommy chided at his lack of respect.

"Sorry Dr. O, but what are we going to do? How do we find out where Kira and the others are?" Ethan asked.

"We've been bated now and whoever has them knows we'll go after them," Jason stated.

"Then it's probably a trap," Cam said.

"Definitely," Tommy replied.

"Doesn't matter, I'm not leaving Tori at this bastard's mercy or whoever it is we're dealing with, powers or not," Hunter seethed, as he balled his fist. Shane and Cam exchanged a glance, but Dustin stepped in first.

"Dude, we'll get her back," he promised, clapping the crimson ranger on the shoulder. Hunter noticed the meaningful look Dustin gave him and was glad he left the words unsaid for now, simply nodding gratefully.

"Don't worry; we're going to spring the trap as soon as we get a lock on their energy signatures. The computer is still scanning, but I doubt it will be long now," Billy added.

"But if this person hates rangers, then why hasn't he gone after the other teams yet? That's what I don't get," Shane asked.

"He definitely seems focused on the Morphin teams, so it's someone we pissed off during our ranger days. That was a lot of villains, though I thought they were either turned human or to dust," Rocky explained.

"Yeah, and your team is close to the Dino team, so you got pulled in with us," Tommy guessed.

"Whoever took Kat knew exactly where the cameras were in the parking lot of the grocery store, because I can't get a look at them," Billy said, as he painfully watched the video of his wife being subdued with a taser. The babysitter had left him messages on his phone saying that Kat never showed up to pick up their daughters. He instantly knew something was wrong since that wasn't like Kat at all. He had picked them and dropped them off with his father in Angel Grove, after he and Jason used the grid to teleport.

"Yeah, and the nurses heard Trini scream from a patient room, but no one was there by the time they got there. There's no cameras in those rooms obviously," Jason added.

"It was a woman who took Kira and she had powers," Conner mentioned.

"Can you describe her?" Tommy asked.

"Petite, long black hair, and of Asian descent, and she had powers," Conner recalled.

"We need to figure out who she is. She's probably working for someone that has a grudge against us. They likely plan on taking us out first or trying to and then they'll probably go after other teams. If we knew who we were dealing with, all this would probably make a lot more sense," Jason stated.

"But…the voice on Tori's phone was a guy. It was a man that took Tori," Hunter interjected.

"Could be the mastermind or at the very least, the woman's partner," Rocky suggested, as he punched up the surveillance video from Aisha's clinic. The figure wasn't facing the camera, but he was obviously male.

"We're not sure which one of them got Kim. He or she murdered Kim's receptionist," Tommy said, as Billy sat deep in thought, so much so that Jason could almost hear the gears turning in his brain.

"Billy…what is it?" he asked, as he noticed the look on Billy's face suddenly.

"What is it?" he asked again when the genius didn't answer. He was suddenly snapped from his trance.

"Something Rocky said earlier. That the villains we faced during our ranger days were either turned human or to dust," Billy said.

"Yeah…we know that Rita and Zedd were, but there were others too like Divatox. Others like Master Vile were turned to dust," Tommy said.

"A lot was happening that day. Phantom ranger and Trey saw some of it happen, but they couldn't really keep track of who was turned human and who was space dust. I still don't know if I see where you're going with this though," he told their resident genius.

"Jase, we see the worst of human evil on a daily basis with the work we do in the bureau. Rocky can relate, being a homicide detective too. Just because you're human doesn't mean you're automatically good," Billy stated, as he got up and started writing names on the dry erase board that Tommy had in the Dino lab.

"Billy…what is it?" Jason asked, as he watched the genius go into one of his frenzies that he usually did when he was onto something during a case.

"I can't believe I didn't see this before," Billy exclaimed.

"See what?" Dustin asked.

"Zedd's murder wasn't a robbery gone bad, that's just what we were meant to think," Billy stated.

"Yeah, we figured that, but the question is if the person that killed him didn't want money, then what did they want?" Tommy questioned. Billy drew a large Z on the board in response.

"His magic," the genius stated.

"Dude…I think I'm lost," Dustin lamented.

"Yeah, I thought Zedd was turned human so he wouldn't have powers anymore, would he?" Conner asked.

"He was turned human, as was Rita, but they were born Eltarian so in a sense, they were only cleansed by Zordon's wave and they chose to return to the good side. Their magic is and was a part of them. They were born with it," Tommy explained.

"Exactly. So much was happening that day that it was hard to see who was turned to dust and who was given a second chance to be good. Not everyone may have taken that second chance. Some are just bad to the core," Jason mentioned.

"Except that it finally dawned on me why this woman looks familiar," Billy said, as he pulled up an image of an Asian woman from a news website, the same one that had kidnapped Kira.

"That's her…that's the bitch that took Kira! Conner cried. Adam's eyes widened. This was the first he was seeing the woman that was responsible for part of this.

"She's been in the news recently. She's the wife of that billionaire tycoon that died a year ago," Jason mentioned.

"Sabrina…that's the form Scorpina used all those years ago on me!" Adam exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Tommy asked.

"I'd never forget her. She's aged a little, but that's her," Adam spat.

"Shit…" Rocky swore, as he put it together.

"Victor Goldman…" Jason hissed.

"Is Goldar," Tommy deduced and Billy nodded.

"Goldar…that giant gold monkey thing from your video diary?" Conner asked. Tommy nodded.

"That explains the grudge and everything makes sense now," Jason stated. Billy nodded.

"Whoa…hold up, you put a bullet in him. I saw the body!" Rocky exclaimed. Jason shrugged.

"I've mulled that night over in my head for a year. Something wasn't right that night and now it makes sense. Goldman goaded me into shooting him…or whoever he had parading around as him. That whole confrontation was a setup for this!" Jason hissed angrily.

"But…how?" Hunter asked.

"With Zedd's magic, creating a clone is mere child's play. Back in the day, he cloned Billy, after all. Goldar just had to make a clay model of himself and poof, instant clone ready for sacrifice," Tommy explained. Billy nodded, connecting everything together in his mind.

"Goldar and Scorpina were given second chances, but obviously they are more than a little angry with their new forms and lack of magic. Any powers they had were given to them by Rita and Zedd, other than their skills as warriors," Billy said.

"Okay, so we know it's Goldar now, but that still doesn't tell us where they are," Rocky said.

"They murdered Zedd for his magic, which is contained in the Z staff. We need someone who knows and can access Zedd's dark dimensions," Tommy stated.

"You think that's where they are?" Adam asked.

"Unfortunately, I know way too much about how Goldar's sick mind works. Rita is our best shot," Tommy replied.

"Let's go. Hayley, can you teleport us to Angel Grove?" Tommy asked. The redhead nodded and soon they were gone.

~*~

Angel Grove

Home of Rita Xett, formerly Rita Repulsa

Jason and Tommy approached the ranch style house in the Angel Grove suburbs. They had told the others to hang back so as to not overwhelm Rita. They were about to turn her world upside down by telling her the real reason for her husband's murder. They noticed the sold sign in the yard, as they approached the door and knocked. A small, petite Asian looking woman answered the door and her eyes widened in recognition.

"Tommy…Jason…" she said in surprise.

"Hello Rita," Jason said evenly.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"There's something we need to talk to you about and I'm afraid it might be difficult for you to hear," Tommy replied. Rita nodded in understanding, as she let the two men, whose lives she had once made a living hell, into her home.

"Please sit and be comfortable. Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked.

"We're fine, thanks," Jason said, as she sat down across from them.

"You're moving?" Tommy asked, indicating the sign in the yard. Rita nodded.

"Angel Grove has a lot of painful memories, as you can imagine. I've decided to make a fresh start in a town called Briarwood," Rita explained.

"Briarwood…isn't that the town that is rumored to be surrounded by a supposed enchanted forest?" Tommy asked. Rita smiled.

"It's a magical forest and it's not just rumors. I figured I will fit right in and maybe do some good for a change," she stated.

"But that's not what you came here to talk about," she prompted.

"No…I'm afraid it's about Zedd's murder," Jason stated gently. She shrugged.

"After everything he did to you, it's probably poetic justice that he was cut down by some gang punks that wanted his wallet," she said bitterly.

"Except that he wasn't," Tommy replied.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Recognize her?" Jason asked, as he showed her a photo.

"That's Sabrina Chavik…what does she have to do with this?" Rita asked.

"Look more closely," Tommy instructed. Rita glanced at the picture again and her eyes widened, as she stared into the woman's dark eyes.

"Scorpina…" she whispered.

"She killed Zedd?" Rita questioned.

"We think she did and took the one thing that contained his powers," Tommy stated.

"His Z staff," Rita stated.

"Do you know where he hid it?" Jason asked.

"What is this all about?" Rita countered with her own question. The two former rangers sighed.

"Do you remember the day that Astronema invaded?" Jason asked.

"Of course, that's the day we were freed from our alien forms and made a vow to each other that we would honor the second chance that Zordon gave us. He could have turned us to dust, but he didn't," Rita confessed.

"We think that Goldar and Scorpina were given that second chance too, but decided that they'd rather have revenge," Tommy said.

"Remember Victor Goldman?" Jason asked.

"Of course, everyone knows about him. He murdered eighteen women across the state before you caught him. But he's dead," Rita stated.

"Billy thinks that whoever I shot that night might have been a clone. We figured out that Victor had an obsession with rangers and knew the identity of every single one of us. No one could crack through every team's security to get that kind of information so that naturally means that someone who already knew is responsible," Jason stated.

"And now he has kidnapped some of the female members of our teams. Do you know where Zedd kept that staff?" Tommy asked. Rita nodded.

"Follow me," she said, as she led them into the basement. They followed her and she opened a locked door in the basement. Her hand glowed with magic and a swirling blue portal appeared on the wall.

"This is the only doorway to Zedd's network of dark dimension. At the time of Mondo's invasion, he had destroyed most of them and was working on one last place that he planned to send the rangers to, hoping he'd finally win. But if someone else has his staff now, they could create a portal to the dimension from anywhere," Rita stated.

"Obviously when my father arrived and then later Mondo, it was never quite finished, but it wasn't for the faint of heart. When we vowed to no longer continue our evil conquests, Zedd tossed his staff into the dark dimension and we planned on closing it off for good," Rita stated.

"Why didn't you?" Tommy asked.

"When other evils kept showing up on earth, we decided that our magic might be needed someday, not for evil, but for good, so we left his magic locked away. I made sure he had enough left though so he could access the portal if something happened to me and he needed his magic," Rita explained.

"This is where they are. They have the girls in this dimension. That's why Billy's computers can't pick up their energy signatures anywhere on Earth," Jason stated.

"I'm warning you, this dimension that Zedd created isn't for the faint of heart," Rita warned.

"It doesn't matter. Those are our wives, girlfriends, and teammates in there. We don't have a choice and we just need your help to keep the portal open long enough for us to get in. We'll get ourselves out by finding Zedd's staff," Jason stated.

"I'll get the rest of the guys here," Tommy said, as he dialed Adam's number on his cell phone. Tears welled in Rita's eyes.

"You better kill that bastard for real this time and that bitch better go with him," Rita spat. Jason smirked.

"Don't worry; he's got a lot of really angry ranger males on his hands now. We'll get them back and justice for Zedd," Jason promised.

"The guys will be here in five minutes. Is there anything you can tell us about this dimension?" Tommy asked, as he returned.

"Don't let looks deceive you. When you get there, it has the look and feel of a tropical island, but it's full of danger from, traps to creatures, to aliens, and he's most likely keeping them in the fortress in the center of the island. It's a death trap in itself," Rita warned.

"Sounds like the old days," Jason quipped.

"If Goldar finished the dimension, there's no telling what he added. Be careful," she warned again, as there was a knock at the door upstairs. Rita hurried up and then returned with ten more ranger males.

"Did you find them?" Hunter asked anxiously. Tommy pointed at the portal.

"And where does that thing go?" Trent asked.

"One of Zedd's old dark dimensions that we think Goldar has control of now and I'm warning you now that it's going to be really dangerous. There's a chance that we might not make it back so if anyone wants to back out now, no one will judge you," Tommy explained. Hunter shook his head impatiently.

"If that's where Tori is, then nothing's going to stop me," he said, as he stepped through the portal.

"Aw dude…wait!" Shane cried.

"I'm with Hunter. If that's where Kira is, then that's where I'm going," Conner added, as he followed.

"Why are all reds complete, irrational boneheads?" Cam asked, earning glares from several reds.

"Sorry, let's go," Cam said, as he followed Trent and Ethan through.

"Hello, is anyone going to listen to me?" Shane called.

"Dude, it's Tori, she's like our sister and you can't blame Hunter. He's totally in love," Dustin explained. Shane rolled his eyes, as they walked through. They were followed by Tommy, Jason, Rocky, Billy, and Adam and the portal closed. Rita sighed and sat down to wait for their return.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5:Island of Doom

Goldar's Dark Dimension

Kira walked around the cell, pacing nervously and humming quietly, as she tried to calm herself. Tori huddled in the freezing cell with Kimberly and Katherine on either side of her, looking more distraught than Kira had ever seen her. She was usually the positive one, no matter how bad things looked. The bruise on her blonde friend's cheek reminded Kira of the situation they were in and the swirling blue portal they'd been shoved through.

Upon their arrival in this hell hole, they had come face to face with a man that had haunted the Californian news for three years, detailing his spree of rapes and murders of young women all over the state. To find out that this same man was actually still alive and had an axe to grind against all living former rangers was a hard pill to swallow. Positivity wasn't something that was in their ability to muster right now.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Tori asked. Katherine hugged the young blonde close, gently stroking her hair.

"Not if our boys have anything to say about it. Do you think your friends aren't looking for you?" Katherine asked. A tear slipped down Tori's cheek.

"I know they are…I just wish I hadn't taken so many things for granted, you know?" she asked. Kat nodded.

"Yeah, I know sweetie, but that's why when we get out of this, you have to make sure you never take anything for granted again," Katherine told her.

"And if you have feelings for someone, then keeping them to yourself is just a waste. So promise me that when we get out of this that you won't waste any time and tell him how you feel and you know who I'm talking about," Kat instructed. Tori nodded.

"Promise," she whispered.

"We have to have faith. Tommy and Jason will find us," Kimberly assured her.

"Knowing our boys, they're already here," Aisha added.

"How right you are, little bear," a male voice cut through their chatter. Tanya pulled herself to her feet and approached the bars where Kira stood frozen, as Goldman reached through the bars and lifted her chin. She swatted his hand away and pulled the younger yellow back.

"I wonder what Zordon would think if he knew his decision to give me a second chance would result in the slaughter of his sons and daughters?" Goldman goaded.

"Save it Goldar and get to the point. Why are we here?" Kimberly snapped.

"My dear Kimberly, haven't you guessed by now? I want you all dead…but not before you suffer like I have," Goldman spat.

"Suffer? What have you suffered, you twisted freak?" Trini hissed.

"Oh, I am so glad you asked that, darling Trini," Goldman drawled.

"I would have preferred being turned to dust over this mundane human existence, but I don't expect any of you to understand that," he spat.

"I was once a proud Titan warrior until he robbed me of what was my true form and turned me into this," he hissed.

"I can never return to my people, because of what your mentor did to me and for that, his children will suffer!" Goldman roared.

"You're sick…" Tori spat. His eyes darted to the blonde.

"Sick…oh you haven't seen sick yet," Victor spat, as the bars disappeared and he lunged at the girls, grabbing Tori's arm and slamming her against the wall.

"You know what I do to young women now, don't you? You've watched the news and read of my exploits haven't you?" he hissed, as his psychotic eyes glared into her frightened sapphire ones.

"No…let her go!" Kimberly cried. Goldar raised the pointed end of the Z staff to Tori's throat, stopping their advance.

"Then if you don't want to see me defile her and then slit her throat, you'll stay where you are," he said, as Sabrina entered and cuffed each girl, while Goldar handled Tori and forced them to follow them from the cell.

~*~

They landed on a sandy beach, where a lagoon of purely blue water greeted them.

"Okay…so dark dimension looks like paradise," Dustin mentioned.

"Don't let it deceive you. The paradise part is the illusion," Jason warned, as they looked around. They heard the water slosh behind them and Adam's eyes widened, as a monster emerged from the lagoon.

"Really? An island full of horrors and Goldar picks old, worn out monsters to attack?" Rocky questioned, as the Slippery Shark from the past shot a blast and blew Rocky back. He landed painfully and groaned, as Tommy and Adam helped him up.

"You and your big mouth," Adam said.

"Shut up," Rocky grimaced, as Jason keyed off and charged the shark monster, exchanging blows with him. He got in a few good hits, before he was knocked back and Tommy took his place. He avoided the monster's sharp swipes, but ultimately was knocked away too. He landed in the sand, but got to his feet quickly.

"Goldar definitely gave him an upgrade. I don't remember fish head being this strong," Tommy warned.

"Or you're just older," Ethan quipped, earning him a very stern glare from his former mentor. Ethan smirked sheepishly.

"Kidding, Doctor O," he said, as he charged next, using his dino skin, while Connor ran circles around the monster.

"Knock him back in the water!" Hunter called. They shrugged and cornered the monster, while Tommy stepped up and delivered a stylish corkscrew kick, catapulting him back into the water. Hunter did his signature hand motions and a crimson thunder bolt struck the monster in the water. The water conducted his electric attack and the monster exploded. Unfortunately, a few of them were caught in the splash zone and were sprayed with fish guts.

"Ooooohh…" Shane winced.

"Dude…that's nasty," Dustin commented. Hunter winced too.

"Sorry guys," he apologized.

"It's okay…it's hard to be mad when you can do an attack like that," Jason said, as he patted his shoulder.

"Good show, rookie," he added. Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Okay, now that we're done with Jaws…guess it's onto the Jungle Book," Ethan said.

"Dude…lay off the movie references," Conner admonished.

~*~

"Why…why are you doing this?" Tori asked, as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. He had taken her into a deep cavern beneath the mansion, revealing that it was filled with water and a dinosaur type water beast dwelled there. Now he was securing thick manacles on her wrists.

"I'd say it's not personal, but you're a ranger and that will always be personal for me," Goldar answered.

"And a highly trained Ninja…we all are. They'll find me," she warned. He smirked.

"I'm counting on it…and let's be honest with ourselves, Ms. Hanson. It's really the crimson ranger that you wish to be found by. It's poetic since you'll die together. Do be sure to tell him how you feel before the beast rips you apart," he said, as he pushed her off the narrow network of scaffolding that they were standing on. She screamed, thinking she would be plummeting into the waters. But the manacles stopped her and painfully so, as she now hung there, awaiting her friends to find her. The beast below took note and started to make attempts at getting to her. She cried, from both the pain in her arms and fear, as she remained just out of its reach. But she didn't lose hope. She knew the guys would find her.

~*~

"You always were a psychotic bitch," Aisha spat, as Scorpina put her and Tanya in manacles, which secured them against the wall of the small, humid room. There was a fog at their feet and the ground was squishy and seemed very unstable. Scorpina smirked.

"Careful, little bear or my blade just might slip and give you a few scars on that pretty face," she threatened.

"I'm not afraid of you, bitch. I knew you were poison the minute I met you, even if you were trying to hide your identity then," she said.

"But Adam didn't think so…he liked me just fine," she goaded.

"But it seems you went the other way and married the ape instead," she commented, dissing her husband.

"Rocky and Adam will find us…there's no doubt," Tanya interjected.

"Yes…we're certainly counting on it. Have fun," she said, as she disappeared.

"Ugh…she hasn't changed," Tanya complained.

"Yeah…but we know the guys. They're probably already here," Aisha replied, as they hoped they were right.

~*~

"You know, it's a good thing Zack isn't with us. These bugs are the size of small dogs," Jason commented, as they trekked through the jungle, as a few monsters dropped out of the trees.

"Speaking of bugs…" Tommy said, with a sigh.

"Recycling old monsters…lame. I'd expect better even from you, Goldilocks!" Rocky taunted with a shout.

"Dude…don't piss him off more," Shane complained.

"He's already unhinged," Cam reminded, as the familiar monsters, at least to the veteran rangers, surrounded them.

"So we meet again, rangers," Grumble Bee buzzed.

"And I see you've brought fresh meat," Spidertron hissed. They leapt into battle and between all of them, they dispatched the two bugs rather quickly and moved on.

"What's his play with old monsters? He can't still be that daft," Adam commented.

"Yeah…there's definitely a shoe waiting to drop. I can feel it…" Hunter said.

"Your Ninja instincts serve you well," a ghostly voice rasped, as the sky went dark and they looked up into the face of none other than Lokar.

"What the hell is that?" Conner asked.

"Lokar…" Tommy said.

"And he is?" Ethan asked.

"Bad freaking news," Billy answered. But it got worse and Lokar's ethereal sky appearance became one of substance, as he appeared in sentient form before them.

"Okay…that's new," Jason said.

"Yes…Goldar has seen fit to reward me with physical form. Something Lord Zedd or Rita would never do," he said, as his eyes became black and it made Hunter gasp.

"He's a Dark Ninja…" Cam realized, as he had seen this before with his Uncle. Before any of them could do anything, he disappeared into a ninja streak and struck them all with lightning speed.

"Holy hell…" Conner groaned in pain.

"Rita and Zedd never gave me a physical form…because they knew I was more powerful and would destroy them. But Goldar and I have the same goal…your destruction, rangers. See you soon…" he said, as he disappeared, as quickly as he came. They managed to pull themselves to their feet and Dustin groaned.

"Didn't see that coming…wonder if Sensei knows this Lokar?" he asked.

"Trust me...I'll be asking my father. If we ever get out of here alive," Cam replied.

"We will…let's go," Hunter said, as they followed the veteran rangers through the rest of the jungle.

~*~

After he had taken Tori somewhere, Goldar returned and Kim and Trini were taken somewhere with magic. It was clear that the altitude was very high, as it became hard to breathe and that it was somewhere elevated above the compound and inside a volcano. They were far above it, suspended on a platform and put into cages.

"You know, you can put us in a volcano, but Tommy and Jason will still find us," Trini said.

"Oh I know…but it's fun to make them work for it," Goldar quipped, as he noticed Kimberly's pensive and forlorn look.

"Don't worry Kimberly…he'll come for you and when he does, you'll both die, along with that spawn inside of you," he said, as he chuckled.

"You have Zedd's staff…why not just use it to turn yourself back into your alien form?" Trini questioned.

"And you don't think I tried that? Even Zedd's magic has limits and it can't override Zordon's cleanse. He had no right!" Goldar ranted.

"I was born a Titan…into the most prestigious line of warriors and I vowed I would die with my people, as all the others before me. But I can never return there now. I can never rest. Your precious Zordon wasn't as good as you think he was," he added.

"You're a liar!" Kimberly shouted, as he disparaged the wise, old sage that was like a father-figure to them. Especially the first eleven of them. He stepped toward her cage and glared at her with murderous rage in his eyes.

"You know nothing of his exploits in the centuries before he was confined to that tube! He had a long history of sending children to fight his battles and their blood on his hands. Just picking up a morpher ensured that each of you will be haunted your entire lives by the power. Once you touch the morphing grid…it never leaves you alone for long," he claimed.

"It's beings like you that make the power necessary," Trini argued.

"Perhaps…but regardless, Zordon's entire legacy dies today," Goldar replied, as he disappeared, leaving them suspended above a river of lava.

~*~

"This is brutal…" Dustin said, as they continued to trek through the humid jungle.

"No lie," Shane said, as they looked ahead at the back of Hunter's head. The brooding crimson ranger was silent and they could barely keep up with him, as he barreled through the jungle.

"Dude's totally got it bad," Dustin said.

"Yeah…but does Tor feel the same?" Shane wondered.

"Dude, trust me, it's mutual," he said, as Shane and Cam looked at him with incredulity.

"What? How am I the only one that has noticed how they spend all this time together when they're not teaching?" he asked.

"He's got a point. Reefside is closer to the Thunder Academy than Blue Bay Harbor, yet Hunter still commutes," Cam acknowledged. Before there could be further discussion, they finally exited the jungle and came upon a massive compound.

"Nice place," Conner mumbled sarcastically, as they looked at the spooky mansion before them. They were already tired and weary from outrunning poisonous snakes, bugs, man-eating Venus flytraps and old monsters. Eerily, the gates swung open invitingly and the guys all exchanged looks.

"Dude…this is totally like the Temple of Doom," Dustin quipped.

"Yeah and this whole thing screams trap," Trent added sourly.

"Doesn't matter…they're in there," Billy added.

"He's definitely expecting us, which means there's no telling what's waiting for us. Everyone stay alert," Tommy warned, as he and Jason filed in first, followed by the rest with Trent and Ethan bringing up the rear.

"Welcome rangers," a voice boomed over what sounded like an intercom.

"Cut the crap Goldar…we know it's you. Where are the girls?" Jason demanded.

"I'm sorry Agent Scott, but you're not in charge here. Your teammates may jump when you bark orders, but I do not," the voice continued. The former red ranger scoffed.

"I don't give a damn about anything you have to say, now where are my wife and the others!" Jason demanded. Tommy put a hand on his shoulder and tried to calm him down.

"Jase…this isn't going to help the girls," Tommy told him quietly. Jason sighed and tried to calm down.

"Tommy…always the voice of reason," Goldman's voice boomed sarcastically.

"We're here now, but you knew that we would come so what now?" Tommy demanded to know.

"The game continues. I'll have to say, I'm quite impressed by your abilities to bypass all the dangers outside this fortress. You veteran rangers should feel proud that the younger generations have been so well trained. Wouldn't Zordon just be simply delighted to see what his children have become?" Goldman goaded sarcastically. Billy smirked.

"So…this is about Zordon. You're pissed that his magic cleansed your body and made you human. Titan would never accept you back into their society even if you could somehow prove that you're still Goldar, despite your new appearance," Billy said.

"Still trying to profile me, Dr. Cranston?" Goldman asked with an air of superiority.

"What you and Agent Scott do for a living is fascinating stuff. I myself have spent years profiling all of you as well. The lovely young women you're so desperate to get back have been placed in rather precarious places throughout this compound. You should start finding them, for I'd hate to see something tragic happen to any of them," Goldman said sarcastically, as he chuckled evilly, before his voice was gone.

"Come on, let's get going and find them," Tommy said, as they trekked into the tunnel ahead. Behind them, the walls crumbled and rock-like creatures emerged and followed them. Dustin heard a growling behind him and turned, only to find the rock creature's hard fist barreling toward him.

"Whoa…" Dustin cried, as he ducked and the creature's fist slammed into the wall beside him, causing their surroundings to shudder and the tunnel walls began to crumble.

"What are these things?" Shane cried, as they ran from the cave in.

"Probably wraiths of some kind. Goldar's answer to foot soldiers," Billy deduced, as the tunnel caved in and they barely made it out of the mouth of the cave. They stopped short, finding themselves clinging to the walls of the wide underground cavern, which had a huge hole in the center. There was a rumbling and they looked around, trying to see where it was coming from. The walls around them crumbled and more rock wraiths emerged. Ethan crossed his arms over his chest to block a blow, his Dino skin protecting him from the attack.

Rocky ducked a vicious blow and struggled to keep his footing on the narrow ground. A precisely aimed side kick sent the wraith to its doom in the dark hole.

"Guys…there's stable ground over there! Grab on and we'll Ninja streak!" Shane called, as he grabbed Conner by the collar and Trent by the arm and streak across the abyss, landing solidly on the platform.

"Look!" Trent called, as they saw a door at the end of the crevice where they now stood.

"There's a door over here!" Shane called, as they suddenly heard two screams coming from behind it.

"That was Aisha!" Rocky cried.

"Tanya too," Adam said anxiously, as Hunter grabbed their arms.

"Hang on," the Thunder Ninja told them, as he streaked his way there. Tommy and Jason continued to fight the wraiths, while Dustin fired his earth Ninja beams, blowing them apart into nothing more than harmless rubble.

"Guys…look up," Billy called, as he and Cam tried to fight off their own batch of wraiths. They did so, finding a network of platforms that led up further than they could see.

"How much do you want to bet some of the girls are up there?" Jason asked.

"There's a good chance. Dustin, can you and Cam streak us up to one of those platforms?" Tommy asked.

"Shane is the air dude. My powers are better on solid ground," Dustin replied.

"Shane, switch places with Dustin. We'll go up there and you guys continue on," Cam said, as he held onto Billy's arm and streaked up to the first platform.

"Do you think we should really split up?" Ethan asked, as he blocked another blow with his Dino skin.

"Doesn't look like we have much choice. We'll never find them all if we don't," Jason said, as Shane arrived and streaked the rest of them up to the platform, while Dustin burrowed his way to the others.

"Let's go," Rocky called, as they reached the door. Adam happened to look up and saw a massive rock falling from above.

"LOOK OUT!" he cried, as he pushed Rocky out of the way, as the rock slammed onto the ground and rolled toward the abyss. The rest of them dodged, as the rock rolled into the dark hole in the center.

"Are you guys okay?!" Tommy called from above one of the platforms.

"Yeah, told you this was like the Temple of Doom," Dustin called back.

"Everyone's fine I think," Conner called, as they suddenly heard a supersonic scream and then a normal sounding scream, much softer, coming from the dark hole.

"Kira…" Conner said, as he rushed to the edge of the precipice, trying to see into the black abyss, but it was too dark.

"Kira's down there," Conner said, as he slid down the slippery muddy slopes toward the abyss.

"Conner…what are you doing?" Ethan cried.

"Kira's down there," Conner repeated, as he started repelling down the sides of the dark precipice.

"I think that was Kat too," Billy said, as jumped down and slid down the muddy slope with Conner.

"Dustin, you're the earth guy, go with them," Shane called. The yellow Ninja nodded.

"Got it," Dustin said, as he made hand motions and burrowed into the mud, taking Conner and Billy with him.

"Let's keep going," Adam said, as he pressed the opener on the panel next to the steel door. It buzzed, refusing to open without a password.

"Password protected? Seriously, we don't have time for this," Rocky hissed, as he slammed his fist into the stupid device.

"Destroying it won't help," Adam chided. Crimson thunder left Hunter's fingertips and fried the panel, allowing the door to slide open.

"Frying it might though," Hunter replied, with a smirk.

"Nice work," Adam grinned, as they stepped into the room.

"Careful guys…the floor is unstable…" Tanya cried. She and Aisha hung suspended by the arms, as their husbands slowly made their way toward them.

"See if you can get this other door open behind them. I think we're better off trying to get out this way then going back out there," Adam said to Hunter. Carefully, the thunder ninja made his way to the door on shaky ground, as they freed Aisha and Tanya. The two women sighed in relief, as they used their now free arms to hug their husbands.

"Rocky…it's Goldar…" Aisha started to explain.

"And Scorpina…we know, we figured it out and Rita helped us get here," Rocky replied, as Hunter fried the panel and the door slid open.

"Let me guess…you must be Hunter," Tanya guessed. He looked at her, wondering how she knew.

"Tori talked about you," Tanya told him.

"You saw Tori?" he asked anxiously. The girls nodded.

"We were all together for a while and then they separated us," she explained.

"We need to get out of here, before this floor caves in," Trent said anxiously. As he said that, the floor beneath Hunter gave out, plunging him through it.

"HUNTER!" they screamed, as they heard him land with a thud.

"Ugh…I'm okay, the drop wasn't that far," the former crimson ranger called back up, as he picked himself up and dusted off. He found himself in an underground cavern and it was very damp. There was a stale, musty smell in the air, leading him to believe there was probably water nearby.

"What do you see?" Rocky called.

"Not much, but I think there's water down here," Hunter called back, as he prepared to climb back through the hole he had made…until a beastly roar accompanied by a scream stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Tori…that was Tori!" he cried, as he ran into the damp cavern, not heeding the others' calls to wait.

"What now?" Ethan asked.

"We have to trust he'll be okay and that he'll find Tori. She needs him if she's really down there. We should find a way out for now," Adam decided, as they continued on…

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Mansion of Terror

The corridor they entered had stable ground this time, but a peculiar yellow gaseous substance covered the floor up to the ankles.

"Aw…it reeks," Ethan complained.

"It's probably poisonous too if you breathe in too much of it. Cover your mouths and noses with your clothing," Adam said, as they navigated the dark pathway.

"Look at this place…it's like a maze!" Rocky said in a muffled voice, as he held Aisha's hand.

"Which way? We could get lost in here forever!" Trent cried.

"Calm down…it's just time for the three of us to get in touch with our inner Ninjetti for a minute," Adam snapped, quieting them down.

"Huh?" Ethan asked.

"It's a Ninja thing…let them work," Tanya told him, as the three Ninjetti closed their eyes, calling on buried powers from long ago. They didn't have powers anymore, but like the Ninjas of Blue Bay Harbor, their Ninjetti powers were a part of them. A few minutes passed before the three opened their eyes and shared a look.

"We're taking this path to the right. It should lead us out, but be careful, because I think there is something else alive outside this place," Adam warned.

"Great," Trent grumbled.

~*~

Hunter ninja streaked along the pathway that was descending, taking him deeper into the cavern. Soon, he was up to his knees in water and he stopped, seeing that the pathway led right into the underground lake. That's when he saw the massive beast that swam in the cave and Tori, hanging suspended above the lake, her arms chained and suspended on a rafter high above them. She was out of the creature's reach, but that didn't stop it from trying to get to the prey that taunted him. She screamed and kicked her legs, as the beast craned its neck in another attempt to reach her.

Quietly, Hunter streaked to the cavern wall and started climbing, until he was traipsing the network of metal support rafters in the ceiling of the cavern. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the water below bubbling with water borne wraiths and the several that were climbing after him.

Tori screamed again, as she kicked at the beast again and it roared angrily.

"Hang on Tori, I'm going to pull you up to me," Hunter called. She looked up and her eyes lit up in relief.

"Hunter!" she called, as he pulled on the chains, slowly lifting her to her up. When she was within reached, he pulled her onto the rafter and she threw her arms around his neck. He fried the lock on her chains and freed her wrists. Unfortunately, the rafters shuddered and they noticed the water wraiths lunging toward them. Thunder and water attacks obliterated several of the nasty creatures, but the rafter shuddered again. Tori was thrown from it and fell toward the water.

"TORI!" Hunter cried, as he jumped after her without hesitation. Saliva dripped from the water dwelling beast's fangs, as it dove toward its prey. Grabbing his hand, Tori used her skills as a powerful swimmer. Looking around, they noticed a network of underwater caves and dashing to the closest one, they finally breathed air, as they squeezed inside. Unfortunately, this one didn't seem to go anywhere, but they were safe from the beast's snapping jaws for the time being. It angrily swam back and forth; severally irritated that it had yet again been denied a meal.

"Are you okay?" Hunter asked. She nodded.

"You found me," she replied. He gave her his usual trademark lazy half smile. That very smile that she expected from him could now send tingles down her spine.

"Of course I did," he replied, as the creature outside roared and water splashed into the airtight cave. Tori jumped in surprise and into his arms, as they backed away against the wall of the peculiar underwater crevice that somehow kept water out and oxygen in.

"What are we going to do?" she asked. He had no clue, but he gave her another smile.

"We'll think of something," he said, even though the opening to the crevice was starting to crack, thanks to the creature that kept ramming his nose against it. If it kept that up, the entrance would cave in and trap them. But she could see it in his eyes. There was a very good chance that they weren't getting out of this alive.

"You shouldn't have come for me," she said suddenly. His head turned to her.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded to know.

"Hunter…I can see it on your face. There might not be a way out of this…alive anyway," she said sadly.

"Don't say that Tor…I'm going to find a way to get us out of this," he promised.

"Hunter…it's okay. If we're going to die, then I don't want to have any regrets," Tori explained.

"I'm not going to let you die," he tried to convince her. She smiled and reached up to gently brush his wet dirty blonde locks from his eyes. Her touch made his heart pound in his chest and stormy blue clashed with deep sapphire, as their eyes locked.

"I know…but I have to get this out, just in case," Tori whispered, as a tear slowly slipped down her cheek. He reached up to wipe it away with his thumb and the sensation of his hand touching her face caused her to take a sharp intake of breath.

"Why did we waste so much time?" she cried, tears glistening in her eyes. He felt his heart clench and wondered when it had become physically painful for him to see her cry.

"Because we were foolish enough to believe that we had all the time in the world," he answered, a little bitterly.

"I told myself that I couldn't fall for you, because I didn't want to come between two brothers," she said, as she bit her bottom lip.

"But I can't help it. I feel things for you that I never felt for Blake…that he never gave me the chance to feel," she cried, as tears rolled down her cheeks. Hunter could only stare at her in amazement, awestruck at how beautiful she was even when she was crying.

"I love you Hunter Bradley and if we die tonight, then at least you'll know," she squeaked, unable to meet his eyes now. He lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"I've been telling myself for months that you could never see me as anything more than a friend," Hunter stated.

"Shows you what I know," he scoffed, making her smile.

"When you smile, my heart skips a beat. When you laugh, it swells inside my chest so much that I wonder if it's going to burst out. When you cry, I feel like it's being ripped out. I love you Tori and if we get out of this, I promise you that we're not going to waste any more precious time," he told her, as he slowly leaned in and kissed her. Her heart thudded in her chest, as he moved his lips over hers in a passionate rhythm. The need for air forced their lips to part and they gasped for air, as they stared into each other's eyes.

"We're not dying tonight…" he rasped, as he stood up and took her hand.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, as she let him pull her to her feet.

"That creature is immersed in water and which means I can easily electrocute it. I hit him with enough thunder and he's dead," Hunter said, determination defining his features.

"He's huge and that's going to take a lot of energy," she warned.

"That's why I'm counting on your excellent swimming abilities to get us out of here and outswim the water wraiths," Hunter told her. She smiled.

"I can do that hopefully, but how exactly do we even get out of here?" she asked.

"There are more underwater caves. There is bound to be one that goes somewhere," he replied.

"And what if they don't have air pockets like this one?" she asked. He responded by kissing her deeply.

"Then at least we'll have no regrets…other than we wish we would have had more time," Hunter replied, as their lips parted.

"Then here's to hoping that we'll have all the time in the world to lose ourselves in each other when we do get out of this," she said. He smiled and squeezed her hand, before urging her to get back. He concentrated and crimson thunder sizzled along his arms, building in his palms, as he outstretched his arms. The beast roared in agony, as violent flashes of lightning coursed throughout the beast's massive body. The water conducted Hunter's electricity and tore through its organs and brain until its heart gave out. There was a massive splash in the water, as the creature sank to the bottom. Hunter fell to his knees and took deep breaths of air, as Tori knelt beside him in concern.

"I'm fine…let's go," he said, as they joined hands and leapt into the water. Their eyes searched the underwater caves until they found a large one that looked like it might go somewhere and they swam together. He did his best to kick the water wraiths that pursued them again and curiously, they did not follow them into the cave. He knew that probably meant there was another danger in there, but they had no other choice. He saw that she was starting to lag due to lack of air. He saw the air pocket ahead and quickly pulled her to him, breathing his own air into her mouth. Her eyes widened, but she knew he was counting on her to get them to the air pocket as quickly as possible, being the best swimmer. Not willing to let him down, she hooked her arm with his and pulled him along, kicking as fast as she could until she finally reached the air pocket. She gasped for air and he coughed, as she pulled them up into the small air space.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He nodded.

"I'm fine," he assured her.

"We have to keep going," he urged. She nodded and kissed him. He smiled, as they took deep breaths and continued on. They saw a light at the end of the tunnel and smiled at each other underwater, as they swam as fast as they could. The current suddenly picked up and the water churned. They locked arms, as they were sucked into the whirlwind and whipped around violently, before they were thrust through the lit exit into the unknown.

~*~

Conner's face soured again, as there was another disgusting crunch beneath his sneakers.

"Ugh, bugs usually don't bother me, but this is getting gross," he complained, as the crunching became more frequent.

"Then don't look down, because these are probably the biggest roaches I've ever seen," Billy warned.

"Well, if this Goldar dude is going for the nastiest place ever, he would win," Dustin said, as there was another large crunch underneath his boot.

"Ugh…I'm throwing these boots away when we get out of this," Dustin promised himself.

"If we get out of this. He said we're free if we survive and find the girls, but you know he's lying," Conner pointed out.

"Yeah, not even I'm that trusting. What do you think, Dr. C?" Dustin asked.

"Well, Conner's right. Goldar won't just let us go. Unfortunately, Goldar has become a lot more creative since our days as rangers, not to mention completely insane. He's not opposed to ending his own life if it means taking all of us with him," Billy profiled with a sigh. He loved and hated his job sometimes. He surrounded himself with this stuff on a daily basis. Sick, twisted, perverted human evil of the worst kind and he dissected it like a damn frog in a lab. His work had its rewarding days where they captured the worst scum out there and put them away. That was the only reason he did it, but no matter how many they put away, a dozen more popped up in place of the last. He knew Kat and his two little angels were what kept him grounded. And now the mother of his children was down in this hell hole. This time, the evil had gone after her and he was going to make sure Goldar paid for it.

"If that's true, then how are we going to defeat him?" Conner asked.

"We find the girls and survive this hell pit. When he realizes that none of his traps or creatures can take us down, he'll face us and try to end us himself. Then we fight him with everything we have. We defeat him or get control of the teleportation system and we get off this island," Billy told them, knowing it was easier said than done, as he saw Conner stumble suddenly.

"Whoa!" he cried, as Dustin caught him.

"There's a hole there," Conner said, as Billy knelt down.

"It looks like a well. A really dirty one, but there's a ladder," Billy replied, as Conner knelt beside him. Kira's ptera scream pierced their ears.

"Dude…that's a hell of a scream," Dustin said, his ears ringing now.

"Kira!" Conner called.

"Conner?!" she called up in surprise.

"Hang on…we're coming for you!" he called back.

"Kat?!" Billy called.

"I'm down here too Billy, please hurry, there are bloody rats the size of small dogs down here!" Kat cried.

"Great…rats, like the roaches weren't nasty and diseased enough," Conner grumbled, as he and Billy started climbing down.

"Dustin, stay up here in case we need help getting out of this thing," Billy instructed.

As they jumped down into the well, their feet sloshed through dirty, slimy water. Conner took out his pocket knife and cut the ropes around the girls' wrists. They were huddled together and they both noticed tear tracks on their cheeks. It was a frightening place to be left tied up in, but Conner supposed that was Goldar's intent. He kicked a large rat away, while Billy battled another away from the girls. The creatures didn't seem all that deterred, but once her arms were free, Kira threw them around Conner's neck. He held her tightly and stroked her hair.

"Oh Billy…" Kat cried, as she threw her arms around her husband.

"It's okay Kat…I'm here," Billy whispered.

"Where are the girls?" she whimpered.

"I took them to my dad's," he assured her. She nodded.

"I was afraid that he was going to go after our babies," she cried.

"Shh…I'm not going to let that happen," he promised.

"Start climbing, I'll be right behind you and Dustin is waiting at the top," Conner told her, as Kira started climbing.

Once she got close, Dustin grabbed her hand and pulled her up. Conner was next and the former red Dino ranger turned to help Kat up and then finally Billy.

"Now where?" Conner asked.

"We continue on and hope we can find a way out," Billy said, as he took Kat's hand and led her, as the three younger former rangers followed suit. But without warning, the five of them were snatched up by teleportation beams.

~*~

Shane, Cam, Tommy, and Jason hopped the ascending platforms. Once they started getting higher, the suspended platforms seemed to begin to connect to each other, some consisting of concrete and others of mesh metal walkways, also suspended in the air, likely with the magic that had created the whole place. As they trekked upward, it got harder to breathe, but Cam noticed a tunnel opening in the massive rock walls that surrounded them near what could now be seen as the top. It was apparent to them now that they were in some sort of canyon in the outlying areas around the fortress where they had originally come in.

"I think we're getting close finally," Jason said.

"Close to what?" Shane asked.

"We're not sure yet," Tommy replied.

"That tunnel must go somewhere," Cam said, as they traipsed up the inclined rock platform and into the narrow tunnel. The moment they were inside the tunnel, they felt a searing heat coming from the other side.

"Whoa…" Shane said, as sweat began to bead on their skin. When they reached the mouth of the tunnel, they found a massive lava lake below them.

"TOMMY!" Kimberly cried. His head snapped up and he found her in a cage atop a very large, but sinking pillar. Parallel to Kimberly was another pillar where Trini was trapped as well.

"JASON!" Trini called.

"HANG ON, WE'RE COMING!" Jason called.

"How do we get over there? Air jumping is a little risky when there's a pool of lava below us," Shane said, referring to his abilities.

"We'll have to take the network of smaller pillars up and then climb down onto the cages to get the girls out," Tommy said, pointing to the network of rocky outcroppings above them.

"Shane, you're with Jason. Cam you're with me," Tommy said, as they ascended up and parted ways, two going one way and two the other. A fierce wind threatened to knock them over, as wispy tendrils formed into winged creatures.

"Great…wind wraiths. Like a lava lake wasn't enough," Jason growled, as he struggled to keep his footing.

"Power of Air!" Shane called, as he shot ninja beams at the wraiths, as they jumped from platform to platform. When he was close enough, Jason jumped down onto the cage holding his wife and took out his handgun.

"Stand back Tri," Jason said, as he shot the lock and opened the top hatch. She climbed out and they joined Shane.

"If we keep going up, we could scale down the outside of this canyon. We'll probably end up back in that jungle, but going down isn't going to do us any good," Shane said. Jason nodded.

"It's our best chance," Jason said, as he and Trini followed Shane, as they began climbing the canyon walls.

"Samurai beams!" Cam cried, as he shot green energy at the wind wraiths.

"Hurry and get Kim. I'll hold them off," Cam said, as Tommy leapt down onto the cage holding Kimberly.

"A lava lake…seriously? When I see Goldar or Goldman or whatever he's calling himself, I'm going to kick him in the balls," Kim ranted, making Tommy chuckle, despite their precarious situation.

"I would love to see that," he said, as he used the screwdriver attachment on his pocket knife to pick the lock.

"You know how to pick a lock?" she asked her husband.

"Not really, but that's all I've got. I don't pack around a handgun like Mr. FBI over there," Tommy said, indicating his best friend.

"Not to rush you handsome, but please hurry," Kim urged, as the pillar continued to sink. The lock clinked and Tommy threw the lock off, before opening the top hatch and pulling her out.

"You got it," she said.

"I got lucky. For a fancy dark dimension, that was a pretty cheap lock," Tommy replied, as he took her hand and led her back to where Cam waited and they began their own climb. However, without warning, the six of them were snapped up by a beam of teleportation…

~*~

Hunter groaned in pain, as he woke up and looked around. They were washed up on the rocks in a pond surrounding a waterfall in what looked like a cave. The opening of the cave was before him and he could see the outside from the cave. He sat up and saw Tori lying beside him. Everything that had happened came rushing back to him and he caressed her beautiful face gently. She whimpered and opened her eyes, meeting his, as he helped her sit up.

"Hunter…where are we?" Tori asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think we made it out," he replied, as he pointed to the exit of the cave. She smiled and took his hand, as they got to their feet.

"Now we can find the others and find a way home," she said. He nodded and hugged her tightly. Their eyes met again and he leaned down, kissing her passionately. Their lips finally parted, but their eyes didn't, as the feelings that had been building between them for almost a year and a half flowed freely and effortlessly now.

"Kira is never going to let this go. She was right about us all along," Tori said, breaking the silence. He smirked.

"Yeah, the guys are going to give me crap too, but you're definitely worth it all," he said, causing her to blush, as he held her hands in his own.

"Aww…how sweet. I think I'm going to lose my lunch," Sabrina drawled, as she appeared. She was wearing a black and gold bodysuit, ideal for fighting and was armed with an enchanted glaive that Goldar had rewarded her with. Tori and Hunter tossed away their civilian clothes, revealing their Ninja forms and sank into a fighting stance.

"You know, I'm getting tired of our conversations being interrupted by unwanted company," he mused. She smirked.

"Me too, after we get out of this, we'll have to find a place where we won't be interrupted," Tori mentioned.

"That's optimistic of you, considering that you'll never leave this place alive," Sabrina hissed, as she fired a blast of gold energy at them from her glaive. They flipped out of the energy path and Tori leapt at her with a flying kick. Sabrina blocked it and knocked her away, but the water ninja landed on her feet. Water energy swirled around her, as she fired her ninja beam. Sabrina was caught off guard when the attack slammed into her and threw her into a wall. She landed in a dripping wet heap and glared daggers at the blonde beauty.

"I'm gonna make you regret that, you little bitch…" Sabrina hissed.

"Bring it, tramp," Tori taunted. Sabrina let out a howl of rage, as she charged at Tori and unleashed a fierce energy blast. But Hunter stepped in, his entire body alive with crimson thunder energy. The blast clashed with his energy and fought to nullify his thunder energy. But the former crimson ranger stood strong.

"Congratulations for making it this far, but then I think Goldar and I were both hoping you all would make it so we could dispose of you ourselves," Sabrina hissed.

"I don't care what you or that psychopath want. We're going to find our friends and then we're getting out of here, even if we have to go through you and the freak you're working for," Hunter spat. Sabrina cackled in amusement.

"Think again handsome," she goaded, as Goldar's teleportation beam snatched them up without warning. Sabrina smirked and followed.

~*~

Trent nearly collapsed against the wall, sweating and struggling to stay conscious.

"I can't go any further…I can't breathe!" he cried.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Ethan rasped, as he tried not to breathe in the poisonous gasses.

"Yeah, it can't be much further…we have to keep going," Rocky urged, as he grabbed Trent's arm and pulled him along. Tanya started coughing and Adam rubbed her back. Her eyes watered, as she looked up at her husband.

"He's right though, I can't take much more of this," she whimpered.

"There's a door!" Rocky called, as he turned the knob, but found it locked. Using his training as a cop, he backed up and kicked it down. They poured into the next tunnel and found it clear of the poison gas. They rested for a few minutes, as they took starved breaths of clear air, before Adam led them down the clear tunnel.

"Am I going insane or can the rest of you hear water too?" Ethan asked. Rocky nodded.

"No, there's definitely water ahead. I can smell it and its nasty water too," Rocky mentioned, as a rancid smell filled their nostrils.

"This whole place is disgusting! Leave it to that gold plated monkey freak to dream up a sick place like this," Aisha snapped angrily. Rocky squeezed her hand, trying to offer her comfort. He knew that she missed their son and was frightened that she may never see their little boy again.

"We've kicked that freak's ass before back in the day and we'll do it again, baby. We're getting out of this," he promised his wife.

"Goldilocks is probably getting impatient anyway. He'll confront us soon enough when he figures out his temple of doom isn't going to do us in," Adam said, as they came to the mouth of the tunnel and into an open cavern. A dirty stream ran through the cavern and they covered their noses.

"Oh that's nasty," Ethan complained.

"Okay, the stream isn't very wide and we're going to have to cross it," Adam stated.

"I was afraid you were going to say that," Tanya said, with disgust on her face. Suddenly, the cavern rumbled and a very large snake slithered from the water.

"Oh shit…" Trent cried, as the girls screamed. Adam pulled Tanya away, as the snake struck at them. Angry that he missed, he rose up again, as Rocky pulled Aisha behind him and cocked his gun. The thing was massive so he knew he needed to hit it in the head to drop it instantly. The snake reared and prepared to strike the other couple. Tanya screamed, as she and Adam were backed against the wall. Adam held her tightly and she buried her face in his chest, as they realized there was no escape. Just as it prepared to snap them into its powerful jaws, a gunshot rang out and the creature fell dead to the ground mere inches from Adam and Tanya.

"Nice shooting…" Ethan said, impressed. Rocky smirked and holstered his gun. But before they could react further, white beams of teleportation snatched them all up…

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Rangers Together, Legacy Forever

Rita opened her front door and was not surprised to see Wesley Collins and Eric Meyers on her doorstep.

"I had a feeling you two might show up," she said.

"Then you know us?" Wes asked. She nodded.

"Wes Collins and Eric Meyers from Time Force, if I'm not mistaken," she replied. Eric nodded.

"That's us…and we brought some friends with us," Eric said. Rita noticed the ranger teams on her front lawn. The Space rangers, Galaxy rangers, the Wild Force team, Lightspeed Rescue, and a lone young man dressed in navy that Rita knew to be Blake Bradley from her knowledge of ranger history. Behind him was a man that could only be Sensei Watanabe and his two nieces. And in the back, she instantly recognized Zack Taylor and a grown up Justin Stewart.

"I see that…they're not back yet," Rita said.

"We know and that's why we're here. We want you to open the portal for us," Wes stated. Rita sighed.

"Come in please," she said, as the dozens of young people poured into her house. Once the door was closed, she faced them with a weary expression.

"They've been gone a long time and I don't want to think of what that might mean. Goldar planned and prepared for this moment for years and there is a very good chance that they didn't make it," Rita said.

"I don't think it's too late, but it might be if you don't let us go in there," Eric stated.

"Mr. Meyers is correct. I implore you to let us pass into that dimension. My son is in there and four other young people that I see as my children as well," Kanoi pleaded.

"Goldar wants to kill all living rangers, but he chose to start with the group that's in there now. We were thinking that if we go in for a surprise attack that he might not be able to handle us all at once," Carter explained.

"Carter's right. If Goldar planned to kill all living rangers, then we're next if he succeeds with the first wave," Andros added.

"That's my brother in there too…you have to let me through that portal," Blake urged. Rita sighed.

"You'll need my magic to find them quickly, so I'm coming with you. I'd like to give monkey breath a piece of my mind anyhow," she said, as she led them down to the basement. Once there, she opened the portal and stepped through. Two at a time, starting with Wes and Eric, the former rangers filed through.

~*~

As the last group was teleported in, they had to shield their eyes from the blaring sun.

They were in some type of outdoor arena, with massive stone pillars and what looked like crests adorning the pillars, though the language was nothing they could read or had ever seen.

"Welcome to the Colosseum of Warriors. This is just how it looks on my native planet of Titan," a male voice boomed. They looked up, seeing Goldar above them on a balcony with Sabrina beside him.

"The large gold and black crest on the center pillar is mine and one exactly like it used to reside in the grand arena back home. The center spot is reserved for only the most powerful warrior. That's why Zedd originally selected me to lead his army," the voice said. Jason snorted.

"I should have known this was about your ego, Goldar. You've fallen so far and now you're throwing a hissy fit," Jason goaded.

"Oh no, this isn't about my ego. It's about my revenge!" Goldar roared, as he appeared before them now.

"Why don't you just use Zedd's magic to turn yourself back into your original form if that's what you want so badly?" Billy asked. Goldar's eyes darted to the genius and he smirked.

"You can't, can you? Zordon's magic can't be reversed by Zedd's. All that power and you still can't get what you want," Billy goaded. Goldar growled and white lightning from the Z staff struck the former blue ranger, throwing him back several feet.

"BILLY!" Kat screamed, as she and the others ran to him. He held his chest in pain, as Jason helped him sit up.

"I'm fine," Billy insisted.

"That's a hell of a burn on your chest. Just take it easy," Jason warned, as tears fell down Kat's cheeks.

"Damn it…what do you want!" Shane screamed.

"You got us here and you tried to throw your worst at us, but we survived so now what?" the red wind ranger demanded.

"Oh I'm so glad you asked that, Mr. Clarke, because you're right, it's time for the end game," Goldman stated, as he raised Zedd's staff to the sky. It instantly went black and the wind picked up. Crackling white energy built in the Z and then struck the ground. There was a violent rumbling and cracking, as the ground beneath them began to break apart.

"What's happening?" Tori cried, over the sound and the now high winds that whipped around them. The pillars cracked and collapsed in chunks around them. She screamed and held onto Hunter, as they tried to keep their footing and evade the falling debris. The others struggled too and to their horror, shadowy figures began to emerge from the fiery pit that had now been unearthed below.

"What the fuck…" Jason swore, as the shadowy figures could be seen as enemies long since defeated by various teams of rangers and he recognized most from Billy's database of ranger history. But they weren't the same as they had been in the days they had terrorized the rangers. It was worse than that. They were evil spirits now, demons, with no actual substance, but he had a gut feeling that it didn't make them any less dangerous.

"Dude…it's just like the abyss of evil all over again!" Dustin cried.

"It's worse than that!" Cam called.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

"He's talking about the ancient Ninja scrolls!" Hunter explained.

"Our Sensei's always called it the abyss of evil to keep the stories G rated, but the scroll's direct translation was really called gates of Gehenna!" Hunter called.

"Hunter's right…Gehenna is the worst part of hell where only the worst and most evil go! But it's worse than it was two years ago!" Cam agreed.

"What do you mean?" Shane called.

"He means when Lothor did it…he only had the power to open for the recently deceased! Only monsters killed by your team!" Billy deduced. Cam nodded.

"He's right…like a small pocket of hell," Cam explained.

"And let me guess…he's opening the full gate," Jason said gravely.

"It would appear so," Billy replied.

"Yes…only the darkest magic can open the gateway to Gehenna!" a female voice called. They looked and found Rita standing there, followed by all former rangers that weren't already present, with the exception of four from Time Force. Sensei Watanabe, Marah, and Kapri were also there and quickly hurried toward the Ninja Storm team.

"Dad…what are you doing here? It's too dangerous!" Cam cried.

"It will not matter where I am if he is not defeated, son. The entire planet is in danger unless we rid ourselves of this evil," Kanoi stated gravely.

"We thought you could use a little help!" Wes called. Tommy nodded.

"Can't hurt…but you realize we're probably all screwed, right?" Tommy asked. Wes nodded like he understood.

"It doesn't matter…once a ranger, always a ranger, even if that means we go down. We just have to try and take Goldilocks with us!" Zack cried over the wind, as he joined his friends.

"You foolish children…you've walked right into your own execution! I may not be able to regain my true form, but that doesn't mean I can't create a new one!" Goldar cried maniacally, as he raised the Z staff to the sky.

"What is he doing?" Billy asked.

"He's using dark magic to absorb all the demon spirits and evil essence he can!" Rita called, as she prepared to use her own magic to counter Goldar's.

An inhuman scream of pain and rage erupted from Goldar, as he began absorbing the dark spirits into his being. His body began to convulse and morph into the most hideous creature any of them had ever seen. Signs of Mesagog and Maligore could be seen in his head and body, as the body looked like hardened magma and the head clearly had a dinosaur visage. Wings adorned his back now, similar to ones that once adorned Vypra and a long powerful tail, likely also from Mesagog in his ultimate form.

Green slime dripped from his limbs now, reminiscent of Trakeena's mutated form, a single horn also now extended from his head, indicating that Orgs also had influence here. A large shark fin, likely from Vexacus himself protruded now from Goldar's back and dangerous spikes covered his chest, reminding the space rangers of the treacherous Darkonda. Bluish lightning crackled from him as well, indicating that he had likely absorbed Lokar as well. Goldar's eyes snapped open, revealing that he had retained his naturally red eyes that now bled from his face with more evil than any of them had ever seen. Goldar let loose with a gravely, deep cackle that chilled them to the bone.

Rocky, Billy, and Jason drew their guns and began pumping bullets into the creature before them. But they weren't surprised to see that it had no effect. Goldar laughed evilly and whipped his new tail at the three former rangers, sending them flying back.

"This is it…we're cooked," Ethan realized.

"No…we're not giving up…not yet!" Andros called, as he and his team initiated their morphing sequence and charged at the monster. With one single blow to each of them, their ranger suits disappeared and the five of them painfully hit the ground. The Galaxy rangers and Lightspeed rangers soon found themselves in the same predicament, as their ranger powers seemed useless against him and were easily canceled.

"Ninja beams guys…" Shane said, as he stood with his team.

"What's the point dude? It's over," Dustin said bitterly, as he held Marah close.

"We have to try," Hunter added.

"Hunter's right…we'll at least know we gave it everything we had then," Blake agreed, as they stood together.

"Power of Air!" Shane screamed.

"Power of Earth!" Dustin called.

"Power of Water!" Tori cried, as red, yellow, and blue beams slammed into Goldar's new demonic form.

"Power of Thunder!" Hunter and Blake joined in, as crimson and navy beams of crackling energy barreled toward their enemy, hitting him head on.

"Power of the Samurai!" Cam called, as his green energy was added to the attack. But Goldar stood strong and only laughed at them. With a powerful shove, he forced their attacks back and a huge explosion tossed the six ninjas to the ground, each landing painfully and hope dwindling in each of them.

Cole charged next, morphed as the red Wild Force ranger, and attempted to land a punch, but Goldar swatted him away like he was a mere fly. His team joined him, but it didn't make a difference. Their morphing sequence was canceled by a single blast of Goldar's energy that threw them back.

Eric and Wes launched themselves at Goldar next, firing their weapons, while Conner, Kira, Ethan, and Trent charged behind them. Goldar absorbed the blasts from the Quantum defender and canceled Wes' time strike attack with ease, batting the two rangers away like nothing.

Using his super speed, Conner darted around, attempting to land what kicks and punches he could. But his gift left over from his Dino gem wasn't enough and the demon possessed warrior matched the former red Dino ranger's speed. He caught him and wrapped his large, clawed hand around Conner's neck, lifted him off the ground and tossed him away like a rag doll. Ethan blocked a blow aimed for him next with his Dino skin, but Goldar broke right through like it was nothing and kicked the former blue away. Kira tried to knock him back with a Ptera scream, while Trent attempted his own attack, but both were knocked away like minor annoyances.

"Don't you get it yet?" Goldar roared.

"You can't defeat me now…I am all powerful!" he screamed, as Rocky and Adam were knocked away and Kat and Tanya were blown back.

"No one's all powerful, least of all you!" Tommy called, as he and Jason keyed off, before charging. As they ran at the enemy, they morphed into the red Morphin ranger and red Zeo ranger, despite the risks. Bringing their swords down on the monster, they attempted to fight him, but were severely outmatched. Tommy hit the ground on his back, his morph exploding into nothing. Jason was thrown hard to the ground, landing on his side and rolled several times, his morph disappearing as well. Tommy spit blood from his mouth and knew he was probably bleeding internally now. Jason struggled to his feet, hissing in pain from his broken ribs.

"Tommy…no!" Kim pleaded, trying to hold him back.

"I'm sorry beautiful…I'm so sorry," Tommy cried, as he put his hand on her stomach. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"We almost had it all, but if this is how it ends, then I can be okay dying in the arms of the only man I've ever loved…even if that means our baby dies with us," she said, sobbing for their unborn child that would never get the chance to live. Goldar would have made some snide remark to the couple, if he had not been momentarily distracted by Sabrina, who was attempting to sneak away. He smirked devilishly and strode toward her retreating form, while his sniveling enemies said their pitiful goodbyes.

"Stop…your ribs are broken," Trini pleaded with her husband.

"It doesn't matter Tri…it's over…" Jason said. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

"I never thought it would end like this," she said miserably.

"At least we're together…at least we go with love in our hearts. No regrets," he whispered, as he cupped her face and kissed her tenderly.

Shane struggled to get up, but his body wasn't obeying and he fell on his back again. He suddenly felt a glow on him, as the angelic form of Skyla was above him.

"Skyla…" he croaked in amazement.

"Hello my love…" she whispered.

"How?" he asked.

"I told you that I would always be with you, especially when you needed me most," she whispered, as she brushed her ghostly lips against his.

"I'll be with you soon," Shane whispered. Skyla only smiled, like she knew something he didn't.

Billy and Kat lay next to each other, battered and beaten, but held each other close.

"I love you Kat…" he whispered.

"I love you too Billy…every day since you came back into my life has been like a dream. I guess I just wish it wasn't ending this way," she said, as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Me either," he admitted, as he kissed her for what he was sure would be the final time.

"Tori…" Hunter called, as he dragged himself along the ground, broken leg and all, and collapsed beside her. She looked at him with watery eyes and reached up to caress his face. He gazed down at her, marveling at how even with tear tracks staining her cheeks, blood caked in her hair, and dirt smudges on her face, she was still breathtaking.

"I'm sorry we didn't have more time…" he whispered. She nodded and sniffed, as tears poured from her blue eyes.

"Me too," she sobbed. He curled up next to her, pulling her into his arms, as she sobbed against his chest.

"I love you…" he whispered.

"I love you too…just hold me until the end…" she requested. He leaned down and captured her lips with his and held her tightly.

"Forever…even if forever ends now," he promised.

Rocky and Aisha held each other nearby, as did Adam and Tanya, each saying their goodbyes, holding each other tight, and sharing what they thought would be final kisses.

"Conner…" Kira cried, as they huddled together.

"I'm sorry…" he said, almost at a loss for words, as they held each other.

"At least we're all together," Kira said.

"See you on the other side," he replied, as he kissed her passionately. More instances between other couples and friends were taking place, as Goldar's attention was momentarily directed elsewhere.

~*~

"Going somewhere?" Goldar asked, as his new, frightening form appeared in front of the fleeing Sabrina. She gasped and started backing away, arming herself with her glaive.

"I didn't help you just so you could take me down with you," she hissed. He chuckled evilly.

"Then by all means, try to take me down," Goldar taunted. She fired an energy blast at her glaive, but he batted the attack away like nothing.

"You think you can kill me with the puny powers I gave you?!" he roared, as he stalked toward her. She backed away, her eyes wide with fear.

"Don't be afraid, my dear. You're about to become a part of true greatness…" he hissed, as he wrapped his hand around her neck. She let out a blood curdling scream and everyone around couldn't help but watch in horror, as she shriveled to nothing and became absorbed into Goldar's dark form. The evil being cackled, as he turned his attention back to his enemies.

"You have seen your fate now, rangers! You will become a part of that which you have fought so tirelessly against and you will help destroy all that is good in the universe! Zordon's legacy will be forever stained in the blood of innocents!" Goldar raged psychotically.

"You are sadly mistaken, dark one, if you think it is going to end like this," Skyla's spirit told him.

"Oh really…and I suppose you and this group of broken children are going to stop me?" Goldar taunted.

"They are actually…with a little help, perhaps…" a male voice boomed. Recognition could be seen on the faces of the original twelve, as a bright light flashed and the ghostly form of Zordon, free of his time warp, appeared before them.

"Zordon!" Kimberly cried in hopeful amazement. He chuckled.

"It's good to see you too, my little crane," he replied.

"But…you're…" Adam stuttered, trying to find words.

"Dead? Yes, I'm indeed dead so to speak, but my essence is still contained within the morphing grid. Usually I am limited to any interference, but these are the most dire of circumstances and I must intervene," Zordon explained.

"Nothing you can do can stop me, old man," Goldar hissed.

"You're right, nothing I can do will stop you and I should have turned you to dust. That is a mistake that my rangers will unfortunately have to fix for me," Zordon replied. Goldar snorted.

"Look around, you old windbag! Your rangers are all half dead!" Goldar pointed out.

"Not for long…" Zordon taunted, as magical tendrils erupted from Rita's wand and using most of her energy, their wounds were amazingly and miraculously healed. Tommy felt the searing pain inside him fade, as did Jason, his ribs now mended. Billy's third degree burn on his chest was gone and Kat's dislocated shoulder was set right as if nothing had happened. Hunter's leg mended and Shane's head wound healed also. All wounds inflicted by Goldar were gone and now the rangers stood strong before him again.

"You think that will matter? I beat them once and the second time won't be any different!" Goldar roared.

"That's where you're wrong," Tommy stated, as he stood strong, the other six Ninjetti gathering with him.

"Yeah, we learned a long time ago that with the power, anything is possible," Adam stated.

"That includes kicking your ass and all the other asses you just absorbed," Rocky added.

"Some of us don't have our powers anymore, but it's still inside us," Aisha stated.

"It will be more than enough to end you," Billy chimed in.

"Time to go to hell where you belong, bastard," Kimberly spat, as the six of them glowed with their ranger colors, their animal spirits springing forth and slamming into their nemesis. Katherine, Tanya and Justin joined Jason, Zack, and Trini, as their colors burst forth, striking Goldar's demonic form. The youngest teams joined their predecessors and mentors, their residual Dino energy and Ninja powers slamming into him too. The circle around Goldar was completed by the Space rangers, the Galaxy team, Lightspeed Rescue, the two present members of Time Force, and finally Wild Force, as ten generations of power rangers assaulted him with their power.

"No…NO THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE!" Goldar roared, as he felt the spirits he had absorbed leaving him and being plunged back into the hellish depths below. As he weakened, Jason and Tommy signaled their fellow red rangers, as all thirteen reds stepped forward, glowing with their red power.

"NO…NO!" Goldar kept screaming. Tommy chuckled.

"What's the matter Goldar? Seeing red?" Tommy joked.

"You always did hate red, though shouldn't you be glowing like rainbow or something, bro?" Jason joked. Tommy shook his head.

"Funny," he replied sarcastically.

"Time to finish this," Andros called, as red energy slammed into Goldar, as Conner, Hunter, Shane, Cole, Wes, Eric, Carter, Leo, Andros, T.J., Tommy, and Jason's energy engulfed the evil being and thrust him into the churning lava depths below. They watched the gruesome scene, as the body lit on fire half way down, before the ashes were consumed into the hot flowing magma. The light faded and all the rangers fell to their knees in exhaustion.

"We did it…" Dustin said, as a huge grin lit up his face.

"I can't believe that just happened," Ethan said in disbelief.

"We won…" Conner grinned, as he ran and scooped Kira into his arms, spinning her around. Similar scenes occurred between other ranger couples, while Zordon looked on, elated to see those he considered his children, safe and happy once again.

However, Shane didn't look as happy as he should, as Skyla prepared to leave him once again.

"I can't lose you again…my heart can't take that a second time," Shane cried.

"I know it's hard, but I'll always be with you…" she promised. Tears slipped down Shane's cheeks.

"It's not enough…it's not fair! I love you and I've thought about you every minute of every day since we met," Shane cried. Skyla's ghostly hand caressed his cheek.

"I know…I wish things were different," Skyla said sadly.

"Maybe they can be," Rita said, as she came beside them. They were both astonished, as she glowed with a bright light. Her magic struck Skyla and gave her solid form, while Rita took on her ghostly one. Shane and the others could only look on in amazement.

"What…I don't understand?" Skyla stuttered, as she looked at her human hands in awe.

"For years, I used my magic for evil and destruction. When Zordon gave me a second chance, I vowed to use it for good and now it is time to make good on that vow. In this form, my magic will be far more powerful and of great use to future ranger teams. In turn, you can now have your greatest desire and be with the one you love," Rita said, as she smiled at the young couple.

"Is…is this real?" Shane asked, as he delicately cupped Skyla's face in his hands. She smiled and could only nod, as tears welled in her eyes. Shane smiled and did what he had done so many times in his dreams. He kissed her passionately and held her tightly in his arms, unaware of the applause from his fellow rangers around him.

"Don't delay and return to Earth through the portal, rangers. It won't remain open very long," Zordon instructed.

"Zordon…" Kimberly cried tearfully.

"I'll always be watching over you…all of you, my charges. May the power protect you…always," Zordon said simply, as he and Rita disappeared.

"Come on guys…let's go home," Tommy called, as the dozens of former rangers hurried through the portal, before it finally closed behind the final person to step through.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Aftermath

The portal closed behind the last person to step through and they all let out breaths of relief, as they stood huddled together in Rita's basement. Hugs were exchanged all around and kisses between couples. It was the first time Blake was seeing his brother and Tori together. He couldn't be angry…okay, he probably could have been. But he had moved on with someone else, though it wasn't really serious yet. Both he and Tori decided it was best long before either of them started dating anyone, as neither of them believed a long distance relationship was fair to either. And, he had to admit it made him happy to see both his brother and one time crush happy together, if she had to be with anyone other than him.

Hunter and Tori's lips parted and they blushed, as their friends gawked at them in surprise.

"Blake…" Hunter started. But the younger Bradley held up his hand.

"It's okay Hunter, you don't have to explain. I've moved on with someone else, so I knew eventually Tori would too," Blake stated.

"I'll admit, I'm a little surprised it's with you, bro, but at least I know she's with someone who's going to treat her right…someone I trust with my own life. You guys look good together," Blake said. Hunter and Tori hugged him from either side, while Dustin and Marah looked on. Shane and Skyla were absorbed by each other, still letting it sink in that they were actually together, while Cam's heart yearned for Leann, his girlfriend and daughter of Sensei Omino. But he knew he would see her very soon.

Goodbyes were quick for now at this point, as the rangers were all eager to return home. But after what they had been through together, it was clear that a celebration and ranger reunion, the first ever, was in order. For now though, they returned to pick up their daily lives with a renewed love for life and a promise to never take anything, including each other, for granted again.

~*~

"Mommy! Daddy!" two sweet little voices called, as the blonde haired little girls squirmed away from their grandfather and toddled to their approaching parents. Billy and Kat scooped them up and held them tightly, kissing their flaxen hair.

"My baby girls," Kat said, as she soaked up everything about them. Billy kissed her hair and then hugged his father.

"Is everything all right?" Alan Cranston asked, well aware of Billy's and the others' pasts as rangers.

"It is now, Dad, I'll tell you about it later," Billy promised. Alan looked pleased.

"So you'll be staying the night at least?" he asked. His son nodded.

"We'll take the "ranger express" back to Virginia in the morning," he said, as Katherine hugged her father-in-law.

"Well then, is anyone hungry?" Alan asked. Kat and Billy glanced at each other, suddenly realizing it had been a very long time since they last ate.

"Starving," they answered simultaneously. Alan chuckled.

"Well, we can't have that. I'll go fire up the grill," Alan said, as he went back inside the house that Billy had grown up in. Kat smiled at him, as Carly and Michaela clung to their parents and kissed him tenderly.

"Come on girls, let's go help grandpa in the kitchen," Kat called, as the little family went inside as well.

~*~

"Well, this is it, the Wind Ninja Academy. Dustin and Tori teach too, but choose to live off campus. I live in the staff dorms and Sensei's already given you a room too," Shane told Skyla. She nodded and kissed his cheek.

"I know all this is really new, but I'll be there every step of the way and so will my friends," Shane said, as he held her hands in his own. Skyla smiled.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, as long as I have you. I have a lot to learn about being human, I'm sure, but I think I'll manage," she mused. He smiled and kissed her gently.

"I…I still can't believe this is real," he said, choking back tears. She held his face in her hands.

"I know…I can't either. It's a new beginning for both of us," she whispered. He smiled and their lips met again.

"Hey dudes…we're grubbing. Are you coming?" Dustin called.

"Grubbing?" Skyla asked in confusion. Shane chuckled.

"It's slang for eating," Shane told her.

"Yeah, we're coming!" he called, as he spotted his friends. Dustin and Marah held hands, as did Leann and Cam. Hunter had his arm around Tori's waist, while Kapri and Blake remained the single ones of the group, though Blake was dating a girl outside their ranger circle.

"So pizza?" Hunter asked. Shane nodded.

"Sounds good, but none of that ham and pineapple crap you eat," Shane replied.

"Yeah, it's nasty," Blake chimed in. Hunter looked offended at his friend's comments.

"Fine," he huffed. Tori smirked.

"I'll share one with you," she promised and he smiled.

"You're the best," Hunter said, as they chuckled. Things would return to normal, well as normal as they could get in Blue Bay Harbor.

For Shane, he felt complete now with Skyla by his side. For Hunter, he felt much the same, as the void inside him that he was sure would never be filled was now so with Tori in his arms and his brother's blessing. For them, their story wasn't over. It was simply a new beginning to their lives and a new story that only time would tell.

~*~

Conner McKnight sighed, as his twin brother babbled on the other end of the phone. Being a student at the Academy, he had naturally heard the whispers of their sensei's and former rangers' little adventure. He was kind of surprised that such information wasn't kept from the students, but he figured with Marah and Kapri knowing about it, then keeping it a secret was moot.

"Eric…we're fine, seriously," Conner assured his twin.

"Bro, we heard the stories from Kapri. You guys, like almost died and stuff," Eric went on. Conner rolled his eyes and pulled the phone away from his ear for a second.

"Was I really that big of an airhead before our ranger days?" he asked his girlfriend. Kira smirked, as she sat on his couch in his apartment, strumming her guitar idly.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" she asked sarcastically. He smirked.

"Probably not," he replied, as he brought the phone back to his ear.

"Are you listening to me?" Eric asked.

"Not really dude, I don't need to hear all the gossip going on at the Academy. Tori and Hunter will tell me all the important stuff anyway," Conner replied, referring to their friends.

"That's just it bro, you gotta give me the goods! I mean my Sensei is back with this girl that no one's ever seen and they're like totally into each other. And if that wasn't weird enough, Tally's sensei is like all over the head sensei of the Thunder Academy," Eric pressed on.

"I'm not gossiping with you about my friends' love lives. Besides, ranger stuff isn't something that should be discussed over the phone. You know too much already," Conner replied.

"Fine, but next time I see you, we're going to talk," Eric replied. Conner groaned.

"Whatever dude…listen, I've got to go," Conner said.

"Kira must be there…am I right? Man, she is so hot…" Eric continued to ramble.

"Goodbye Eric," Conner said, as he hung up the phone and sat down beside his girlfriend, listening to the tune she was strumming.

"That's something new," he mentioned. She smiled. That was always one thing that surprised her about him. He always noticed and took interest in her music, something that a lot of guys would never do.

"It's amazing what kind of inspiration near death experiences can give you," she replied. He nodded.

"I know exactly what you mean," he stated, as he took her hand and looked her in the eyes.

"I know we haven't said it and I don't expect anything in return. I know we haven't been dating long and I'm probably risking screwing up what we have, but I can't help how I feel about you," Conner said. Kira squeezed his hand, urging him to continue.

"I love you Kira…I have for a while, but this whole mess made me realize just how much. You're the one…I know that in my heart," he confessed, bringing tears to her eyes. She set her guitar aside and turned to him.

"I love you too, Conner," she confessed in return. He gave her one of those smiles, the Conner grin, as she called them, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"So…the Jock and the Rockstar, huh? Not your normal couple, I guess," he mused. She smirked and kissed him passionately, their feelings overflowing from their hearts and he pulled her into his lap. She straddled him and kissed him as deeply as ever.

"Normal is way overrated anyway," she mentioned, as she broke their kiss momentarily. He gazed at her, desire and love filling his chestnut orbs. Their lips met again and she combed her fingers through his chocolate hair, as his lips left hers and tackled her neck. The haze of pleasure consumed them, as they became lost in each other.

~*~

"Thanks for watching him on such short notice," Aisha said gratefully, as they stood on the porch belonging to the Skullovich's. If you had told Rocky back in High School that he would be a detective with Skull as his partner one day and that he would know about their pasts as rangers, he would have laughed hysterically.

"What are partner's for? I'm just glad you handled everything, if you know what I mean. Besides, Zeke and Spike love playing together," Skull replied. Rocky nodded.

"So…what exactly happened?" Skull asked.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you tomorrow. We'll need something to talk about since we have to sit on stakeout for who knows how long," Rocky replied, referring to the case Skull had informed him had dropped on them while he was gone. The former bully nodded in understanding. He loved his wife, a beautiful, sweet girl he had met while in the Academy, named Nina. But they had decided that it was better she didn't know about his friends' ranger pasts.

"Here he is," a brown haired, petite woman said, as she brought their son out. Zeke ran to his parents and Rocky scooped him up.

"There's my little man," he said, as he ruffled his son's hair and Aisha kissed his cheek. Zeke saw his Uncle Adam and Aunt Tanya approaching as well and Rocky let him down. The little boy ran to them and Adam scooped his nephew up, as the other couple waved to the Skullovich's.

"We should be going, I'll see you tomorrow Eugene," Rocky said, teasing his partner about his first name.

"Don't call me that Rocko," Skull teased back. He, Nina, and Spike watched the two couples and the little boy leave in a car.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving," Rocky said, as he drove.

"That's nothing new, but I think we're all hungry," Adam replied.

"Well, before we were so rudely interrupted, we planned on grilling so we can head to our house for dinner," Tanya mentioned.

"Sounds good to me," Aisha agreed.

~*~

After dinner with everyone, Tori and Hunter broke off to take a walk on the beach at sunset. Everything was so new between them, but such a near death experience had laid all their emotions bare and they had taken a very big step into a romantic relationship. Their feelings had been there for each other for well over a year and the abrupt surfacing was overwhelming, but in a good way.

"We've been here together dozens of times…but not like this. I feel like we wasted so much time," Tori mentioned. He squeezed her hand.

"Me too…but we don't have to waste anymore time," he said, as he turned to face her. She smiled and her heart skipped a beat, as he leaned down and kissed her tenderly.

"I guess I was afraid. When I fell for you…I was afraid that I'd wreck your relationship with Blake," she said. He gave her his lazy half smile that she loved.

"Yeah…Blake is pretty forgiving though. I'm always the one that broods and is last to come around. He's always the one that people make friends with. I'm usually just the older brother they have to put up with," he replied. It was an insecurity in him that she had seen over the years. He somehow didn't think he was worthy; of being a ranger, a friend, and apparently, of love. She wanted to change that and she reached up to brush a hand to his cheek.

"Just so you know, Shane and Dustin love you like a brother. Shane may technically be the leader, but you're the protector. You're always protecting us all and you step in seamlessly when he needs you to lead. But sometimes, you're too busy protecting us and Blake that you forget about yourself," she said, as she took his hands in her own.

"You're not a replacement for Blake. I once had feelings for Blake and I really liked him, but I never fell for him. I think we loved each other the way sixteen-year-olds love each other, but we didn't fall in love. He left to chase his dream and I stayed here and found mine," she said, looking up at him.

"Me?" he asked. She smiled.

"Yes you, thunder boy," she replied.

"I'm in love with you…like real love. The kind you find when you're not kids anymore, but even better, because I can feel it's that forever kind," she added, as they shared a smile.

"Me too," he confessed.

"Probably the ranger thing…I think it makes us feel things more deeply or maybe not take life for granted," he added.

"Close calls on the battlefield will do that," she said.

"Guess that means we should stop wasting time and make up for what we lost," he replied, as he squashed the daylight between them.

"I was thinking the same," she replied, as she slipped her arms around his neck and their lips met again in a passionate kiss.

~*~

The next day

Tommy was as nervous as he had ever been, as they waited for the doctor to come in. They had gone home the night before and had a good night's sleep, but now they wanted reassurance that the baby was okay after the fiasco they had been through. Even though Rita had healed all their wounds, he was still eager for the Doctor to examine Kim.

"Hello Kimberly, how are you feeling?" the doctor asked, as she entered with Kimberly chart.

"I'm fine, the car accident wasn't bad and as far as I know, I just have a few bruises," Kim replied. They had decided that fibbing about a car accident as a reason for an impromptu checkup would keep the doctor's suspicion down.

"Well, you're very lucky, because your tests show that you and the baby are absolutely fine," the doctor assured. Tommy and Kim let out a sigh of relief.

"However, I believe that we could do an ultrasound while you're here. It's still a little early, but we might get a decent look at the baby, if you're interested," the doctor stated. The couple nodded eagerly.

"We'd really like that," Tommy replied, as the doctor proceeded to spread a clear gel on Kimberly's slightly distended belly. The machine hummed to life and Tommy squinted trying to make sense of the blurry image on the screen. Once his eyes made out the head, he instantly saw everything. Very tiny features, tiny little fingers and toes, curled up in her womb.

"Kim…" he said in awe, nearly speechless.

"Our baby…" she replied, as tears came to her eyes.

"It's a little early to tell what the sex is yet, but that should change on your next ultrasound in three months," the doctor promised.

"I don't care if it's a boy or girl, because he or she is ours," Tommy whispered to her, as the doctor handed them pictures of the ultrasound and then left them alone to gaze at their tiny creation.

"I love you…" Kimberly whispered tearfully. He smiled down at her and stroked her hair.

"I love you too beautiful," he replied, as he kissed her lips tenderly.

~*~

Two days later…

Jason kissed her wife tenderly, as they prepared to part once again. It had only been two days since they had gotten back and already his team was being called in with a new case.

"Sorry our time off was cut short…again," he apologized. She smiled and kissed him again.

"We made good use of our time the last couple days, I think," she said playfully. He grinned wolfishly.

"Yes we did," he replied, as he kissed her again and they gazed at each other for a few tender moments.

"I know that I shouldn't need to tell you to be careful after what we went through a few days ago…but I will anyway. I can't lose you," she said. He smirked.

"You won't, I'll be fine and I'll call you when I can. Hopefully we can crack this one quickly," Jason replied.

"With you and Billy on it, I'm sure you will. I love you and I'll see you soon," she said. He kissed her quickly again, before getting out.

"Love you too," he replied, as she drove off. Jason started in the building and saw Billy jogging to catch up to him. He held the elevator and the genius slipped in with him.

"Running late?" Jason mused playfully.

"Yeah, you could say that," Billy replied, as he straightened his tie.

"You have lipstick on your lips," Jason mentioned. Billy smirked.

"So do you," he replied. They looked at each other and shared a stupid grin, as they went about wiping it off, before the elevator dinged and they walked off onto the floor where they would rejoin their other team and work to eliminate the prevalent human evil in their world.

~*~

The waves crashed on the beach, as dusk set in and he watched her let the tide bring her into shore, before picking up her board and walking onto the sand. He still couldn't believe it. He'd been in love with her for a while now, but never entertained that she might feel the same. It had taken a near death experience to get them to admit their feelings for each other and then made a promise not to waste anymore time once they had managed to escape with their lives.

"Hey…" she said, as she brought him out of his thoughts. He smiled.

"Hey," he replied.

"You were a million miles away," she mentioned. He shrugged.

"Just thinking about everything. It's kind of a miracle we got out of that alive," he said.

"I know…I really didn't think we were going to make it there for a minute," she replied, as the wind tousled their hair.

"Well…here's to not wasting anymore time," he said, as he kissed her passionately and her arms slid around his neck. She smiled once their lips parted and he pressed his forehead against hers.

"So…my place or yours?" she asked. He smiled.

"My apartment is…not the greatest," he replied.

"Yeah…and my parents are gone as usual, leaving me rattling around in a big beach house all by myself," she mentioned.

"I'll be glad to keep you company," he replied slyly.

"Good…because I'm done going home alone," she said, as they headed for her van with arms around each other.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: A Very Ranger Holiday

"You sure you have to go so soon?" Hunter asked, as he saw Blake off at the airport.

"Yeah…I gotta a race in Texas in two days," Blake replied, as they shared a brotherly hug.

"Okay…but we'll see you at Christmas, right?" he asked.

"Of course…wouldn't miss it, bro," Blake said, as they called for boarding for his plane.

"That's me," he said, as he grabbed his bag.

"Seriously bro…I am really happy for you and Tori," he said. Hunter smiled.

"Thanks…that means everything to us, you know," he replied. Blake nodded and boarded his plane, while Hunter headed back to Tori's van, which she had let him borrow to take Blake to the airport.

~*~

The lights were dim and Ninja Ops was quiet, except the clicking of the keyboard keys. Cam sat at the Ops computer, until the lights suddenly went up.

"Cameron…it's the middle of the night. What could possibly be so pressing that it cannot wait until morning?" Kanoi asked. He sighed.

"Sorry Dad…it was more that I just lost track of time," Cam replied.

"Lokar…" Kanoi said in a hushed whisper, as he viewed the digital copy of the scroll Cam was researching.

"Yeah…it slipped our minds I think earlier, because he was absorbed by Goldar. But Lokar appeared to us on the island," Cam said.

"In human form?" Kanoi asked, deeply disturbed by that.

"Yes. Jason and the others had seen him before, but not like that. They said Rita once summoned him and he appeared in a spiritual form in the sky," Cam explained.

"Yes…a group of young ninjas, not unlike you and the others, trapped Lokar in that form centuries ago. Before that, he left a trail of innocent blood in his wake. He had dark followers as well that would sacrifice young ones to him in offering to him for favor and power," Kanoi explained.

"Yeah…the scrolls about him are definitely not for the squeamish," Cam mentioned.

"He had a son before he was locked away," Kanoi said.

"Lothor…the name that my Uncle took up when he was banished," Cam replied. His father nodded.

"Yes…the original Lothor was a horrible demon, much like his father. He too was defeated and killed by another group of powerful ninjas with the powers of air, earth, water, and thunder," Kanoi explained.

"For centuries, it was a name not spoken, except by dark ninjas in hush whispers. When my brother took on the mantle, it created a rise in the number of dark ninjas," he continued.

"But Lokar…he hasn't walked among us since he was banished. His spirit form contained his dark powers to an extent. If he were to walk among the living again…the fate of the entire world would be in great danger," he finished.

"Well…fortunately Goldar absorbed him and took him back into the abyss with him," Cam said.

"Yes…it seems we have truly dodged what could have been an earth shattering crisis. Now…please get some rest," Kanoi said. Cam agreed and shut Ops down for the night.

~*~

Three months later…

Reefside

Hayley's Cyberspace

A couple of people walked up to the coffee shop and were about to go in, but noticed the sign on the door that indicated that it was closed for a private event.

Inside, Kimberly, her belly now quite distended, set out another plate of cookies. It was Christmas Eve and through email and phone calls the last few months, all former rangers agreed that it was the perfect time for the first ever ranger reunion slash holiday celebration. Kira and Conner were trimming the tree, while Ethan and Tommy made sure there was enough seating for all their guests that would soon be arriving.

"Brrr…it's so cold…" Tori shivered, as she hurried into the building with Hunter and the others right behind her.

"Yeah, I thought we lived in California," Dustin complained.

"Oh come on, at least it actually feels like Christmas for once," Shane said, as Skyla shivered against him.

"I think it just feels cold," she said. He chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"Fear not, I have hot coffee and cocoa ready for everyone!" Hayley called from behind the bar.

"You're a lifesaver, Hayley," Tori said, as she exchanged hugs with the redhead and Kimberly.

"So…do you have them?" Tori asked anxiously. Kimberly nodded in excitement and took out her new ultrasound pictures. Tori gasped and studied the picture.

"It's a girl," Kimberly added in excitement.

"Congratulations," Tori said.

"This is awesome Hayley, why haven't we had a ranger reunion before now?" Dustin asked in excitement. The Cyberspace owner shrugged.

"It's hard to get everyone together I guess, but I'm glad we pulled it off," Hayley mentioned.

"Whoa…I left New York to get away from the cold weather. Since when is it thirty degrees in California?" Trent complained, as he arrived with Anton and Elsa.

"I don't know, but they said on the radio that it hasn't been this cold on Christmas in California in like thirty years," Conner called, as he and Kira hung ornaments on the tree. The rangers from Blue Bay Harbor shed their coats and joined those that lived in Reefside on the couches near the tree.

"I think we'll manage to keep warm though," Hunter mentioned, as he and Tori cuddled together on the sofa and shared a soft kiss.

"Merry Christmas!" Rocky called, as the door to the coffee house opened again and more former rangers and family members arrived. The door was busy for the next ten minutes, as all ranger teams arrived, even the Galaxy rangers, and they were soon all gathered together, exchanging stories of their times as rangers and experiences. Zeke, Carly, and Michaela opened presents and played with their new toys, as their parents watched on. And couples cuddled together, grateful that they could be together after what they had gone through just three short months ago.

"They're beautiful Kat…" Kim mentioned, as she watched the twin girls' eyes light up as they opened their presents and sat in their father's lap.

"Thanks…but I hear you'll be having your own little girl soon," Kat replied. Kim lit up with a smile.

"Yeah, Tommy and I tried for so long. I was worried that it was never going to happen. It almost didn't," Kim mentioned, referring to their little adventure three months earlier.

"But all that's over now. We made it, just like we always do," Trini said, as she put her arm around her best friend.

"Trini's right girl, I mean look around. Would you have imagined back in our ranger days that we would someday be sitting here together, with families of our own, most of us married to other rangers, with ten generations of rangers all in one place?" Aisha asked. Kim smiled.

"Definitely not, but I'm glad we're here, but I want us to make a pact that we won't let so much time pass again before we all get together again," Kim stated. The other girls nodded, as Tanya sat down beside them, and they watched Rocky and Adam goof around with the kids.

"It's a pact then, especially since this ranger family is going to grow even more soon," Tanya mentioned. The other women got her meaning and gathered around her.

"When did you find out?" Aisha asked.

"A few days ago. Adam is over the moon. He can't wait to be a dad," Tanya announced with excitement.

"Congratulations!" Kim cried, as she hugged her. As she said that, they saw the guys all gathered around Adam, congratulating him as well.

"Hey…look who is finally joining us!" Ethan called, as Blake arrived.

"About time you showed up, bro," Hunter called, as he greeted his little brother with a hug.

"Yeah, bag on me later," Blake responded, as he and his brother shared a hug.

"I thought you were bringing your girlfriend?" Dustin asked.

"Not this time. We're not that serious yet and she wanted to go home to her family…and I wanted to be with mine. We're thinking next year we'll be ready for the whole meeting of each other's family's thing," Blake explained, as Tori's cell phone rang. She took it out and answered it, before walking to the counter.

"Hey mom, have you and dad landed yet?" Tori asked anxiously. Hunter watched her carefully and felt sad for her when he saw her face fall in disappointment.

"Your flight is delayed?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well…when do you think you'll get home?" she questioned and the frown on her face slowly deepened.

"Three days…" Tori said, trying to keep the quivering out of her voice.

"No mom…I know you and daddy can't help that there's a snowstorm in Chicago. I guess I'll see you in a few days," Tori said, as she hung up her phone, before putting on her coat and going outside. Hunter followed her out into the cold and saw her sitting on a bench, shivering and trying not to cry. Hunter sat down beside her and put his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and he dropped a kiss on her head.

"I'm sorry they're not going to make it home for Christmas," he told her.

"Are you surprised?" she asked. He winced.

"Maybe not…but you still have family all around you," he reminded her. She smiled and nodded.

"I know…you guys have been more of a family to me than my own parents. It's been like three years since we spent Christmas together, so I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up anymore," Tori said, as she took his hands in her own.

"It still hurts sometimes, but this year will be special, because I have you. You're my family now," she told him, as he leaned down and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

"Wow…I think it's warming up out here," she joked and he laughed.

"Yeah, but we should probably go back inside," he mentioned.

"What's inside that's not out here?" she asked coyly.

"Mistletoe," he replied coyly, wiggling his eyebrows at her. She grinned.

"Well, when you put it that way, what are we waiting for?" she asked, as they joined hands and went back inside with their ranger family.

~*~

A private airstrip in Washington D.C.

Alana Hanson snapped her cell phone shut and shoved in her pocket with a huff, as her husband drove them and parked their car. Jack Hanson glanced over at her and recognized her sour mood.

"Tori is fine," he assured her.

"Physically, but how much longer are we going to lie to our daughter? We've been so absent from her life that we don't even know her anymore. She doesn't even know us…she never has!" Alana exclaimed.

"You know that we would walk away if it was that easy…but we can't. We're in this too deep and if we back out now, they'll come after us and Tori," Jack argued heatedly.

"I know…I know…" Alana snapped and then sighed.

"It's just that…we've missed the last three years of our little girl's life. God Jack, three Christmas', three birthdays, we even missed her high school graduation last year," Alana complained.

"We have to hope that one day she'll understand and forgive us," he replied. Alana rolled her eyes, knowing that it would never be that simple. There was a chance they could never give their daughter a true explanation of why they were gone all the time.

"Whatever…let's just get this over with," she huffed, as they grabbed their luggage and boarded the private jet…

~*~

Reefside

Hayley's Cyberspace

"Come on Dr. O…it's Christmas!" Conner pleaded.

"No," Tommy refuted.

"But…it's almost midnight and you can't have a proper toast without champagne," the red Dino ranger argued.

"Yes you can. It's called sparkling cider," Tommy refuted, as he handed a glass of sparkling cider to Tori and a glass of champagne to Hunter.

"Hey…how come Hunter gets the good stuff?" Ethan whined.

"Hunter is twenty-one, you guys aren't," Tommy said, rolling his eyes, as he heard Adam and Rocky cracking up at his predicament.

"Tommy, it's not like they're going far after this. It's just one glass," Rocky said.

"You're a cop, Rocky. Of all the people in this room, you should agree with me," Tommy replied.

"I should, but it's too much fun watching you be lame now," Rocky retorted.

"Yeah, back in the day, we used to sneak my dad's beer all the time. Rocko's right, you're lame now, teach," Jason joked. Tommy huffed.

"Kim…" he whined and she rolled her eyes.

"He's trying to be responsible, stop trying to corrupt him. He starts to get whiny when it's past his bedtime," Kim teased, earning an offended look from her husband.

"I'm just teasing, handsome," she promised sweetly, as Jason cracked up.

"I forgot…Dr. O has a bedtime now," Jason teased.

"And you've had too much of Rocky's eggnog. You're getting giggly," Trini teased.

"I don't giggle…that's not something a red does," Jason argued.

"Oh hey yeah, the eggnog is spiked too. Let me try it," Conner said, as Rocky poured him a glass.

"No Rocky," Tommy warned.

"Sorry kid, Dr. Oliver says no. Too bad the cool Tommy we knew in high school isn't here," Rocky teased. Tommy rolled his eyes. He wasn't really annoyed. He actually had really missed all the crap they tended to give each other when they were together. It was like old times again.

"Hurry up…it's almost midnight!" Dustin called in excitement, as he grabbed two glasses of sparkling cider for him and Marah.

"So…Dr. O was actually cool back in the day? What happened?" Conner asked Rocky.

"Conner…" Tommy said, in his teacher's voice.

"Come on Dino boy, let's go over here before you get killed," Kira said, tugging him away.

"But I want to hear more stories from Rocky and Adam," Conner whined. Tommy shot a look at the former red and black rangers.

"What stories?" Tommy asked. Rocky tried not to spit out his eggnog laughing and Adam practically choked on the cookie he was eating. Tommy rolled his eyes and held up his hand.

"Never mind, it's probably best I don't know," he said, as he poured some sparkling cider from Kim and Tanya, since they were both expecting and then finished off the rest of the glasses with champagne.

"Okay everyone…it's almost midnight, which means Christmas is here. Let's toast to family, friends, and the New Year that will be upon us in just one week," Trini called.

"Yeah, this is only the first of many ranger reunions, we hope," Kimberly added.

"Here's to us…" Jason said, raising his glass.

"To friends and family," Aisha added.

"To the power," Tommy said.

"And to Zordon, without whom none of us would be here," Rocky finished the toast. The clock on the wall over the bar chimed midnight, as everyone drank and those who were with someone exchanged a kiss with their significant other. Hugs and laughter filled the coffeehouse well into the night, promising that a bond had been formed and solidified into something that truly would stand the test of time.

"Merry Christmas…handsome…" Kimberly said, as she kissed him.

"Merry Christmas beautiful," Tommy replied, as he rested his hand on her pregnant belly.

"Just think, next Christmas will be our baby's first," she reminded him. He grinned.

"I can't wait," he said, as their lips met again.

"What are you thinking?" Hunter asked, as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, noticing the pensive look on her face. She shrugged.

"About everything I guess," she replied.

"Your parents?" he asked. She nodded.

"Something has been bothering me lately about their behavior, but I don't want to talk about that right now, because I was also thinking about how happy I am," she replied, as she put her arms around him.

"Even though your parents are missing another Christmas with you?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I thought I would be thinking that, but I guess I didn't expect them to be home anyway. I know that sounds terrible, but I think I'm just starting to accept it and that I can be okay with it, because I have you. I know that you're always going to be here," she replied. He gave her a lazy smile.

"You're right…I will be, no matter what," he promised. She smiled.

"Merry Christmas, thunder boy,"

"Merry Christmas, Tor,"

Their lips met passionately again, beneath the mistletoe, with their ranger family around them.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10:Bad Blood

Ten months have passed. It is now October 2006, in the present day

Flashback

1983

A young Navy Thunder Ninja streaked through the forests just outside the Thunder Ninja Academy. Once he felt that he was far enough away, he removed his ninja mask and took out the scroll he had managed to swipe. He carefully unrolled it and watched it glow with ancient ninja magic.

"The scroll of Lokar…the most powerful dark ninja in history," he murmured, as he read the words and prophecy. It wasn't the complete story, but he couldn't afford to steal too many scrolls at a time. Omino would notice soon enough, but it was a risk he had to take. Releasing Lokar was the answer to all his problems, but bringing him back wouldn't be easy.

There were only three ways and for the first, he didn't have the kind of power it took to open a portal to the ancient world that would allow Lokar to step through to this time period.

The second was to summon him in spirit form. This required power too and actually limited Lokar's power to be used as a tool to those who had summoned him.

The third was…to use the scroll to allow his spirit to possess a living being. And not just any being…an infant, which worked well for him, because he was to be a father soon. He would raise the future ruler of the world and rule beside his soon to be powerful offspring. That was…if Omino and his lackeys didn't get in the way. He suspected they were onto him and would try to stop him soon. But he was confident he could overcome them. He absorbed all the information from the scroll and his eyes went black with dark ninja magic. Lokar's spirit called to him and he would follow through.

"Logan?" a female voice called. His back was turned to her and he rolled the scroll up. His eyes turned back to their normal brown and he turned around with a smile for her. His beautiful wife, Sarah Bradley Zimmer, her belly round with his child. Her designation was crimson, as was her twin brother's.

James Bradley and his wife Elizabeth hated him though. He was what they considered a bad seed, though he supposed they were right. In his own way, he did love Sarah and his offspring, but she would have to accept what he was about to bring forth, or he would have to eliminate her with the rest of the resistance he knew would come.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Just a little meditation," he answered quickly, as he hugged her.

"But I should be asking you the same. You know you shouldn't wander too far from the school grounds in your condition. The doctor said it could be any day now," he chided. She smiled.

"I know…it is peaceful out here and I think the baby likes it," she said. He nodded and put his arm around her, as they returned to the school and their home.

~*~

Present Day

Rocky and Skull, or rather Eugene, as most people now called him, got out of the car and began their approach to the crime scene. They had been called in on another homicide and were sure it was part of the recent string they had been investigating. It saddened them both that Angel Grove wasn't quite the sleepy city it had once been. In fact, crime had increased forty percent since the days when Angel Grove's main problem was monster attacks. And if Rocky was truthful, he preferred Zedd, Mondo, or Divatox's monsters. At least he knew where they came from, why they were attacking, and how they would be defeated, even in the days after he was no longer a ranger. At least with alien monsters attacking, there would always be power rangers there to protect people.

But human evil like this was an entirely different story and when the murders were connected to a possible drug network, it only made things more complicated. They couldn't get people to talk out of fear and ones that would talk were always winding up dead, despite the best police protection. Angel Grove Police Department had already lost three officers in the last year, two on protection details and one undercover vice officer.

"What do we have?" Rocky asked the female beat cop that had called it in.

"Latina female, no ID, probably between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, her gut sliced clean open," she reported, as Rocky lifted the tarp and examined the gruesome scene. As a ranger, he had seen things that would make anyone turn white as a sheet, but it didn't prepare him for this kind of carnage. The first time he saw something like this as a young beat cop, he had lost everything in his stomach.

"She looks like the others, definitely possible Mexican descent," Skull suggested.

"Yeah, she was cut open just like the other victims, probably for the drugs they smuggled inside her," Rocky replied, as he placed the tarp back over the body.

"This thing is bigger than just Angel Grove…" Skull said. Rocky nodded.

"It's nationwide," the former blue Zeo ranger sighed.

"I'm going to call Billy at Quantico and see if can give me any leads…off the record, of course," Rocky decided. His superiors wouldn't take kindly to Federal involvement unless they had no other choice, but Rocky had no patience or time for bureaucrats when young women were being used as drug mules and then murdered.

~*~

"The Angel Grove police still have no suspects in the murders, except that they are drug related. They are asking that the citizens of Angel Grove remain vigilant," the male reporter stated, as the camera panned to Tanya Sloan-Park.

"And to end on a higher note, we have a miraculous story coming out of Hawaii tonight. A badly burned man that was found on the shores of a beach two years ago has in fact survived. You may remember hearing this story back in late 2004 when the male, so badly burned and unrecognizable, was discovered washed up on a beach," Tanya said, pausing for a moment.

"After being discovered by three people, who found the man had a pulse, he was rushed to the nearest hospital. He was not expected to survive and has remained in a deep, medically induced coma since that day. While doctors say he must still remain in his coma, his condition was upgraded to stable this week. Perhaps miracles do happen," Tanya concluded, trying to end the news broadcast on a higher note in what was a gruesome newscast. Today was actually her first day back from maternity leave. Their baby girl, Ashala Sun Park, was three months old now and even though she had only been back to work a few hours, she couldn't wait to go home to her baby and away from this ugliness.

~*~

A compound somewhere near Mexico City

The man's head snapped to the side, as he was struck hard with a leather belt. He sat tied to a chair with a woman, who was also tied to a chair at his back. She yelped in pain, as she was struck as well.

"We know that you're undercover agents…now tell us what you know," the man, dressed in a dark suit, demanded.

"You're mistaken. We are just a couple traveling through your beautiful country," Jack Hanson lied, which earned him another blow to the left side of his face.

"Lie if you must, American scum, but we know everything about you," the man said, as he turned to his constituents.

"Your cover has been blown and we know your true identities, Jack and Alana Hanson, DEA vice agents, hailing from Blue Bay Harbor, California. How quaint," the man sneered. His technician at the laptop said something in Spanish very quietly and their captor seemed very intrigued.

"Interesting…you have a daughter," he stated, causing Jack and Alana to freeze in fear. They had been so careful and yet someone had exposed them as not only government agents, but their personal lives as well. The technician turned the laptop screen so his boss could see the photo and the two felt it very hard for them to breathe suddenly.

"What a beautiful girl…I think I must meet her," he sneered.

"No…NO LEAVE HER ALONE!" Jack yelled, as he and Alana struggled with their bonds.

"Keep an eye on them. I'm going to California for a few days," he said with an evil smirk.

~*~

Ninja Ops

Cam sighed, as he sat back in his chair in Ninja Ops. They didn't have a need for a ranger headquarters anymore, but the room still remained a place where they often gathered when they were together and off limits to students, with the exception of Marah and Kapri since they were family.

"You look exhausted, son," Kanoi mentioned, as he set a cup of tea down for him.

"Thanks dad...and I am. I'm starting to think that Leann and I should have eloped," Cam replied.

"Bringing two academies together that were once rivals will not be an easy transition, but your union will do so," Kanoi stated.

"There are those at both academies that don't like the idea of merging the schools, you know," Cam reminded. Kanoi nodded.

"I know, son, but in time, those that choose to stay will learn to accept it. Years ago, I may not have been so open to our once rival academies becoming one and it is likely Omino would have felt the same. But as Lothor so thoroughly taught us, we will fail apart, but prevail together as one," Kanoi said wisely. Cam nodded.

"Would you and Leann not marry if we decided not to merge the academies?" Kanoi asked. Cam looked appalled.

"Of course not, I love her. It wouldn't matter to me," Cam replied. Kanoi smiled.

"Then you shouldn't worry about what others think," Kanoi said. Cam nodded.

"Thanks dad," he replied, as he went back to work.

~*~

The Thunder Ninja Academy

Outside Reefside, CA

Several Thunder academy students jogged through the woods that surrounded their Academy, which was located just outside Reefside. Four of them in all, two uniforms stripped in Navy and the other two in Crimson, indicating their fighting classes.

"Did Zara get it?" one of the males, a Caucasian boy with brown hair, asked in a hushed whisper. The red haired girl with green eyes smiled and held up the tattered looking scroll.

"Yes, this is it!" the other boy, an athletically built boy with ash blonde hair and blue eyes.

"What if we get caught?" the last girl, a tall brunette asked.

"Zara is taking care of that right now by making a spectacle. We'll be fine for a few minutes," the blonde, known as Derek, stated.

"This is it…the scroll of devastation," Ashlee, the tall brunette, said as they glanced wearily at each other.

"We're so expelled if Omino or Bradley find out we stole this," the brown haired young man known as Nate said.

"Zara knows what she's doing. Now hide the scroll and let's get back," Rachel, the red head, snapped. They hid it in the hollow of the tree and covered it with leaves, before heading back to the academy grounds.

~*~

Tori shut the door on her van and slung her blue bag over her shoulder. A few of the students still gave her odd looks, but most were used to her presence at the Thunder Academy now, as she had been a frequent visitor in the last ten months.

"Hey Tor," Leann greeted, as she walked into the main operations building.

"Hi Leann," Tori greeted in return.

"You're just in time. I think Hunter's ready to escape again," Leann said.

"Uh oh...is it a problem with the same student again?" Tori asked. She nodded.

"Most nuts can be cracked, but this girl is having none of it. She deliberately goes out of her way to break the rules. I think she's doing it just to get personally reprimanded to Hunter's office," Leann divulged. Tori sighed.

"Sometimes his standoffish attitude has that effect on the wrong kind of girls," she replied, only half joking.

"Maybe, but the Master brooder only has eyes for you," Leann assured. Tori smiled and then remembered one other reason she had come today. She quickly fished out a stack of envelopes from her bag.

"Oh here, Cam finished his half of the invitations," Tori said, as she handed them to her.

"Thanks, I've got to get these out being that our wedding is only a few months away now," Leann said, looking at the penmanship on the envelopes and then suspiciously at her fellow female ninja.

"Did you do these for Cam?" she asked. Tori laughed.

"Not all of them, but I did help. I took pity on him," Tori replied. Leann rolled her eyes.

"He just wanted to get out of helping with planning the wedding so he could bury himself in his tech world," Leann said knowingly. Tori smiled.

"I know, I got duped, but I didn't mind," the blonde replied, as Leann hugged her.

"Go rescue your beau. I'm going to go kidnap mine and make him take me somewhere nice," she said, as he headed off. Tori waved and continued down the hall toward Hunter's office where she could hear the conversation from the open door. She guessed what they were discussing was no secret so he hadn't bothered to close the door.

~*~

The dark haired, half Asian girl smirked seductively, as Hunter tried to control his temper.

"We have to stop meeting like this…Sensei Bradley," she purred.

"You're right, we do. I'm tired of seeing you in my office every day. I should expel you for violence against another student," Hunter said sternly. She suppressed an eye roll.

"It wasn't violence, we were sparring and I'm just that much better than Daniel. It's not my fault he lacks skill," she argued. Hunter sighed.

"Zara, there is a difference between sparring and attacking, you know that," he tried to stress to her. She shrugged.

"I got carried away, I guess. Perhaps a few one on one sessions with a real Thunder ninja would be a better use of my obvious above average skills," Zara suggested.

"The only thing you're going to be doing is running laps and polishing thunder staffs," Hunter replied. Zara smirked.

"You're such a slave driver, Sensei," she pouted. Hunter was really trying not to lose it now.

"Zara…" he said sternly.

"Relax, I'm going. Has anyone ever told you that you're really sexy when you're angry?" she hissed, before walking out, nearly running right into Tori, who had caught part of the conversation. She glared at the water sensei, a look that Tori wasn't a stranger to at the Thunder Academy. Hunter sometimes was on the receiving end at the Wind Academy with some of the older sensei's who did not like the new closeness of the two schools either. Both Academies were steeped in tradition and resistant to change. But after Lothor's attack, the six ranges that had faced them knew that division was a path to failure and thus change was coming. And with it came resistance and anger.

"Wow…she's a student?" Tori asked, as she entered her boyfriend's office.

"My most difficult…every class has one I guess," he replied, as he stood up to greet her.

"She was hitting on you," she teased. He smirked and pulled her close, before planting a passionate kiss on her lips.

"You know where my heart is though," he whispered passionately, as their lips parted. Tori smiled up at him, her sapphire eyes sparkling with love, before she kissed him again. Since admitting their suppressed feelings ten months ago, they had wasted little time in exploring the depths of their feelings and things had moved fast, especially since they were far past the getting to know you phase. Moving from friends to lovers became very right and natural for them.

"Come on, let's grab some takeout and go home," he suggested. She nodded, as they joined hands and left his office. Unfortunately, as they left absorbed by each other, they failed to notice the dark eyes glaring into their backs.

~*~

FBI Headquarters

Quantico, VA

"Why haven't you gone home yet?" Jason asked, as he poked his head inside Billy's office.

"I'm working on something. Rocky called me earlier and asked for a favor and it happened to uncover a whole lot more than I anticipated," Billy replied.

"Okay, but we just closed a case. You should be home with Kat and the girls," Jason said.

"Normally I would be…but I think we may have a problem. Shut the door," Billy replied. Jason groaned.

"Is this ranger related?" Jason whispered.

"Possibly. Rocky says there has been a string of homicides recently in Angel Grove that he believes are drug related," Billy said, tossing the file to him.

"Drug mules?" Jason asked, as he looked over the information. All the women were of Latina descent and had been killed in the same manner. It was well known that many cartels smuggled drugs into the country by making young women swallow small plastic wrapped packages of various illegal drugs.

"Okay…but I still don't get why you're looking into this. It's not FBI territory," Jason responded.

I know, but Rocky asked me to look into it since I have that acquaintance that works for the DEA, off the record, of course," Billy said. Jason nodded.

"Okay…so did you find any leads?" he asked.

"Well, it seems that two of their undercover vice agents have gone missing recently. Normally I wouldn't think much about it, but he let the names slip and I looked them up," Billy said, as he turned the screen so his longtime friend could see.

"Jack and Alana Hanson?" Jason asked, not making the connection.

"They're a married team and they've been undercover running drugs for one of Mexico's most notorious drug cartels for years. We're talking about the kind of creep that makes mules out of young women and then has them cut open for the drugs when they get here, just like the dead girls that are popping up all over southern California," Billy replied.

"As much as I would like to go after a scumbag like that, our asses would be in a sling if we went anywhere near DEA territory," Jason warned.

"Normally I wouldn't even be considering it, but these are Tori's parents," Billy told him. Jason sighed and put his head down for a moment.

"Tori's parents are DEA?" Jason asked. Billy nodded.

"And she has no idea. I'm pretty sure now that they've blown their cover. The ring leader, Palo Vasquez, might send his goons after Tori to get them to talk," Billy stated.

"You're sure? Cause you have to be positive if we're going to even think about going off the radar here," Jason questioned. Billy typed something up on his system and showed Jason frozen surveillance footage on one of his screens.

"These four arrived an hour ago in LAX airport from Mexico City. L.A. is only a four hour drive to Blue Bay Harbor," Billy said. Jason sighed.

"Dammit," Jason cursed. Billy nodded.

"Tori is plenty capable and so is Hunter, but you know what these kinds of men are like, Jase. They have an entire network of thugs here in the states and access to a plethora of semi-automatic weaponry. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to let them kidnap Tori if we can do something about it. You know what they'll do to her and Hunter will be killed, because he'll be right in the middle trying to protect her," Billy said. He sighed.

"They're rangers, Jase…that makes them family," Billy added.

"All right…but this has to be completely off the record. We have to go in civilian clothes and unmarked hand guns. And even then, there's a really good chance we'll be found out," Jason mentioned.

"I've already put in for my time off and then logged in as you, putting yours in as well. Since we just closed a case, it doesn't look suspicious," Billy said.

"Wait…you logged in as me?" Jason asked. Billy shrugged.

"Just trying to save time," Billy replied nonchalantly.

"Okay…but say we do capture those goons and free Tori's parents. Then they start flapping their gums and we're found out? Our careers would be over," Jason warned.

"I've actually taken care of that, since we're officially turning this into a ranger mission. After we apprehend our perpetrators, they won't remember a thing about us," Billy said slyly.

"Do I want to know what you mean by that? Or how many rules it probably breaks?" Jason asked. Billy smirked.

"It's a good story. You see, back in the day, Adam did this school project in Ms. Appleby's class where he brought in a kaleidoscope. And Zedd being Zedd decided to turn it into a monster that could scramble our brains. Tommy, Kim, and I lost our memories," Billy rambled. Jason shook his head, as Billy continued.

"So after we got them back and it was all over, I started playing around with the same concept; how light can scramble our molecules in the right circumstances and I sort of came up with a little device that can erase as much memory as I want it to," Billy explained.

"Hold on…are you saying you have one of those little flashy light memory things like in Men in Black?" Jason asked, referring to the movie.

"Um…huh, well I actually hadn't thought of that comparison, but yeah, it's a lot like that," Billy replied. Jason shook his head and chuckled a little.

"You know, we would be so screwed if you went evil on us," Jason joked. Billy scoffed.

"Like I would do that. Kat would kill me," Billy joked back.

"So I suppose you already booked our plane tickets?" Jason asked.

"No time, the goons have several hours on us. We're using the ranger express from my basement lab," Billy replied.

"Of course we are," Jason drawled.

"I need to call Trini or did you already do that for me too?" Jason asked.

"No, but Kat might have already. We're dropping her and the girls off in Angel Grove and picking up Rocky and Adam," Billy replied.

"Oh this just gets better and better. Next you'll tell me that we're swinging into Reefside for Tommy too," Jason quipped.

"He's meeting us in Blue Bay Harbor," Billy answered. Jason threw his hands up.

"Am I the last to know about all of this?" Jason asked.

"Yes, but not intentionally. It's not my fault you're getting your boxers in a twist, because I'm not letting you play fearless leader," Billy joked back, making Jason laugh again, as they headed for the elevator.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Abduction

The Thunder Ninja Academy

Student Dorms

"You better have it," Zara snapped at her friends, as she returned to the dorms later.

"Relax Zara, while you were busy throwing yourself at Sensei Bradley, we got the scroll," Nate jabbed. Zara smirked.

"Jealous?" she hissed. He glared at her.

"Of Hunter Bradley? Not a chance," Nate lied.

"Yes you are. You're a crimson thunder ninja and he got the crimson thunder morpher. Every crimson thunder ninja is jealous of that. As for me, you know I'm drawn to power. And he's gorgeous to boot," Zara replied, as she took the scroll.

"Yeah and he's in bed with a water ninja," Ashlee mentioned.

"Don't remind me, she has a lot of nerve showing up here all the time. But luckily with this, we won't have to stomach that much longer," Zara replied.

"What exactly is this scroll supposed to tell us?" Derek asked.

"How to regain control, of course. Those who control the elements will control everything and right now, those who were privileged enough to be rangers are in control," Zara snapped.

"And they're destroying centuries of tradition by merging the Academies," Ashlee agreed.

"Can you translate the scroll?" Nate asked.

"Of course I can, you fool," Zara spat, as she began to read the scroll of destruction.

~*~

The Apartment of Hunter Bradley and Tori Hanson

The lights were low and the television played a movie in the background. But neither of the room's occupants noticed, for they were far too absorbed by each other. Their limbs were tangled and their lips dueled in a passionate rhythm.

Tori rested comfortably atop his tall frame, her hands combing through his shaggy blonde hair. Hunter's strong hands sensually moved up and down her back, while his lips alternated between kissing her lips and nipping his way down her slender neck. They had only officially been together a few months, but after their harrowing experience in Goldar's dark dimension and their feelings had come to the surface, they decided they would waste no more time. Since then, they had become nearly inseparable and the others sometimes joked how they were the most unlikely pair.

She was so light and he could be so dark. She was social and he was the epitome of antisocial when he wanted to be. She didn't bottle her emotions and wasn't afraid to talk about how she felt. And he was the master brooder. But as they were so good at reminding their friends, opposites attract, after all. After their near death situation had resolved without tragedy, they had talked for hours that night and the love that had been so swiftly declared had cemented a bond between them that would never fizzle.

That's why when Tori was tired of rattling around in her parent's big house alone and Hunter's lease was up, they moved into an apartment together. Their teaching salaries were nothing to write home about, but those combined with Tori's side work designing surfboards and his as a mechanic at Storm Chargers allowed them to live comfortably. They were enjoying everything about being together, especially the physical side, which they were both taking great pleasure in exploring.

As Hunter kissed her neck intently, sucking on a tender spot just below her ear, Tori busied her hands by sliding them under his shirt, letting her hands explore his muscled torso. She was lost in a haze of pleasure and felt a spike of excitement, as he stood up and swept her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, as he stumbled into their bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Neither of them noticed Hunter's phone buzzing and vibrating with a call…

~*~

"Come on Hunter…pick up…" Jason pleaded, as Billy drove. They had arrived in Angel Grove via teleportation that evening and picked up the crew for this mission. Kat and Tanya opted to stay behind with their children, as well as Rocky and Aisha's son, since Aisha insisted on coming, as did Trini, stating that they needed her since she was a doctor and could handle a gun. Kim was leaving their daughter with Hayley and she, Tommy, Conner, and Kira were meeting them in Blue Bay Harbor.

In addition to Rocky and Adam, Skull was also coming and Jason couldn't turn down help from yet another experienced gun handler.

"Tori isn't answering either," Trini reported, as she hung up her cell phone.

"It is getting late…maybe they're asleep," Aisha suggested.

"Or otherwise engaged," Rocky mentioned, receiving an elbow in the gut from his wife.

"Ah, young, ranger induced, raging hormones," Billy joked fondly, making the others chuckle, except Skull.

"All right, I get it, ranger joke, right?" Skull asked.

"Sort of…see the power supercharged pretty much everything, our reflexes, our speed, and our agility in battle," Adam explained.

"It also supercharged everything else too, like our hormones," Rocky chuckled. Skull shook his head.

"And here I thought in high school, you guys were just a bunch of goody-two shoes," Skull joked.

"We were, we didn't really act on those hormones, you know beyond making out and cuddling maybe, but I remember there being a lot of cold showers," Jason recalled, making Trini giggle.

"But…none of you are rangers anymore," Skull said.

"The morphing grid left its mark on anyone it touched. Residual power is bonded to any power holder's DNA and let's just say, certain things and experiences for us are still…enhanced," Billy said.

"Who knew you had such a gutter mind," Aisha teased the genius, as they all laughed.

"It's good that we can laugh now…because from these files we've been looking at, these guys are hard core," Skull said, as he closed one of the case files.

"Yeah, but he picked the wrong girl to mess with. They're about to get a bunch of former rangers up in their business," Aisha replied sassily.

"I just wonder how she's going to take it when she finds out her parents have been keeping a lot of secrets from her all these years," Billy said.

"I'm sure their hearts are in the right place. They only wanted to protect her and I'm sure they never thought their cover would be blown," Trini reasoned.

"Not to mention the fact that I doubt they know about the Academy or at least everything it entails," Jason added.

"Let's just hope we get there before those goons find her," Rocky said.

~*~

The Hanson Beach House

Blue Bay Harbor, CA

"Well?" Palo demanded impatiently, as his men searched the empty beach house.

"She's not here," one spoke in a heavy accent.

"We searched her room and many of her things are gone," another reported. Palo drummed his fingers on the table and then walked over to the mantel in the living room, searching the pictures for clues. There were a few family portraits from various years, a graduation picture, and then another that looked very recent compared with the photo he had of this girl. He picked it up and smashed the frame on the floor, before picking the photo up. It was of her and a group of young people, her friends he assumed, though he noticed that the tall, blonde man in the photo had his arms around her waist.

"Perhaps she lives with him now. Memorize this face too," he said, as he passed the picture of the young people around.

"What now?" another man asked, waiting for direction.

"We spread out. This piss ant town isn't that big. When you spot one of them, you call the rest. No one double crosses me and the ones that did must pay. This little girl will pay the price of her parent's arrogance," Palo spat.

~*~

Zara angrily tossed the scroll away and swept her hair up into a ponytail. She had been up all night translating the scroll and studying every passage. Now she knew what had to be done and it would not be so simple.

"What the hell?" Derek asked. She was known for having a short temper, but her tirades would get them nowhere.

"What did it say?" Ashlee pressed. Zara sighed, thinking about exactly how to put the translation into words.

"The Abyss of Evil it seems was only the precursor to what would have been so much more. The section that my…Lothor opened was only a small portion of what he could have realized," Zara explained.

"Um…I don't get it," Ashlee replied.

"That's because you're an idiot," Rachel sneered, as the two girls glared at each other.

"Stop it," Zara snapped.

"Think of the Abyss of evil as being one room in a network of other "rooms" or levels rather in the underworld as a whole. Lothor, if he hadn't been defeated when he had, would have unleashed the entire depths of the underworld upon the earth and commanded them all if he had executed the scroll's instructions properly," Zara explained.

"Does this scroll contain those instructions?" Nate asked. Zara nodded.

"Yes…but it's not that simple. In order for the underworld to be unleashed in its entirety, the ceremony must be performed during a lunar eclipse," Zara explained.

"Those aren't frequent, but they do happen more often than some astrological events," Derek stated.

"That's not it. In addition to a lunar eclipse, the planet Mars, appropriately named after the Roman God of War, must be in a rare close proximity to the Earth. Fortunately, thanks to the Internet, I found out that these conditions will happen in September 2007," Zara informed them.

"Okay…so that's still a year from now so that gives us plenty of time to prepare. It's perfect, in fact. What has you so worked up?" Nate asked.

"Because the scroll revealed something else that could ruin everything," Zara spat.

"What is it?" Ashlee asked.

"If the underworld is unleashed during this time, the scroll says that not even the army of the warriors of light can stop the destruction…unless they are protected by the union of a pair that could unleash an amethyst storm," Zara explained. Rachel sighed.

"Why do scrolls always speak in riddles?" she questioned.

"Amethyst Storm? Our Ninja powers can create storms, especially if the users are powerful enough…like ranger level power over the elements. But there's no Amethyst designation," Nate said.

"You're not getting it!" Zara snapped.

"It's a combined power. If you combine blue with crimson, you get amethyst. There is a deeper reason behind just a simple rivalry between the Academies that we have been isolated for centuries," Zara said.

"If a thunder ninja of the crimson designation was to ever have a child with a wind ninja of the water designation, that child could grow to be extremely powerful. The elders who wrote the scrolls decided that if the schools were separated, then the likelihood of such a child ever coming into being would be minimized. They originally thought it would be much too dangerous for such a child to exist, especially if the child were to be corrupted," Zara explained.

"But now that the schools will join, that could change," Derek concluded.

"It already has. Sensei Bradley is already with a water ninja. If the gossip going around the school is right, then they are in a serious relationship and that could be a huge problem," Rachel mentioned.

"But they don't have any idea what their combined powers could do, so that's in our favor…right?" Ashlee asked.

"For now, but I have no doubt that Sensei Watanabe and Sensei Omino know what this scroll says. They will tell them if it becomes necessary," Zara replied.

"So what do we do?" Nate asked.

"We go on as planned and prepare for the ceremony. Everything has to be absolutely perfect or it won't work. And we're stepping up our training in the dark arts," Zara replied.

"And what if Bradley and his little mermaid get in the way?" Derek questioned.

"Then we'll eliminate them if we have to," Zara responded darkly.

~*~

Hunter's feet pounded the pavement, as he rounded the boardwalk and continued on toward the beach. This was a typical morning, as he and Tori were up at sunrise. While he went for a run, she went to catch the early morning waves. It had become routine for them to meet at the beach and then return to their apartment to clean up, eat breakfast, and then get to the Academies for their classes.

Hunter stopped finally and breathed air into his lungs. He pulled out his phone, as he felt it vibrate and found that he had eight messages. He hadn't bothered to check it this morning and wondered who was so desperate to get ahold of him.

"Hey handsome," Tori greeted, as she was suddenly beside him with her surfboard under her arm.

"Oh, hey babe," he replied, as she pecked him on the lips.

"You're a little preoccupied," she mentioned.

"Sorry, it's just that someone must really want to talk to me. I have eight messages," he said. She smirked.

"Well…we were a little busy last night," she purred. He smiled.

"We were," he agreed, as their lips met again. They joined hands and started back toward the boardwalk. Once they reached it, they found several men blocking their way.

"For this being such a small town, you're not an easy one to find, Ms. Hanson," the man in the center said. He was dressed in an expensive suit and spoke with an accent.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" she asked defensively, as they slowly noticed the thugs surrounding him. And neither missed how heavily armed they were.

"Friends of your parents," he said, as his men surrounded them.

"You see, they committed a serious grievance against me and now they must pay for it," he continued.

"I don't know who you are, but you need to back off now," Hunter growled.

"Easy there, we're just here to talk to this lovely young woman. I know her parents and now I would just love to get to know her too," he leered in response.

"I don't know what you're talking about. My parents don't know you. They're on a business trip," Tori insisted. The leader and his men laughed.

"Poor thing has no idea, boss," one sneered.

"Yeah, mommy and daddy lied to you, Bonita," another sneered with a heavy accent. He suddenly cried out in pain, as Hunter spun and kicked him in the face when he got too close. They both launched at two others, spin kicking them onto their backs. But the cocking of several handguns made them freeze where they were.

"Unless you'd like to find out if you're bulletproof, then I suggest you don't move again," the leader snapped. One of the thugs lunged and grabbed Tori, putting a gun to her Temple, causing Hunter to stop his advance.

"Don't move, pretty boy or poor little Blondie here will be a mess on the boardwalk…and that would be such a waste," he leered, as he sniffed her hair. Hunter gazed into her frightened eyes and slowly put his hands up. Two of the armed thugs advanced and one slammed the butt of his gun into the back of Hunter's neck, causing him to collapse to the ground. Tori screamed, as they started beating him, but the man holding her covered her mouth. She was hit as well and everything went black, as she fell limp in her captor's arms. Once Hunter was unconscious as well, they threw the pair into the back of their van nearby.

"Tie their hands and get us out of here," the leader ordered, as they piled into the van and sped off. Left behind on the boardwalk were Tori's bag with her phone, her surfboard, and Hunter's ringing cell phone.

~*~

"And neither of them are answering their phones or communicators?" Sensei Omino asked over the video feed.

"No…it's not like them to not show up for their classes," Cam replied.

"I fear something is very wrong," Kanoi said gravely.

"Dustin and I are going to check their apartment and then go around town. Maybe someone saw something," Shane said.

"Dude…how could they just disappear? They're both wicked fighters," Dustin replied.

"Many things could have occurred. If there was foul play, then it is likely they were taken by surprise," Kanoi reasoned, as Cam's phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Cam, it's Billy. Have you heard from Hunter or Tori?" the genius asked.

"No…we were just discussing that. It appears that they're missing," Cam responded.

"Damn…I was afraid we might be too late," Billy said.

"Too late for what? Cam asked.

"I'll explain in person. Can you and the others meet us somewhere?" Billy asked.

"You're here in Blue Bay Harbor?" Cam asked, now starting to get very worried.

"Yeah, what's that sports shop called that some of you worked at?" Billy asked.

"Storm Chargers. We'll meet you there in ten minutes," Cam replied, as he hung up the phone.

"What's going on?" Dustin asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but we need to go. We'll call you when we know more, dad," Cam called, as he, Shane, Dustin, Marah, and Skyla headed up the stairs to exit through the secret entrance. The aging Sensei sighed, as he sat down at his desk, swirling some tea and trying to use his inner ninja to calm his emotions. Cam was his son biologically, but the others might as well have been his children as well.

Kanoi sipped carefully at his hot tea and sighed, as he labored over his scrolls.

For months, he had taken to studying the most prophetic scrolls, because he sensed that something ominous was on the horizon. He and Sensei Omino knew what a union between a crimson thunder ninja and a water ninja could mean. They also knew that if danger were to threaten them again, they would have to tell them of the prophecy. He had been reluctant to burden their young love with duty and responsibility. He had hoped after Lothor's defeat the second time and Goldar's destruction, that his rangers could live peaceful lives. But he knew the power would call them back and for their protection, they would have to know they were destined to stand against evil for many years to come…

Chapter Text

Tori's head was pounding and the light stung her eyes, as she slowly opened them. She found that she couldn't move her hands or feet. There was a warm body next to hers and she was relieved to discover that it was Hunter's. She turned her head and gasped, as she saw the damage they had done to him. Dried blood stained the side of his face from an angry cut on his left eyebrow and there were purpling bruises on his face where he had been violently struck.

"Well, well, awake already, Bonita. Thought you'd be out for the count," one of the thugs sneered, as his eyes roamed over her like she was something to eat. Her skin crawled under his gaze and she shrugged away in repulsion, as he touched her face.

"It is a long drive to Mexico. Let's have some fun," he leered, as he pulled her to him and started kissing her neck. Tori screamed and struggled, as he pushed her down and started getting on top of her. She bit him and thrust her knees into his groin. He doubled over in pain, before backhanding her hard across the face. He raised his hand to strike her again, but his boss stopped him.

"Miguel!" Palo screamed. He stopped and got up from the floor of the van.

"I want her untouched for now. I promise there will be plenty of time to play with her when we return to the compound where mommy and daddy can be made to watch," Palo said. Miguel smirked and pushed her away. She scooted her way back toward Hunter and turned away from her captors, burying her face in his shirt and soaking it with her tears.

~*~

"Not that we're not glad to see all of you…but what are you doing in Blue Bay Harbor?" Shane asked, as they met the group outside Storm Chargers.

"Well, it started yesterday when Rocky called me to ask me to probe some information out of an acquaintance I have at the DEA office regarding recent drug related murders in Angel Grove. As it turns out, two DEA agents went missing recently," Billy explained.

"What does that have to do with Tori and Hunter?" Cam asked.

"Those two DEA agents happen to be Tori's parents," Jason replied.

"What?" Shane asked in disbelief.

"Tori's parents are government agents?" Cam questioned. Billy nodded.

"And yesterday, this man, Palo Vasquez, leader of one of Mexico's most dangerous cartels, arrived in L.A. with his pack of thugs," Jason explained.

"We think they have Tori's parents and that they came here to kidnap her," Billy added.

"And Hunter was with her," Cam stated. Jason nodded.

"These guys are hardcore. Hunter is lucky they took him too and didn't just kill him, which shows they're trying not to leave a trail," Jason stated.

"What are we going to do? Shouldn't we call the police?" Dustin asked.

"We are the police, kid," Skull chimed in.

"We have ways of tracking Tori and Hunter that not even the FBI have. This is officially a ranger mission," Billy said, as he showed them a handheld computer device with a moving crimson dot and a moving aqua dot.

"Morphing grid energies allow me to track any of us anywhere," he explained.

"Whoa…he's smarter than you, Cam," Dustin said in awe. The former green Samurai ignored him.

"They're heading for the Mexican border," Cam said. Billy nodded.

"We want in," Shane stated.

"We figured you would, but you'll need another vehicle. Ours are full," Jason said.

"We can take Tori's van!" Dustin called.

"We don't know where it is," Shane replied.

"Yes we do. If it's not at her apartment, then it has to be parked near the beach. She surfs every morning and Hunter meets her there after his run. I'm willing to bet that's where they were taken. It's pretty deserted that time of morning," Cam said.

"All right, we'll follow you to the beach so you can get the van and then we have to get on the road. They've got a good head start on us," Billy decided, as Shane turned to Skyla.

"You and Marah go back to Ops and tell Sensei what's going on," he said. She nodded.

"Be careful," she said, as they shared a hug and a short kiss. Marah did the same with Dustin and the two watched them all leave, before they headed back toward the woods.

~*~

Hunter woke up feeling like someone was repeatedly slamming a meat tenderizer against his temples. The light was like knives to his eyes and he felt sick to his stomach. He was no stranger to injuries due to various ones during his years of ninja training and motocross over the years. He remembered Blake having similar symptoms as these one time after a particularly scary motocross accident a couple years before they became rangers and that made him pretty sure he had a concussion. Taking deep breaths of air, he tried to push through the dizziness and pain, his worry for Tori fueling his will to push his own pain aside. Only years of ninja training made this even remotely possible to do.

Fortunately, he found her curled against his chest and unfortunately, she was sobbing, so he immediately knew something was terribly wrong. Tori didn't cry easily and she was tough as nails.

"Babe…" he whispered. She lifted her head and relief instantly shined in her watery blue eyes.

"Hunter…" she sniffed, as she hugged him tightly.

"What happened?" he whispered, as he gazed ahead of them with slightly blurred vision. He noticed their captors weren't paying attention to them now, but had no idea what, if anything, they had done while he was unconscious.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked in a whisper. The thought of one of them touching her made him so angry that concussion or not, he would rip them apart.

"N…no, I thought one was going to…but I'm fine. I was just worried that you weren't going to wake up. They hit you so hard," she whimpered.

"I'm fine," he assured her. She shook her head.

"They're going to kill us. They just haven't done it yet, because they want my parents to watch them do it. This is about me and you're going to die, because of me getting you mixed up in this," she whispered. He gently pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"There isn't anywhere else I want to be than by your side…no matter what that means. And we've been in worse situations. We faced a whack job that absorbed the demonic spirits of past psychotic villains that were bent on destroying us," he reminded.

"With the others and with our ninja powers," she reminded.

"It doesn't matter. They may be civilians, but if protecting us means that I have to use my ninja powers, then I'll do it. Damn the consequences," he replied. She gazed into his eyes and was about to speak again, when she was roughly pulled away from him, as the van stopped. Hunter moved to stop the thug, who was currently dragging her from the van, but two more were on him, dragging him out as well. With his hands and feet still tied, they threw him on the ground and one kicked him in the stomach.

"Hunter!" Tori screamed, as the leader grabbed her arms, which were still tied in front of her.

"Time to see mommy and daddy, Chica. Then they get to watch while you and I have some fun," he hissed, as he touched her face. She shrugged away in revulsion.

"Bring the boyfriend as well. He's going to love watching this too," Palo leered, as they dragged the two young people into the massive compound.

~*~

"Man…what is with our bad luck lately?" Dustin asked, as they rode in Tori's van behind the others.

"What do you mean?" Shane asked.

"First we had to find the girls in a creepy dark dimension and defeat a psycho bent on destroying all rangers. And now we're about to take on a bunch of armed drug dealers. So much for a normal life," Dustin quipped.

"We're ninjas and a samurai. Our lives were never going to be normal," Cam added, as his phone went off.

"Cam here," he answered.

"According to the tracking system, Tori and Hunter have stopped moving," Billy told him.

"How much further do we have?" Cam asked.

"We're still two hours out and we think that might be too late by then. We're pulling over at the next rest stop and I'm going to see if I can use my equipment to teleport us closer," Billy said.

"All right, we'll follow you," Cam replied, as motioned for Shane to pull off at the rest stop behind the others. They all got out, while Billy climbed up on top of the van, setting up a triangulating antenna. He had hard wired three of their old communicators together and honed in on all their power signatures.

"Okay…I can get us just about two miles away from the compound. Everyone ready?" he asked. They nodded and Billy initiated the sequence, as they all teleported away.

Kanoi smiled, as his old friend and fellow Sensei, Shin Omino, came into his office at the Wind Ninja Academy. Already, construction at the Wind Academy was underway, as they prepared to merge their schools into one, just as they prepared for the union between their children.

"It is good to see you, my friend," Kanoi said, as they shook hands.

"Is there any word from your students?" he asked. Kanoi frowned.

"I am afraid not, but they have enlisted the help of some very skilled veteran rangers. They will find Hunter and Tori," Kanoi assured him.

"I see you have been going over the ancient scrolls. Have you considered telling Hunter and Tori about the prophecy?" Omino asked. Kanoi sighed.

"I have hesitated, because I didn't believe it was fair to burden their young love with such responsibility. To know that their future is to stand on the front lines and face evil when many others are allowed to live peacefully may weigh heavily on them. I myself never wanted Cameron to fight in this war," Kanoi stated.

"But it was his destiny, as much as it is theirs, especially if they have a child someday. It is no coincidence that evil seems to be popping up in droves. Someday soon, there may again come a time where more than one ranger team is required to fight again. They must know," Shin replied. Kanoi nodded.

"You are right. They are strong and they have many standing with them. We soon must prepare them for what may come," Kanoi said.

Shane peeked around the corner, spying at least a dozen hired men patrolling the compound, armed to the teeth.

"That's a lot of guns," Shane mentioned.

"Ever handle one?" Jason asked, as he and Billy crouched beside a case they had brought along with them when they teleported. Jason opened it and Rocky rubbed his hands together.

"All right, the FBI has the goods. Give me that 9 Millimeter," he requested. Billy handed him the weapon and the seasoned cop loaded it and then holstered it on his belt. Jason put on his gun harness and holstered two handguns on both his sides. Billy did the same and Skull picked his weapon of choice.

"Does a blaster count?" Shane asked.

"Close enough," Jason replied, as he handed a gun to Shane, who looked very uncomfortable.

"I'm not a fan of guns either, but these guys are leaving us no choice," Trini told him, as both she and Kimberly chose their weapons. Tommy looked as unsure as Shane, for he had always been more comfortable relying on his martial arts skills. Ethan blew out a shaky breath.

"Let's hope all my years of shooting zombies in games helps me," he said.

"Just be careful. The only reason I'm even letting any of you near a gun is that we have no choice and we were all rangers, so fortunately that will help us," Jason warned sternly.

"We're not just going to go in there guns blazing, right?" Dustin asked.

"Of course not and you're going to be our decoy," Jason replied. Dustin's eyebrows were in his hair.

"Me?" he asked.

"Yeah, you're the one that can burrow underground and then pop up like a groundhog. If that doesn't freak them out and disorient them for us, then nothing will," Billy replied.

"Dude…I'm not a groundhog," Dustin complained.

"And we're not dudes," Kimberly retorted good naturedly, causing the others to snicker. Dustin smiled bashfully and stood up. He made his signature hand movements and disappeared beneath the dirt. The others waited for exactly the right moment to make a move and they knew they didn't have much time…

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: Rescue Mission, Pt 2

The two hired armed guards smirked, as they watched the two young people be dragged toward the entrance to the mansion. One whistled appreciatively, as he eyed Tori. Once they were gone, the other chuckled.

"They'll have fun with that one," he sneered at his partner, who chuckled. However, a few minutes later, he frowned, as they watched a peculiar thing happening in the dirt. It looked as though something was burrowing toward them beneath the ground and they exchanged a confused glance. Suddenly dirt sprayed them and they shouted in surprise, before trying to regain their composure. There was now a chocolate haired young man in front of them wearing an odd looking black uniform with yellow piping.

"Hey dudes!" he called with a grin.

"What…where the hell did you come from?" one spat, as he raised his handgun. His partner followed suit and Dustin raised his hands.

"Whoa…easy now, I'm not a threat or anything," Dustin told them.

"And why should we believe you?" the man asked in his heavy accent.

"Cause dude…you're like totally the one that's the threat," Dustin replied. The two men looked at him with confusion, as Dustin scratched his head.

"Wait…I don't think I got that right…" Dustin rambled. As expected, his airheaded act led to them underestimating him, for the two men advanced, only to be blasted with some kind of yellow energy. They looked up from their place on the ground, only to find the mirth in the young man's face gone. It was replaced with a hard set glare, as several more young people suddenly surrounded him. They were about to scream for help, but one in red and another in blue leveled their handguns at them.

"Scream and you're done," the blonde man in blue threatened. Rocky and Skull grabbed the two and cuffed them.

"Duct tape," Rocky requested, as Adam tossed it to him. He placed it over the two guard's mouths, as they glared up at the group.

"What now?" Kira asked.

"We go in, but I think the front or back door won't exactly give us the surprise we want," Jason replied. Shane shot an air beam at the ground and propelled himself onto the roof of the mansion. They waited, as the air ninja took a lap around, looking for a way in from the top and he soon returned with a big grin on his face.

"You're not going to believe our luck. Mr. Rich Drug dealer has skylights all over the roof," Shane called. Jason smirked.

"The roof it is then," Jason said, as he grabbed the rope they had brought and tossed one end up to Shane.

"Tie this to something secure," Jason called. Shane did so and they started climbing, while Shane used his air powers to propel more of them one at a time until they were soon all on the roof of the compound.

~*~

A battered and bruised Jack and Alana gasped in horror, as they watched their captors drag their daughter and a tall young man into the room. They assumed this was the boy their daughter had been dating.

"No…" Jack said, as he struggled with his bonds.

"I am a man of my word, Mr. and Mrs. Hanson. You'll see your little girl pay for your mistakes and her boyfriend too. But first…I promised my men that they could have some fun with her," he sneered.

"No…I'll tell you everything you want to know, just don't hurt her!" Jack pleaded. Palo chuckled.

"You endured hours of torture and remained resistant, yet when faced with the horrible coming demise of your little girl, you cave before we can even do anything. She'll pay for your mistakes and show you why no one crosses me and lives to tell the tale," Palo hissed, as he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

"Such a shame…you would make a lovely pet," he sneered, as he caressed her cheek.

"Get your hands off her!" Hunter growled, as he struggled with his captors. Palo glared at him.

"And just how do you expect to stop me?" he challenged. Hunter glared back.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with," he responded, making their captors all laugh at him. Tori's cerulean eyes locked with his silvery blue pair, recognizing the look of sheer determination in them. She could almost see the thunder in his eyes. She had seen that same determination in his eyes time and again as they faced evil in alien form and knew exactly what he had planned.

"Hunter…" she whispered, shaking her head.

"No secret is worth losing you," he whispered back, confusing everyone in the room.

"I don't know what nonsense you're talking about, stupid boy, but you're going to watch us rip your little girlfriend apart and then one of my men is going to put a bullet in your skull," Palo said, as he roughly grabbed Tori's arm.

"Put him over there with the parents," Palo hissed. Two of the goons grabbed Hunter's arms and instantly recoiled in shock, as they felt themselves be shocked.

"Shit…" one cursed.

"What the hell?" the other wondered, as they stared at the blonde.

"What's the matter, you idiots?" Palo hissed, as he caught sight of the young man he had in his captivity. A strange dark red electricity coursed all over his body.

"He's some kind of freak, boss," one cried.

"Just get him and put him over there, you moron!" Palo spat angrily. The two lap dogs tried again and were electrocuted this time, falling to the ground and flailing in pain, as crimson electricity sizzled all over their bodies. Palo looked at the blonde young man in disbelief, before raising his gun to shoot him. Suddenly, he was doused from head to toe by a beam of water. Aqua ribbons of energy coursed all over Tori's body, as the dangerous leader turned to her with a murderous glare. Neither Tori nor Hunter had ever experienced their powers reacting like this, but they didn't have time to question it. Tori leapt up and kicked him in the stomach and rolled over his back, as he doubled over in pain. Hunter split kicked the two hired hands, as they rose to their feet and then shoved them together, knocking their heads together, sending them to the ground in pain. Tori's parents stared at their daughter in disbelief, having witnessed her manifest water seemingly from thin air.

"Shoot them!" Palo called to his men. Tori smashed her elbow into his nose, breaking it on contact, as Hunter grabbed her arm and sealed them behind a thunder shield, as they stood in front of her parents, protecting them as well.

"That's a lot of guns," Tori mentioned.

"Yeah, we need a plan," Hunter replied. She smirked.

"I thought you had one when you shocked those idiots," she said.

"Nah, you know I make it up as I go along," he joked.

"Sweetheart…" Tori heard her Mom say, as she turned to her.

"We'll explain later, Mom. Let's just say for now that I guess you guys aren't the only ones with secrets," she replied, eyeing them both with a raised eyebrow. Jack nodded.

"It was to protect you, sweetheart, you have to know that. But I wouldn't mind knowing where you learned to fight like that," Jack replied. By her Father's smile, she could tell he was impressed. She nodded at Hunter and in the blink of an eye, they tore their civilian clothes away to reveal their ninja garb.

"Believe it or not, we're ninjas," Hunter chimed in, as he undid their ropes, freeing them.

"My shield isn't going to absorb those bullets forever though," he mentioned, as he concentrated on keeping the shield up even as sweat beaded on his forehead.

"If we can get a couple guns, we might have a fighting chance. Ever handle a gun?" Jack asked.

"Does a blaster count?" Hunter asked.

"Close enough," Jack replied, as they scattered. Jack and Alana took cover behind some crates, while Hunter and Tori crouched behind a steel overturned table. Tori sighed momentarily, as she watched the aqua ribbons course through her hands and looked at Hunter. The same thing was happening to Hunter, crimson energy almost crackling from his body. He seemed to shock anyone he came in contact with, but she seemed to be safe against his powers, for she wasn't shocked when she put her hands on his shoulder and arm.

"I've never seen our powers react quite like this," she mentioned.

"Me either, but I'm sure Sensei will have some insight," he replied.

"Babe…we may not make it out of this," she said sadly.

"No way Tor, this isn't how we end," he replied, as he surprised her by kissing her passionately.

"You hit these assholes as much as you can with water. Then I'll hit them with thunder and fry them. It's the only way out of this," he told her seriously. She knew that he was talking about using their powers to injure or even kill and it was strictly violating ninja code, but the situation was desperate. It was them or the bastards that would think nothing of killing them. She was going to choose them and her parents. Nodding to each other, they jumped into sight and bullets bounced harmlessly off Hunter's shield, as she sprayed a torrent of water at their attackers.

~*~

Shane knelt down and peered in one of the skylights, seeing the battle raging inside.

"Looks like we're late for the fight," Shane mentioned, as they watched Hunter and Tori use their powers to stay alive.

"Okay, we'll wait till the goons are under the falling glass. Skull, when I say, I want you to shoot this glass. Billy and I have vests, along with Rocky and Skull, so we'll go in first," Jason ordered, as he watched the battle.

~*~

Tori doused two more thugs with water and they angrily charged her. Hunter grabbed a long, thin two-by-four nearby from unpacked crates and snapped it in half on his knee,

tossing half to Tori.

"Thanks," she replied, as they used them like staffs they used in training. Hunter rapidly spun his like he would any thunder staff and took down to two more, before spin kicking the third. Tori thrusted the wooden weapon into the abdomen of another and back flipped to evade another foe. She stopped and gasped in surprise, as the one she had evaded pulled his gun.

"Tori!" Hunter called, as he tried to get to her. Before he could fire though, glass came raining down on him. Tori hit the ground, as he fired into the air and watched Jason drop onto him. He disarmed the thug and cuffed him, as Billy, Skull, and Rocky fired on anyone that raised their guns to them. Hunter crawled to Tori and they stayed down, while their friends provided back up.

"The Cavalry has arrived," Hunter said, as he helped her up.

"Hey dudes!" Dustin called, as he hopped down from the skylight.

"How did you guys find us?" Tori asked with a relieved smile.

"Long story, but you can thank the Power Rangers F.B.I. over there," Dustin replied, as he joined the fight. Thanks to the added power, Palo and his remaining goons were forced to surrender.

"Who are you?" Jack Hanson asked.

"Jason Lee Scott, F.B.I., this is my partner Billy. And this is Rocky Desantos and Eugene Skullovich, Angel Grove P.D.," Jason replied.

"F.B.I. has no jurisdiction here, nor do these American police scum," Palo hissed.

"We're actually not here on police business, Ass hat," Rocky spat back.

"I'm confused. If you're not here on police business, then we can't legally arrest them! You just blew five years of undercover police work!" Alana exclaimed.

"Trust us, we'll explain everything. Just call your superiors and tell them you've arrested Palo Vasquez and his crew," Jason replied.

"And what happens when they start spilling their guts to my boss?" Jack asked. Billy smirked, as he pulled out a device.

"Don't worry, in a couple minutes, they're not going to remember any of this," he said. Jack and Alana had no idea what he could possibly mean, but a nod from their daughter allowed them the leap of faith they needed to trust these people and Jack made the call.

Tori sighed in relief, as Kira, Kim, and Aisha gathered around her, exchanging hugs with their ranger sister. Since the fiasco in Goldar's dark dimension, they had all kept in pretty close contact, especially the girls. But Hunter wasn't surprised when he was practically tackled by the three former female rangers with hugs.

"I don't know how you guys found us...but we're really glad," Hunter mentioned.

"You guys need to thank Billy. He happens to have a friend that works at the DEA who mentioned yesterday that two of their best agents had gone missing. Billy saw the names and pulled the files and was worried that these goons might be going after Tori when he saw that they arrived at LAX. That's when we used the ranger express to meet in Angel Grove and headed to Blue Bay from there," Kimberly explained. Tori chewed on her bottom lip.

"He and all his men saw our powers. How are we going to keep them from spilling their guts?" Tori asked. Aisha smirked.

"Doc Cranston, genius extraordinaire has that one covered too. You'll see," Aisha promised, as they followed them to watch the interrogation that was going on right now.

~*~

"Would you like some water?" Skull asked, as he placed a cup on the table in front of him.

"My hands are cuffed behind my back, you moron," Palo spat. Skull smirked.

"I know...I've always had a bit of a sadistic sense of humor, though it's nothing compared to your level of sadism," Skull retorted with a glare. Palo smirked deviously.

"Aw...you're talking about the dead little whores that smuggled my drugs over the border, aren't you? Don't lose sleep over that trash. No one misses a few pieces of ass like that. There's always more where they came from," Palo said smugly.

"Those girls had families, you piece of shit!" Rocky growled, as he threw the water in the man's face. His partner held him back from attacking the smug dealer.

"Easy bro, don't blow this," Skull warned. Palo scoffed.

"Your little good cop, bad cop routine isn't going to work on me, gentlemen," Palo informed with a smug air.

"Fine, but you're going to talk...in fact, I think I'll have you singing like a canary soon," Jason said, as he loomed over the scumbag. Palo chuckled.

"Fat chance of that happening. You are screwed, police scum! I'll have your badges for interfering where you have no jurisdiction. You have nothing on me!" Palo spat, as he sat handcuffed to a chair. Jason approached him with a smirk.

"Nothing, huh? How do you know your employees aren't spilling their guts down the hall right now? Some of my associates can be very persuasive," Jason goaded. But Palo was unfazed.

"My men are loyal to me. They won't talk to the likes of you and when the real cops get here, I'll be telling them about this little crusade and demand an apology from the bureau. Then I'll tell them that they might want to have someone take a look at that blonde freak and his little whore! I saw what they did! I saw them shoot lightning and water from their fingertips!" Palo screamed. Jason kicked his chair out from underneath him and caught the man's chin before it hit the table.

"It doesn't matter what you think you know, slime ball. You picked the wrong people to mess with and in a few minutes, you're not going to remember anything from the last few days," Jason spat, as he hauled him up and put him back in a chair.

"You're...you're not cops..." he spat in disbelief, as he watched the blonde man in blue take a device that looked like it belonged in a Science Fiction movie out of his briefcase.

"Oh we're cops, but not right now. See, you picked the wrong girl to mess with and then you got us up in your business," Rocky replied.

"And when it comes to protecting our Legacy, we'll break the rules to ensure that bottom feeders like you aren't allowed to stain everything we've built," Billy said.

"There are more out there like me, you know. Some that operate in plain sight, some that wear polished business suits and that are regarded as some of the most prominent members of your society. They will find out about this, no matter what you do to me!" Palo spat.

"Shut up asshole," Skull spat.

"They'll find out about those kids' powers too and what's going on here," Palo threatened.

"Do it Billy," Jason said. Billy activated the device and Palo froze, as the memory extraction and rewriting began. Palo's warning still hung in the air though and they wondered if it was possible that it was more than just an empty threat...

~*~

By the time the rest of the DEA agents that were dispatched arrived, only Jack and Alana Hanson remained. The others were waiting back at the vans for them near the rest stop and their associates were a little surprised that two agents had managed to take down so many. Still, they had no reason not to believe them, especially when the ring leader himself started spouting curses at them about their betrayal. It seemed that the Hanson's had infiltrated and been so convincing that they managed to catch the entire operation off guard and taken them all down in one fell swoop. Their colleagues figured that it had been the culmination of five years of work, after all. Reporters were on the scene and the news would soon break back in the U.S...

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: Safe and Sound

"And we have breaking world news tonight out of Mexico," the male reporter stated.

"A spokesperson for the DEA has just announced that they have arrested Palo Vasquez, one of the world's most dangerous and notorious drug Lord's. Vasquez has been linked to a series of homicides involving Hispanic young women who have been turning up dead in California for over a year. It is strongly believed that these young women were used as drug mules and then murdered to extract the drugs. He is also wanted for multiple murders and drug trafficking in Mexico as well," Tanya reported. Adam sighed and closed Billy's laptop in the hotel suite they had acquired in Mexico City, thanks to Tommy's connections to Wes Collins.

Jack and Alana were still reeling from the earlier events and all they had learned. They were among the very few outsiders that had been let into their ranger world. They were stunned to speechless to learn that they were among former power rangers and their daughter was one of them. They were even more stunned when they had witnessed Billy use his device to erase Palo's memory, those of his employees, and replace them with a false account of events. They were all safe though, Palo and his goons were going to prison, and they would be home tomorrow.

"So…you are a power ranger?" Jack asked again in disbelief.

"I was three years ago, but I am still a ninja," Tori replied.

"We're sorry we didn't tell you about our real jobs," Alana said. Tori shrugged.

"It's okay I guess. I had my own secrets. I just hope we can trust each other from now on," Tori replied. Jack smiled and squeezed her hand.

"If you can trust us with something like this, then we can trust you with our secrets," Jack promised.

"Good, but can you make one more promise?" Tori asked.

"Name it sweetheart," Alana replied.

"Will you and Dad finally take some time off? I miss you both and I want to spend some time with you. I also want you to get to know Hunter, because he's a very big part of my life now," Tori requested. Jack and Alana smiled.

"It's a deal. Your Mom and I have earned some time off," he replied.

"Where is Hunter anyway?" Alana asked.

"He's talking to his brother Blake. He's going to meet up with us at dinner," Tori replied.

~*~

"So let me get this straight…you and Tori were kidnapped by Mexican drug Lords, because Tori's parents work for the DEA, and everyone went Power Rangers Rogue to save you guys. And no one bothered to call me?" Blake said, with obvious irritation over the video phone that Cam had set up in the living area of one of the hotel suites they were staying in. After the fiasco was over, they had made the jaunt back to the rest stop to get their vans. Realizing that it was getting late in the afternoon, Tommy had called Wes in Silver Hills and asked for a favor. Wes was only more than happy to rent out an entire floor of rooms at a nice hotel in Mexico City for them to sleep and regroup.

"Dude, no one knows where you are half the time," Shane reminded him.

"Yeah, I'm not even sure where you are most of the time," Hunter added. Blake sighed.

"We just got to Seattle," Blake told them with an eye roll.

"Seattle? That must have been a soggy track," Dustin mentioned.

"You have no idea. I got mud in places I didn't even know existed today, but seriously, I would have streaked home in an emergency," Blake said.

"Everything's been handled and we're all fine, thanks to Jason, Billy, and the others stepping in," Hunter assured him.

"Yeah, besides, streaking from Washington to Mexico City would have worn you out. You wouldn't have been much good to us if you were dead on your feet," Cam added logically.

"I guess you're right," Blake said with a sigh.

"Hey bro, did you mail the thing I asked for?" Hunter asked. Blake smiled.

"Yeah, I overnighted it. It should be at Storm Chargers by the time you get back to Blue Bay," Blake answered.

"Thanks, we'll see you soon if you ever come visit," Hunter replied. Blake rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be home for Thanksgiving," Blake promised.

"Keep up on your training. We don't want you getting soft," Hunter teased.

"Yes Mother," Blake said, as he hung up and Hunter received questioning looks from the other guys.

"What?" he asked.

"What did you ask Blake to mail to you that you had to send it to Storm Chargers?" Cam asked. Hunter sighed.

"Well…when our parents died, we were left with all their possessions, which included our mother's engagement ring. At the time, we could have used the money and sold it, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to do so. They had a great marriage…a love that I'd never thought I'd find in a million years. Blake and I decided that whichever one of us found the woman we wanted to marry first would give her mom's ring. I gave it to Blake years ago, because I was sure he would get married way before me," Hunter explained. Shane smirked.

"Yeah, we used to think so too," he teased and the blonde rolled his eyes.

"Anyway…I've been thinking a lot lately and this whole experience makes me positive that I don't want to wait any longer. Her father has never been around long enough for me to ask for his permission, but now I finally have the opportunity. I'm going to ask her to marry me, so Blake is sending me the ring," Hunter announced.

"Copycat," Cam teased with a smile.

"Hey dude, you totally forgot about Shane and me though," Dustin reminded.

"Yeah, dirt boy's right. We're like her brothers," Shane added. Hunter sighed. He should have known they would make it a point to give him a hard time.

"And if you morons were being serious and didn't give him your blessing, Tori would clobber you both," Cam interjected. Shane and Dustin glanced at each other and thought about Tori's reaction to them being "cavemen" as she so affectionately called it.

"You know you have our blessing dude, you're like our bro too," Dustin said.

"Yeah, you have my blessing too and for more than just the reason that Tori would beat me up if I didn't give you my blessing," Shane replied, as they shared a manly handshake.

"She does hit hard," Hunter agreed.

"You should have seen the looks on some of those thugs' faces when she waylaid them," he mentioned and they shared a laugh.

"I think most of them peed their pants when they saw us use our powers. Good thing Dr. C had that little flashy thing that scrambled their memories," Shane said.

"Yeah, I've got to get one of those," Cam said.

"Ah…nerd envy," Hunter teased.

"Yeah, yeah, all that nerd stuff is usually what saves our asses, so poke fun all you want," Cam replied with an air of superiority, as Tori came in dressed in the sexiest dress that Hunter had ever seen. His mouth went completely dry, as he stared at the woman he loved. Truthfully, he found her to be stunning no matter what she wore, be it her surf wear, ninja gear, or even her pajamas. But it wasn't often he got to see her in a party dress…especially one in crimson.

"Earth to Hunter…" Cam joked, as he waved his hand in front of the taller man's face. Hunter shoved his hand out of the way, as she sauntered toward him with a smile.

"Wow Tor…you look great," Shane said first.

"Yeah, totally like a girl-girl," Dustin added, receiving an elbow in the gut from Shane.

"Dude, shut up, she went psycho on us last time we called her that," the red ninja hissed.

"Nah dude, that was the fake Tori," Dustin replied. Cam shook his head.

"You guys are idiots," he stated.

"That's a little harsh, don't you think, Cam?" another voice said, as four more people entered.

"Wes!" Shane called, as they shook hands.

"What are you guys doing here?" Dustin asked.

"This is one of Rich boy's daddy's hotels so we decided to hop on the private jet and come party ranger style with you guys," Eric replied.

"And Jen and Taylor brought us some clothes besides what we have to wear, since we can't really go to dinner in our ninja gear," Tori added.

"Jen?" Cam asked. He had briefly met Taylor, but was now a little leery that there was possibly a woman among them that was being exposed to ranger secrets, not to mention ninja secrets.

"Relax ninja boy, Jen knows everything," Wes assured.

"Jen Scotts, Time Force Pink," she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, but I'm a Samurai," Cam replied in annoyance.

"Whoa…you're from the future!" Dustin exclaimed. She nodded, not being able to hide her mirth at the Earth ninja's enthusiasm.

"Yes, I was…but I'm here to stay this time," she replied, as she shared a meaningful look with Wes and threaded her fingers with his.

She had only been back a few weeks and while she would miss the other rangers in the future, she had concluded without a doubt that there simply wasn't anything for her in 3006. She had tried to move on with her life, but she had left her heart in the past with Wes. So after much urging from her friends and even Alex himself, she had decided to forge her own destiny and return where she felt she truly belonged.

"Yeah, Wes has been wearing that stupid grin non-stop since she got back," Eric said with mock annoyance, earning him an elbow from his blonde girlfriend.

"They thought this would be the perfect opportunity for a mini reunion. Not everyone is here, but they got Skyla, Marah, Kapri, and Leann. Kat and Tanya also left their kids with their parents for tonight too," Tori explained.

"Awesome…let's get this party on!" Dustin said.

"The girls and the rest of the guys are already dressed, so get to your rooms and change," Tori told them, as they headed to their rooms.

"You look amazing," Hunter finally said and she smiled.

"Thanks…now go get dressed so we can eat. I'm starving," she said. He nodded and almost tripped while trying to leave and look at her at the same time. Tori shook her head.

"You were right about the dress," Tori said. Taylor nodded. She had chosen to wear her own color that evening.

"I don't know what it is, but when we wear their colors, they act stupid," Taylor replied. She knew this from experience and Eric glared at her.

"Maybe they do, but not me," he protested. Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right," Taylor replied. Tori smiled and her eyes went to her boyfriend's retreating form. These days, just a lazy smile from him or a look still gave her butterflies in her stomach. They had declared their love almost a year ago and she fell in love with him more every day. Tori Hanson was deeply in love with Hunter Bradley and she knew he was the one.

~*~

"I feel fine. This isn't really necessary," Hunter complained, as Trini used her light tool to check his eyes.

"You took a serious hit to the head and Tori says you were experiencing symptoms of a concussion. I need to make sure you're okay," Trini said, as Tori stood beside him. They were all dressed and ready for a fun evening of dinner and dancing, a much needed release after the harrowing day they had experienced.

"The symptoms passed though," Hunter assured her. Trini nodded.

"Amazing ranger recuperative abilities, no doubt. If not for that, you'd probably be laid up in bed. But it seems that you're concussion free and fine," Trini said.

"All right, let's go! I'm starving!" Dustin called.

"I think we all are. Thanks again for all this Wes. I think it's exactly what we all need right now," Kat said. Wes nodded, as they started filing out of the suite.

"Don't mention it. Now let's party," he said. Hunter stood up and slid his arms around Tori's waist. She noticed his dazed look and she smirked.

"Is this dress really affecting you that much?" she asked. He nodded.

"You look incredible...though you always do. You look gorgeous when you come out of the ocean. You look amazing after a workout. You even look beautiful when you wake up in the morning. I didn't know people could wake up looking as good as you do. I know I don't," he said. She slid her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him.

"Your hair is a mess in the morning...but then it's always a mess," she teased. He rolled his eyes.

"Thanks," he said, as she ran her fingers through his shaggy mane.

"It's a compliment, thunder boy. I like it messy," she said sultrily. Her lips beckoned him and they met in a passionate coupling. She gasped, as he gripped her hips and trailed kisses down her neck.

"Um...babe, I think we need to save this for later," she warned. He smirked wolfishly.

"Or we could be late," he tempted, his stormy blue gaze searing through her. Their lips met again and she struggled to keep her own control. One thing she had discovered in their year together is that he was an amazing, passionate lover.

"I thought you liked this dress? All you're doing right now is trying to get me out of it," she teased, her eyes filled with laughter. He smirked.

"We both know that my favorite thing for you to be wearing is nothing," he retorted with a sexy edge in his voice that made her shiver in desire.

"Down thunder boy...there will be time for that later tonight," she replied, as she took his hand and led him out.

~*~

"And that's the whole story," Tori finished, as she and Hunter sat with her parents. They had told them everything, the Academies, their tenure as rangers, Lothor's return a year later, and their battle with Goldar in the dark dimension.

"And I thought your mother and I led exciting lives," Jack responded, as he took a drink of his beer.

"Believe me, we're more than happy for it to calm down a bit," Hunter replied.

"I'll bet, teaching the future defenders of the planet probably is anything but boring," Alana mused. Tori smiled.

"Never boring and never without drama it seems," she mentioned.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"She's talking about the rivalry that existed between our Academies before Lothor came onto the scene. We as rangers put that rivalry aside and joined forces to destroy our common enemy. In the process we became friends and we defeated Lothor, which freed everyone. After going through that, there was no rivalry left between us," Hunter explained.

"But the same can't be said for everyone else. They don't like the allied relationship that has come about between our schools so you can imagine how they feel about the joining of the schools," Tori added.

"Joining?" Jack asked. Hunter nodded.

"Cam, who you know now is Sensei Watanabe's son and Leann, who is Sensei Omino's daughter, are getting married in a couple months. We're in the process of building onto the Wind Academy, because the schools are going to soon be one entity. Some ninjas have already left in protest and others are plenty against it," Hunter explained.

"But it really is in the best interest of everyone and I know most will eventually see that," Tori reasoned.

"Not that I really care what any of the Alumni think. They're not going to tell me who I can or can't love," he added and she smiled at him and squeezed his hand. Jack sighed.

"I guess it just goes to show you that the governments of the world like people to think they know everything that goes down on this planet, but we don't have an inkling about your schools," Jack stated.

"And it has to stay that way, dad," Tori said.

"Don't worry honey, your secret is safe with us," he replied.

"Thanks dad," she said, as she stood up.

"Where are you going?" Hunter asked.

"We are going to dance," she replied, as she tugged him along with her. Jack sighed.

"What?" Alana asked, eyeing her husband's pensive look.

"Nothing...our baby girl is all grown up," he said. Alana nodded.

"She is. Don't tell me you're going to give Hunter a hard time," she replied. Jack chuckled.

"Don't worry, he's a good man, obviously. He was willing to die for our little girl, so I can't ask for more. Plus, Tori can take care of herself and I actually like him. I never thought I'd ever like anyone she introduced to us," Jack admitted. Alana chuckled.

"I like him too and he's so handsome. She got my good taste in men," she replied, smiling warmly at her husband. He smiled back.

"I just wish I felt like this was over," Jack mentioned.

"It's never over in our business. For every one drug lord we take down, it seems like fifteen more pop up in their place," Alana replied.

"We don't mean to eavesdrop, but Billy and I find ourselves saying that very thing everyday," Jason mentioned, as he and Billy approached with Trini and Katherine.

"Jack and Alana, this is my wife Trini," Jason introduced, as they shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you," Alana said, as she shook Katherine's hand too.

"This is my wife Katherine," Billy introduced.

"Please join us, because it's not everyday that we get to say that we had drinks with the Power Rangers," Jack said quietly. They shared a laugh.

"That's kind of actually the reason we came over to talk to you. Word of your impressive take down has already made its way to the top of the food chain at the Bureau," Jason said.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Well, it seems that Palo Vasquez is only the tip of the iceberg. The FBI thinks that Palo was really small potatoes compared to the real beast behind not only drugs, but human trafficking rings, illegal arms dealing, and more we don't even know about," Billy replied.

"What does that have to do with us?" Alana asked.

"It seems our offices have decided they want to form a joint task force between the FBI and DEA. Billy and I were chosen, because we are familiar with the hotbeds, which seem to oddly enough be towns that also have had ranger teams at one time or another," Jason explained.

"You think there is a connection?" Jack asked.

"We wish there wasn't, but Goldar was effectively running a muck in human form for years. We think he involved others out there in case his ultimate plan didn't succeed," Billy answered.

"So you want a team that is clued in on everything so you won't risk your identities?" Jack asked. Jason nodded.

"Our supervisor is also allowing us to choose two more to join the task force, so we of course chose Detectives Desantos and Skullovitch. In addition, we'll often collaborate with the Silver Guardians as well, though we're going to limit their involvement to Wes, Jen, and Eric," Jason said.

"You and Alana would work out of Blue Bay Harbor, Rocky and Skull would keep their post in Angel Grove, and Jason and I would take Reefside. Coincidentally, they are the three closest towns," Billy added. Jack and Alana shared a glance.

"Well, we're definitely in. But doesn't that mean you'll both need to relocate your families back to California?" Jack asked. The two couples smiled.

"Yeah, but we're okay with that. Our jobs are the only reason we ever stayed on the east coast and we're more than ready to come home," Jason replied.

"Yeah, my dad is going to be over the moon," Billy mentioned fondly.

"A toast then to a new team," Jack said, as he raised his glass. The others joined him and drank.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: Home Sweet Home

"And more news out of Mexico tonight. The story first broke early this morning that one of Mexico's most notorious drug lord's and his top operatives have been arrested. Palo Vasquez has been linked to drug dealing, smuggling, and related murders in various cities all over California in the past several years. Thanks to two undercover government agents, who are not being named, his operation has suffered a serious blow," the reporter said, as the man turned the television in his large office off.

He turned in his chair and stood up to gaze over the pristine cityscape from his corner office. His past was shrouded in mystery to most, though no one had ever bothered to dig that far. His new identity, unlike him, was only a decade old. He once had a very different life, but he was betrayed by his wife, her family, and his ninja brethren. He was tossed in a prison cell and his son was ripped away from him. His eyes went black with dark ninja magic at the thought of everything that was done to him. But he had risen and managed to escape prison, but no one suspected. Like a snake, he had shed his former identity when he walked away from the burning prison and like a baptism of fire, he was made anew on that night. And he wasted no time in making a new life for himself…and plotting a careful, intricate revenge.

Gridiron Industries was the leading supplier of energy in the country and a frontrunner in the world. They also manufactured weapons, having several contracts with the U.S. Government, in their weapons division. They also had an extensive interest in technology and manufactured the latest tech gear and devices and even energy efficient appliances. CEO Jared Zale had built his company from the ground up, founding it in 1998 with his first energy efficient appliances, marketing them as the future in home convenience of the 21st century. Entrance into the world of technology had further catapulted his business into a multimillion dollar company.

But it was his weapons division and contracts with the government, as well as his constant research into various forms of alternative energy sources and advancements in clean, affordable energy that sprang his company into the now multibillion dollar conglomerate that it was. Gridiron Industries also donated millions per year to charities and employed thousands.

But Jared Zale was not everything he appeared to be on the outside. With his weapons and technology factions came the allure of the drug underbelly that was rampant in the country. Everything from the illegal ones to the legal pharmaceuticals that were supposed to be prescribed only by physicians. The face of the drug world had faces like Palo Vasquez's, the self proclaimed Top Dog. But he was a small working part in a much bigger machine. Men like Jared Zale, dressed in their fifteen hundred dollar Armani suits didn't get their hands dirty, nor were they the face of evil. But Jared's ambitions went far behind the drug network. He practically owned the criminal underworld and knew things that he wasn't supposed to know. And he knew for certain that two government agents didn't take down Palo's operation alone. He would meet with his underlings and discover exactly what had gone on, though he had a pretty good idea. But first, he had a meeting to tend to, as his intercom beeped.

"Yes Karla?" he asked.

"Your one o'clock is here, Mr. Zale," she answered.

"Send them in. You may take your lunch break now," he said.

"Thank you Sir," she replied. A few seconds later, a woman dressed in an expensive looking pantsuit walked in. She was a beautiful Caucasian woman with raven colored hair and a slim, fit figure.

"Ms. Cho, thank you for coming. Please have a seat," he said. She did so and he sat across from her behind his desk.

"Do you have any leads?" he asked.

"The team you have provided seems to be competent enough, but it will still take time and resources," she replied.

"Money is not an issue, as long as you get the objects I seek," he replied.

"That we both seek. Don't forget our agreement. You wouldn't even know the existence of these artifacts if not for me," she corrected. He smirked.

"Of course, just make sure you keep other treasure hunters like Andrew Hartford off your trail," he warned.

"Andrew Hartford is consumed by finding the jewels of the Corona Aurora. He has no clue that something more powerful exists. The ancient scroll that speaks of the Storm prisms has been lost for centuries. My husband found it a few years ago by pure chance, hidden on the mountain of lost ninjas," she replied.

"Then I hope you put my money to good use and find them," he insisted.

"I will, but I need time. They have been lost for centuries and this is a very big planet, but I will find them. The air, water, earth, ice, lightning and thunder prisms are yours, which will allow you to control the entire planet's energy supply. And I will keep the dark prism for my purposes," she replied.

"Mind if I ask what those purposes are?" Jared asked.

"That's for me to know, but trust me, my side is the one you want to be on when I get that prism," she replied.

"Duly noted," he stated, as she rose from her seat.

"I am assuming for the check I'm writing you that you have the information I asked for?" he questioned. She smirked and tossed a folder onto his desk. The contents partially spilled out, revealing photos of several young people and information about them. He handed her the check.

"Happy hunting, keep me informed," Jared called, as she saw herself out.

~*~

A few days later

"You wanted to see us, Captain?" Jack asked, as he and Alana peeked inside their superior's office. They had a very good idea, seeing as Jason Scott and Billy Cranston, as well as Rocky Desantos and Eugene Skullovich sat in the office, but they played their part perfectly, acting as if they didn't know the other four men.

"Yes, Jack and Alana, please come in," Captain Donovan said, as he motioned them in.

"Jack and Alana, this is SSA Jason Lee Scott of the FBI, and his partner, Dr. William Cranston," he introduced, as they shook hands.

"And these are Detectives Rocky Desantos and Eugene Skullovich of the Angel Grove Police Department," he continued.

"Nice to meet all of you," Jack said.

"Sir, is this about the special task force briefing we received?" Alana asked, cutting to the chase.

"Yes, we've chosen the two of you to join this specialized task force, with Agent Scott as your team leader, if you accept, that is," Donovan replied.

"We talked about it this morning and we've decided that we'd like to accept the offer," Jack answered.

"Excellent," Donovan said.

"We'll start meeting regularly in a couple weeks. Dr. Cranston and I are taking time off to move our families," Jason said, as they shook hands. Jack nodded.

"We've also taken some time in the next two weeks to spend with our daughter," Jack mentioned.

"Perfect, we'll meet again in two weeks," Jason replied, as they filed out of the office.

~*~

Hunter put down the wrench, as he tightened the final bolt. He was helping Kelly out today since he had a light class load at the Academy.

"Hey, how's that repair coming?" Kelly asked, as she popped into the back room.

"Just finished. That repair guy that you hired doesn't know what he's doing, you know," Hunter mentioned.

"You don't have to worry about Joe anymore. He lied on his resume about his experience as a mechanic so I fired him yesterday," Kelly replied. Hunter shook his head.

"Who applies for a job they can't possibly know how to do?" he asked rhetorically.

"Oh dear, sweet, naive Hunter, you'd be surprised at how many people embellish their resumes and boast about all their supposed qualifications," she mused. He smirked and then saw her sorting through the mail.

"Hey...did anything from Blake come for me?" Hunter asked.

"You mean your mother's ring?" Kelly asked. Hunter sighed.

"Who told you? It was Dustin, wasn't it?" Hunter asked. Kelly smirked.

"Relax...Blake called me and told me to be looking for it since it's a very valuable piece of mail," Kelly replied, as she handed him the small box.

"Thanks Kel," he said, as he tore it open and dug out the small blue velvet ring case.

"Well...let's see the rock you're going to be putting on Tori's finger," Kelly said eagerly.

"If she says yes," Hunter mentioned. Kelly smacked his arm.

"She's crazy about you, so stop worrying," she scolded, as he opened the case and showed her.

"Wow...what a rock!" Kelly said, admiring the blue diamond set among a border of smaller white diamonds on a band of a silver gold.

"It's been passed down for several generations in the Bradley family, which is good for me, because I'd never be able to afford a ring even half this size," Hunter replied. Kelly tilted her head.

"You know that Tori wouldn't care if you got her a ring out of a gumball machine, right?" Kelly asked. Hunter smiled and nodded.

"I know...but I want her to have this ring. My parents had a very strong marriage and I want us to have that too," he replied. Kelly squeezed his arm.

"You will, believe me, what you two have is so special, it's obvious to everyone," she assured him. He nodded.

"Thanks Kel, I'm gonna go unless you need anything else?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, get out of here. I need to interview some new candidates and hope I can find a mechanic that's half as good as you," Kelly replied, as she shooed him out.

~*~

Secluded in the woods behind the Thunder Academy, Zara secretly practiced the forbidden dark ninja arts. It was twilight and most students were eating dinner, Sensei Omino was secluded in his study, and Leann and Hunter were gone for the evening, so it made for the perfect time to practice without getting caught. Her eyes were solid black, as purple lightning crackled from her body and an orb of dark energy hovered between her palms. She poured all her anger and hate into the energy, before releasing it into the sky. She watched it disappear and suddenly sensed that she was being watched.

"Whoever is there...you had better show yourselves," she snapped.

"Temper, temper darling," a woman scolded, as she appeared from behind the trees in a similar uniform, though hers bore the dark symbol that those belonging to her husband's sect of ninjas wore.

"Mom...you're back," Zara replied.

"For the moment. I was actually on my way to Hawaii, but I needed to see you first," Tamara Cho said, as she hugged her daughter.

"What's in Hawaii? Have you found a prism?" Zara asked in a hushed whisper. Tamara shook her head, but was beaming a smile.

"No, but it's better than that. He's alive, sweetheart," Tamara said in excitement.

"You mean...father? But how?" she exclaimed. Tamara shook her head.

"I don't know...but he is still recovering from what my source tells me. He's not even awake yet, but I must confirm that it's the truth," she replied.

"I want to go with you!" Zara begged.

"No darling, I need you here. You must prepare for the coming alignment in one year's time and having you on the inside watching these traitors will be very useful. Your father will be so proud," Tamara replied. Zara nodded.

"If it means helping father finally come to power, then I will do what I must. I just can't wait to crush them all!" Zara exclaimed.

"Patience my dear, as your father was always fond of saying, revenge is a dish best served cold," she reminded. Zara smirked.

"And one to be savored while the blood of our enemies stains our hands," she recited.

"Keep preparing. Our plans haven't changed. We must be ready," she reminded. Zara nodded.

"Safe trip, mom. In one year's time, we will rule this world and those that have crossed us will pay," Zara said. Tamara smiled.

"You are your father's daughter," Tamara replied proudly, as she ninja streaked away, leaving Zara alone again. She knew dinner hour would soon be over, so she gathered her things and headed back to school grounds.

~*~

Hunter found her where he usually did at sunset and he sat down, watching as she trekked in from the water. He saw her sketchbook and idly leafed through it. He knew she wouldn't care and he loved looking at her talent. She wanted to design surfboards and he was behind her all the way. Even Kelly offered to let her sell them in her store for a fair cut until they saved enough money to buy her a small shop. He turned the page to one that he hadn't seen before, obviously something she had only recently drawn. It was a board with tendrils of lightning.

"Do you like it?" she asked, as she sat down beside him, while scrunching a towel through her wet hair.

"Yeah...a lot. You're really talented. If surfers don't buy boards from you, then they're morons," he replied, as he put his arm around her.

"You have such a way with words," she teased. He smirked.

"It's a gift," he joked, as he stood up and pulled her up.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Just for a walk in the surf," he replied, as he tossed his shoes off and they padded through the wet sand and let the water lap around their feet. Tori sighed, as she looked at the sun dipping below the horizon and she smiled, as she felt his arms around her waist. The breeze gently tousled their hair and she felt tingles go down her spine, as he pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.

"I'll never get tired of moments like this...watching the sunset with your arms around me," she mentioned. He smiled.

"That's really good to hear, because it makes what I'm about to do pretty easy," Hunter replied. She looked at him with questioning eyes and then gasped, as he got down on one knee.

"I'm probably the least traditional guy ever, but the guys made me promise to do this when I asked you," he said.

"There was a time when I thought I'd be terrified to ask a girl to marry me. It used to seem like married life was the most un-Hunter-like thing to do. But now that I'm asking the woman I love to marry me, I'm not scared at all. The only thing that scares me is not spending the rest of my life with you, because you're the best thing that ever happened to me," Hunter said, as he paused and opened the ring case.

"Don't worry...I didn't steal the ring," he joked, making her shake her head in amusement.

"It's been passed down for generations in the Bradley family and I know that if they were here, my parents would be ecstatic that I'm putting it on your finger," Hunter told her. A tear slipped down her cheek.

"This was your mother's?" she asked in awe. He nodded.

"So...Tori Hanson, will you make me the envy of every guy in the world and marry me?" he asked. She eagerly shook her head, as more tears came.

"Yes..." she uttered, as he slipped it on her finger. As he stood up, he caught her, as she threw her arms around him. Their lips met passionately, and her feet dangled off the ground, as he spun her around. Their lips finally parted several moments later and she smiled at him.

"Let's go home, thunder boy," she said, giving him a sultry look. He smirked and they gathered their things, before heading to her blue van.

~*~

Jared looked at the photos of the six young people that he had requested information on. The Academies had truly come together, against all odds, and created a ranger program. Power Rangers Ninja Storm; a fitting name. As his eyes came to the blonde young man in crimson, his memories set him on edge.

Flashback

1985

"The scroll of Lokar?" Sarah exclaimed in horror, as she picked up the scroll, having found it hidden away.

"Sarah…let me explain…" Logan pleaded, but she pushed past him.

"There is nothing to explain! This is one of the darkest scrolls in existence! Lokar would destroy this world if he were to be given passage into it," she said.

"It's not like that…what if he could be brought here and controlled? By us. We could rule this world together," he said.

"You're sick…" she hissed, as she grabbed a duffle bag.

"What are you doing?" he demanded to know.

"Leaving…and I'm taking Hunter with me. James was right about you," she replied. His eyes narrowed.

"So that's it…you're leaving me and stealing my son away from me! So your brother and his wife can help raise him into their perfect image?" he roared.

"Better than you using our son as a vessel for evil!" she cried, as she started looking for her son. They were fighting again, which meant their toddler was probably hiding.

"You're not going anywhere!" Logan growled, as he grabbed her arm.

"Let me go!" she cried, as she managed to break away, but she fell in the process and hit her head on the corner of the dresser on the way down. Logan stared in shock, as blood pooled around her head. He swallowed thickly and started to move toward the closet, in order to retrieve their son. They had to go now, but a beam of crimson lightning struck him and he collided with the wall.

James Bradley glared at him, as several masked ninjas rushed in and captured him. James knelt down with his wife, Elizabeth, at his twin sister's side.

"You killed her!" James cried.

"It was an accident! She fell!" he claimed.

"Really? And you just so happen to have the missing scroll of Lokar with you?" Elizabeth asked, as she confiscated the scroll. His eyes went black and he threw off the other ninjas, but the Bradley's were ready with crimson and navy thunder. In the end, Omino arrived and gave them the edge and he was banished to a dark ninja prison where he remained for ten years. His last sight before prison was watching James and Elizabeth pull his son from the closet and comfort him.

~*~

"You were stolen from me, Hunter…but you have become a powerful warrior, beyond even my expectations. We will soon meet again…"

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: Looming Storm

2004

Just after the defeat of Mesagog and the explosion of his island fortress.

Explosions rocked the island fortress of the humanoid dinosaur villain that the world knew as Mesagog, the latest threat to the Earth. Mesagog's lab trembled violently, as the Dino Thunder rangers successfully used their weapon to strike the base of their enemy, delivering a devastating blow. The glass cylinders containing monsters and various creatures that Mesagog had collected tumbled from their resting places on the shelves and shattered to pieces on the floor. In one final explosion, the island exploded, sinking into the ocean.

Hours later, the Dino Thunder rangers sacrificed the power in their gems to neutralize Mesagog, finally destroying him for good. And just like that, all was well on Earth again and another chapter in the Ranger Legacy came to a close. But as it often happens, things are never what they seem.

~*~

The pacific ocean, near one of the Hawaiian islands

It was a normal warm, sunny day in Hawaii and the waters were alive with the activity of surfers, swimmers, boaters and scuba divers. On one of the more remote beaches of a small island, a few native to the area went about their day as normal, surfing and enjoying their surroundings.

"Waves are perfect today," a very tanned young man called to his friends, as they relaxed on the beach.

"Hey, what is that over there?" the girl asked, as they saw something washing up on the beach in the near distance. Cautiously the two males and one female approached the figure and instantly had to cover their mouths and noses, as the stench of burnt human flesh singed their nostrils.

"Oh my God," the girl cried, as they took in the gruesome sight. The being was as badly burned as any of them had ever seen and gingerly, one of the men knelt down to feel the neck for a pulse.

"What are you doing? There's no way whatever or whoever this was could still be alive," the other male refuted. His eyes widened, as he felt a faint pulse.

"He…or whatever is alive," he announced.

"How could anyone survive being burned alive like this?" she wondered. He shook his head.

"I don't know, but he won't be alive much longer so call an ambulance," the surfer said, as his friend pulled out a cell phone and dialed 9-1-1…

~*~

Present Day, September 2007

In the Woods Surrounding Blue Bay Harbor

The Wind Ninja Academy

The gardens of the secretive Wind Ninja Academy were lit with a beautiful, serene lighting that complimented the moonlight that shone down upon them. The students were still on summer break, but would return for fall lessons in just two weeks. They had planned this occasion for just this reason, since the new fall term would bring the final joining of the two academies. But that was still causing enough upheaval that they decided that this event would be private so no unwanted interruptions occurred.

Sensei Omino and some of his staff would remain at the old Thunder Academy most of the time and still conduct Academy business from there as a secondary facility. Hunter and Leann, crimson and navy, would pick up their posts as head Sensei's at the new Wind Thunder Ninja Academy at his behest. But for now, he was present to enjoy his daughter's joy, as she married the man she loved, the son of his long time ninja brother in arms. The ceremony had been simple and now the group of young people celebrated with each other well into the night while Sensei Omino and Sensei Watanabe looked on.

Cam and Leann danced slowly, their faces mere inches apart, glowing with happiness as they whispered to each other. Tori and Hunter, dressed in a beautiful baby blue gown and tux trimmed in crimson respectively, were in their own little world also, as they danced slowly as well. Even Blake had made it and he danced with Kapri. Their laughter filled the garden and it seemed that Blake was recovering fast from his break up with Allison. It had been a mutual split and Kapri was quite interested in the newly single motocross star. Dustin and Marah and Shane and Skyla made up the rest of their small group and it was the red wind ninja that brought their attention together by raising his wine glass.

"I know we're just about the most nontraditional bunch that there ever was, but I think it's time for Mr. Best Man to make his speech," Shane announced, eying Hunter, who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah...speech bro. We know you're so good at them," Blake joked. The crimson ninja gave him a playful glare in response, before he took his glass.

"Cam and Leann, you guys are going to be great together. You're both like my annoying older brother and sister that I always wanted," he joked, making them laugh and earning an eye roll from the green samurai.

"Cam, I know I speak for all of us when I say that we like seeing you smile more, the way you do when Leann is around. You're without a doubt the brains of this operation, but save the snarky comment for later," Hunter said, as Cam closed his mouth and forgot the comment they had all known was coming. Hunter chuckled.

"You're so predictable," he joked.

"Blake's right, your speeches are terrible," Cam retorted. Hunter smirked.

"Maybe…but like you, I have a better half," he said playfully, as his gaze met Tori's.

"To Cam and Leann," they toasted, as the evening festivities continued.

~*~

Somewhere in Africa

The tribal elder coughed violently, as he held the wound in his belly.

"I will...never tell you...dark witch!" he hissed, as the beautiful woman sneered down at him.

"Then this village will burn to the ground and take everyone with it, you old fool. Then my team will sift through the ashes and find it anyway. Tell me now and spare you loved ones!" Tamara Cho hissed.

"You are not worthy to hold the earth prism!" he hissed back. She smirked and hauled him to his feet. He stumbled to his ceremonial altar and opened an ornate, golden chest from a secret compartment. The tent was momentarily bathed in a yellow glow, as the Earth prism shined with brilliance before his eyes. He turned sharply and held the prism, letting its golden power explode at the evil woman who held his village captive. She growled and combated his attack with dark, purplish energy of her own. The elder gasped, as her pupils disappeared and her eyes became solid black. Her evil energy ate away at his attack. It was true that each prism was extremely powerful, but only in the hands of its chosen bearer and he was not that person. The golden light faded and he had no time to scream, as her attack hit him in the chest. She smirked and plucked the earth prism from his limp palm. Blood leaked from his open wounds and he glared up into evil.

"The ones...meant for the prisms will...stop you, demon..." he rasped. She reached down and wrapped her hand around his throat.

"No one can stop me, you old fool. Especially not a bunch of silly kids," she hissed, as she snapped his neck with a sharp twist. As she exited the tent, two masked ninjas waited, each bearing the dark ninja symbol.

"Wipe this village off the map," she ordered. Dozens more dark ninjas under her command swarmed in and the screams of innocents rang out momentarily, before they were forever silenced by the flames of their burning village...

~*~

A Few Days Later...

"Dad...what do you mean?" Mack asked in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, but this new threat, Thrax, has severed your connection to the universal morphing grid," Andrew stated.

"But you can fix it...right?" Dax asked.

"Yeah, you built the morphers, after all," Will added.

"I did, but my knowledge of the morphing grid itself is very limited. In fact, only a few people on Earth have a true grasp of how it works. I'm afraid without some kind of help, I don't know how to get past this," Andrew replied.

"So that's it...we're no longer rangers," Ronny said in disbelief.

"And the world is unprotected," Rose added.

"Not to mention that there is nothing to stop Flurious and Moltor from finding the remaining jewels," Tyzonn stated. Andrew nodded gravely. Unknown to them, the Sentinel Knight heard of their dilemma and quickly disappeared.

~*~

Blue Bay Harbor

"Where are you taking me?" Tori asked anxiously. Hunter grinned from his spot in the driver's seat and watched her fidget so as not to remove the blindfold that he had ordered her to wear.

"Relax babe, we're almost there," he assured her.

"Why can't you just tell me?" she questioned. He smirked.

"Because this is more fun," he replied. She huffed in annoyance.

"Maybe for you," she grumbled, as she crossed her arms over her chest. He stopped the van and parked, before getting out and opening her door. He helped her out and guided her along the boardwalk. Tori could smell the ocean strongly and hear the waves crashing on the beach.

"We're at the beach," she stated.

"Yes we are," Jack announced, as he and Alana met the young couple in front of a small, freshly painted shop.

"Daddy?" Tori asked, as Hunter took her blindfold off.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, as she looked around.

"What's going on?" she asked, as Hunter stepped aside so she could see the kiosk sized shop. Her mouth dropped open, as she read the sign.

"Tori's Custom Boards?" she asked in disbelief.

"Surprise sweetheart!" Alana exclaimed.

"How..." Tori started to say, but her words faded. She was speechless.

"We've seen your sketches and you're very talented. We know your birthday is still a month away, but we couldn't wait to spring this on you," Jack stated.

"You should thank Hunter though. It was his idea," Alana added. She looked at him and smiled warmly, as she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," she said, as she hugged her parents.

"This is amazing," she gushed, as Hunter wrapped his arms around her waist. She kissed him tenderly.

"That's not all," Alana said, as Jack presented a dark blue box wrapped with a bright blue bow.

"The shop was amazing enough...you shouldn't have gotten more," Tori lamented. Jack smiled.

"Just open it," he prodded. She did and gasped at the contents. It was an aqua blue crystal-like pendant in the shape of an icicle. It was fairly large, about 4 inches long and unlike any piece of jewelry Tori had ever seen. She had seen similar prismatic type pendants like this, but there was something very unique about it.

"Where...did you get this?" Tori asked, as she took it out of the box. It looked like it cost a small fortune.

"Well, when we were with our team in Angel Grove a couple weeks ago working that last case, Jason finally convinced us to go scuba diving with him and Trini," Alana said.

"And I found it lodged in a piece of coral when we were at our deepest point. I was careful not to damage the coral, but when I saw it, something just told me that it should be yours," Jack replied. Alana nodded.

"It instantly reminded us of you and we let Billy examine it to tell us what kind of gem it was, but he said it didn't really match any gemstones. It was more like a prism, he said, though he said he had never seen one quite like it and in such a unique color," Alana explained. Jack nodded.

"So we bought a silver chain for it and had a jeweler put it on for us. He actually had no idea exactly what it was either and said it might not be worth anything if it was just a prism, but we know things like that don't matter to you," Jack stated. Tori nodded.

"I love it, thank you," Tori said, enamored by the pendant. And Hunter could instantly see why, as blue ribbons of power coursed over her body in response to her contact with it.

"Will you put it on me?" she asked. He nodded and fastened the clasp, watching the blue ribbons of power immediately draw to the pendant and disappear. Hunter shared a meaningful look with her and kissed her forehead.

"These aren't quite as shiny, but I think you'll like them too," Hunter said, as he handed her another box. She looked at him and cocked her head to the side.

"You guys are spoiling me," Tori chided, as she opened it up and found hundreds of business cards. She pulled one out and read it.

"Tori Hanson, Custom Surfboards," she read, noticing the card had the location of her kiosk and her email.

"Kelly has some on the check out desk at Storm Chargers too and Cam said he could even build you a website," Hunter said. She looked at him in awe.

"This...is amazing," she said, as she looked at the blank boards in her shop, just waiting for her to design. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her hair.

"This is just the beginning for us," he whispered in her ear. Her eyes met his and she smiled, before he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. A few screams suddenly started them and they saw a large black and golden shiny figure appear, causing people to scatter in fear even though the being had made no violent attempts toward them. But from their ranger days, Tori and Hunter weren't going to take any chances. They sunk into a fighting stance and prepared to take on the possible threat. The figure stopped before them.

"Tori Hanson," he stated.

"Who are you?" Hunter demanded. The last time someone had approached them with knowledge of Tori, they had been kidnapped and nearly killed.

"Do not fear me. I fight on your side...the side of good. I am the Sentinel Knight," he stated. Tori relaxed slightly, but Hunter still remained defensive.

"A great crisis has occurred and the power rangers known as Operation Overdrive have lost their powers. The world is defenseless and I have called on five former rangers to step in. You, Tori Hanson, are the final ranger on my new team," he stated.

"But I don't have my powers anymore," Tori replied.

"It is risky, but I have spared my energy to restore the powers for three rangers and two that still have their powers. Thrax, the son of Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd has attacked and joined with several other villains. The world is in great danger," the Knight stated.

"But why not Hunter too? He was a ranger and we could use him," she replied.

"For now, I'm only sparing the energy for three power sources. But if the situation becomes worse, then I will be forced to recruit more," he stated.

"Go...they need you," he prodded. She nodded and hugged him tightly.

"I'll call you tonight," she said. He smirked.

"You better," he replied, as he kissed her quickly. She hugged her parents goodbye and disappeared with the Sentinel Knight. Hunter sighed and Alana patted his arm.

"She'll be okay," she assured.

"I know...I better let Sensei know what's going on. I'll see you both later," he said, as he waved to them and then disappeared into a crimson ninja streak.

"I really wish I could move that fast," Jack commented. Alana chuckled and they joined hands, retreating to their car parked nearby.

~*~

Ninja Ops

"Man...that's awesome!" Shane said, as Hunter told them the news.

"Yeah, but how come I didn't get chosen. I'm so jealous," Dustin added.

"Well if the choice is between you and Tori, then Tori is going to be chosen," Cam drawled.

"Dude that's harsh and why are you even here?" the earth ninja asked.

"Yeah, why aren't you and Leann on your honeymoon?" Hunter asked curiously.

"With new students coming in soon and the merging of the Academies only days away, we decided to postpone until winter break. We're taking a trip then," Cam replied, as he tapped away at his computer as usual. A picture of the battle appeared. They assumed that the six young people currently getting their butts kicked all around StoneHenge were the team known as Operation Overdrive.

"Hey, you found it," Dustin said, as he plopped down next to him.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Cam asked. Leann sat next to him and gently pinched his arm.

"Okay Mr. Snarky, just turn up the volume," she chided. He smirked and did, as Hunter and Shane, with his arm around Skyla, stood behind them.

"Hey! You guys are blocking my view!" Marah complained.

"Where's your other half?" Hunter teased. Marah smirked at him.

"Your brother is racing in Reefside today. She's visiting him," Marah replied. Hunter rolled his eyes, before turning his attention to the screen. They watched, impressed when vines suddenly appeared out of nowhere, disrupting the battle and saving the unmorphed team.

"Whoa...how come we never got capes on our suits?" Dustin asked.

"Because capes are dorky," Hunter quipped.

"Dude...they'd be perfect for Dustin then," Shane teased.

"Shut up dude," Dustin quipped.

"Hey...who's that guy?" Shane asked, as a red ranger strode forward after blasting one of the Fear Cats.

"No idea...I've never seen that suit design before," Cam replied, finding it weird that it matched nothing in his ranger history database. Next they saw a yellow blur fly by, striking several minions, before coming to rest atop a pillar.

"Hey...it's Kira," Marah said fondly, as they saw a familiar blue blur make quick work of several more minions. Hunter crossed his arms over his chest in pride, as he watched the woman he loved fight. There was a huge explosion that unearthed the ground beneath Kamdor and one of the Fear Cats. A black ax, emblazoned with the symbol of the Mastodon rested in the dirt, as the black Mighty Morphin power ranger picked it up.

"It's Adam," Shane said.

"Good...the Sentinel Knight picked a veteran to lead at least," Hunter replied. Shane clapped him on the shoulder.

"Dude...she'll be fine," he assured him. Hunter nodded.

"I know," he replied. He believed Tori could handle absolutely anything, but he just had a feeling that this new threat might be bigger than this Sentinel Knight guy even knew and he couldn't shake it. He wondered if Jason or Billy would agree when they found out that the son of Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd was attacking earth.

They saw the five not so new rangers demorph and greet the team that was now without powers.

"Hey...is that the necklace you told us about?" Shane asked, noticing the pendant around Tori's neck. Hunter nodded.

"Tori's parents found it scuba diving in Angel Cove. Billy said he's not even sure exactly what it is so it must be rare," Hunter replied, as the screen went dark.

"Looks like that's it for now. Thrax is probably pretty pissed off though, considering he hasn't gotten rid of the power rangers after all," Cam mentioned.

"Then you should all be ready to lend your powers if the situation becomes dire," Sensei advised. They agreed and left him alone. He too had seen the pendant around Tori's by chance and somehow knew it wasn't simply coincidence that the Hanson's had come across it, for he knew exactly what it was. If one of the storm prisms had surfaced, then he knew this was only the beginning. He picked up the phone and dialed a number

"Hello," Omino answered on the other end.

"We must tell them of the scroll's prophecy. We cannot delay any longer," Sensei Watanabe stated gravely...

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: The Retro Rangers

San Angeles, California

The Retro rangers, as they were calling themselves, entered the Hartford mansion, having successfully driven Thrax and his minions back for the moment.

"You guys were great out there!" Mack called excitedly. Adam smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Thanks, it's great to be back in action," Adam replied.

"Yeah, though I have to admit I never thought I'd be back in the game," Tori mentioned.

"Oh that's right, you're getting married soon," Kira said, nudging her arm, as Tori smiled shyly.

"Married?" Ronny asked.

"Who's the lucky guy?" Dax questioned.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Dax," Tori teased.

"But if you must know, his name is Hunter and he's the head Sensei of the Thunder Ninja Academy," she said proudly.

"I still can't believe you and Hunter are together since you used to have a thing for Blake," Kira teased. Tori rolled her eyes.

"And this is coming from the girl that swore she would never fall for an arrogant meathead jock, your words, and then ended up not only doing exactly that, but falling for none other than Conner McKnight, King of all Jocks," Tori teased back, turning the tables on her best friend.

"Okay…I get it. Life doesn't always go the way we think. But Conner has changed a lot," Kira pointed out. Tori smiled.

"Hunter hasn't really, I mean he's less broody now and a little more trusting, at least when it comes to our former teams, but I wouldn't change a thing. Believe me, I never

thought I'd fall for him either, but Blake left, we drifted apart and both found other people," Tori replied with a shrug.

"As long as we're happy," Kira said, as she put her arm around Tori. The blue wind ranger smiled.

"Blissfully…I wouldn't change a thing," Tori replied.

"So does Hunter know the real reason you're here in San Angeles?" Will asked out of curiosity. Tori smirked and Adam chuckled.

"He should, since he was one too," Tori answered coyly.

"You guys really need a crash course in ranger history. Come on, we'll talk over dinner. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starved," Adam said.

"I could eat," Xander agreed.

"I have access to a complete comprehensive database of ranger history. I can tell you everything," Bridge bragged. Adam chuckled again.

"Or they can hear from someone who was there," Adam replied.

"Yeah, let's talk about Thrax. I mean, son of Rita and Zedd? Who were they exactly?" Dax asked.

"Wow…you guys are really clueless on your heritage," Kira mentioned.

"Rita and Zedd were our big bads in my days as the black ranger, before the Zeo era. And believe me, the fact that they have a son creates all kinds of images I never wanted to think about," Adam said,
shaking his head in disgust. He could almost hear Rocky's one liners right now about it.

The Overdrive rangers and even the others listened, as Adam began telling them about his days as a ranger.

~*~

Hawaii

The life support machines hummed and blipped a steady beep, indicating a heartbeat of the patient in the bed. The seemingly male person's face was wrapped completely with gauze, with the exception of the eyes and mouth. The man had been in this small Hawaiian hospital for nearly three years now, having been found nearly burned to death and washed up on a nearby beach. The extensive burns should have killed him, but to the local physician's amazement, the man survived, though he had remained in a coma since he had been found. During that time, the doctors had treated his burns as best as possible and his skin had mostly healed, though he was horribly scarred on almost one hundred percent of his body. It had been determined though, through testing his DNA, that he was of Asian descent, but inquiries made to cities throughout the far east and the United States had gone unanswered. No one seemed to be missing this man. To the small medical community, he had become their living, breathing miracle.

A young nurse walked into the room, making her hourly rounds, and picked up the man's chart. The name read John Doe and she checked the last dosage of medication that had been given. He was mostly healed and had yet to wake up, so they had been trying a new drug that had seen some success recently with comatose patients. But the nurse was about to find out that the patient in this bed was not deserving of the help he had received.

Her face was suddenly aglow with astonishment, as the patient moaned and his brown eyes fluttered open.

"Oh my God…I've got to page Doctor Parker," she whispered in awe. He reached his hand toward the woman and she went to his side. It was a mistake that would cost her in the form of her life. His eyes glazed over with blackness and he clutched her throat, snapping her neck like nothing. Tossing the body away, he thrashed in the bed and tore the gauze away from his limbs. The machines blared with emergency warnings, as he ripped the wires and tubes away and stumbled to his feet. Seeing his reflection in the window, he tore the gauze away from his face and saw a scarred and aged face of Kiya Watanabe staring back at him…or at least the physical appearance of what used to be to Kiya. In reality, he had ceased to be Kiya many years ago and Lothor had been born of the evil inside him.

"Welcome back, my love," a woman's voice said. Lothor turned and grinned deviously.

"Ah my lovely Tamara..." Lothor hissed, as they joined hands.

"I have waited for this day for a very long time, my love. I was afraid it would never come," she recalled.

"It may not have been if our enemies had their way, but now they will finally pay," Lothor replied.

"More than you know. The planet Mars will be in a most unusual and rare alignment in just a week's time," she informed him. Lothor's eyes widened with evil delight.

"If we open the abyss during the alignment, then nothing will stop us this time. But we must have the prisms," Lothor stated. She smirked.

"I have much to tell you," she replied

"What the devil is going on in here?" an orderly exclaimed, as he burst into the room. Lothor turned and purple energy erupted from his fingers, killing the poor man upon impact. Evil laughter bubbled from his throat, as he used his Ninja powers to transform himself into his evil Ninja garb once again and he donned his mask. The window cracked and glass flew everywhere, as they disappeared into a purple Ninja streak…

~*~

Two days later

London

Screams of terror erupted in the museum, in a particular wing that displayed artifacts thought to be remnants of various myths from all over the world. Two bumbling monsters that Flurious had sent lurked through the exhibits until they found what they were looking for.

"There it is! The thunder stone of Thor!" one of the creatures exclaimed.

"Fine, grab it and let's get out of here," the other griped. As he brought his hand to touch it, crimson lightning erupted from the stone, keeping him from touching it.

"Grab it, you fool," the other snapped.

"I can't touch it!" he growled back. The other tried and found the same results, receiving only a violent shock from the glowing stone.

"Hold it right there, meatheads," Adam snapped, as he and the others arrived, already morphed.

"Rangers..." they growled and charged. Chillers and Lava lizards arrived to give them back up. Kira, Xander, and Bridge took on the foot soldiers, as Tori and Adam went after the two aliens. While Tori kept them busy, Adam tried to touch the glowing stone, but pulled his hand away in pain, as it shocked him.

"You can't get it either, ranger," one of the alien's laughed. Adam charged at him and they dueled, while the other tried to best the blue ranger. But as usual, he sorely underestimated the female ranger and found himself on his back in defeat. Tori ran toward the stone and Adam called out to her.

"Careful Tori...I couldn't touch it without..." Adam's words died on his lips, as he watched her grab the stone. The crimson lightning sizzled, but didn't seem to hurt her. In response, blue ribbons of power coursed all over her body.

"Get her!" one of the monster's cried. Tori leapt up and kicked him back, as the other charge. The object in her hand reacted though, much to her surprise, and electrocuted him. The monsters retreated and the rangers were teleported back to the Hartford mansion with the thunderstone in tow.

~*~

Japan

The monk climbed the Temple stairs, going about his daily duties of upkeep and prayer. The Temple of Air had stood for centuries, guarding an ancient power that generation after generation had protected it until the person chosen to wield its power came along. He had always admired the red prism of power; it was hard not to. Legend was that only a master of air could properly use the power. He heard footsteps behind him and turned, finding a woman standing there.

"Stop...you are trespassing," he stated, raising his voice.

"You know, whoever decided that this dump needed so many steps is lucky he is probably already dead or I would kill him for making me ruin these boots," Tamara hissed.

"Now darling, you're being rude. That's no way to speak to someone that's about to hand us another piece toward ultimate power," Lothor said, as he joined her.

"You will not touch the power prism!" he refuted, as he fell into a defensive stance.

"I believe he is challenging you, dear," Tamara leered.

"Well, I guess I have no choice then," Lothor replied, as he charged the aging monk in spar. Lothor was ruthless, as he went straight for a knife punch to the throat and then twisted the poor man's arm, snapping his brittle bones. As the man lay crumpled on the ground before him, Lothor's eyes went black with his dark ninja powers and the man cried out in agony, as the dark power was thrust through his chest. When the energy dissipated, the man lay with a hole in his chest and vacant eyes. Tamara smirked evilly and took her husband's arm, as they walked up to the power prism on the pedestal.

"I had almost forgotten how ruthless you could be, my love. It's exhilarating," she gushed. He smirked.

"Speaking of exhilarating," he said, as he picked up the glowing red object. Only a Ninja master could have touched one of the prisms without consequence. Lothor knew that this particular stone was meant for the red ranger, but he was determined that Shane Clarke would be destroyed by it rather than ever touch it. Along with his friends and meddlesome nephew and his traitor of a brother.

"Two down...five to go," she said excitedly.

"This time...nothing will stop us, not even those meddling, powerless rangers," Lothor growled.

~*~

The Hartford Mansion

"Any ideas why it's reacting like this?" Adam asked, as Andrew carefully examined the stone.

"Yeah and why can only Tori seem to touch it?" Mack asked.

"Well, I can tell you that I was wrong. The Thunder stone of Thor isn't hiding one of the jewels of the Corona Aurora," Andrew replied.

"It's not?" Kira asked in confusion.

"So why were those goons after it?" Xander wondered.

"Good question. Seems like it was a waste of time," Dax replied.

"I didn't say that. There is definitely something inside this stone that's quite volatile," Andrew stated.

"Volatile to anyone except Tori, maybe," Rose said. Adam became pensive.

"Your powers were reacting to it too, weren't they?" he asked her.

"I guess..." she said, as she went back to thinking. Andrew continued drilling with the small tool, until finally the stone cracked. The room filled with crimson light and the sparks dissipated, allowing Andrew to extract the object.

"What is it?" Ronny asked.

"It's a prism...a crimson colored one. Suddenly, the blue prism around Tori's neck reacted to it and began glowing brightly.

"That's pretty freaky," Kira said. Tori's eyes lit up in recognition.

"That's why this seems so familiar! My powers lately have often been reacting to Hunter's and neither of us know why. When we've asked Sensei, he just gives us riddles. We know that he knows something, but I think he's trying to get us to figure it out," Tori explained.

"Well, if my instincts are right, then these two objects are not just ordinary prisms. I think you need to call Hunter and I think it's time Sensei Watanabe tells us what he knows," Adam said. Tori nodded, as she grabbed her phone and went to call him. But she was interrupted by the alert sounding.

"You'll have to put that phone call on hold. We've got trouble again," Andrew said, as they saw several city-sized monsters attacking San Angeles.

"I'm sending the zords," Andrew said. Adam nodded.

"It's Morphin Time!" he called.

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!" Xander chanted.

"S.P.D...Emergency!" Bridge cried.

"Dino Thunder, Power up, ha!" Kira shouted.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form, ha!" Tori called, as they hurried to the zords.

The Wind-Thunder Ninja Academy

~*~

Outside Blue Bay Harbor

Hunter watched two of his students spar, while he and the rest observed. Nate was an aggressive crimson thunder ninja with an attitude sparring against a skilled, but more timid navy thunder ninja named Brian. Normally, Hunter wouldn't have been too concerned. He had once been just as hot headed as Nate and still could be at times, though he had matured a lot since those days. Still, even at his angriest, not counting when he was under Choobo's spell, he had never been as sadistic as he had witnessed Nate be. It concerned him greatly and he had even discussed a few of his students with Sensei Omino, including him and Zara. They were part of the dissension in the ranks and he had more than one altercation with some of these students.

Nate flipped Brian on his back, but instead of backing off since he had gotten the point, he proceeded to wrap his arm around Brian's neck while he was pinned on the ground.

"There's no room in the ranks for a weakling like you," he hissed.

"Stand down Nate!" Hunter ordered, but the student ignored him.

"One day, Sensei Bradley won't be here to protect the likes of you and the rest of these weaklings that follow him like loyal little sheep," he hissed. Hunter pulled him off the student and pushed him away, as he helped the other young ninja up.

"Michael, can you please take Brian to the nurse?" he asked. Michael nodded.

"I'm fine Sensei," Brian assured him. Hunter nodded.

"I'm sure you are, but we need to be positive," Hunter replied, as he looked sternly at Nate.

"What?" Nate scoffed.

"Your use of excessive force could have seriously hurt him. There's no need for it in sparring," Hunter stated.

"That waste of air is fine though, so no harm done, right Sensei," Nate said disrespectfully.

"Class is dismissed for now. You'll report to Sensei Omino tomorrow in place of your regular classes though. Until you can learn respect for the other students, your training is suspended," Hunter said sternly. Nate grinded his teeth angrily.

"You can't do that!" he screamed, as the other students watched the exchange with interest and surprise.

"I'm your Sensei and you've displayed conduct that is disgraceful and dishonoring of the ways of the Thunder Ninja..." Hunter said, but Nate angrily cut him off in mid sentence.

"You're the only disgrace here, Bradley!" he screamed, causing many of the students to gasp in surprise and a few to smirk proudly. But Hunter held his temper in check and

only smirked.

"Oh really?" he asked.

"The founders of this Academy would roll over in their graves if they could see your disgraceful conduct! It was once illegal for a Thunder Ninja and a Wind Ninja to be involved!" he screamed. Hunter rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, about three hundred years ago. Times have changed and my personal life is none of your business," Hunter retorted.

"You're right I guess, but you and your "bros" have gone and decided that we should all just push aside our rivalry and all get in bed with the Wind Academy," Nate hissed.

"Apart we fell to our true enemy, but together we prevailed over evil. Joining the Academies is the right thing to do," Hunter argued.

"No, you fell because you're weak!" Nate said, as he charged him. Hunter dodged his punch in surprise, but quickly recovered and went on the defensive, as the angry student lashed out at him. Hunter dodged and blocked Nate's fury of punches and kicks. He wasn't surprised that the disruption soon attracted the other Sensei's.

Shane, Dustin, and Leann stared at the exchange in disbelief. They had all sensed the dissension from some students, but this was the first time one had actually attacked one of them. Hunter found an easy opening since Nate had let his emotions take control, leaving him with a sloppy defense. Hunter swept his legs out from under him and pinned him to the mat. Shane and Dustin stepped forward to help, but none of them expected what happened next. Nate's eyes went black and he shot dark energy at them.

"Thunder shield!" Hunter cried, as he blocked the students from the dark energy. Dustin, Shane, and Leann reacted quickly, launching their own elements at him. Hunter joined them and they subdued the young dark ninja.

"What's going on?" Cam cried, as he arrived with his father.

"You're all a disgrace, that's what's going on!" Nate spat, as they restrained him.

"Where did you learn dark ninja magic?" Hunter questioned.

"Like I'd tell you," he spat.

"You have committed treason by practicing the dark arts. Our laws are clear on this matter. You will be banished for all time," Kanoi announced. Nate chuckled evilly.

"Do your worst, old man. You have no idea what's in store for you!" he ranted, as the Sensei encased him in a sphere of power and sent him away to the stars, much like his twin brother was so long ago. The students dispersed at their orders and Hunter retreated to Ninja Ops.

"I'm sorry Sensei," he apologized.

"It's not your fault, Hunter. Some will never get used to the idea of the merging, but it is what is best. Nate knew the consequences of using dark ninja power and unfortunately, not everyone can be saved, especially when you try to save them from themselves," Kanoi said, as he patted the crimson thunder wielder on the shoulder.

"Believe me, I would know," Kanoi added. Hunter nodded and was perplexed when Sensei handed him a tattered scroll.

"I know that you love Tori and that neither of you let the whispers around the Academy get to you. But if you ever doubt whether you are meant to be together, you may find comfort in this scroll," Kanoi said.

"Thanks Sensei, but ancient scroll riddles do nothing but confuse me," Hunter replied. Kanoi smiled.

Not this one. Read it," Kanoi insisted, as he quietly left the room. Hunter sighed and unrolled the document.

"Amethyst Storm," Hunter read and then sighed.

"Stupid riddles," he grumbled, as he reluctantly began to read.

~*~

The Hartford Mansion

"That battle was brutal, mates," Xander said, as they filed into the rec room at the Hartford mansion.

"No doubt. I think I'm getting too old for this," Adam complained, as he dropped onto one of the couches. Tori took to the video phone and called ninja ops. She was happy and surprised to see Hunter answer instead of Cam.

"Hey babe," she greeted.

"Hi yourself, beautiful," he responded with a lazy smile.

"You look tired," she mentioned with concern.

"I'm fine. Sensei is making me read scrolls again about purple storms and a bunch of scroll gibberish that makes no sense to me," he complained. She smiled.

"You have such a short attention span. Always a man of action," she teased. He smirked.

"Well, I am a red," he reminded her. She nodded.

"So true," she replied.

"You look tired too," he mentioned.

"I forgot how taxing three hour zord battles can be," she reminded him. He winced.

"Wish I was there with you," he said.

"Me too, but I was hoping that you might be able to get away for a few days and visit me here. We found this artifact I think you should see," she replied.

"Seeing you is exactly what I need after today," he said. She frowned.

"Did something happen?" she asked. He sighed.

"One of my students attacked using dark ninja magic and we had to banish him," he told her. She gasped.

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"He kept going on about how we were disgracing Academy tradition by joining together, among other things," Hunter replied.

"You mean us," she stated. He shook his head.

"It doesn't matter what any of them think. I love you and nothing is going to change that," he assured her. She smiled gently.

"I know, I love you too," she responded.

"I just wish that I could have done more, you know? Maybe I could have reached him somehow," Hunter lamented.

"No babe, he made his choices and you are not at fault. He knew the consequences of using the dark powers," Tori insisted. He smirked.

"That's what Sensei told me," he said.

"He's right and he would know," she replied. He nodded.

"Guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked. She smiled brightly.

"I can't wait. I love you," she said.

"Love you too," he replied, as the video comm went dark, leaving Tori curious about the events of the day and what it all could mean…

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: The Storm Prisms, Pt. 1

Cairo, Egypt

Jared Zale got out of his limo and entered the small cafe. He hated this arid climate and all the sand, but he hoped this trip would prove to be a lucrative venture. He sat down at a table with a man that was dressed in a typical khaki outfit, common for someone who often conducted explorations of ancient ruins.

"My informant says that you may have something of interest to me," Jared stated.

"Yes, but this place is far too public," the man replied skittishly.

"I agree. My car is waiting outside," the CEO responded, as they quietly walked out and got into the limo.

"Drive," Jared ordered. His driver obeyed and they headed out into the desert.

"Now...let me see if this artifact is worth the ten million asking price," he demanded. The man opened the case and Jared looked inside. It was an impressive looking dagger, encrusted with jewels on the gold handle. But the most prominent black prismatic object on the hilt is what attracted his attention the most. The black prism rested between the mouths of two serpents on the hilt.

"You were right. I think you'll find the amount agreed upon in here," Jared said, as he handed a metal case to the man. The archeologist opened the case and was satisfied to see that it was filled with money. The limo slowed and he was surprised to see a man and a woman get into the limo. The woman was beautiful, wearing a strange leather uniform and the man wore a similar uniform, but his face was marred by a frightening mask.

"Don't be frightened, these are just two of my colleagues, Kiya and Tamara, who are very interested in your discovery," Jared assured.

"Yes...tell us where you found this extraordinary artifact," "Kiya" requested.

"Um...in the ancient temple of Apophis, or what is believed to be. I have just made history by discovering it," the archeologist responded.

"Apophis?" Tamara asked, playing dumb.

"Ah, Apophis, the serpent God of chaos, according to ancient Egyptian mythology. The mortal enemy of Ra, the Sun God," Kiya said.

"I didn't think such a Temple existed," she replied.

"We didn't know it did until recently. It was destroyed and only the underground caverns remain. It would have been considered a place of pure evil in ancient Egyptian culture," the archeologist responded. She smirked.

"How very interesting," she said. The man shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes, well, I should be going," he said.

"Yes, by all means," Kiya responded. The man got out and started back toward town.

"Well, you have your dark prism now, it seems. What of the others?" Jared asked.

"Patience, you'll get them once we have them all," Tamara replied.

"Fine, just at least get my money back," he requested. Lothor chuckled evilly and got out of the car. Screams were heard briefly, as he thrust the dagger into the poor man retreating toward town. Dark energy erupted from the prism and incinerated the remains instantly. Lothor tossed the case of money back to Zale.

"We'll be in touch," she assured him, as the two disappeared in twin streaks. Jared got back in his car.

"Take me to the airport. I'd like to get out of the sand trap," he ordered.

"Yes Sir," he obeyed, as he turned the car around and headed back toward the city…

~*~

"You did the right thing in my absence. Waiting for me to come make the same judgement could have cost lives. I have lamented about Nate for several years now. He has always had violent tendencies. I guess I did not want to believe he would follow the dark path," Omino stated, as he sipped at his afternoon tea with Kanoi.

"I am sorry, my friend. To lose a student in that way is painful. When I lost Kiya, it was years before I could speak of it," Kanoi replied.

"I trust Hunter would have made the same decision. I did not make the decision that he would be my successor lightly," Omino said. Kanoi nodded.

"He is preoccupied with studying the scrolls I gave him. Much like I once was, he is always eager to be in the thick of the action, so he does not yet have the patience for the scrolls," Kanoi said in amusement.

"Fortunately Tori does. They are two halves of one coin, but we may not have time if the foreboding we feel is real," Omino stated.

"Hunter is already on his way to visit Tori. Cameron and I are following shortly this evening," Kanoi agreed.

"If the prisms are together, then we may not have to tell them anything. The power will do that," Omino said. Kanoi nodded.

"I fear that Thrax is not the only threat. There are others that have left in opposition to us, others that have dabbled in the dark arts. If they are presenting a united front against us, then all our lives could be in great danger," Kanoi stated.

"Then you and Cameron must go. I will prepare the rest of the students with Shane, Dustin, and Leann's help. We will be ready," Omino replied.

~*~

The Sentinel Knight meditated alone that evening. They had expected another attack from Thrax earlier, given that they had taken the thunder stone from them, but he hadn't, which actually worried him more.

"What are you planning, Thrax?" he questioned aloud, as he gazed up at the stars. He noticed the moon's peculiar position and the star representing Mars, which was very close and surprisingly large.

"Mars will eclipse the moon in just a few days..." he uttered, knowing the implication. But Thrax couldn't possibly know the danger that this imposed, nor the ceremony required to unleash such havoc. But he couldn't shake the foreboding feeling he had. He knew of the ancient scroll's prophecy that could come to pass should the ritual be performed on the exact day.

"Something is not right...I must be prepared," he said, as he disappeared.

~*~

I don't believe this!" Thrax complained.

"That monster was supposed to be invincible!" Thrax growled.

"It's those rangers! The Overdrives were enough of a nuisance, but these veteran rangers are even more troublesome!" Flurious complained. Thrax growled.

"If only we had the jewels. I'd be invincible!" Thrax ranted.

"You still can be...if you play your cards right," a new voice said, as several shadows could be seen in the entrance to the cave.

"Show yourself!" Thrax demanded. The lead figure emerged with five ninja garbed individuals flanking him and a woman beside him.

"Who are you?" Moltor demanded.

"The name's Lothor. I'm sure you've heard of me," he replied.

"As a matter of fact, I have. You're an even bigger failure than my parents when it comes to destroying rangers," Thrax spat, but he regretted it, as a yellowish beam shot out from Lothor's eyes and caused him to hold his head in agony.

"Mesagog's mind beam powers, among other things, rubbed off on me when his fortress exploded," Lothor explained, as he released him and warned the others with a look telling them that he would use it on them if needed.

"How did you survive that explosion anyway?" Flurious asked curiously.

"Haven't you ever heard that with the powers of a ninja...all things are possible?" Lothor prompted, though no one nodded in agreement.

"That goes double for an evil ninja," Lothor quipped.

"I burned alive and was exposed to large amounts of radioactivity that should have killed me. But my thirst for revenge knows no bounds and I will finally bring down the entire ranger legacy once and for all," Lothor stated.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Thrax asked.

"In less than five days, when Mars aligns with the moon, we are going to open the gates to the underworld and no rangers will be able to stop all the evil that will escape," Lothor growled maniacally.

"And what happens when they just call more blasted rangers to help fight?" Kamdor questioned.

"Let them. The more rangers to kill, the better. Now, you can go face them without me and be defeated, or you can join me and have a front row seat to the destruction of Zordon's Legacy," Lothor tempted. Thrax smirked.

"Tell me more about your plan," he requested.

~*~

The crimson street bike slowed, as the rider applied pressure to the brakes. Getting access past the gate of the Hartford mansion was easy enough once he gave his name. Hunter parked the bike and removed his helmet, letting his unruly blonde hair free. Tori approached, as he dismounted the bike and greeted him with a kiss.

"Hey," he said, as their lips parted.

"Hey yourself," she replied.

"I see Cam actually let you take the crimson rider," she mentioned.

"I know, I thought he'd say no, you know, cause he always says no. But he said I could this time. I think Leann is good for him," he replied. She smiled knowingly.

"He told you that if you wrecked it again then he's not rebuilding it this time, didn't he?" she asked.

"Well, he's still Cam, so he's still an ass sometimes. But for the record, I didn't wreck it. Lothor's goons shot me out of the sky and I had a bad landing...both times," he replied. She laughed.

"So bad landing is another word for crashing?" she teased.

"I'm hurt babe. You're crushing my fragile ego here," he joked. She smiled and kissed him passionately.

"Better?" she asked. He smirked.

"Getting there," he replied, as their lips met again. She took his hand and led him inside where Andrew and Spencer greeted them first.

"Welcome, I'm Andrew Hartford and this is Spencer," he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hunter Bradley, former crimson thunder ranger," he said.

"The others just sat down to eat if you both want to join them," Spencer said. Tori nodded and led him downstairs.

"Hey Hunter," Adam greeted, as they shared a fist bump.

"Great to see you," Hunter replied, as he greeted Kira as well.

"Let's introduce you," the yellow Dino ranger suggested.

"These two are the rest of the "Retro Rangers. This is Bridge and he's from the future," Tori said.

"Really?" Hunter asked in surprise.

"True story...or at least it will be. Or maybe it won't. I could be changing history right now," Bridge rambled.

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Bridge," Kira assured him.

"I guess I know why Cam couldn't find your team in the ranger database," Hunter said. Bridge nodded.

"Yeah, I was just born last week," Bridge said.

"Moving on. Let's not go down that road again," Tori joked, before the buttered toast lover could start rambling again.

"This is Xander from Mystic Force," Tori introduced.

"Pleased to meet you, mate," he said, as they shook hands.

"Likewise," Hunter replied.

"And the rest here is Operation Overdrive," Adam said.

"I think you mean was," Will mumbled.

"I'm Mack, it's great to meet another veteran," the red ranger said enthusiastically.

"Nice to meet you too," Hunter replied.

"I'm Dax. Can you do the funky powers thing like Tori?" he asked curiously. Hunter smirked and looked at Tori.

"Yes, he is Overdrive's Dustin," she said, answering his thoughts. He smirked. .

"If you mean can I bend an element," Hunter said, as crimson lighting sizzled from his hand.

"Then yes," Hunter replied.

"That's awesome. It would make a great movie! And is being a Dustin a good thing?" Dax asked. They smirked.

"Depends on the day," Hunter joked. Dax looked confused.

"I'm Ronnie," the girl in yellow said.

"Ronnie Robinson, the race car driver, right?" Hunter asked. She nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, you're Blake Bradley's brother, right? You don't look anything like him," she replied.

"We're adopted," Hunter answered, as he shook hands with the next ranger.

"I'm Will," the one dressed in black introduced himself.

"Rose," the girl in pink said shyly. With introductions out of the way, they sat down to eat.

~*~

"You fools! How could you let the rangers get that stone!" Lothor yelled.

"I don't see why it matters. The Thunder stone of Thor didn't contain a jewel after all, so it is of no concern," Flurious said dismissively.

"What was inside the thunder stone was far more useful than those silly trinkets you're collecting," Lothor spat.

"So what. They have two and you have three, assuming that girl really does have one. Plus you have the dark one," Thrax mentioned.

"We should organize an attack right away. If they don't yet know the significance of the prisms, then we must kill the blue ranger, before she and the crimson one realize their power," Tamara suggested.

"Yes, gather the army," Lothor ordered.

"Wait just a minute, I'm still in charge here!" Thrax protested.

"Not anymore, metal mouth...or would you like me to demonstrate what the dark prism can really do?" he threatened, as he held it close to Thrax's face. The creature shied away, as it began to sear his flesh.

"Fine...we'll do things your way," Thrax conceded.

"Excellent choice," Lothor spat.

"For now," Thrax hissed under his breath.

~*~

The next morning

Hunter and Adam shuffled along the training mats, engaged in an intense early morning spar. Tori observed, waiting for her time to step in. The other retros and the Overdrives shuffled in sleepily, wondering why there was so much commotion at eight in the morning.

"Why are you guys up so early?" Xander complained. Tori smirked.

"Classes at the Academy usually start around this time, so we as teachers have to get our own training done before that," she replied.

"Yeah, it's kind of the same thing at the dojo," Adam added, as he blocked Hunter's hook punch and returned a jab, which the blonde ducked.

"I have to stay in shape and train before my classes," he continued, as he swept Hunter's legs out from under him. The taller man started falling and then caught himself and did a back handspring to get back on his feet. Tori jumped into the fray and Adam blocked her fury of punches, while Hunter stepped back. Tori twisted to free herself, as Adam trapped her arms and flipped twice to split his defenses. Adam evaded her flying sidekick and she blocked his uppercut. They finished the spar and smiled at each other.

"Who's next?" Adam asked.

"Um...Tori kicked my butt enough in yesterday's spar," Kira said.

"Come on Xander, how about it?" Hunter asked. The green Mystic ranger shook his head.

"Um...I'm better with the magic, mate. I think I'll pass," he said. Hunter rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Since you guys are out of commission for the moment, you should probably keep your skills polished. Mack?" Adam asked. Mack eagerly stepped onto the mat to learn from Adam.

"Anyone else?" Tori asked. The other four glanced at each other and Will decided to speak for all.

"I think we're all done," Will said. Tori frowned.

"What?" she asked.

"We don't have powers anymore. What's the point of us even being here anymore if we can't be rangers?" Dax asked.

"We've decided that since you guys have everything under control that we should return to our normal lives," Ronny stated.

"Just because you don't have powers doesn't mean you can't help," Hunter replied.

"It's easier for you, Hunter. You're a ninja like Tori and you also have history with a lot of former rangers," Rose said.

"So you're quitting," he replied in agitation, as Tori put her hand on his shoulder.

"I know you guys are frustrated, but Alpha is working on fixing the morphing grid and he will succeed," Tori said.

"She's right. Just give him until the end of the week. If he still doesn't have it fixed, then you guys can walk," Adam suggested. They seemed to accept that and nodded in agreement, just as another alert alarm went off.

"They're starting early today," Kira mentioned, as they all hurried to the command room.

"Thrax and his associates are at it again. This time just outside the city limits," Andrew said.

"Let's suit up," Adam said, as he grabbed his morpher.

"It's Morphin' Time!" he called.

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!" Xander called.

"S.P.D...Emergency!" Bridge shouted.

"Dino Thunder, Power up, ha!" Kira called.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form, Ha!" Tori called, as they hurried for the jet. Hunter sat down with the others to observe the battle. His attention, however, was caught by the crackling object that Hartford had on display.

"Is that it?" he asked. Andrew nodded.

"It's highly volatile, so be careful," Andrew warned, as Hunter felt himself drawn to the object.

~*~

Lothor watched the battle led by Thrax. Things, as usual, were slowly being turned in the ranger's favor.

"It's time to turn the tides," Lothor said, as he turned to face Tamara, his daughter Zara, and their army of nearly fifty defected ninjas from both Academies.

"In mere days, the planet Mars will be in position and we will unleash our wrath upon this world," he announced.

"But for now, it's time to remind Omino and Watanabe's lackeys that we will not be irrelevant any longer. This will just be a taste of what's in store for them," Lothor added, rallying his dark ninjas.

~*~

Adam dealt another devastating blow, wiping out more chillers with his power axe. The others were slowly chipping away at the monsters and foot soldiers and he regrouped with his team. But something felt off.

"Is it just me or does Thrax look a little smug for someone who is losing?" Adam questioned.

"I was thinking the same thing," Tori agreed.

"What are you guys talking about?" We've got this in the bag," Xander said. His statement was followed with a violent explosion that threw them back several feet. Upon impact with the ground, their morphs failed.

From the smoke, an army of figures emerged donning ninja garb. Zara glared coldly at Tori, but the water ninja could only stare in disbelief at the being next to her.

"Lothor..." she uttered. Adam looked at her.

"How is that possible?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I don't know...he should have died when Mesagog's island blew up!" Tori spat. Lothor chuckled evilly.

"Yes...and I burned alive! Then I spent three years lying in a hospital bed...all because of you and your friends!" Lothor spat, as he fired a blast directly at them. They were thrown back and hit the ground painfully again. Tori stared up into evil, as Lothor glared down at her. She yelped in pain, as he kicked her in the stomach and then grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her to her knees. Zara glared at her and backhanded her hard across the face. Adam and Bridge struggled to come to her aide, but were subdued by the ninjas. Adam managed to fight them off, but then was holding his head in agony, as Lothor used his mind beam on him.

"Why Zara...why would you work for Lothor?" Tori demanded to know. She laughed.

"Oh sweetie, I'm not working for him. I'm his heir to the Throne," she replied, watching Tori's eyes widen in surprise.

"As for them, they want to stop ninjas like you from destroying hundreds of years of tradition by merging our schools. You're a disgrace!" Zara hissed.

"You're the only disgrace!" Tori hissed back. Zara growled and lunged at her, toppling her to the ground. Tori fought back and they traded blows and kicks, while Lothor laughed, as he looked on.

"Kill the rest," he ordered, as the ninjas descended.

~*~

At the same time

"Lothor..." Hunter uttered, as he jumped out of his seat.

"How is this possible?" Andrew wondered.

"I don't know...but I need to get out there," Hunter said, as he started outside for his bike.

"Hunter wait...you don't have any powers!" Andrew argued.

"He's right Hunter," a familiar voice said, as he turned his head.

"Sensei?" he asked, as he and Cam arrived.

"Lothor..." he uttered.

"He's back, I know. It's the foreboding that I have been feeling lately," Sensei stated.

"Cam...there has to be a way to re-energize our power discs," Hunter said. Cam shook his head.

"They're dead. Not even Billy can re-connect them to the morphing grid. Only a being like Sentinel Knight has that kind of power, save for a new power source all together, which you and Tori may have found," Cam explained. Hunter's eyes widened in recognition, as he rushed back inside and down to the control room. The others followed him in a hurry.

"That's it...Tori's prism isn't just an ordinary prism and neither is that!" he said, as he pointed at the crimson prism.

"I brought this for you," Cam said, as he opened a case and Hunter took out his own morpher and ejected his power disc.

"That is a storm prison, as is the one Tori wears," Kanoi stated.

"The Storm prisms…and here I thought that's just ninja folklore," Cam replied.

"So was just about everything else we've encountered. The scrolls are finally making sense," Hunter reminded.

"Okay, if that's true, then you know that there's also the dark prism," Cam said, as they turned to the screen where the battle raged and saw the object in Lothor's hand.

"And he has it," Cam stated gravely.

"He may have more than just the dark prism," Hunter said, indicating the red and yellow objects in Tamara and Zara's hands.

"Perfect," Cam said dryly, as they all watched Hunter grab the crimson prism. It sizzled with power and he slowly touched it to his power disc. It flashed with power and he put the prism around his neck. He inserted his recharged power disc into his morpher.

"I'm going. We'll try to get the red and yellow prisms, so you might want to tell Shane and Dustin to get here as fast as possible," he said, as he ran out and hopped on the crimson rider, before rushing to the battlefield.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19: The Storm Prisms, Pt 2

Hunter pushed the Crimson Rider to dangerous speeds, as he traversed the roads and wove in and out of San Angeles traffic. He saw a traffic jam ahead and cursed silently to himself. He didn't have time for this and even more so, he heard cop sirens behind him. He sighed and knew it was risky, but his ninja uniform and full helmet and visor was hiding his identity, so he pressed the red button on his center column and gave the onlookers in traffic a real show, as he engaged flight mode and took to the skies, leaving civilians and cops alike watching in awe. He engaged the thrusters and pushed it to maximum speed.

"Kill the rest!" Lothor ordered, as the ninjas descended.

"Ranger up!" Adam ordered, as he grabbed his morpher from his belt.

"Mastodon!" he shouted, as he morphed in mid somersault, before his feet landed soundly on the ground.

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!" Xander summoned, as his green armor molded around him.

"S.P.D...Emergency!" Bridge called, as he became S.P.D. red and engaged more ninjas.

"Dino Thunder, Power up!" Kira called, as she morphed and attacked. Tori glared at Lothor and his family, before raising her arm to the sky.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form, Ha!" she summoned, as her blue armor appeared again.

With a wave of his hand, a hoard of Kelzack furies appeared and quickly began to overtake them.

"This is bad," Adam mentioned, as he and Bridge fought the dark ninjas and swarm of Kelzacks.

"Yep...I wonder what would happen if I die in the past? Does baby me disappear?" Bridge wondered.

"Let's not find out, mate," Xander stressed, as he was flipped onto his back.

"They're going to overtake us!" Kira cried. As she said that though, Crimson laser fire decimated a large chunk of the horde of minions. Tori's visor opened and she smiled up, as Hunter took another pass, burning through more foot soldiers. Lothor growled and clutched the dark prism, before releasing a blast at the airborne Thunder ranger. Hunter took evasive maneuvers and he killed the thrusters, before landing in bike form. He removed his helmet and flipped off his bike, as he began fighting his way through.

Tori started toward him, but Zara grabbed her arm and threw her back. She landed hard on her back and willed her visor closed. She scissor kicked Zara away. The evil daughter of Lothor wiped her mouth and saw blood on her hand from her split lip.

"You're going to pay for that, bitch," she hissed, as her eyes went black with dark ninja magic and purple energy swirled in her palm. Tori's water beam met the beam of dark energy, but she felt the evil energy slowly eating its way toward her. Zara laughed evilly.

"I can't wait to see the look on Sensei Hunter's face when I drop your lifeless corpse at his feet!" she sneered, as she intensified her blast. But a blast of crimson thunder at her feet threw her back violently into a tree. She looked up and saw the crimson object sizzling from the lanyard hanging around his neck.

"You'll have to hit me harder than that," she growled, as she willed her own thunder powers into her palms.

"That was a light tap…on purpose. I won't go easy next time," he promised, as he helped her up. Tori's legs buckled though and her morph failed again, as he held her up and put one of her arms around his shoulder.

"I'm getting you out of here…" he said.

"No…I'm fine. I just need a minute to get my bearings," she promised. He smirked and tugged on the lanyard around her neck.

"Or maybe you need a boost," he said, as she noticed his glowing morpher.

"Your morpher…did the Sentinel Knight restore it?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No…the prism did. It's a storm prism…and so is yours," he replied. She smirked.

"Guess you don't regret reading all those dusty scrolls after all?" she teased and he rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't go that far, but I really wish they would just tell us that all Ninja folklore is just history and really happened," he complained.

"Direct and straight to the point, as always," she joked, as Lothor and his cohorts honed in on them.

"So glad to see you, Crimson ranger…I always regretted that I never crushed you the way I crushed your parents," he said, enjoying twisting that particular knife in him, as always. Hunter's jaw set in determination.

"At least today…I can rectify that," he added.

"We'll see," he said, as Tori took her prism and touched it to her power disc to give it a much needed upgrade.

"You may have activated your prisms…but it won't matter against the dark prism," he said, as he brandished his.

"Or the air and earth prisms," he added.

"Guess we'll see…and the red and yellow prisms don't belong to them," Tori said, as she felt the new energy restore her a bit.

"Then come and pry them from our hands, little dolphin," Zara goaded.

"Ready?" she asked. He nodded, as their morphers glowed with new power and they made their signature hand moves.

"Ninja Storm""

"Thunder Storm!"

"Ranger Form!" they called simultaneously. Their ranger armor appeared and though it looked the same as it always had, the flashes of power were a subtle indication that there were upgrades yet to be seen.

As Hunter dispatched the Kelzack furies, he called on his familiar thunder staff. He charged, powering his way through his adversaries with his sights set on the dark ninjas in the near distance. Fighting monsters and Kelzacks were one thing, but these were human beings, like him. They had chosen an evil path that likely had no recourse, but it would not make fighting them any easier.

"The little power ups you just gave yourselves will be useless against me this time," Lothor hissed, as the dark prism bled an inky blackness from its place around his neck. Tamara and Zara handled the stolen red and yellow prisms and used them to fire air and earth beams at them. It blew them back, but they both flipped to evade the attacks and landed several feet away.

"Let's see what these new powers can do," Tori suggested. He nodded and new weapons materialized in their hands. In his hand was his new hammer, crackling with crimson thunder. In hers was her new hurricane trident. Armed with new weapons, they charged into battle.

~*~

Kat opened the door in their new Angel Grove home and let her husband's team inside, including Tori's parents.

"You got here fast," she said. Jason smirked and pointed to his communicator.

"Ranger Express is a lot quicker than braving rush hour traffic," he said. She sighed.

"Yeah…who knew Angel Grove could have traffic," she said. Their hometown had certainly grown exponentially since their High School days.

"No lie there," Rocky agreed, as he and Skull followed the others down into Billy's ranger layer, which he had kept secret from everyone, even Kat. But it wasn't what they expected when they got down there, as it looked like an ordinary playroom for their daughters.

"This is what Billy's been working on in secret since our fight with Goldar?" Jason asked. She smirked.

"Oh no…this is Carly and Michaela's playroom," she replied, as she led them over to a wall and pressed a button. A panel slid back, revealing a scanner, which Kat put her hand to. It blinked green and the rest of the wall panel slid back, revealing an elevator.

"Dude…Billy never disappoints," Rocky commented, as they got into the elevator and it took them down into a place that was very reminiscent from their ranger days, only more spacious and with the latest equipment.

"Billy?" Kat called, as her husband stood at one of the panels.

"Good…you're here," he said.

"What…is all this?" Jack asked. He smiled.

"Welcome to the Command Center, but a tour will have to wait. We've got big problems," Billy said, as they all looked at the large viewing screen of the battle that was ensuing.

"I didn't think Hunter had his powers restored?" Jason asked.

"He didn't. Turns out that the prism you found in the ocean was a storm prism," Billy explained.

"Storm prism?" Alana asked.

"In Ninja folklore, the storm prisms were a powerful force against evil. The problem is there is also a dark prism and Lothor found it. Not to mention that the red and yellow ones are in the wrong hands right now," Billy continued.

"It also turns out that Flurious and his cohorts tracked down an artifact called the Thunderstone of Zeus, thinking there was a jewel of the Corona Aurora inside, but instead it was the crimson thunder prism," he explained.

"So upgraded powers…they shouldn't have any problem dispatching these goons and Alpha should have the Overdrive powers fixed soon, right?" Jason asked.

"Alpha should…but as for the rest of that, not so fast," Billy said, as his fingers moved over the controls and changed their view to a place they didn't recognize.

"What are we looking at?" Skull asked.

"This is the location of the Abyss of Evil," Billy replied, as he zoomed out and they saw a large and very visible planet.

"Whoa…is that a planet?" Jason asked. Billy nodded.

"Mars to be exact and in these conditions, Sensei Watanabe said Lothor can open the Abyss and allow every evil from the past walk free again. He said there is only one way to close it in these conditions and he didn't elaborate, but said we need to be ready to fight as backup," Billy replied.

"But we have no powers anymore. Can the Sentinel Knight restore that much power?" Rocky asked.

"Not without obliterating himself…but he won't need to," Billy replied, as he pressed a very large button and the ceiling above them lit up, like a glowing, intricate web.

"What…what is this?" Skull asked.

"The grid…how?" Jason asked, instinctively feeling his dormant connection to the power tingling.

"The grid? I thought only a Morphin Master could tap it directly without a power source?" Rocky asked.

"Only a Morphin Master can…and I can't tell you too much, but one came to me and gave me the means to tap it directly. I can't say more…because they weren't supposed to, but without powers, we don't stand a chance against what's coming," Billy replied gravely.

"Earth will fall, unless every ranger is there to fight and even then, there's a slim chance we survive," he continued, as he walked over to a desk where he had three cases and opened them both.

"You restored the power coins," Jason said. He nodded.

"Including a stronger Mastodon coin and I reconnected the zeonizers to the zeo crystal. I also re-energized the dino gems. The Storm prisms will restore Ninja Storm's power," Billy replied.

"But wait…we have a lot of overlap. How are we going to get bearers for all these powers?" Jason asked.

"Tommy's is a Master Morpher. It will allow him to use all four incarnations of his powers. Adam can take his zeonizers and so can Kat and Rocky. The zeonizers will also shift into Turbo if needed," he explained.

"We better go then…they need help," Jason said, as Billy initiated teleportation and they and their non-rangers guests were swept up in colored beams.

~*~

Adam tackled Thrax as they dueled fiercely. He threw Adam off, but Kira was waiting and delivered a series of fierce kicks. Thrax raised his staff and blocked her leg. He swiped at her with his staff. Sparks ensued, as she was thrown to the ground. Adam countered meeting his staff with the blade of his axe.

"Give it up, black ranger. You never had a chance in defeating my father, so you have no chance against me," Thrax hissed.

"You like to hear yourself talk, don't you? Figures. Your dad loved the sound of his own voice too," Adam retorted. Thrax growled and knocked him away.

"I'll make you eat your words, ranger!" he growled, as Thrax raised his staff and a hoard of Z putties appeared and swarmed them.

"There's too many!" Kira called.

"Aim for the Z…if you can," Adam called back, as he managed to destroy two of them, but they were swarmed and captured.

Nearby, the scene wasn't much different, as Bridge and Xander fought an onslaught of fresh putties as well and no matter how many they destroyed, more popped up in their place.

"Yes…that's four retro rangers captured now," Thrax hissed, as they were swarmed and brought to their knees with the other two captured rangers.

"Four down…two to go," he goaded, as they hoped Hunter and Tori were having better luck.

~*~

Hunter and Tori battled the oncoming slew of dark ninjas, trying their best to only injure, as they fought their way to Lothor. He seemed eager to accept the challenge, as the ninjas branched off and went to attack the other rangers. Lothor charged Hunter, while Zara and Tamara double teamed Tori. Armed with the air and the earth prisms, they launched blasts at her, blowing her back.

"Poor little water ninja. Time to bury you," Zara hissed, as she held the glowing earth prism to her face. Tori's prism reacted and shot a torrent of water at the dark ninja, hurling her across the field.

"Only a true earth ninja can make that prism work like it's supposed to," Tori warned, as she summoned another beam of water, engulfing Tamara's attempt at an air beam and sending her into a soaking heap with her daughter.

Hunter slammed his new hammer down on Lothor's sword, dueling him for control. Lothor blasted him violently in the abdomen with the dark prism's energy sending him slamming painfully into a tree.

"You're still pathetic as ever, crimson ranger, though I'll give you props for having the guts to take me one on one," Lothor drawled, as he slowly approached. Hunter got to his feet and leapt at him with a flying kick. Lothor growled and used his momentum to leap back to his feet from the ground. But Hunter was ready and powered up the new crimson blaster with an energy sphere of crackling crimson energy. Lothor was hit head on and slammed into a rocky outcropping. Black bled from his eyes, as he pulled himself to his feet. His dark energy gathered and the dark prism glowed, as the wind flailed around him, sending violent wisps at him. Hunter dug his feet in, trying to keep from being blown back.

"I should have gotten rid of you when I hacked your parents years ago. But now I can finally rectify that error," Lothor hissed, as he sent the dark energy into the ground,

barreling toward him. The ground beneath Hunter's feet began to crack and give way. He fell into the crevice, but began quickly climbing back to the surface. Lothor was waiting though and kicked him in the head. His head snapped to the side, but his helmet absorbed the rest of the attack he might have suffered to his head without it.

"Time to die, ranger brat," Lothor hissed, as he conjured another sphere of dark energy.

"Thunder shield!" Hunter cried at the last minute. The dark energy ricocheted off his shield and back at Lothor, tossing him back with a violent thrust. Hunter climbed out of the crevice, but suddenly felt like his body was on fire, as an electrified blinding cable wrapped around him from behind. He writhed on the ground in pain, as a masked thunder ninja hovered above him, holding the gauntlet that the cable was attached to. The ninja removed his mask and Nate smirked evilly at him.

"Good work Nate," Lothor said, as he approached.

"Do you want me to drag him back to your base?" Nate asked.

"No, the thunder prism is no good to us as long as he's still breathing. This one is going to die right here and now," Lothor said evilly, as he placed his foot on Hunter's helmet.

"Slowly, might I add. Time to squish you like the bug you are, crimson ranger," he growled, as he applied pressure. Hunter cried out in pain and a loud crack was hard, as his helmet visor cracked. Lothor ripped the helmet off.

"Raise him to his knees," Lothor ordered. Nate gladly grabbed a handful of Hunter's hair and forced him up to his knees. Lothor drew his sword and Hunter swallowed hard, as the blade hovered near his neck. He spared a glance at Tori, who fought to get to him.

"Don't worry, she'll be joining you really soon," Lothor promised, as he prepared to slit his throat.

"HUNTER!" Tori cried, as she activated her ninja sword gold mode and swiped at Zara and Tamara. The gold flails of power threw them back and she drew her new, more powerful sonic fin, aiming for Lothor's hand. She fired the sonic waves and he yelped in pain, as it struck and he dropped his sword. He glared at her, as she began running for him and he conjured a sphere of dark energy from the prism.

"Tori...wait...no!" Hunter cried, as he prepared to fire at her. Despite the pain from the electrified binding, he knocked Nate away and tried to get to his feet. He shoved his shoulder into Lothor to knock him off balance. He fell to the ground and the energy hit the tree behind him, blowing it to pieces and shaking the ground beneath them apart.

"That's it...there's about to be two dead ninjas," he growled, as he got to his feet with dark energy forming in his hands. Tori quickly used her ninja gold sword and cut him loose, instantly relieving the pain and allowing him to stand. He saw the energy barreling toward them and grabbed her arms so they could get out of the way. Their prisms reacted to their closeness and the approaching dark energy, much to theirs and everyone's surprise. An amethyst shield exploded in front of them and they watched in amazement as purple fire ate away and nullified the dark energy.

"What's happening..." Tori wondered.

"Amethyst storm...it's what the scroll was talking about," Hunter recalled.

"Amethyst storm?" she asked.

"Fire storm...there's a reason why there is no school of fire," he replied. Suddenly everything he had been reading was making sense.

"I thought it was because it was too hard to control?" she asked.

"No...it's because it takes two elements which just so happen specifically to be ours," Hunter explained. She still had a lot of questions, but knew they would have to wait, as Lothor powered up more dark energy.

"Let's end him," Hunter said, as he picked up his thunder hammer and her hurricane trident appeared in her hand. They crossed their weapons together, creating a storm of purple lightning and fire that shot out directly at Lothor like a tornado of water. His eyes widened and he stopped his charge from moving away.

"No...not this time," he growled, as he grabbed Nate, who was only a few feet away and used him as a human shield.

"NO!" Hunter cried, as he realized Lothor's treachery. The blast hit and Nate was incinerated instantly.

"No..." Tori cried, as Lothor cackled evilly.

"You may have discovered your powers, but you're not going to defeat me that easily this time. And in a few days, not even your powers will be enough against me!" he roared, as he and his army disappeared, leaving them to deal with Thrax.

"That loser Lothor may have retreated, Ninja rangers, but I'm not going anywhere!" he declared.

"Hunter…you and Tori need to free the others and pull back. We have even bigger problems," Cam said, through his communicator.

"That must be what Lothor was talking about," Tori surmised.

"Putties…capture them!" Thrax ordered. Hunter's hammer crackled with crimson lightning and the sky darkened at his will. He began to swing the hammer rapidly and then slammed it to the ground. Lightning traveled toward Thrax, splitting the ground apart as it did and fried half the putties, which became dust. Tori smirked and tapped the hilt of her trident on the ground. Thrax watched in shock, as geysers of water erupted from the cracked ground and dusted the rest of the putties. The fear on Thrax's face was palpable for a moment, before he snarled again.

"This isn't over, Ninja rangers…" he hissed, as he disappeared. The other four rangers joined them.

"That was badass…but let me guess, there's no reason to celebrate?" Adam asked.

"Not according to Cam…he said we need to get back to the mansion," Tori replied, as they were swept up by a stream of teleportation, just as reporters emerged from the sidelines where they had been filming to try and talk to the rangers to no avail.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: The Amethyst Fire

"That looks bad…and vaguely familiar," Cam said, as he sat at the Ops terminal in the Hartford mansion. The battle was on the big screen and the Overdrive rangers were cheering at Hunter and Tori's victory. But Shane, Dustin, and his father remained solemn. Without Hunter and Tori's sudden power surge and discovery of this new, mysterious power, they would have all been captured by Thrax and Lothor had clearly planned on eliminating his nemesis' in Hunter and Tori. Not to mention that he had used a dark ninja and sacrificed him in his place.

"If Alpha can fix our morphers, then we'll be able to help in the next battle," Will said.

"How's it coming, Alpha?" Rose asked.

"Slowly, but surely rangers," Alpha promised.

"You look worried, Cam. They won!" Mack said with enthusiasm.

"For now, but if these readings I'm getting mean anything, then we could have a serious problem," Cam replied, as they all peered down at the screen.

"What is that mass of blue?" Rose asked.

"It should be a map of the country," Cam responded.

"And why is there a big blue blob spreading across it?" Dax asked, referring to the blue mass on the screen.

"It looks like a giant storm, but it's not raining," Ronny mentioned.

"It's a storm, just not the kind you're thinking of. It's like a blanket of evil," Cam stated.

"I don't understand. What does that mean?" Andrew asked.

"If the blood planet eclipses the moon, evil that has long since gone can rise again," Sensei recited.

"What does that mean?" Will asked impatiently.

"It means the world could be in more danger than ever," a new voice said. They turned, finding Spencer had let many new arrivals in. If the Overdrive rangers had been familiar with Ranger history, they would have recognized them as the original twelve rangers.

"Thank God you guys are here," Shane said, but this sentiment wasn't shared by the newest team.

"This is insane! How many more former rangers are there?" Ronny asked.

"A lot, girl…you're a part of a legacy," Aisha answered.

"Dammit...no offense, but this is our time! We should be out there!" Will complained in frustration.

"I get it, man…but this is bigger than all of us. Way bigger," Zack reasoned.

"He's right…Lothor is planning to open the abyss of evil again, but this time it's on an even bigger scale," Shane added.

"You guys will be there with us as soon as your powers are fixed," Dustin said.

"Yes…and until then, the five of you can go on a mission to retrieve the sword of Excelsior," the Sentinel Knight said.

"Anything is better than sitting here," Mack said.

"What exactly does this sword do?" Will asked.

"It will restore my powers and give us an edge against Thrax, who is also seeking the sword," the Knight answered.

"We'll prepare what you need and you can quest in the morning," Andrew said.

"In the meantime, Dustin and I have to figure out how to get our prisms back from those posers," Shane said.

"At least we know where yours are. I need to quest for mine and we need to contact Blake," Cam said, as the retro rangers, plus Hunter, arrived back, weary from the battle.

"Last I checked he's in Denver…I left him a message. Hopefully, he gets back to us soon," Hunter said, as he sat down and was naturally slipping into one of his brooding moods. Tori sat next to him.

"It's not your fault," she soothed.

"He may have been a bad seed, but Nate was one of my students. I was supposed to lead him and keep him on the right path…" he said.

"Nathan made his own choices and knew what following the dark path entailed. All the students that have left us to follow Lothor have made a choice. None of you are responsible for their actions or choices," Sensei stated firmly.

"Yeah, he knew what Lothor is and he followed him anyway, knowing full well of his history of turning on his own any time it suited him," Cam reminded them.

"Yeah dude, so stop brooding," Dustin teased.

"Isn't that kind of like asking Hunter to stop being Hunter?" Shane joked. The crimson ranger rolled his eyes.

"Okay…no more brooding I guess," he relented.

"Now, let's talk about those new powers!" Dustin said excitedly.

"You really need to lay off the caffeine," Tori mentioned.

"Except he hasn't had any," Shane replied, slightly annoyed by his best friend.

"Yeah, we all saw that purple stuff. What happened?" Ronny asked.

"We don't really know. We didn't actually do anything. The prisms just reacted to each other," Tori said.

"The scrolls are starting to make a little sense. But Lothor didn't seem very worried," Hunter mentioned.

"Sensei, do you have any idea what he's planning?" Adam asked.

"I'm afraid so, Adam," Kanoi said, as they all gathered around.

"In three days time, the planet Mars will be in close proximity to Earth. This is not as rare as some astrological events, but it is not common either," Kanoi stated.

"What does Mars have to do with any of this?" Will asked.

"Because it will allow Lothor to use the dark prism to open a sealed doorway that can only be accessed with the gamma rays given off by Mars when it is this close. This

doorway is contained within the abyss of evil itself and could not be accessed before without these specific conditions," Kanoi explained.

"And when this door is opened?" Mack prompted.

"Every evil being that has once plagued the Earth in the past can return to this plane of existence. This is his plan. He will unleash a powerful demon army upon the Earth, enslave the human race and destroy us," Kanoi said gravely.

"All the past evil, including many that have an axe to grind with the power rangers," Cam added.

"Still want to ride this train solo, rookie?" Jason asked Will. The black Overdrive ranger rolled his eyes.

"Okay...evil army. We need you guys," Will admitted.

"Can we talk about the cool purple powers now?" Dustin asked.

"I always thought there was no school of fire, because it was too hard to control," Tori mentioned.

"Partially. But the amethyst fire can only be conjured by the combined powers of a crimson thunder ninja and a water ninja. And yes, the power is fueled by positive feelings,"

Kanoi stated, giving them a warm smile, as Tori's hand found its way to Hunter's.

"I never wanted to burden your young love with duty and responsibility, but your combined powers will be essential in this war," he warned.

"Is that why the Wind and Thunder ninjas were forbidden to be together so long ago?" Hunter asked.

"Yes, because the child of a crimson thunder ninja and a water ninja has the potential to not only be incredibly powerful, but wield both elements, including conjuring

amethyst fire as well," Kanoi stated.

"So they decided to try and tell people who they could and could not love, because they were scared of this power?" Hunter asked. Sensei nodded.

"Some were scared that such a child could be corrupted and then some of course feared that such a person could thwart those that chose to secretly practice the dark arts,"

Kanoi explained.

"Yeah, Lothor was worried. He was trying to hide it, but dude has a weak poker face," Dustin mentioned, as everyone looked at him in surprise.

"What?" he asked.

"We're just surprised that you're that observant," Shane teased.

"Whatever dudes, I'm a genius. Not so dumb after all, huh?" Dustin quipped, as he tapped his finger to his temple, as they scoffed.

"Let's not get carried away," Cam drawled.

"Green with envy?" Dustin challenged.

"No, just green," Cam retorted.

"Lothor may be worried, but Tori and I still aren't sure how we did all that. It just kind of happened," Hunter said.

"And the power will continue to aid you when needed, you will both train to control it, and trust in each other. Lothor should be worried," Kanoi told them. Tori leaned against

him and he put his arm around her waist.

"And you won't be doing it alone. Thanks to Dr. C and some interesting connections, he's restored our powers," Jason said. Their eyes widened.

"You did?" Cam asked.

"Aww…nerd envy," Hunter teased.

"Do you really want to be name calling, thunder boy? Cam countered, saying the last part in a sweet voice. Hunter pointed his finger.

"Hey…only Tor gets to call me that," he warned, earning chuckles around the room.

"I can't really tell you how, but yes, I was able to link our dead morphers back to the grid," Billy said.

"That would require a direct link to the grid," Cam said and the other genius gave him a look.

"And I can't tell you how," Billy repeated.

"Fine," Cam grumbled.

"Alpha says the Overdrive morphers will be reconnected by morning too," Adam mentioned.

"That's great, the more rangers the batter, mates," Xander said.

"Yes and with possible villains from the past, experience may be everything," Sentinel Knight said, as he approached Shane, Dustin, and Cam to restore their powers until

they could find their prisms.

"Won't that drain you too much?" Shane asked.

"Yes…but I will be restored once our young companions retrieve the sword of Excelsior," he answered, as Hunter's phone chimed.

"That's Blake…he's heading to the airport now, so hopefully, he'll be here by morning," he said.

"Conner should be here in twenty minutes and Ethan and Trent by morning," Kira added.

"Let's just hope we can find a way to stop Lothor before that gateway is opened completely," Tori said.

"I've already contacted Lightspeed. They're going to meet us there that day," Billy said.

"Wes, Eric, and Jen too," Jason added.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that everyone needs to enjoy the down time while we have it. The Rec Room is available and I'll have Spencer order enough food to feed this brood," Andrew said.

"Yes...I'm starving!" Rocky said.

"Shocker…and anyways, I'm the one that was out there in battle. You haven't done anything yet," Adam complained.

"Which is why I need to carb up since I'm going to be joining you," Rocky said, as he pointed to his zeonizers.

"Right…cause carbs are what you need," Adam joked.

"You better not be calling me fat, frog boy. This is all muscle," Rocky said, as snickers from his teammates and even his wife ensued.

"Sure baby," Aisha said, as they made their way into the rec room to blow off some steam.

~*~

"You have two prisms!" Lothor screamed, as he paced before them.

"Yet you can't take care of one stupid girl!" he roared.

"She has a prism too, father and she caught me off guard. But it will not happen again," Zara insisted. He glared at her.

"It had better not or your fate will be the same as Nate's!" he threatened.

"Darling, we still have the dark prism. Nothing will stop us," Tamara said, trying to console him. But he batted her hand away.

"Except that now those brats have discovered that they can conjure amethyst fire if their prisms combine," Lothor growled.

"So what? It won't matter when you open the gates of Gehenna," Thrax hissed.

"Trust me, it matters, fool! Amethyst fire can ruin everything," Lothor insisted.

"So we eliminate those two first," Flurious suggested.

"Gee...why didn't I think of that? Were you not paying attention, your frozen twit? I was seconds away from executing that crimson insect when the water brat ruined it!"

Lothor spat.

"That's it...we're done listening to you. We don't work for you!" Moltor hissed, as he challenged the dark ninja. But a simple spin kick sent Moltor flying back into a wall.

"Here's a demonstration of why I'm in charge!" Lothor growled, as a sizable sphere of dark energy formed in his hand and was fired at Moltor, who barely had time to scream

before he was obliterated into nothing but ashes.

Flurious, Miratrix, Kamdor, and Thrax all held their heads in agony, as he used his mind meld powers on them.

"Would anyone else like to challenge me?" he asked. But he received no volunteers.

"That's what I thought," he hissed, as he grabbed one of the jewels of the Corona Aurora that they had acquired and tossed it to Kamdor.

"I have a mission for you and your lovely assistant," Lothor stated.

"What is it?" Miratrix questioned.

"Go to Onyx and find me a good bounty hunter, preferably not a smelly Sharkanian and hire him to eliminate the crimson and blue ninja rangers. I cannot have their

interference when I open the gateway. Use the jewel as partial payment. They can have the rest once their lifeless bodies are at my feet," Lothor said.

"We've spent years looking for the jewels and you just want us to give one away?!" Kamdor exclaimed.

"Yeah and why are you so worried about those two?" Miratrix demanded to know.

"Well, if you must know, amethyst fire is the only thing that can seal the gates of Gehenna once I've opened them and I'd rather make sure absolutely nothing and no one can

stop me this time," Lothor said.

"Now go or you can join that lava loser in oblivion!" Lothor threatened, as they quickly left for their mission. Flurious remained in the shadows, silent, but furious that Lothor

had taken over and claimed one his jewels, only to just give it away to a low life bounty hunter. He was not going to let this deed go unpunished.

~*~

The laughter coming from the Rec Room told their mentors that they had all managed to unwind a little. Pizza boxes were empty and discarded and stories were being

exchanged, hence the laughter.

"So he's eating like everything in sight, including my fries, which I got pretty pissed about," Rocky said, as they listened.

"Cause you're a pig," Adam tossed in.

"Stuff it Froggie," Rocky commented. Tommy sighed, as he endured Rocky's stories, mainly about him.

"And then we find out he's got one of Rita's monsters inside his stomach," Rocky said. They made disgusted faces.

"Nasty..." Conner commented. Kira smacked his arm.

"Stop telling stories about me," Tommy said. Rocky shrugged.

"Sorry rainbow ranger, it's not my fault that there's so much material," Rocky teased. Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"Have you told them the story about the Pachinko machine?" Tommy asked. Rocky frowned.

"Pachinko machine?" Dax asked.

"What the hell is a Pachinko machine?" Conner asked.

"It was a weird pinball type machine that Ernie put in the Juice Bar. And Rocky got addicted," Adam answered.

"It was a spell!" Rocky insisted.

"Not at first. It was only a spell when we were fighting Pachinko Head and you were dancing around like an idiot," Tommy said, as they all laughed.

"Rocky just wants to have fun," Adam sang mockingly.

"Yeah, well at least I didn't fall in love with Scorpina," Rocky retorted.

"Trust me, the minute she went from being Sabrina to Scorpina, attraction went out the window," Adam promised.

"Yeah, but you were so shy and couldn't talk to girls. Nerd," Rocky poked fun. Adam playfully glared at his best friend, before turning to the others.

"Did I ever tell you about the time Rocko here turned himself into a plant?" Adam asked.

"No, no, no...that's not how it was," Rocky protested.

"Yeah, that's how it was. One botany class and all the sudden decided you were Captain Planet and cross bred a bunch of plant seeds. Next thing we know, we have a plant

straight out of Little Shop 'O Horrors that's eating everything made of metal in sight and you're growing leaves out of your head," Adam said, as everyone laughed.

"Yeah and then you told Kat she had nice leaves and her stems weren't too bad either," Tanya reminded. Rocky rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well at least I didn't get put under a singing spell. Talk about torture for the ears," Rocky commented.

"Hey!" Tanya protested.

"A singing spell?" Kira asked curiously.

"Queen Machina put Tanya and Tommy under a spell where they had to sing everything," Adam said, as they all cracked up.

"Tanya was bearable, but the esteemed Dr. Oliver sounds like a dying Tengu bird," Rocky added, as they all erupted in laughter.

"It's good to see them unwind a little after today," Andrew mentioned. Kanoi allowed himself a small smile.

"Yes...because the coming battle I fear will be their greatest challenge yet," he said ominously.

~*~

Later that night, most had gone to bed, but a few remained, including Zack, who Adam had asked to linger behind.

"You sure about this, man. I'd be fine if you want to take the newly re-energized coin," Zack asked.

"No…the original gang is back together and it's only fitting that you use the Mastodon coin and I use my zeonizers," Adam said. Zack nodded and they shared a brotherly

handshake.

"It's going to be weird being the only Turbo out there," Justin mentioned. Rocky patted him on the shoulder.

"You can stick with us, plus rainbow ranger may don the red turbo powers here and there," he said.

"It's going to be weird watching Tommy shift through five different sets of powers. Thinking about it makes my head spin," Zack replied.

"What about Aisha? She needs powers…she could use the yellow turbo powers," Adam mentioned.

"She wants to be out there…but we decided it's not a good idea. She's pregnant…we haven't told anyone else yet," Rocky replied, as the other three men all offered

handshakes and pats on the back.

"Congratulations man," Zack said.

"Thanks…I just hope that we stop this from happening or there may not be a world to raise our son in, yet alone a new baby," Rocky replied, his usual mirth and humor gone.

"We will…we're going to throw Zordon's entire legacy at them in three days," Zack said.

"He's right…the power has always come through. It's not going to stop now," Adam agreed.

~*~

The inky blackness was only illuminated by the burning embers on the wall of the cavern. She had not personally been in this place before, but had heard the stories from

Hunter enough to know that she was inside the abyss of evil.

"TORI!" she heard him call. But she couldn't see him.

"HUNTER!" she called. But he couldn't see her. However, Lothor's evil laughter chilled her to the bone. She finally found her way through the cavern and to the opening,

where a sea of magma awaited below her. And on the platform above her, Lothor had the man she loved as his captive.

"You're just in time, blue ranger. Say goodbye to your crimson lover," Lothor spat. Time seemed to slow, as he speared Hunter through the back and the blade came out his

chest.

"NOOOOOO!" she screamed, as she ran to the top platform. By the time she got there, Lothor extracted his blade and Hunter fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood. She

fell sobbing to her knees and crawled to him, taking him in her arms.

"No...no, no, no, no, no," she cried repeatedly.

"Tor..." he choked out, his eyes turning glassy.

"Shh...it's okay. I'm going to get you out of here and get help," she promised. But they both knew he wouldn't make it.

"I...I love you," he managed to say with his remaining strength, as he died in her arms.

"No...Hunter...please no..." she sobbed.

"Don't worry blue ranger, I'd be happy to make it possible for you to join him!" Lothor growled. She gasped and screamed, as his blade came down on her.

~*~

She sat up in bed with a start, her chest heaving, her body covered in a cold sweat. She looked beside her and started to calm, realizing it was merely a nightmare and the

man she loved slept soundly beside her. She fell back onto the pillow and was content just to watch him sleep for quite some time. Finally realizing that she wasn't going to

get back to sleep, she got up and put her robe on. She went outside on the balcony with a few scrolls and a reading light and started going over the ones Hunter had been

reading.

"Should the gates of Gehenna be opened when the blood planet eclipses the moon, the world shall be in great peril. Once opened, closed the gateway cannot be, unless there

is amethyst fire to seal it," Tori read, realizing instantly what it was talking about. She jumped though, as Hunter found her there.

"Sorry babe, didn't mean to startle you," he said. She smiled.

"It's okay," she replied, as he leaned down and nuzzled her neck, kissing her there tenderly. She put her arms around his neck and welcomed his lips on hers, as she felt the

passion that had been so prevalent just a few hours ago lick at her senses again.

"Are you okay?" he finally asked, as their lips parted.

"I'm fine...just couldn't sleep," she replied. But he knew she was avoiding his question.

"Nightmare?" he asked. He knew she didn't like admitting that she, tough as nails Tori, got scared.

"It was nothing," she insisted.

"It's okay to be scared, you know. I get scared all the time," he admitted, before looking at her with a smirk.

"Just don't tell the guys," he added, making her giggle.

"I'm afraid of losing you and that's what my dream was about. Then...I was reading the scrolls and I think I figured it out. I know why he's so intent on making sure he kills

us," Tori replied. He raised an eyebrow.

"You mean more intent on killing us than usual?" he joked. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, specifically us. It's because of the amethyst fire. If what this scrolls says is right, then if he does open the gates of Gehenna, amethyst fire is the only thing and I mean

the only thing that can seal the gates back up," she said.

"The gates of Gehenna?" he asked, not recognizing the term.

"It's the Hebrew term for the place where the most evil go. Tartarus is the Greek term. They all roughly translate to the world of the dead. But in this case, we're talking about

where all the bad souls go," Tori replied.

"So basically the gates of hell. Fire and brimstone," Hunter said. She nodded.

"A lot like what Goldar did on the island, but much worse and on a much bigger scale," she replied.

"So he wants us out of the way so there's absolutely no way he can be stopped," he concluded. She nodded.

"Well, as usual, Lothor is going to fail, cause we're not going anywhere," he said, as he kissed her forehead.

"Aren't you even a little worried that he'll be gunning for us?" she asked.

"Of course I'm worried, mostly about you, as usual. But if we let that consume us, then Lothor's already won," he replied. She looked at him in surprise.

"Why Sensei Bradley, when did you become so wise?" she asked coyly. He smirked and kissed her again.

"Sometimes I feel completely unqualified to teach anyone, let alone impart wisdom to any vulnerable youth," he said.

"But then I realize that I am qualified, because I had a really good teacher," he added tenderly, as he looked into her eyes. She felt her cheeks warm, as he stood up.

"Come on, let's go back to bed," he suggested.

"Okay, but I'm not sure I can go back to sleep. I'm pretty wired now," she replied. He chuckled and surprised her by sweeping her into his arms.

"I didn't say we were going back to sleep," he replied with a sexy smirk, as he carried her back inside…

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: The Bounty, Pt 1

Onyx

Miratrix wrinkled her nose in disgust, as they walked into the dirty, foul smelling tavern. Beings from every corner of the universe milled about, gambling, drinking, or participating in other less than savory activities. Many were lackeys for hire or bounty hunters that often came to the lawless planet of Onyx to kick back between assignments. There was no better place to find someone to do a job than here, especially if your intentions were less than honorable. It was an employer's market. The best and worst in the business, all in a one stop shop.

"This place is disgusting. I can't believe we have to give one of the jewels to one of these heathens," Miratrix hissed.

"Relax, we have no choice for now. Trust me, I will make Lothor pay for this. But the rangers are the bigger threat, so we will play his game. Then I will regain the jewels in due time and when the Corona Aurora is on my head, I will show Lothor true power," Kamdor said, as they approached the bar.

"What can I get you?" the blue hued alien bartender asked.

"I'm looking to hire a bounty hunter...a good one for Lothor," Kamdor stated.

"So Lothor's back..." he stated.

"Trouble with the power rangers, I assume," he continued.

"Then you heard of them," Miratrix surmised.

"Of course. For a backwater little planet with a relatively weak species, these Earth rangers certainly know how to defend their planet. They've unseated some of the universe's worst. Lord Zedd was once a grand ruler and quickly became the laughing stock of this tavern," the bartender said.

"Yeah, and then you have the Machine Empire, which conquered everything in their path until the Zeo rangers made space dust out of them," another chimed in.

"And Lothor? He is the biggest joke of them all. He took their powers and they still defeated him," the bartender laughed, as many others joined them.

"We agree that he's a buffoon, but he has acquired an object that has made him possibly more powerful than even the great Dark Spector once was," Kamdor said, hating that his words were true.

"Please...in his dreams. If he needs to hire a bounty hunter, then he's not too powerful," another alien drawled.

"Earth rangers cannot be underestimated though. It hasn't mattered how powerful their adversaries have been. Aliens, demons, Orgs, Mutants...they have all fallen to these warriors," the bartender warned.

"The rookie team was manageable, but with the return of that buffoon came several veteran teams," Miratrix informed them.

"What is that whack job Lothor plotting this time?" another alien asked.

"Oh, he only plans to open the gates of Gehenna," Miratrix said nonchalantly. A hush fell over the Tavern.

"Lothor is going to open the gates of Gehenna?" one alien uttered in disbelief. She nodded curtly.

"I always knew he was never playing with a full deck," the bartender grumbled.

"And why does he need a bounty hunter?" he continued, as he did a shot himself, while pouring for others.

"Because these two are the only ones that can close the gates," Miratrix said, as she pressed play on the small device, showing the blue water and crimson thunder rangers combining their prism energies to create amethyst fire.

"Opening the gates would mean pure chaos not only on Earth, but throughout the entire galaxy," one alien said excitedly.

"It would be very good for our kind," another mentioned.

"So does anyone want the job?" Miratrix snapped.

"We're not going near those rangers. None of us have a death wish," the bartender said. Miratrix threw up her hands.

"This is a waste of time," she snapped. Kamdor raised his hand to stop her coming tirade.

"You need Heliya..." the bartender said, pointing to the table in the corner. They couldn't tell what kind of being the bounty hunter was, for he kept the hood of his cloak on, as he nursed his drink.

"Heliya is the best bounty hunter in this galaxy," the bartender said.

"Then how come I've never heard of him?"Kamdor hissed.

"Because most that have are either dead or my employers," a female voice said, as the bounty hunter dropped her hood. She was a female belonging to a race that Kamdor wasn't familiar with. She had orange skin and instead of hair, she had four long tentacles that extended out of her head and all the way down her back. Now that her cloak was removed, she clearly had a very toned, feminine body that was evident in the bodysuit she wore. But her transparent colored eyes were perhaps the most unnerving thing about her, as well as the metal mask over her mouth, probably part of the costume to make herself look more formidable. She took the device from Miratrix and examined the pair on the small screen.

"Ninjas?" she asked.

"Yes...a water ninja and a thunder ninja," Kamdor replied. She smirked.

"Lovers I assume. They might be an exciting challenge, but I don't work cheap," she snapped.

"Kill them and a coveted jewel of the Corona Aurora will be yours," Kamdor tempted. She snatched it from his hand with lightning speed, alarming him.

"Expensive little bauble. It should bring a nice price on the black market. I'll take it as the first half of my payment. I'll expect more when the job is done," she said. Kamdor growled, but Miratrix stopped him.

"I'm sure Lothor will be more than happy to compensate you more once they're dead," she stated. She nodded and put her cloak on.

"Do you have a ship or do I need to acquire my own?" she asked.

"We have a ship. Let's go," Kamdor snapped, as they left the smelly establishment.

~*~

So far, the day had been quiet. The youngest team didn't see anything wrong with that and enjoyed a little relaxation in the rec room. Xander wasn't bothered either and used his time to talk on the phone with some girl he had met a couple days ago. Apparently, if "Plan Xander" went accordingly, he would have a hot date tonight.

Bridge was naturally eating his toast, of which Spencer made sure he was in possession of most of the time. Most of the others were doing light sparring or observing from the sidelines, while idly listening to the television nearby. The news reporter that suddenly mentioned power rangers caught their attention.

"Lately, San Angeles has been captivated by the appearance of multiple power rangers, some which have not been seen in years, popping up recently in the city. No one is sure why the Overdrive rangers have suddenly disappeared, as they have not made a statement. Before the Overdrive team, the identities of only a few teams have ever been revealed and some are calling for these other teams to reveal their identities. Joining me now is President of Gridiron Industries, Jared Zale, the country's leading source of energy and top provider of military weaponry, with multiple government contracts. Mr. Zale, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us," the female reporter said.

"You're very welcome, Ms. Larson," Jared said smoothly.

"Can you tell us about your interest in this subject?" she asked.

"Well, the power rangers have protected us for fifteen years and with the exception of a few teams like Lightspeed, they have largely operated on their own," he stated. She nodded.

"Some government and law enforcement officials consider the power rangers vigilantes," she stated.

"Yes and while I would not go that far, I think the opportunity to work together with all teams is too good to pass up," Jared responded.

"Yeah, the government wants to control us. That's just what we need," Hunter commented.

"Or them getting their hands on the morphing grid," Billy replied.

"Yeah, Jared Zale can definitely not be trusted," Bridge said, as he munched on his toast.

"Man...this toast is so buttery," he said, wiggling his fingers, as he continued to lose himself in the buttery goodness. But then he realized everyone was looking at him.

"Bridge...do we have a reason to worry about this Zale guy?" Adam asked.

"Uh...you know I can't talk about the future. I shouldn't even have said what I said...but I got lost in the butteriness," he rambled.

"Wow dude...and I thought I could ramble," Dustin joked.

"I know you can't talk about the future...but some futures should be prevented. Is this one of those cases?" Jason asked. Bridge avoided his gaze. Kira noticed the other reds giving him the "leader stare" as she called.

"Guys...leave him alone. He can't tell us. Besides, how much can this guy really do?" she asked.

"He's a billionaire, so you'd be surprised how much," Adam replied.

"Yeah, he can just throw money around to get what he wants," Hunter added.

"Billy...could there ever be any threat to the grid?" Jason asked.

"Even if this guy or someone else were to get access, I could shut them down in an instant," Billy replied.

"But my dad got access," Mack mentioned. Billy smirked.

"I knew the minute he tapped the grid and I could have shut him down right then and there. But he had good intentions and a new group was needed, so I let him continue," Billy replied.

"How big is your nerd envy right now?" Hunter teased Cam, who rolled his eyes.

"Funny," Cam deadpanned.

"Yeah, but from the look on Bridge's face, then we have reason to worry about this guy," Rocky said. Bridge sighed.

"Look, I can't tell you anything except that you're all alive and well in the future," Bridge insisted.

"But this won't be our last return to power, right?" Conner asked.

"I'm not answering that," Bridge refused.

"Guys...lay off. He really could do more harm than good if he tells us anything," Billy warned.

"Why don't you guys just tell them who you are? They know our identities and nothing bad has happened," Will reasoned.

"Yeah, in fact, it's kind of cool. We're local celebrities!" Dax added.

"No way, my career with the FBI would be over," Jason replied.

"And mine as a detective," Rocky added.

"We would never risk exposing the Academy," Shane said.

"Yeah, I can't afford to replace all the cameras I would break," Hunter added, as they snickered.

"The point of what we do is that no one knows about it or how much danger they might be in," Cam added.

"But...don't you want to get credit where credit is due?" Dax asked.

"The problem is they will want to exploit us and pick apart everything we do. And you should know better than anyone that the media loves to build their heroes up just so they can tear them down," Tori replied.

"She's right. They've been tearing the power rangers down for years," Adam said. Jason nodded.

"Yeah, you really think that if they knew who we were that people wouldn't try to sue us for all the damage that's done during our Megazord battles?" Jason asked.

"Lightspeed was backed by the government and I don't want to jinx you guys, but I'll be surprised if someone doesn't try it. They did with the Space rangers, even though they didn't get anywhere," Billy replied. The Overdrive rangers looked horrified.

"Sorry guys, we don't mean to scare you, but being a ranger isn't as completely glorified as it seems. Some of us have been out of the game a while and we see how civilians and officials view the rangers. Some love us...the innocent people we protect," Tommy tried to explain.

"But there's a lot of humans out there that aren't so innocent," Adam continued.

"Some are just evil," Hunter said more bluntly.

"We learned that all too well in Goldar's Dark Dimension and in Mexico," Tori recalled, shivering at the memories, as Hunter squeezed her hand.

"What happened?" Dax asked curiously. As they were about to tell the more recent stories, the alert sounded. They hurried to the view screen and saw some of Flurious' and Lothor's monsters attacking the city.

"The dark ninjas are moving toward the city too. You'll want to head them off," Jason said. Hunter nodded.

"If too many people see them, it might endanger the existence of the Academy," he said.

"The rest of us will take the city. Ready rookies?" Jason asked. Will rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but can you stop calling us that?" he asked.

"Nope," Jason replied, as he took the lead.

"It's Morphin Time!" he called.

"It's Morphin Time!" Adam called, with the Zeos.

"Shift Into Turbo!" Justin called, as the sole member of Turbo.

"Time for Time Force!"

Wild Access!"

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"

Samurai Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Dino Thunder, Power up, ha!"

S.P.D...Emergency!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

"Overdrive Accelerate!"

~*~

"I don't believe this!" Blake hissed, as he stared at the flight board above him. He was on a layover in Denver and now because of an intense electrical storm, his flight was delayed indefinitely.

"Great...the fate of the Universe hangs in the balance and I'll be a no show," he grumbled. He had no choice. He was going to have to rent a car and drive. Even if he drove straight through, it would be two days before he could get to San Angeles.

"A thunderstorm is what is keeping me from getting there," he said in exasperation.

"You're a real comedian, fate. Hunter would be laughing his ass right now if he knew," Blake joked to himself, deciding that he should call his brother. As he took out his phone, an older woman, maybe in her sixties passed by and handed him one of the brochures she seemed to be handing out to everyone. He looked at it and then back at her. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on why.

"Thunderbird Mountain?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, to many Native Americans, great thunderbirds fought underworld spirits. The Lakota and the Cheyenne called it that because of the spectacular light shows that occur around the mountain. Their legends say that a powerful artifact was placed there by the great Thunderbird himself and it is responsible for the magnificent light shows that go on there. It is a very popular attraction here if you have time to kill," she said, before she walked away. Blake glanced down at the brochure and sighed.

"It couldn't be..." he said, recalling Hunter's recent possession of a prism much like the one pictured in this brochure. He was about to dismiss it when he happened to catch a glimpse of another person's brochure, revealing it was one about the Great Divide. He looked around and found that he was the only one with this particular brochure. He looked around for that woman and found her to be nowhere in sight. He sighed and his ninja instincts wouldn't let it go.

"This better not be a wild goose chase," Blake said, as he left the airport to follow the conveniently enclosed map.

~*~

The five rangers stopped on the ridge that overlooked the grassy valley below where Lothor's dark ninjas, dozens in numbers, approached the outskirts of San Angeles. Leading them were Tamara and Zara.

"We need to get those prisms from them," Shane said.

"Easier said than done, dude," Dustin retorted.

"You two go after Zara and Tamara. The three of us will hold off the others," Cam said.

"Dude...where is Blake? Shouldn't he be here by now?" Shane asked.

"I'm not sure. We'll have to do without him for now," Hunter replied, as they ninja streaked to the valley below. Nearby, a river and a very large waterfall that cascaded into the canyon lake below. The ground was soft with moisture, making for uneven and precarious terrain.

~*~

Tamara used the air prism to sail into the air, but Shane was right behind her, using the same abilities he had mastered to propel through the sky. He shot an air beam at her and slammed her into a tree. She tumbled to the ground and he landed beside her.

"You'll never get this prism," she growled.

"It's not meant for you. You don't know how to use it or control it," Shane retorted.

"I'm going to make you eat your words!" Tamara spat, as she used the prism to fire an attack. But to her horror, Shane took control of her air beam and morphed it into a swirling red cyclone before pushing it back at her. She screamed, as it picked her up and then spit her out about twenty feet away. She whimpered in pain, clearly hurt and injured. Shane streaked to her location and the prism glowed ruby red at his proximity. It seared her hand and she was forced to let go, as it flew into its chosen hand, as Shane glared down at her.

"Fine...you have it. Are you going to kill me?" she asked. He shook his head.

"You're already defeated and I don't fight those weaker than me," he replied simply, as he walked away.

~*~

Dustin chased Zara beneath the ground, as she used the Earth prism's powers. But Dustin was far more skilled and in tune with his powers. He quickly cut her off underground and blasted her to the surface with an earth beam. She coughed and started brushing herself off, as Dustin came to the surface as well.

"Dude, if you don't want to get dirty, then you shouldn't play in the dirt," he quipped. She growled and launched an earth beam at him. But Dustin stopped the beam with his palm and took control of it. The ground rumbled beneath her, as he sent it back at her. The ground underneath her erupted, spraying her with mud and tossing her about. He rolled away and cried out, as the prism in her hand glowed bright gold, searing her hand, before floating into the Earth ninja's hand.

"Oooohhh...denied, guess it likes me better, dude," Dustin said, as Shane joined him and they canceled their current morph.

"Time to join the upgrade club," he said, as they touched the prisms to their morphers.

"Ninja Storm...Ranger Form, ha!" they called. Their armor had not changed, but they both instantly felt a stronger connection to the power and their element. New weapons

appeared in their hands and Shane found his to be a saber with the hawk insignia. He heard Dustin call out in excitement.

"Sweet dude! Nunchucks!" Dustin said, as he examined his new Lion chucks. Shane shook his head.

"Someone out there has a sense of humor," he commented, as they charged their foes.

~*~

Hunter swung his thunder staff expertly, like it was an extension of his own body. It was alive with crimson thunder, enough to disable the oncoming ninjas, but not enough to kill them. He was all for frying evil space ninjas, but he wanted to avoid killing these former teachers and students. He hoped, like he and Blake, they could still be saved. Lothor could be very deceitful, persuasive, and convincing, so he hoped beyond all hopes that they would return to the light and not suffer the same fate as Nate.

Tori completed a series of back flips and swiped her ninja sword, sending gold flails of energy to keep her attackers at bay. They slowly surrounded them both and Tori tried to plead with them.

"Why do you follow Lothor?" she questioned.

"He'll kill each and everyone of you to get what he wants," Hunter added.

"Once he opens the gates of Gehenna, that's it. He could be unstoppable and he'll use all of you to fuel his own power!" Tori pleaded.

"Lothor is simply the means to an end. The end of you and your friends' disgrace and a return to the sacred tradition that made our schools great," the masked earth ninja hissed. Tori thought she vaguely recognized the voice, thinking he sounded like a former teacher.

"You're deluded if you think Lothor gives a crap about our schools," Hunter spat.

"We're not stupid..." a female voice hissed. It came from a navy thunder ninja

"But with you and the other rangers out of the way, Lothor will do what he wants and as a reward for our allegiance, he'll leave us alone, providing the six of you and your allies are out of the way," she continued.

"Then we can return to the ways of old...the days of glory," a male air ninja added.

"You mean when ninjas were disgraceful assassins for hire and morally bankrupt? The days where ninjas were loyal only to the highest bidder? No thanks," Tori spat.

"Yeah, not gonna happen. We've become honorable warriors and we're not going to let a few rejects ruin what we've built," Hunter agreed.

"We'll see," he replied, as they charged again. Suddenly, laser fire pelted the ground around them.

"Reinforcements have arrived," one of the dark ninjas said, as they backed away.

"What the..." Hunter began to say, but the words died on his lips, as they saw an alien approaching, armed with a smoking blaster.

"Sorry rangers, but your time is up," she said.

"Who are you?" Tori demanded. She smirked through her metal mask

"Your executioner. I've been paid very handsomely to ensure that this battle is your last, lovers," she said.

"You're a bounty hunter. Lothor must really be worried about us," Hunter stated.

"I don't know, nor do I care. I was paid to do a job and I always finish my jobs," she stated.

"Well, we'd love to make us the first one you fail at," Tori said and Hunter smirked as his hands became alive with crimson lightning.

"Please...they told me all about your little light show tricks and I'm not worried," she scoffed. But the energy formed into two crackling orbs that grew, as his prism fed the power.

"Crimson thunder clouds!" he called, as he hurled at least a dozen at her in rapid succession. Her eyes widened in surprise and she found herself dodging to avoid being pummeled and fried by the lightning. It was followed up by a wave attack that nearly bowled her over.

"Well, well, this might be a challenge, after all," she said, as she prepared to duel the pair she had been hired to eliminate...

Chapter Text

Chapter 22: The Bounty, Pt 2

Leann Omino Watanabe arrived home at the old Thunder Academy. Cam was away in San Angeles and had told her of the dire situation that may befall them. She decided to visit her father in person to tell him of what had transpired. He would help her rally the thunder ninja students for the coming battle, she knew. But the shouting she heard from the Academy grounds startled her and she quickly hurried to see what was happening...

~*~

Several moments earlier...

Sensei Omino finished his rounds around the old grounds. Most students were now settled on the new campus and only auxiliary staff remained. He saw two of his loyal staff members trying to keep an approaching figure at bay. But the two ninjas were sent flying, as the man approached.

"These are sacred grounds! You dare to trespass?!" Omino called out.

"Now Sensei...I just came for a visit," the man, wearing a very expensive suit, claimed. Omino scrutinized the man carefully and his eyes suddenly widened in recognition.

"Logan..." he uttered the name.

"I no longer use that name. To the world, Logan Zimmer is dead. As you know though, I've done quite well for myself under my new alias," the man replied.

"Logan Zimmer is a murderer! Changing your name doesn't erase your deeds!" Omino spat.

"Logan Zimmer was killed in prison. I became Jared Zale that fateful night my death was staged. I spent years in obscurity, before climbing my way to the top from nothing. Meanwhile, you went on to become head Sensei, stole my son, and disgraced the Academy by joining with those wind heathens," Jared growled.

"You murdered your wife, a fellow ninja and believe me, your son was better off," Omino spat back.

"I've waited a very long time to pay you back for your part in all of that. But I guess it's true what they say. Revenge is a dish best served cold," he hissed, as his eyes went black. He conjured a mass of dark energy from his hands and fired it at the aging Sensei. Omino attempted to counter with crimson thunder. But the dark energy was too much and quickly overwhelmed him.

"NOOOOO!" Leann cried, as she ran to him, but he blasted her back and she collided with a wall, crumpling to the ground. The dark energy slammed into Omino, lifting him off the ground and throwing him about twenty feet away. He landed hard on his back and rolled several times. The black hole in his chest was telling and he struggled to breathe. Jared kicked him onto his back and knelt down.

"The crimson prism has already been found by my son. Tell me where the navy one is," Jared demanded.

"You'll never get it," Omino choked. Jared glared at him and kicked him viciously in the chest.

"See you in hell, old man," he spat, as he left. A few moments later, Leann groaned in pain and pulled herself off the ground. She saw her father's most trusted assistants gathered around his body.

"Father!" she cried, as she fell to her knees beside him. The two assistants were already shedding tears.

"Leann..." he choked.

"Shh...daddy, save your strength. We're going to get you help," she said.

"I'm afraid...it's too late," he rasped. Tears spilled down her cheeks, as she kissed his hand.

"Daddy...no...NO!" she sobbed, as he quietly slipped away. The two assistants, a man and a woman cradled the crying young woman between them.

"I know how much you are hurting, sweetheart, but Sensei Watanabe and your husband must know what has transpired here," the woman said softly. Leann looked up at her.

"Who was that man?" she demanded.

"A very dangerous former thunder ninja. Nearly twenty-five years ago, it was discovered that he was secretly practicing the dark arts. His own wife confronted him and he murdered her, while their small son was hidden in the closet. She herself was a thunder ninja and your father, the Bradley's, and several other senior ninja students subdued him before he could escape. They stripped him of his powers, though he seems to have regained those, and turned him over to the authorities for murder. Obviously, some of the details were omitted to the police, but he was tried and convicted," the man explained.

"His name at the time was Logan Zimmer, but five years after he went to prison, it appeared that he was killed in a prison riot. None of us had any idea that he had staged his death, obviously with outside help," the woman continued.

"What about the little boy? What happened to him after his mother died?" Leann asked. The two assistants exchanged a glance.

"What? What aren't you telling me?" she asked.

"The Bradley's adopted the little boy as their own," the woman replied. Leann's eyes widened.

"You mean..." she started to say. They nodded. She was stunned, but she pushed that aside for now. She had to get to San Angeles.

~*~

"This is insane," Blake complained, as he climbed the steep trail up the mountain. He looked ahead. He didn't have much further to go, but the air was getting much thinner and harder to breathe. As if he needed more problems, he felt a raindrop on his head. The persistent gloomy clouds that seemed omnipresent around the mountain suddenly opened up and poured rain down on him. Lightning crackled wildly around the top in the near distance.

"This is your fault, Hunter," he grumbled.

"I'm not sure how yet, bro, but I know this is your fault," he grumbled, as he continued on, soaked to the bone.

~*~

Tori's sword strikes met their mark, sparks ensuing from the bounty hunter's chest. The blue wind ranger charged, but Heliya recovered quickly and blocked Tori's blade with her own.

"You're out of your league, little girl," she hissed, as she slashed her violently across the chest, before tossing her away. But Hunter was ready with an attack, as he summoned his powers and raised his thunder staff to the sky.

"Thunder Staff...full power!" he called, as he launched the attack. Heliya was surprised by the strength of the attack and howled in pain, as she was electrocuted and fell to the ground in a smoking heap. She looked up and glared at the crimson ranger with her unnerving, transparent eyes, as she slowly got to her feet.

"You're going to pay for that," she growled, as she fired her blaster at him.

"Thunder shield!" he called, as he blocked her blasts and charged her. She smirked and her tentacles twitched, before launching at him and wrapped around his waist.

"Hunter!" Tori cried, as she watched the bounty hunter hurl him into a tree. She charged, but her other tentacle smacked Tori away and she went rolling to the ground.

"I'll deal with you soon enough, girl. First I'm going to kill your lover," she hissed, as she stalked toward Hunter, who was trying to painfully pick himself up off the ground after a hard impact with a tree. He didn't see her tentacle until it was too late and it wrapped around his neck. He used his hands to try and pry it off, as she lifted him into the air. His visor opened so he could try to get air.

"Humans...so fragile. Even the rangers. You love water so much, judging by your taste in females. It's only poetic that it be the means of your demise," she hissed, as she flung him over the cliff and into the valley below where the raging river awaited.

"NOOOO!" Tori screamed, as she started after him.

"Not so fast, mermaid," she taunted, as she grabbed the blue ranger's arm. But Tori deployed a ninja tactic, leaving Heliya holding nothing but her ranger suit, while the real blue ranger dove over the cliff toward the river. Heliya glared at her descending form, but then smirked.

"Well played, ninja," she said, as she took her grappling cable out and started repelling down into the steep, lush canyon.

"Let the hunt begin," she said.

~*~

Once the other rangers pushed Lothor's forces back, they regrouped at the Hartford mansion, where Shane and Dustin gathered around the computer with Cam.

"Anything?" Shane asked impatiently.

"There's a lot of interference in that canyon, not to mention a weak signal," Cam replied in frustration.

"We need to go look for them, especially since that bounty hunter went after them," Dustin said.

"If they're still alive," Andrew said gravely. Shane and Dustin glared at him.

"I'm sorry, but that was at least a fifty foot drop. It's possible they didn't survive," he responded.

"No, they were morphed and Tori's one hell of a swimmer. She'll find Hunter and I'm sure they're just hiding to recover, before they take on a rematch with that orange skinned freak," Shane stated firmly.

"The power will protect them. We must have faith in both Hunter and Tori. Lothor is already amassing his forces in Blue Bay Harbor. He will attempt to open the gates of Gehenna tomorrow at dusk when Mars eclipses the moon," Kanoi stated, as they saw a redheaded woman arrive, being led in by Spencer. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying.

"Leann?!" Cam exclaimed, as he flew out of his chair.

"Oh Cam..." she cried, as she collapsed in her husband's arms.

"What happened?" he asked, as he cradled her crying form.

"It's Daddy...he was killed..." she sobbed. Shock washed over the other ninja's and Kanoi placed a hand on his chest, feeling a great loss of his good friend.

"How?" Cam asked.

"There was a man...I don't know who he was. But Daddy knew him and his assistants said he was once a thunder ninja. His name was Logan Zimmer and years ago he was caught practicing the dark arts by his own wife, who was also a thunder ninja," Leann sobbed.

"Dad...do you know anything about this?" Cam asked. Kanoi nodded gravely.

"Yes Cameron, I know the story. Omino has told me just as I told him of Kiya's betrayal. Logan murdered his own wife that very evening while their young son was hidden by his mother in the closet," Kanoi stated.

"I'm pulling everything on him now," Billy said, as his hands flew over the keyboard.

"He was subdued by Omino, the Bradley's and several other senior students that night. They turned him over to the police for her murder. They had to lie about there being no crime scene, but there was no way they could jeopardize the secrecy of the Academy. Surprisingly, Logan confessed and cut a deal to serve twenty years," Kanoi stated.

"Seems like a light sentence for murder," Jason said.

"We agree and his confession at the time baffled Omino and the others," Kanoi said.

"I've found him, but Logan Zimmer has been dead for twenty years. According to official records, he was killed in prison five years after his sentencing," Billy said.

"That makes no sense," Rocky said.

"Actually, I think it makes more sense than we know," Billy replied, as they gestured to the screen. Jason scrutinized the picture of Logan Zimmer and his eyes widened in

recognition.

"No way..." he uttered.

"That's Jared Zale," Tommy said. Billy nodded.

"I don't understand...how is that possible?" Kim asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I'll have to do some digging, but I would say that he had help from the outside and his death was purposely staged. This might be our missing link," Billy replied.

"Missing link?" Rocky asked.

"Remember when we thought Goldar might have had human help? Or that there was more to that drug operation than just Palo Vasquez?" Billy asked.

"You think this guy is connected?" Jason asked.

"There's no way to be sure yet...but a lot of things would make more sense if he was," Billy said, as he went to work. He suddenly stopped and looked at Kanoi.

"The woman he murdered, his wife, was named Sarah Bradley-Zimmer?" Billy asked in disbelief. All attention turned to Kanoi.

"Yes...she was James Bradley's twin sister," Kanoi stated.

"James Bradley...as in Hunter and Blake's adoptive father?" Shane asked. Leann nodded.

"It's true...my father's assistants told me so," Leann replied.

"Then the little boy in the closet that night..." Adam uttered. Kanoi nodded.

"Yes...the little boy in the closet that night was Hunter. After his sister's murder, James and his wife Elizabeth took custody of their nephew and adopted him as their own," Kanoi revealed.

"Whoa...heavy stuff dude," Dustin stated.

"And Hunter knows none of this?" Trini asked. Kanoi shook his head.

"Hunter does not remember that terrible night. He was barely two and his adoptive parents thought it was best that he did not know," Kanoi stated.

"Well, he'll have to know now. He won't take his Sensei's death lightly and he'll want to go after the man that did it...we all do," Cam said, as he held his wife tightly.

"In the meantime, we need some kind of game plan," Trini said.

"She's right. In less than twenty-four hours, Lothor is going to open the gates of Gehenna and unleash an army of evil on the Earth," Adam said.

"And we're missing the two people that can seal up the gate if he does," Kira mentioned.

"We have to hope they're okay and that they'll find a way to get to Blue Bay Harbor," Conner said. Jason nodded.

"He's right. We can't spare any rangers to go look for them if he does open those gates," Jason said, as Shane and Dustin looked appalled.

"Sorry guys, but you know he's right," Tommy said. They nodded reluctantly. If Hunter and Tori could, they would join them in the battle as soon as they could.

"For now, we need to try and come up with some sort of strategy," Jason said, as they began discussing the upcoming battle.

~*~

Tori surfaced after a third dive, pulling Hunter to the surface. His morph had taken the brunt of the impact, before dissolving when he fell unconscious and he had a nasty gash on his forehead where it looked like a rock had scraped him. Her visor opened and she sucked fresh air into her lungs, before slowly fighting the current toward the river bank.

"Ugh...you're heavy, thunder boy," she grumbled, as she splashed him in the face with water. He groaned.

"Babe...wake up..." she pleaded.

"This looks bad..." he groaned, as he started kicking his legs to help. A few miles later down the river, they finally were able to reach the bank. Tori canceled her morph, as they collapsed to the ground, dripping wet and panting.

"That cut looks bad," Tori mentioned, as she looked at it.

"It's worse than it looks, I'm sure. I'm not dizzy or anything so I don't think I have a concussion," he replied. She looked unconvinced.

"I'm fine Tor...thanks to you," he reminded her. She smiled.

"I'm sure she's coming after us though. We need to find somewhere safe to regroup before we take her on again," she replied. He nodded.

"Well, this is a valley inside a canyon, so I'm sure there has to be some caves around here, probably on the outskirts," he suggested. She nodded in agreement, as

they started off, hand in hand, using their ninja stealth to conceal their path.

~*~

Blake ducked a lightning bolt and dived behind a rock. He was finally at the top and the lightning was going wild as a result of his proximity.

"This is bat shit crazy," Blake cursed, but he knew what he needed to do. His hand sparked with navy thunder energy and he drew the energy around the prism to his hand. The prism glowed and reacted, before flying into the navy ranger's hand. The volatile lightning subsided and the clouds started rolling away.

"Well, now I just need to get home in record time," Blake said, as he touched the prism to his old morpher. It glowed with new light.

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!" he called, as his armor molded around his body and he disappeared in a navy streak.

~*~

By the time they reached the outskirts, it had already been dark for hours. The temperature had also dropped significantly, but they finally found a suitable cave to camp in for the night. Tori shivered, as they finally found a suitable cave.

"It's so cold..." she chattered.

"That's the desert at night for you," he said, as they huddled together. Fortunately, their clothes were mostly dry by now so they wouldn't freeze.

"We need to make a fire," he said. Gathering the wood was the hardest part, but once they had a pile, they sat on the cave floor side by side.

"Ready?" he asked. She nodded. Crimson thunder sizzled in his hand and an orb of water formed in hers. They slowly fused their power and an amethyst glow filled the cave. The violet hued fire burned brightly between them and they lit the wood on fire. They shared a smile.

"It's getting easier," she mentioned. He smiled.

"I suppose that's good, because we have to use this very fire to keep the gates of some monstrous, demonic hell sealed in less than twenty-four hours," he replied. She squeezed his hand.

"Don't tell me you're getting worried, thunder boy," she said. He responded by kissing her passionately.

"Not a chance. The fact that more and more people are trying to keep us apart and destroy us just makes me more determined that our love is meant to be. No bounty hunter, I don't care how good she is supposed to be, is going to kill us," he replied, as he kissed her again.

"I'll take the first watch," he said.

"Are you sure?" she asked. He nodded.

"I'll wake you in a few hours," he replied, as she laid down with her head in his lap. She was asleep within minutes, while he remained acutely aware of their surroundings.

~*~

The next morning...

Cam coughed and shook his head as another blanket of rocky dust smacked him in the face. After days of searching, the computer had finally picked up an energy signature similar to his Samurai amulet popped up inside an ancient Mayan Temple in Mexico. Sneaking past security at the Pyramid grounds at the archeological wonder that was the ancient city of Chicen Itza had been fairly easy with his ninja streak. But he was confused once he got inside. Surely something like what he was looking for would have been discovered in an archeological hot spot like this. But his scanner was reading the energy as strongly as ever. And if it were to be accurate, he was supposedly standing directly on it. But all he saw in front of him was a wall with ancient Mayan hieroglyphs.

"Great...now what?" Cam wondered. But he stopped when he took another glance at the wall. The symbols caught his attention. He stepped closer and touched the square in the upper right corner. It was Shane's symbol of air...only upside down.

"Surely...it's not that simple..." Cam wondered, as he pressed on the stone. It pushed in and he turned it right side up. Still nothing happened.

"Okay...that's air and there's earth," he said, as he pressed on the earth symbol, turning it right side up as well. In the two parallel corners, he saw the upside down symbols representing crimson and navy thunder. He pressed on each, turning them right side up. Finally, in the center between the thunder symbols was the water symbol. Taking a deep breath, he turned the final symbol on its head, causing the wall to immediately glow with the respective colors. He stood back and watched in complete awe, as a greenish/white star appeared in the center of it all. A beam of light shot out passed Cam and to what looked like was once used as a sacrificial altar. The altar slid aside and once the blinding light subsided, it revealed a secret set of stairs descending into the underground. Cam's eyes were wide with wonder, as he traipsed down the steps.

"Man...Hartford would be having a fit right now if he saw this," Cam commented, as he thought of the explorer. Cam came to the bottom of the stairs and into a room where

his symbol was emblazoned on one wall with an ornate chest on the floor. It was pure gold and encrusted with precious emeralds and jade stones. His amulet glowed brightly the closer he got to it. He opened it and inside lay the green star prism. He picked it up, mesmerized by its brilliance.

"Well...thank you for finding my prism, nephew..." Lothor hissed, as he suddenly appeared.

"It's not yours and I'm not your nephew," Cam retorted. Lothor blasted him with dark energy and the prism flew out of his hand, rolling toward Lothor. But Cam leapt into the air and kicked him away from it, before diving for the trinket. Lothor tackled him to the ground and tried to pry Cam's hand open. But the prism, in its rightful hands, helped him and green energy blew Lothor back. His amulet absorbed the prism and enlarged into his morpher.

"Samurai Storm...Ranger Form, ha!" Cam called, as his ranger armor molded around his body once again. Lothor growled angrily.

"You may have the prism, but it won't matter at dusk!" Lothor threatened, as he disappeared.

"Cam...do you read?" Billy called through his communicator.

"Yeah, I got the prism. What's going on?" he asked.

"Blue Bay Harbor is under attack. I think Lothor is trying to wear us down before he opens the gates," Billy replied.

"I'm teleporting out now," Cam replied. He wanted more time to explore this Temple, but it would have to wait until some other time. He disappeared in a streak of green teleportation.

~*~

"Are you sure this is the spot?" Taylor asked impatiently, as she got out of the black Suburban. Wes, Eric, and Jen got out too and the Wild Force rangers got out of the Jeep next to them.

"These are the coordinates we got from Billy," Eric replied.

"Maybe he was wrong. There's nothing here," she complained. Eric rolled his eyes.

"Do you ever open your mouth without complaints coming out?" he asked. Jen and Wes rolled their eyes.

"Here we go," Jen mumbled.

"Me? You're always bitching about something too," Taylor retorted.

"I do not bitch," Eric refuted. Wes stepped in before they could turn this into an all out war.

"Billy is rarely wrong, so I'm sure this is it. I swear, you two are so annoying. You're either fighting or fu..." But Jen cut him off by smacking his arm. Cole chuckled, as he got where Wes was going.

"Wes," she scolded.

"It's true," Wes said, earning glares from the tumultuous pair.

"Besides, I think this is the place," Alyssa intervened, as she pointed to the approaching Hummer.

Carter and the rest of Lightspeed had also arrived, with Angela Fairweather-Rawlins and Captain Mitchell in tow.

"Place looks pretty deserted," Joel mentioned, as he hopped out and opened the door for his wife and they looked around at the seemingly normal grassy knoll. Angela took out a device and started gathering readings from their surroundings.

"What can you tell?" Joel asked her. She looked up at him and then the rest of them with a grave expression.

"These readings are off the charts," she uttered.

"Off what chart?" Max asked.

"Off the evil energy chart...it's over three times as high as it was the day Queen Bansheera opened the Underworld," she informed them. They were all silent.

"But...nothing has even happened yet," Wes said.

"Exactly. The others better get here soon, especially the two you said can keep this thing closed," Angela replied. They all shared a meaningful look until they were suddenly pelted by laser blasts. They managed to pick themselves up and came face to face with several monsters.

"Greetings rangers, I am Thrax. If you think you're going to stop us from opening the gates, then you're sadly mistaken," Thrax hissed. Flurious summoned the Chillers and Thrax called forth the Tengus.

"Let's ranger up," Wes suggested.

"Ready!" Carter called.

"Lightspeed Rescue!"

"Titanium Power!"

"Time for Time Force!"

"Quantum Power!"

"Wild Access!"

The rangers charged the minions with full force. It had begun…

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: Face Off

After they awoke that morning, they found the nearest stream to wash up, where Tori insisted on cleaning the gash on his head again. While he found some fruit, she used her water powers to catch some fish. After returning to the cave and eating, they began the task of laying out a strategy to deal with the woman hunting them.

"Well, we know that she is able to take on highly trained ninjas, so I think distracting her with our elements might throw her off her game," Tori suggested.

"I agree, but you have to admit she got the drop on us last time. We'll be ready for her this time and I doubt she can take us on," he replied. She gave him a look.

"Maybe, but we can't get cocky," she warned. He smirked.

"I'm not being cocky. We're just bad asses, plain and simple," he replied. She shook her head in amusement.

"You have such an ego," she teased.

"I prefer the term bad-assery," he retorted.

"Bad-assery is not a word," she countered playfully.

"It should be," he re-countered, before popping another berry into his mouth. She shook her head again.

"Fine, but we need to make quick work of her. We only have a few hours till dusk and we need to conserve as much energy as possible," she stated.

"Once we get out of this canyon, we can take the glider cycle back to Blue Bay. It's fast and won't drain us like a ninja streak. But first, I think we need to make sure she can't use her freaky tentacles. From what I experienced, they might as well be like mechanical extensions in terms of strength. I think that's part of why she's notorious. She can snap body parts like nothing with them," he said. She nodded, eying the bruising that was still present around his neck from those very tentacles," he suggested. They heard a rustling outside the cave and quickly quieted, before peering out. They saw her in the near distance and knew the time had come for a rematch...

~*~

Zack sighed, as he looked at his old morpher.

"Man, I never thought I'd be suiting up again," he mentioned. Adam chuckled.

"I wish I could say the same, but I always had trouble walking away from it. I don't know if I'm addicted to the adrenaline or maybe I just like spandex," Adam joked. Zack laughed.

"Maybe, but not as much as Tommy. No one loves the spandex like Tommy," Zack joked.

"I heard that," Tommy chimed in.

"And it's not really spandex. Our suits are made of synthetic material that the morphing grid molds around our bodies like armor," Billy added.

"Still looks like spandex and no one has an addiction to it like Rainbow ranger here," Jason teased. Tommy sighed. The alert alarm interrupted any further banter.

"Looks like you'll all be suiting back up sooner than we thought," Andrew informed.

"That's Blue Bay Harbor, near the Abyss' opening," Shane confirmed.

"Already three teams on site and they're overwhelmed. Lothor's not playing around," Tanya said.

"Guess going after that scumbag Zale will have to wait. I just know he has a connection to Goldar," Jason lamented. Tommy patted him on the shoulder.

"He'll have to wait, but we'll get him too," Tommy said.

"Not to mention, we still have to break it to Hunter that said scum is his bio-daddy," Rocky reminded.

"Pft...Hunter is no more related to Zale than I am to Lothor. Blood isn't everything," Cam chimed in.

"Well said, Cameron," Kanoi echoed.

"Excuse me, I believe we have another one to add to the mix," Spencer announced, as he led Blake in.

"Dude!" Dustin called, as they shook hands.

"Any word yet from my bro and Tori?" he asked. Shane shook his head.

"Let's just hope Hunter and Tori show up at the Abyss to close the gates if he opens them, cause if they don't, we're all screwed," Dustin said.

"They'll show. You know nothing can keep those two down," Blake replied. With that, all the teams teleported out.

~*~

Heliya's tentacles twitched, as she felt a strong breeze gush by her. And she knew it wasn't a natural wind. She saw a glimpse of aqua and crimson, as they used their ninja powers to dash around her, faster than the naked eye could see.

"Enough of your ninja tricks!" she hissed. Tori stopped and water swirled around her hands, as she sent a torrent at the bounty hunter. Heliya growled angrily, as she became drenched. Hunter stopped and crimson thunder sizzled in his hand, before shooting out at her. She cried out in pain and then growled, as she picked herself up off the ground.

"You two aren't the only ones with powers," she growled, as her curved blade glowed with orange energy. She released it and the ground erupted violently beneath them, tossing them back in a painful heap.

"I think we should ranger up," Tori suggested.

"Definitely," he agreed, as they took their signature stances.

"Ninja Storm!"

"Thunder Storm!"

"Ranger Form, Ha!"

Hunter and Tori drew their new weapons and charged her.

~*~

"This is Valerie Nelson for Channel Six news. I'm on the scene here in Blue Bay Harbor where for the first time in four years, our city is under attack. Several teams of power rangers have appeared to combat this threat. But once again, we are faced with a dilemma about our heroes. Do they do more harm than good? Some have long suggested that the reason Earth is always under attack is because of the Power Rangers," Valerie reported.

"Only an idiot would believe that...or a desperate reporter trying to make a name for herself," a voice said. Valerie glared at the intruder.

"Cut!" she called to her cameraman.

"Well, well, if it isn't Cassidy Cornell and her boy toy here to lick up my leftovers. I've already got this covered, but I think there's a community bake sale going on down the road. That's probably more your speed. Leave the hard hitting reporting to someone who knows what they're doing," Valerie hissed.

"The bake sale is probably more your speed, Nelson, considering you don't know half as much ranger history as we do," Devin shot back, as he got the camera ready.

"Step aside and I'll show you how to report the real truth," Cassidy jeered, as she got ready for her report, which would paint the rangers as the heroes they were.

~*~

People scampered away from the monster that was currently terrorizing downtown Blue Bay Harbor. Some stood frozen, literally victims of this monster's power over ice. Overdrive fought their current adversaries, foot soldiers, and were slowly being overwhelmed by the number of Chillers.

"That's right, puny humans...run..." Flurious hissed. Mack charged him and the icy foe blocked him with his staff.

"There will be no victory for you today, red ranger," Flurious sneered, as he smacked him away and fired icy lasers at all of them, blowing them back with violent force.

"I've waited months to do this," Flurious growled, as he held his sharp blade to Mack, preparing to strike a lethal blow. But he was suddenly pelted with lasers and blown back. From the smoke, their saviors emerged in a confident stride holstering their blade blasters.

"More rangers won't make a difference," Flurious hissed.

"You wish, ice breath. We've kicked evil asses way badder than yours," Mastodon ranger spat.

"They're definitely getting uglier, I think," Saber-toothed Tiger ranger added.

"I know...look at that hair. You should fire your stylist," Pterodactyl ranger quipped.

"Fools...if these rangers can't stop me, then what makes you think you'll do any better?" Flurious taunted.

"They're obviously not getting any smarter either," Triceratops ranger added.

"So you say, but correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the team that couldn't even destroy Lord Zedd," Flurious goaded.

"You're in for one hell of a fall if you think you're in the same league as Zedd was," Dragon ranger retorted.

"We handed Zedd's ass to him plenty of times, so you'll be no different," Tyrannosaurus ranger shouted.

"If he was anything like his idiot son, then I assure you that I'll have no trouble taking on some over the hill rangers," Flurious goaded.

"Oh he did not just call us old," Kim hissed.

"That's it, let's go all 1993 on his ass and show him how to get his ass handed to him, old school style," Zack seethed, as he cracked his knuckles. Flurious rolled his eyes.

"I'm so scared," Flurious stated.

"You should be, freak. You're about to find out why we were Earth's first rangers!" Jason shouted, as he drew his power sword.

"Then by all means, educate me," Flurious taunted.

"Step back rookies and we'll show you how it's done," Jason said, as he charged the monster.

"Seriously, does he have to call us rookies?" Will asked, annoyed.

"Probably not, but you're about to see why he can get away with it," Zack chimed in. Jason parried each strike Flurious attempted and finally disarmed him, tossing his weapon away, leaving Flurious shadowboxing against the red ranger's kicks and punches.

"Such a show off," Tommy teased, as Jason stepped back letting the weary and beaten villain attempt to recover for a moment.

"Your turn," Jason said. Tommy stepped up and Flurious charged at him.

"They never learn," Tommy mumbled, as he charged, blitzing the icy villain with a series of kicks. Flurious fired an ice beam, but the Dragon shield protected him and sent the attack right back in his face.

"You'll pay...you'll all pay!" Flurious growled, as he showered them with icy spikes. Sparks ensued and both teams took damage.

"I will not be a laughing stock any longer! I will defeat you and then that clown Lothor will pay for stealing the jewels of the Corona Aurora! I will wear the crown!" he ranted.

"Well, he snapped," Billy joked.

"Yeah, throwing a hissy fit cause someone stole his tiara," Zack joked.

"Let's bring him down," Jason said.

"He's nearly beaten. Shouldn't we let Overdrive take him down. He is their villain," Trini reminded.

"I just got my powers back and you're telling me I can't blow up the monsters?" Jason asked.

"There will be plenty of monsters to blow up," Trini replied.

"Fine...he's all yours, rookies," Jason said, as Overdrive attacked. But Flurious wasn't going down easily and matched them blow for blow.

"Don't these rookies train?" Jason complained.

"Be nice," Trini chided.

"Yeah, they're not martial artists, like you and Tommy," Kim reminded.

"Neither was I," Billy countered.

"Okay fine, but not everyone is a super cop and Dr. of everything," Kim retorted playfully.

"Let's help 'em out," Zack said.

"Okay, let's bring 'em together and trash him, old school style," Jason said. Zack cocked his power axe.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss this," Zack said.

"You'll need this," Kim said, as she joined her bow.

"And these," Trini added, as she attached her daggers.

"Ah...memories," Billy mused, as he connected his lance.

"Time to make popsicles out of this dude," Jason shouted.

"The younger rangers cleared the way, as Tommy charged, slashing him violently with the dragon dagger. This tossed him into their line of fire.

"FIRE!" they shouted, as their weapon's combined power shot out and Flurious exploded in a brilliant display of fire. But Lothor's cackle interrupted their victory.

"Thank you rangers...for giving the abyss the evil energy I need," Lothor said, as he used the dark prism to absorb Flurious' evil essence, before promptly disappearing.

"Damn him!" Zack cursed.

"Relax...Lothor would have destroyed Flurious for his energy anyway," Jason reasoned.

"What now?" Dax asked.

"We get to the abyss and try to stop him," Jason said.

"And if we can't?" Ronny asked.

"Then we hold off whatever comes out of that hole until Hunter and Tori can get here to close it up," Billy replied.

~*~

Ninja sword and thunder staff slammed against the cruel bow curved blade of the bounty huntress hired to kill them. She was formidable, but they were fluid and deadly as a team, moving in sync, as they dueled her. A challenge, something she rarely found, thrilled Heliya. This pair was unique..but dangerous. And she had been paid to eliminate them. Her race found sport in fighting and hunting challenging beings like this. If she had not been paid to kill them immediately, she would have sought to capture them and take them back to her home world where competitors of her race would have taken great pleasure in hunting them for sport.

The sport was a favorite pastime for her people. It seemed barbaric of course to other worlds and completely illegal on most planets. But it wasn't meant to be. She had been paid to kill them. She thought it was a terrible waste, but money talked and dictated that they had to die today.

"It's a pity we can't prolong this little battle. I love a good hunt, especially against prey as skilled as you and your mermaid," she hissed, as she parried Hunter's slash, which crackled with crimson thunder.

"A little overconfident, don't you think?" Tori spat, as she struck with her sword. Heliya smirked.

"I said you were a challenge, but nothing I can't handle," she hissed.

"Handle this!" Hunter spat, as he tossed several thunder clouds of crackling energy at her. She cried out in pain, as he electrocuted her.

"Go back to wherever you came from. We're done playing with you," he spat.

"That's what you think, thunder brat," she growled, as she pressed a button on her utility belt. A long, canon-like weapon appeared in her hands and it was attached to an energy pack that appeared on her back. She fired a ball of gold energy from it and Hunter's thunder shield crackled to life in front of him. But to his and Tori's horror, the energy slammed through his shield like it was nothing and hit him, blowing him back hard into a tree.

"Hunter!" she cried. Thankfully his armor held and only his visor opened, as he attempted to recover from the blast.

"Your turn to fry, mermaid," Heliya goaded. Tori fired a water beam to counter, but the bounty huntress' attack burrowed right through hers. She was hit and cried out, as she tumbled to the ground, rolling right next to Hunter.

"Say goodbye lovers," she hissed, before firing a very large blast at the pair.

"Hunter..." she uttered in despair. He realized, as hard as they tried, that they couldn't move in time, not even with ninja streak.

"I love you Tori," he choked out, as he reached for her. A tear slipped down her cheek, as their eyes met through their open visors. Her hand grasped his and that's when they realized they wouldn't be the ones to die today. The moment their hands touched, an amethyst barrier exploded around them, alive with crackling energy. They looked at each other in amazement and Heliya cursed them in disbelief. Their prisms glowed brightly with almost blinding crimson and aqua blue light. Their morphers glowed in response and their respective symbols changed to one that was an amethyst colored symbol combination of their respective ones.

"A power up?" he asked in awe.

"Hurricane Form," she uttered.

"And Amethyst storm," he added. They saw their enemy charging her weapon for another blast and nodded to each other, as their visors closed.

"Ninja Storm!" she called.

"Thunder Storm!" he called.

"Hurricane Form!" they called together, as they activated their new power up. Their suits didn't change much, except they now had a hardened, more armored appearance. Blue ribbons of power pulsated from her armor, while crackling crimson lightning around him gave his armor an electric purpose. Their respective symbols on their chests glowed metallic gold now and the new form came with powered up versions of their new weapons too. In Tori's hand, a golden trident as tall as her appeared in her hand. In Hunter's hand, a golden hammer appeared, also crackling with crimson lightning.

"Shiny new costumes won't save you...take this!" Heliya screamed, as she launched her large sphere of energy. Tori tapped the hilt of her trident on the ground and a wave of water crashed down on the energy sphere, consuming it fully.

"What..." Heliya uttered in disbelief. Hunter wasted no time and raised his hammer to the sky, charging the weapon with lightning he seemingly called out of nowhere. He threw the crackling weapon and it slammed into the bounty huntress, sending her barreling into a tree. Once the smoke cleared, Hunter called the hammer back to his hand and Heliya's injuries were apparent.

"Go back to wherever it is you came from," Tori commanded.

"If you think I'm defeated, little girl..." she hissed, but Hunter cut her off in mid sentence.

"You are defeated. We're giving you the chance to leave peacefully with your life. If you force us to...we'll finish you," he threatened.

"Oh that's it. I'm going to make a terrible mess of your boy toy, blue ranger, but don't worry, because you'll be next," she hissed.

"Well...we tried," Tori said.

"It's her or us," he added.

"I choose us," she said, as she jammed the forked end of her trident into the ground, causing it to quake violently under Heliya. Water torrents sprayed up around her.

"A little water won't stop my attack!" she screamed as her energy sphere continued to grow. Hunter began spinning his hammer rapidly, as crimson thunder energy gathered in it. When he was sure it was ready, he hit the ground with it, sending all the built up energy at her. Heliya's eyes widened in horror, as she realized her fate and let out a terrible scream, as their combined amethyst energy and her own consumed her.

"Your treachery will not go unpunished, ranger scum!" she screamed in agony for a moment, before a brilliant explosion silenced her and amethyst fire consumed her completely. Hunter and Tori let out a sigh of relief and canceled their morph. He scooped her up excitedly and she hugged him tightly in return, as he spun her around.

"That was close, thunder boy," she whispered. He pulled back and kissed her passionately.

"The power is definitely on our side. She probably killed hundreds of beings that didn't deserve to die...so she got what she deserved," he said. She nodded.

"Lothor's next. If he's opened the gates..." she started to say.

"We'll stop him," he assured her. She nodded.

"We better hurry then," she replied, as they activated their morphers again and the crimson rider appeared at Hunter's call. Tori held onto him, as he punched the throttle and they sped off in a crimson streak…

Chapter Text

Chapter 24: The Gates of Gehenna

Explosions rocked the Blue Bay countryside, as Lothor's forces battled the rangers with dark ninja magic. Lothor himself wielded the dark prism, making it near impossible to get near him.

"Battle Blast!" Conner shouted, as he fired the blast from his battlizer canons. But Lothor cackled with evil glee, as a dark beam of energy from the prism erupted and met Conner's blast head on. The red Tyranno ranger was blasted out of the air and landed painfully on the ground.

"I get to win this time, fools," he hissed.

"We'll see about that creep!" Jason yelled, as the original six descended upon him. Lothor flipped to evade Zack's high kick and blocked Billy and Kim, blasting them away. He batted Trini away next and took on double team from Tommy and Jason. But not even the seasoned martial artists could combat his dark magic.

"How does it feel to lose, rangers?" he taunted.

"You would know, freak," Rocky said, as he was blasted with red energy. Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and Kat blasted him with zeo energy, while Justin used his Turbo hand blasters.

Lothor angrily batted Kat and Tanya away, as Rocky and Justin charged next, double teaming him with their best kicks and punches. Dark energy hit Justin first, sending him rolling away, while Rocky fired lasers at him. But Lothor deflected them harmlessly with the palm of his hand and blasted him back. Adam and Tanya charged again.

"Veteran rangers or not, you young fools will not defeat me this time!" Lothor hissed, as he swiped them both across their chests with the dark sword provided to him by his powers. Sparks ensued, as they were thrown back hard. The Space rangers arrived and the six Space rangers, along with the Galaxy rangers charged next, having just arrived on Earth to help with the crisis. But even Andros' spiral saber couldn't negate the prism's evil energy. The inky blackness had created an aura of dark power around Lothor and they observed that it was slowly changing him, as Mars inched closer in line with the moon.

The prism burned itself into Lothor's chest, causing him momentary agony, which was quickly replaced with an evil cackle. His voice now was deeper, gravely now, and as sinister as anything they had ever heard.

"The prism is forever a part of me and it will mean your destruction!" Lothor shouted, as an inhuman scream erupted from his throat. Black flames seemed to consume him, sharp spikes protruding from his back and hands now. Gone was any trace of human skin and was now replaced by leathery, charred skin, splotched with angry red patches and he laughed maniacally once again.

"What...the hell is he?" Zhane wondered in disbelief.

"I don't know, but it gets worse if he opens that abyss," Mike said, as he and the Galaxy rangers charged. They all brought their sabers down on him, but we're easily countered and thrown back.

"The time has finally come! My time to reign is here!" Lothor screamed, as a column of dark energy erupted from the prism and combined with the Gamma rays that now bathed the planet in a bloody glow. The beam shot into the ground and it quaked violently.

"He's doing it! He's opening the abyss!" Dustin cried.

"Only it's a thousand times worse this time!" Cam shouted.

"That's right nephew...and no one can stop me this time!" Lothor cackled.

"Doesn't mean we won't try!" Shane shouted, as red wind energy gathered around him. Dustin joined him and summoned an earth beam, as he glowed with yellow energy. Cam and Blake called on the powers of the green and navy prisms, the four attacks slamming into Lothor's dark energy beam. His energy was intensified by the dark beings seeping from the opening and he blasted them back. They could only watch as adversaries and monsters from the past emerged from the abyss.

"Revenge shall be mine, rangers," the Master growled, as he set his sights on Mystic Force.

"Mine as well," Mesagog, in his final form, hissed at the four Dino Thunder rangers.

"Orgs shall walk the Earth again once I succeed in your elimination," Master Org said. Lightspeed was instantly targeted by the emerging demons and Trakeena charged the Galaxy rangers. Darkonda and Ecliptor made a direct line for Andros and Zhane, while Goldar and Scorpina, in their original forms, along with Rito, charged at the Zeos and the Mighty Morphin teams. They were instantly all struck by a paralyzing power.

"Remember me, Power Rangers?" Lokar hissed, as he charged with Goldar and Scorpina.

Many other monsters, Generals, and foot soldiers joined the charge, as rangers and alien monsters converged in a fierce battle. But Jason knew their situation was grave, as he saw minions continue to pour out from the abyss opening and he saw that Shane knew it too.

"Come on guys...we need you..." Shane said gravely.

~*~

Tori gazed up at the red sky, as she held on tightly to Hunter, who broke speed records to get them back to Blue Bay Harbor. People were awed and startled in their cars, as the crimson blur blew past them. Even a few cops started to give chase, but simply couldn't keep up. They knew it had already happened. Lothor had opened the abyss again, this time on a scale at least ten times worse than the first time, and they were the only ones that could seal a virtual gateway to hell that was pouring evil upon the Earth right now.

"Hang on Tor…we're going airborne," he said, as he engaged the thrusters.

"Crimson Glider bike…flight mode!" he called, as spectators on the highway could only watch them in awe, as they soured into the sky. There was no time to lose.

As they soared through the sky at what she was certain was deadly speed, she noticed the sky turn red and start to churn with angry, dark clouds.

"The sky looks like blood..." she said to him through their helmet microphones.

"He's opened the gates already...but we're almost there. They just have to hold on a little longer," Hunter replied. She tightened her hold around his waist, as he fired the thrusters to push them to even higher speeds.

~*~

Zack landed painfully on his back and Billy helped him up.

"I'll have my revenge this time, rangers," Goldar growled, as he stalked toward the original team, which included the Zeos as well, with Baboo, Squat, and Rito in tow.

"Oh look, it's Goldilocks and the three dumbasses," Rocky quipped.

"Good one, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss your witty retorts, rangers," Goldar hissed.

"Shove it Goldar and save yourself the embarrassment of getting your ass handed to you. Just crawl back into the hole you came out of," Tommy snapped. Rito chuckled.

"Talk about embarrassment. The fierce Tommy Oliver is now teaching stupid teenage brats like he once was. Just can't let go of the glory days can you, Dr. O?" Scorpina hissed, as she appeared next to Rito, who laughed.

"Can't make up your mind what color you want to be either," Rito joked.

"Are we gonna talk or fight?" Adam snapped.

"Oh we're gonna fight," Rito growled and Zack charged first, attempting to bring his power axe down on Goldar. But the demonized being simply stopped his weapon and sparks spewed from Zack's chest, as he went falling hard to the ground. Tommy and Jason, followed by Rocky, Billy, and Adam charged next, only to be blasted away by the three now powerhouses, while Squatt and Baboo still cowered.

"Man...I don't remember them being this strong," Rocky groaned, as he picked himself up off the ground. Kim, Trini, Kat, and Tanya attacked next and fared no better, as the villains from their past relished their revenge.

"They probably weren't, but with the abyss open, it allows them to draw from an unending well of dark energy," Cam explained.

"Hunter and Tori really need to get here to close it up then," Kim commented.

"I'd rather most of these assholes be in there when they do though," Jason said.

"Agreed," Shane said.

"Any ideas, big red?" Shane asked the original leader. Jason sighed, as all attention was on him.

"I wish I knew, other than we just have to keep fighting until they get here," Jason said, as he looked around, seeing that no team was fairing well.

"You got anything Billy?" he asked. Billy rolled his eyes beneath his helmet.

"This isn't something I can fix with a device or gizmo. But I would say those who have battlizers should use them," Billy said, as they ducked more laser fire. Dustin collapsed next to Shane, holding his shoulder.

"Dude...what happened?" Shane asked.

"Lothor tweaked my shoulder when he yanked me from the dirt," Dustin cried. Trini knelt beside him and without warning, she popped his shoulder back into place.

"Holy shi...arrrggghhh..." Dustin screamed, muffling the rest of his swearing through clenched teeth.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"S'okay, it already feels better," he replied in relief.

"Just give it up, has been rangers," Rito sneered.

"I'll show you a has been, bone bag!" Conner snapped, as he activated his battlizer.

"Please...neat toy kid, but you can't go toe to toe with me," Rito sneered, as he activated his jet pack and readied his cannon. Conner powered up his cannon and his blast nullified Rito's, surprising the skeletal mutant. In true cowardice, he grabbed Squat and Baboo and threw them in the path of the blast. The misguided, cowardly henchmen were instantly incinerated.

"Cowardly as usual, Rito," Tommy growled. The skeleton shrugged nonchalantly.

"I like to call it self preservation at its finest," Rito sneered.

"Nice blast, kid. Those pathetic Overdrive rookies could learn from all of you," Rito jabbed.

"Yeah, at least you still fight us one on one, instead of hiding behind magic and dorky capes!" Scorpina hissed, as she tossed a defeated Nick and Madison away.

"That's it, we'll show you what rookies can do!" Will yelled angrily, as he and the other Overdrives charged.

"Guys...wait!" Adam pleaded, knowing Rito was baiting them. Rito cackled and fired his fire canon. His flamethrower overpowered their attacks and violent sparks ensued, as the whole team was blown back several feet, their suits singed with fire damage. Rito cackled evilly and positioned his sword to skewer Mack.

"Damn it..." Jason growled, as he drew his sword and started toward them. But Goldar parried his blade.

"You and I have unfinished business, red ranger," Goldar stated. Adam and Rocky charged Rito in Jason's place, as his duel with Goldar began.

Meanwhile, Scorpina blasted Conner out of the sky and took on Tommy, Zack, Kat, Billy, and Tanya with a hoard of demonized putties. Shane, Dustin, Blake, and Cam fought Lothor, his hoard of dark ninjas, and demonized Kelzacks, while the other teams continued to fight respective evils from their pasts. And things were slowly worsening for the rangers.

"We will win this time rangers!" Lothor declared, as Shane and Dustin were blasted point blank with the dark prism energy. Their own prisms protected them from serious injury, but they and everyone else were slowly tiring while the abyss fed their enemies endless evil energy. Overdrive's morphs were the first to fail and the Zeo team tried to block them from more attacks. But they were losing ground fast.

"Get out of here!" Adam screamed at them, as he tried to keep Rito at bay. But Rito's sword came down and slashed him violently across the chest. Adam fell to his knees and then face down. His morph failed.

"ADAM!" Tanya screamed. Rocky kicked Rito away and dragged his best friend out of the line of fire. Scorpina's golden energy blasted the rest of the Mighty Morphin and Zeo teams.

Darkonda was relentless against the Space team and their morph had already failed twice. Trakeena, in her final form, had the Galaxy rangers struggling to even get back up. Queen Bansheera and her demons were overwhelming Lightspeed.

The twisted, demonic Frax was causing more trouble for the three present members of Time Force than they ever thought possible. Master Org's cruel torture of Wild Force caused pause for even some of the other villains, though Mesagog was not one of them, as he equally enjoyed inflicting his wrath upon the Dino Thunder team.

And the Master was matching Mystic Force's magic and slowly turning the tides against them. Goldar was relentless in his pursuit to end his first true nemesis, the first red ranger of Earth. The hulking Titan warrior swept the red ranger's feet out from under him and pointed his sword at the prone ranger.

"My, my...this is like deja vu, red ranger. Except this time, you won't be teleported away," Goldar sneered. As his sword was poised to strike, Goldar was suddenly pelted with crimson laser fire, Rito and Scorpina were pelted next, as the crimson rider soared above them. Hunter landed them and dirt was unearthed, as he braked hard to stop them. Tori flipped off first and started fighting her way through the demonized Kelzacks. Hunter joined and they made quick work of them.

"You guys made it!" Dustin cheered, as they helped Jason up.

"Adam...how badly are you hurt?" Tori asked in concern.

"I'll be fine," he assured, as Tanya and Rocky helped him up.

"And the bounty hunter?" Shane asked, as Lothor, his family, and the army of dark ninjas gathered.

"Dead. Nice try Lothor," Hunter stated.

"Yeah, she was good, but no match for our Hurricane power," Tori revealed.

"Hurricane power?" Blake asked, as all their prisms were suddenly glowing in reaction to Hunter and Tori's.

"Hurricane mode," Tori clarified.

"A power up," Cam understood.

"And it's bad ass," Hunter added.

"You may have gotten past the bounty hunter, but you will not get past me this time, now that the dark prism is a part of me!" Lothor growled.

"We need you to seal that opening," Trini said gravely.

"But we need to put as many of these losers back in that hole as we can," Kim added.

"The gamma rays are fading. Once they're gone, nothing can close it until Mars is aligned again. That's years from now," Billy informed.

"Then we defeat those we can. Then the rest we'll have to defeat after the gates are closed," Jason said.

"Then let's get as many as we can," Tommy reasoned.

"Let's get busy," Shane said, as the six of them took the lead position. Their prisms glowed brightly.

"Ninja Storm!"

"Thunder Storm!"

"Samurai Storm!"

"Hurricane Form!"

Like Hunter and Tori's suits, the other rangers' suits did not change much, just a more metallic, armored appearance. New weapons were granted as well.

To Shane, his hawk blaster transformed into the hawk sword, armed with powerful laser fire and the ability to channel his wind into fierce attacks.

Dustin was now armed with twin seismic axes to create seismic devastation when they made contact with the ground.

Tori once again called her trident that could summon the power of the seas with a simple tap of the hilt, while the forked end would rip through anything in her path.

Blake was granted a deadly two ended Thunder blade. Both ends crackled dangerously with Navy lightning and called to the sky to summon lightning at Blake's command.

Hunter summoned the Thunder hammer again, ready to channel crimson thunder at his call and his powered up thunder staff in his other hand.

And finally, Cam had received a transformation for his Samurai saber. The saber was converted into a laser rifle. The Samurai star shooter, which fired star shaped laser blasts.

"Some fancy new weapons and shiny costumes won't be enough this time, rangers," Master Vile stated. Cam aimed and fired three blasts. They hit Master Vile and he flew back into the abyss.

"Well, that proved him wrong," Rocky quipped, as the battle began anew.

~*~

"Weaklings..." Flurious growled, as he devastated the Overdrive rangers.

"Give me the jewels!" he roared, as he swiped at all six of them violently with his sword. Sparks ensued and they lay defeated at his feet. But a blast threw him back.

"Man..still whining about your tiara, Popsicle face?" Zack quipped, as he held the smoking barrel of his axe

"The crown will be mine!" he ranted. It was clear that in his demonic form that he had been driven insane. Xander used his magic to bind him with vines, but Flurious froze them and violently shattered them. Taylor soared toward him, latching onto him and dragging him toward the abyss. He grabbed her legs and she cried out in pain, as he threw her off. Jen pelted him with lasers from her chrono blaster, while Carter powered up his battlizer. Flurious was struck, devastating him. The Overdrives and the rest of the Mystics finished off the rest of the Chillers and Lava Lizards.

"You're up Shane!" Carter called. Shane called on his powers by raising his saber to the sky. It glowed with red energy and he swiped it in the air several times, sending flails of energy at his opponent. The energy formed into several twisters. They sucked up the defeated minions and Flurious, delivering them back to the abyss.

~*~

"Time to finish what I started, red ranger," Darkonda hissed, as he had Andros on his back, trying to drive his blade through him. Rocky flew through the air with a spiral kick, knocking him away.

"Not today ugly," the blue Zeo ranger spat.

"You'll pay for that, ranger," Darkonda threatened, as he blasted them with energy which they tried to evade. Kim responded by pelting him with arrows, while Tommy went one on one, sword to dagger. He kicked the monster on his back and queued Dustin.

"You're up, dirt boy," Tommy called. Dustin swung his axes and hit the ground. The ground trembled beneath Darkonda and swallowed him up, returning him to the abyss.

~*~

Adam chopped at Bansheera with his zeo hatchets, but the Queen of the demons batted them away like nothing and wrapped her hand around the green zeo ranger's throat. The terrifying woman cackled and her hair, now alive with tentacles, slowly wrapped around Adam's limbs.

"Let's see how hard I have to squeeze to break all your bones," she hissed. But suddenly she cried out in pain, as Tanya used her weapons to bat her away. Jason chopped through her tentacles and she screeched in pain, as they helped him up.

"Thanks," Adam rasped.

"You'll pay for that, rangers..." she hissed, as her newly grown tentacles shot out toward them. However, Udonna and Vida stepped in, showering her with an icy wind magical combination attack. She screeched angrily and her tentacles multiplied. Ethan stepped in, blocking the ones he could with the Tricera shield.

"Go Blake!" he called. The Navy ranger's Thunder blade gleamed in the moonlight and he disappeared into a navy ninja streak, severing her tentacles with his blade. She cried out in agony, as she was electrocuted and this time, her tentacles didn't grow back.

"Back to hell for you, psycho bitch," he stated, as he raised the Thunder blade, horizontally over his head, charging it with Navy lightning summoned by his prism's mastery of the lighting. Both ends crackled with explosive power and he spun the blade rapidly, as he charged her. He slashed her with both ends and she cried out in agonized disbelief, as she was thrust back into the abyss.

~*~

Master Org batted the other Wild Force rangers away and focused his wrath on Cole, trying to choke the life out of him.

"I wish I would have made sure you were dead too when I killed your parents,!" he hissed, as he threw him down and raised his spear, preparing to gut the red Lion ranger.

"Time to rectify that mistake!" he growled, but was suddenly pelted by solar energy.

"Not today monster," Daggeron said, as he helped Cole up.

"I will kill you all!" Org growled, only to be pelted with more blasts.

"Tell it to someone who cares," Eric spat, as he continued to fire the Quantum defender.

"With my Org seeds, I will once again rule this world," he hissed, as seeds began to fall from his hands.

"Super Silverizer!" Zhane called, as he blasted the seeds to ash before they could hit the ground. White arrows pelted him next, as Trent attacked and Ryan followed up, landing several kicks and punches.

"It's like a sixth ranger party all up in here," Zhane joked.

"That's probably my cue," Cam drawled, as he positioned his weapon.

"Samurai star scatter!" he called, as he shot multiple blasts in rapid succession, purposely missing the Org Master. The psychopath laughed.

"You're the worst shot I've ever seen," he goaded. But Cam ignored him.

"Samurai...falling star attack!" Cam called. His prism glowed and the blasts in the sky descended on the Org Master, sending the exploding and devastated monster plummeting back into the abyss.

~*~

Leo and the other Galaxy rangers fiercely fought Trakeena, but she was relentless and twice as strong. Sparks ensued, as she violently slashed at them with her pincers and their suits became caked in her sickly green ooze.

"Paybacks are a bitch, rangers," she growled. Wes stepped in, blocking her pincers with his chrono saber.

"Guess you're about to find out, slime ball," he retorted. She growled and shoved him away. Alyssa charged and clawed at her, but she was batted away. Chad used his Mega battle armor to fire a concentrated blast of ice at her. It only slowed her down slightly though and she quickly broke free in fury. Bridge fired his blaster and Kira soared through the air, but Trakeena blocked her Ptera grips, sending her head over heels to the ground. Merrick fired his Lunar cue and the animal crystals attacked, as Tori clutched her trident.

"No stupid little girl is going to defeat me!" she raged. Tori tapped the hilt of her trident on the ground and water torrents spiraled up around her.

"No...NO!" Trakeena screamed, as she was drowned out and the water carried her back to the depths of the abyss.

~*~

Trini fired her blaster at Mesagog only to be knocked away violently. Joel charged, armed with his V lancer, but Mesagog stopped his weapon, yanking it from his hands and batting him away with his tail. He was then suddenly hit with a pink cloud of power, as Kat landed a direct hit with her Zeo power shield. Mesagog growled angrily, as Billy leapt at him with his power lance. It glowed with blue energy and he slashed the monster violently. But the demon dinosaur unleashed his mind meld and the four rangers held their heads in agony. Conner stepped in, firing a tri-beam from the Triassic shield, getting a direct hit. But despite his injury, he employed his mind meld and Conner fell victim to it as well.

"I...can't take much more of this..." Kat cried.

"Hang on Kat..." Billy called through his own agony. Behind the monster, Hunter spun his hammer rapidly building energy. It crackled with crimson thunder, as Hunter tossed it end over end. It hit its target, sending Mesagog barreling into a tree, which was unfortunately completely destroyed in the process. Mesagog dug himself out of the splintered mess and roared in rage. Hunter extended his arm and recalled the thunder hammer. He employed his mind meld beam again, but was blocked by Hunter's thunder shield, which only made him charge in anger. Hunter formed the shield into the tornado star and charged it with crimson thunder, before throwing it. It met its intended mark, slicing Mesagog's tail off, causing him to screech in agony.

"You'll pay for that!" Mesagog roared, as the others held their heads in agony. Hunter wasted no more time. He raised the hammer to the sky, calling his thunder powers forth. His prism glowed and crimson thunder charged the hammer. He hit the ground with it. The electric current traveled toward the monster and struck its target. And the pieces of Mesagog's remains tumbled back into the abyss. The army of rangers stood strong again, as Lothor, his family, most of the dark ninjas, the few foot soldiers, Rito, Goldar, and Scorpina were all that remained.

"The gamma rays are fading fast. You two have maybe minutes to close that hole!" Cam warned.

"But Lothor and these posers are still loose," Dustin protested.

"They're too powerful for us to take down in just a few minutes," Adam reasoned.

"If we don't put Lothor back in the abyss, then this doesn't end today," Blake reminded.

"Then it doesn't end today. We'll have to deal with it later. But we'll be screwed if that hole stays open," Shane said.

"Close it!" Jason called. Hunter and Tori stepped toward the swirling gates in the ground that was the abyss.

"Stop them!" Lothor roared. But the others rushed them to give Hunter and Tori the time they needed. They clasped hands and purple energy exploded around them. Their visors opened, silvery blue eyes locking with sapphire blue eyes.

"Guess it's time to see if we can do this," Tori said with a smile. He smiled back.

"We can. Love can overcome anything. You've taught me that," he replied, with love for her shining in his eyes. An amethyst sphere of power formed between them and they guided it to the opening.

"Dammit...stop them!" Lothor growled. But the others didn't allow them to pass. The amethyst fire descended into the ground, closing the gateway and sealing the crevice in the ground up again.

"NOOOOO!" Lothor growled.

"That's the breaks, dude," Dustin goaded.

"Wrong fool! You may have won again today, but trust me, this time you will all suffer for this...starting with you two!" Lothor ranted, pointing at Hunter and Tori, before he and all his minions disappeared.

"You haven't seen the last of us either, rangers," Goldar promised, as he, Rito, and Scorpina disappeared as well. The moment the monsters were gone, media choppers were over them.

"Alpha, can you get us all out of here?" Billy asked into his communicator.

"Sure thing Billy, stand by," the little robot said. In seconds, they were all on the massive Hartford mansion lawn. They all sighed in relief and canceled their morphs. But there was no celebration from their team or Jason and Tommy's teams. And Hunter and Tori noticed instantly.

"What's going on?" Tori asked.

"Some pretty heavy stuff went down while you two were fighting that bounty hunter," Jason stated.

"Leann?" Tori asked, as she saw her friend's tear stained face.

"I'll let you guys take them down to Ops and explain," Andrew offered, giving them privacy for what he knew would be an emotional time for what they were about to learn.

"Thanks," Cam said, as they went inside. With that, Andrew and Spencer ordered food to feed the hungry and tired group of rangers.

Chapter Text

Chapter 25: Picking Up the Pieces

The ground around where the abyss had been opened and closed, was charred from battle and smoke drifted into the air around the razed ground. The acrid smell of smoke and burned monster flesh was pungent and would be nauseating to most. But not one such as Lokar, one of the most ancient and evil beings of the old world.

"Fools…" Lokar hissed. He had joined the battle, but once it started to turn with the arrival of the fully powered elemental Ninja team, Lokar knew evil would lose the day again. For thousands of years, he had been locked away in other dimensions, only briefly summoned and banished quickly again. That fool Goldar had the audacity to even absorb him, once again reducing his true power from what it could be. This time though, Lokar refused to be exiled again and now he was free in the dimension of the living once again, with no one the wiser to his presence. Thankfully, the Master of the dark ninja arts was also a master shapeshifter.

"Time to blend in," he hissed, as he disappeared…

~*~

Jared swirled the wine in his glass, as he sat at his desk, examining the information in front of him and watching the footage of the battle that had just taken place. None of the news teams had been able to get ground coverage and their aerial shots were blurry at best. But his personal scientist managed to capture it all with his sophisticated equipment from a safe distance. He watched the ninjas in particular with fascination, especially the amethyst power. He glanced down at the photo of his grown son and his friends.

"You've become quite the warrior, son," he stated.

"You look more like your mother than I expected, but that's probably in your favor too," he mused.

"Quality work as usual, Mr. Finn," he complimented his scientist. The small, skinny bespectacled man nodded gratefully.

"Thank you sir. And congratulations on getting your revenge on Omino," Finn said. Zale smirked and sipped at his wine.

"Yes...things are falling into place, though I have to say the level of element mastery these six possess is unprecedented. Even without the prisms, they are the embodiment of their elements in human form. No one in the history of either Academy has ever obtained such skill with their element. Still...I am up for the challenge," Jared stated, as he drained his glass.

"I was cast out like garbage, while they continued their secret little operation. That may eventually get more difficult," he said.

"Forgive me for saying this sir, but your son doesn't trust you now. Doing what you have planned assures that he will never join you," Finn replied.

"He wouldn't anyway. He was raised to be too damn good and noble. He's powerful, but soft, like his mother was. He will have other things to worry about. Eventually...he may finally see me as an ally and a way to protect the people he loves," Jared stated.

"Lothor is a loose canon. Shall I keep monitoring his activity?" Finn asked.

"Yes and keep me updated. He may look for other avenues to rebuild his army, but he'll eventually come crawling back to me. That prism will only get him so far, especially against my son and his team," Zale replied. Finn nodded and quietly left the office, as Jared continued to look over the information.

"Well Sarah, our son has grown up to be exactly what you always hoped and your perfect brother would be happy to know that he'll probably never willingly have anything to do with me. But I won't give up. He'll see that I'm not the real enemy...someday," Jared said with determination.

~*~

Hunter stared at the screen in disbelief. His head was swimming with questions, but his hurt and anger drowned them out.

"If he killed Sensei...then why hasn't he been arrested!" Hunter exclaimed.

"Believe me, nothing would give us greater pleasure. But if we do, then we have to expose the Academies. You'll have the FBI, CIA, Homeland, and every other government agency crawling all over those woods," Jason stated.

"Not to mention that they'll be angry when it goes public that the government didn't know about any of it. They get pissed when they look bad to the public," Billy added.

"They might even try to detain anyone involved," Rocky mentioned.

"You mean prison?" Dustin asked, horrified. Rocky nodded.

"Technically speaking, the government sees what the Academy does as illegal, simply because they're not involved. The rangers too for that matter. They've mostly left us alone though since we've collectively saved the planet thousands of times over," Jason replied.

"But guys like that go free," Blake stated bitterly.

"And our powers would land us in some lab like rats," Shane added.

"It's not fair, we know," Adam added.

"I...he's really my father? Hunter asked.

"No...the man he once was died the moment he succumbed to the temptation of the dark powers," Kanoi said adamantly.

"Yeah, he's no more your father than Lothor is my Uncle," Cam added.

"They're right," Tori whispered, as she hugged him.

"You're mine first anyway. And you're nothing like him, so don't even think about it," she said. He nodded gratefully, hugging her tightly. He knew he couldn't get through this without her love and thankfully, he didn't have to.

"So what now?" Blake asked.

"As long as Lothor is out there, you guys are active again. We'll provide back up when we can now that our powers are restored, but it's your powers that will be needed to defeat him," Jason said. Blake clenched his teeth.

"So that's it, Lothor's back, so my career is over," he spat. He was trying not to be angry, but he loved racing professionally.

"Leann could take over for you," Hunter stated, as all eyes were on him. As much as he wanted Blake fighting beside him, he wasn't going to let Lothor ruin everything he had worked for.

"Me?" she asked in disbelief.

"You're a navy thunder ninja and an excellent fighter. If Blake happens to be in town, he can join a few battles, but if he's halfway across the country, you can use the navy prism," Hunter suggested. Cam couldn't disagree.

"You'd make a great ranger," he told her with a smile.

"Not to mention that you've been dealt a personal blow in all this. You want justice for your father, the same as I do," Hunter added.

"I don't know what to say," she said.

"Say yes. This is a fight you deserve to be a part of," Blake stated, as he held the navy prism before her. She stared at it and slowly took it in her hand. It sparked for a moment and then accepted its new bearer.

"Finally, another girl on the team," Tori said, as she hugged her.

"Andrew invited us to stay the night, but I'm kind of anxious to get home," Shane mentioned.

"Us too. We've been off the grid long enough," Billy added.

"Let's go say goodbye to the rookies then. With Thrax and the rest of them gone, except Moltor, I think they can handle things," Jason said. There were handshakes and goodbyes, with promise of a reunion soon, before they all left the Hartford mansion to return to their lives.

~*~

Blue Bay Harbor

Later that evening

Tori inhaled the salty sea air, as she and Hunter strolled along the beach, hand in hand.

"It's good to be home," she said.

"It is, though for me, home is wherever you are," Hunter replied. She smiled, as they stopped before the lapping waves. The sun was setting in the background and provided the perfect backdrop, as he leaned in and kissed her passionately.

"It's so beautiful here at sunset. I've always loved it," she mentioned.

"I know and that's why I think we should get married in this spot at sunset," Hunter suggested. She smiled.

"I love it. It's the perfect place for us," she replied, as she kissed him again.

"Come on, let's go home," she said sultrily.

"I like that idea even better," he replied. As they approached Hunter's motorcycle, they found a most unwelcome person waiting for them. Tori gasped and their defenses immediately went up, as they both sunk into fighting stances.

"I mean you no harm," Jared insisted.

"Right, like we're supposed to believe that," Hunter growled.

"I've wanted to meet you for a very long time, son. You can't imagine what it's like to know you have a son you can't see," Jared added.

"Why would I want anything to do with you?! You killed my mother! You murdered Sensei Omino!" Hunter cried.

"Hunter...you don't know the whole story!" he pleaded.

"I know enough," he spat in return.

"It's true, your mother and I were arguing that night. She wouldn't listen to me explain my side and she wouldn't let me see you," Jared tried to explain.

"So you killed her," Hunter hissed.

"No...I was angry and I pushed her, which was wrong. But I didn't know she was going to fall and hit her head. That part was an accident and I tried to save her. But she hit the corner of the dresser just right and died almost instantly. It was an accident," Jared pleaded.

"Even if that's true, it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been practicing dark ninja magic!" Hunter growled.

"The dark powers aren't as evil as they'll have you believe," Jared tried to reason.

"The hole in Sensei Omino's chest says otherwise!" Hunter roared.

"He deserved it! He took you away! He stole my life away! He and the others never wanted me with your mother, but I did love her. Her sainted brother hated my guts from day one, long before I ever touched the darker powers," Jared growled.

"James and Elizabeth Bradley couldn't have children, so when you were born, they pressured Sarah fiercely to keep you away from me. We fought about their interference constantly and it tore us apart...literally," he tried to explain and then sighed.

"Look, I don't expect you to understand or even forgive me. I just wanted you to hear my side. I know you aren't ready to have anything to do with me, if you ever will. But...you are my son and my door, so to speak, will always be open for you," he said, as he spared a glance at Tori.

"Hold onto her. Don't ever let go or let anyone come between you," he said, as he started to retreat, but turned back for a moment.

"One more thing. Lothor will stop at nothing to get revenge on the two of you. Be careful. The longer he refrains from attacking, the larger and more sinister his plot will be," Jared warned, before getting in his limo.

"Are you okay?" Tori asked. He nodded.

"As long as I don't have to see him," he replied.

"Do you want to go talk to Sensei? He should probably know," she suggested.

"I'll tell him in the morning. Right now, I just want to go home," he said. She hugged him and felt his strong arms tighten around her.

"I just want to go home and hold you," he whispered.

"Lucky me. Let's go, thunder boy," she said, as they put their helmets on and sped away on his bike.

~*~

The next morning

Ninja Ops

"So he was right? You can't pick up on the dark prism energy anywhere on Earth?" Shane asked. They had all arrived for their morning duties as usual that morning and Hunter promptly informed Sensei Watanabe about his and Tori's encounter with Zale the night before. This resulted in a ranger meeting, including Billy and Jason on a secure video conference.

"The dark prism gives off a very distinct signature. Lothor knows that with the energy scanner Billy helped me build that we could find his base if he built one on Earth," Cam said.

"So he's got another spaceship then," Dustin guessed.

"Probably, but I used the deep space sonar scanner that I brought back from Aquitar and he's not in the milky way galaxy at all right now," Billy said.

"Well...then he left, right?" Blake asked hopefully.

"It seems so, which eventually could be very bad. He's in possession of a very powerful and dangerous artifact. He's not done," Billy explained.

"But...then why would he leave?" Dustin asked.

"He was defeated and most of his Generals are dead. A bunch of dark ninjas aren't enough to stand against us," Cam reasoned.

"So he's gone to hire a new army?" Leann asked.

"He would if he had money, but more than likely, he's going to find beings that hate rangers as much as he does. I've seen this before on Aquitar. The Hydro contaminators were funded by other factions that hated the Aquitian rangers as much as they did. He could return in the future with some powerful allies," Billy warned.

"Then his warning was justified," Hunter said.

"Maybe, but I'm sure he still has his own agenda in all this," Jason added from behind Billy.

"Jason is right. Be very leery of him. The dark powers are seductive," Kanoi warned.

"I will Sensei," Hunter promised.

"So what now?" Dustin asked.

"We return to our normal lives, but we remain vigilant. We will train our students for the coming and very real threat there will be. We safeguard the prisms and you all must train hard yourselves. Lothor will return and his hunger for vengeance will be ravenous," Kanoi warned. They nodded in understanding, as they ended the communication with Billy and Jason, before they each headed off to teach their classes.

~*~

"Mr. Zale...three people are headed for your office! I told them they couldn't go in without an appointment. But they wouldn't listen!" his assistant cried frantically.

"Relax Gloria, it's fine. Feel free to take your lunch," Jared stated. And Gloria had been working for him long enough to know that it wasn't a request. Two males and one female waltzed into his office. Scorpina's human disguise hadn't changed much, though she was wearing her hair shorter. Goldar had adopted a much younger appearance, medium build and jet black hair. Rito's appearance was that of an attractive male with large muscles, beach blonde hair, and a California tan.

"He definitely looks the part. He'll blend in nicely with all the surfer idiots," Jared commented, referring to Rito, as he raised Scorpina's hand and kissed it.

"And thankfully you chose some nicer skin. That other guy you used to walk around as was ugly as hell," Jared remarked to Goldar. It was only to blend in, of course. His true alien form had been restored during his time in the abyss, but he was willing to don human appearance again for revenge.

Jared remembered his first encounter with the man he knew as Victor Goldman back then. He had been working for the Vasquez family. He had met Palo's father in prison and Orlando Vasquez had taken notice of his strange powers with interest. Together, they plotted and five years after he had been incarcerated, he used his dark powers to start a fire that spread unnaturally fast. They had thought they had stripped him of his powers, but they were unsuccessful. Many lives were lost that night and Logan Zimmer had been included in those casualty numbers. But it had never actually been confirmed. They might not have been so lucky, but the investigation was put on hold, because as fate would have it, the year was 1993 and Rita Repulsa attacked the Earth just days after the fire. Things had never been the same since.

Life outside Earth had been confirmed and her initial attacks had actually been quite devastating. Most government agencies had all employees and agents working on all aspects of the first few attacks.

Once the power rangers started getting a true handle on things, the death toll of each attack became less and less. By then, the investigators still had more pressing matters. No one cared about identifying the bodies of hardened criminals or murderers. No one missed them and all unaccounted for were declared dead. That allowed him a clean slate and for years, he worked for the drug ring, using his skills and powers to get his boss what he wanted. He eventually eliminated Palo's father and took over, grooming Palo to work for him and run the Mexico operation. When he met Victor Goldman, he had been skeptical of his story at first. But in exchange for his financial support, Goldman had forced Finn to work for him. The once alien scientist was now an equally timid human. But he had been responsible for many of Rita Repulsa's monsters, so Jared put his skills to use and Gridiron Industries and all its innovations was born, skyrocketing him to the life of a billionaire.

"Welcome back...how was hell?" Jared quipped.

"About like you'd imagine. I'm sure you'll find out someday, but at least we got our true forms and managed to absorb some power from that evil pit in the process," Goldar responded.

"Like it matters. Those bastard rangers are more powerful than ever," Scorpina growled.

"Yeah, tell me why we're staying on this mud ball? You know we could easily overthrow whatever crime family has taken up residence on M51 and rule," Rito reminded them. But he was ignored.

"Maybe, but a unique opportunity has presented itself," Jared stated, as he tossed a folder of information on his desk in front of them.

"You can't be serious," Goldar refuted.

"So S.P.A. has finally made its way here," Rito said.

"With your fighting skills, getting accepted to the Academy shouldn't be a problem," Jared stated.

"This could work," Scorpina said.

"It might be years before any plot can come to fruition!" Goldar exclaimed.

"Maybe, but if you face them now, it's a one way ticket back to the abyss of evil," Jared reminded.

"Commander Birdie Fowler has a lot of skeletons in his closet. Get accepted and I'll make a call telling him that you three are to climb the ranks quite swiftly," Jared suggested.

"You're already blackmailing him," Goldar said knowingly. Jared smirked.

"He got his entire team killed due to his own arrogance when he was a field agent and covered it up, among many other blunders. S.P.A. Earth also needs my funding. He has his job because of me, so he will do our bidding," Jared replied.

"Fine, but if I have to put on spandex, I quit," Goldar spat. Jared chuckled.

"The morphing grid would out you for what you really are. No, your positions will be within S.P.A. command rather and not the field. Your skills will be undeniably useful in training future ranger wannabes," Jared stated.

"And corrupting as many as we can along the way," Rito said with a smirk.

"What do you have on Birdie?" Goldar asked. Jared smirked.

"A great many things," Jared replied cryptically.

"Well, I guess we're off to...New Tech City?" Rito asked.

"It's not far from Briarwood. It's the only place alien immigrants are allowed to settle right now and the future home of S.P.A. headquarters," Jared replied.

~*~

Planet Drakon

That's impossible!" the blue skinned alien roared. He belonged to the same race as Heliya and was in fact her father and King of the Planet Drakon. They were a race of warriors and many often became mercenaries. They also enjoyed the sport of Krato Agon, which in their native language literally meant hunting for sport.

And their prey was any worthy being they found on other worlds. Strong, skilled individuals were put into an arena each year and challenged to survive a hunt by five of their chosen warriors that managed to beat out all the other candidates. Not only did the "contestants" have to survive against their hunters, but each other as well.

Food and water were limited and weapons reduced only to survival items. Needless to say, no one had ever survived. It was not just a sport on their planet. It was a way of life and consumed every native being on the planet during the five day competition. The player with the most kills out of the twenty-five beings in the arena was the winner and was rewarded with immediate wealth and status. It was barbaric, but once they had their captives on their own planet, there was little anyone could do. They were not a world open to visitors and inclined to shoot infiltrators on site.

The King's two tentacles twitched angrily and one wrapped around the poor olive skinned servant, snapping his neck, even though he had only been the messenger.

"There is no way my daughter could have been killed by two rangers...Earthlings no less!" he roared.

"I wish it was not so, Your Highness, but my sources say this pair is unusually powerful, particularly together," an opal skinned male stated, a top adviser to the King.

"I want to know everything about them, Siphon. We must make them pay for Heliya's death," he growled.

"Of course my King. I will begin my travels immediately," Siphon replied.

"No one crosses the Drakonians," the King hissed.

~*~

The ground of the old Thunder Ninja Academy was peppered with Japanese cherry blossom petals and the mood was somber. All Senseis, including the rangers, were dressed in their long, formal dark robes, the piping of their elemental study being the only color. Eight Thunder ninja students carried the casket to the burial site nearby, where many ninjas that had passed before rested. Cam held Leann and tears slipped down her cheeks, the casket was lowered into the ground.

"Goodbye Daddy," she sniffed. Blake and Hunter both cried freely, as they said goodbye to the man that had taken them in like his own and changed their lives forever.

"Goodbye Sensei. You took us in when we were lost and scared," Blake whispered.

"I will make him pay for this, Sensei. Thank you for everything you did for me and Blake," Hunter added, as Tori hugged him close and cried with him. They each tossed cherry blossom petals on the casket, before quietly trekking back to the Academy. The future was uncertain, but they had vowed they would endure whatever came together.

Chapter Text

Chapter 26: A New Day

Students of all elements gathered around the arena for the demonstration. It was a new year and brand new students with freshly anointed colors were both anxious and leery, some wondering if they had the stuff necessary to make it. Others who had been attending for longer and were well on their way to graduation, enjoyed the energy in the air, watching their young sensei's demonstrate the techniques of the Wind and Thunder Ninja. It was exciting and made them hopeful that their own skills could one day reach such a level.

Two years had passed since Lothor's resurrection, defeat, and disappearance. They knew he was out there, probably using his dark powers to somehow persuade various beings to join his army. It had taken him over twenty years the last time to return with an army powerful enough, but Kanoi knew it would not be that long this time. Lothor was not done with them. This was evident by the string of bounty hunters that the rangers had fought in the last two years. They had all been defeated, but were a reminder from Lothor that he was still out there. While he didn't have the means to employ the best ones, he convinced many who had proved to be formidable in their own right, to take them on. If they won, it promised them instant glory and recognition. None so far had succeeded, but it was evident that Lothor's ability to deceive and art of persuasion was as strong as ever. Still, these six or seven, including Blake, were the most skilled and powerful ninjas either Academy had ever produced. Even without the aid of their prisms, that statement remained true and Kanoi enjoyed his retirement watching these young people flourish. His own son and nieces were family by blood, but he had come to think of them all as his children. And while Cam and Leann did not have children of their own yet, Hunter and Tori now did. And he was overjoyed to be considered one of the grandparents to the tiny blonde child in his lap currently.

Shortly after the ordeal with Lothor, Tori discovered she was almost four months pregnant. It had been unexpected, but welcomed wholeheartedly by them and their family. They married shortly after their daughter's birth and now they were already celebrating Sarah Elizabeth Bradley's first birthday that evening. His once small family had grown quite large and Kanoi had not been this happy in a long time, even with the ominous future he sensed on the horizon.

The last exhibition was beginning and electricity could already be felt in the air...literally.

Cam and Leann had gone first in an impressive spar, with Cam as the victor. Dustin and Tori had battled next with Tori winning the match. And now it was Shane vs. Hunter. Shane had edged out Hunter last year and he was looking to keep his winning streak, but the determined thunder ninja was hungry for the win. Tori rolled her eyes, as they stared each other down, each with a permanent smirk, and she sat down beside Sensei, fresh off her victory.

"Mama…" Sarah cooed.

"Hi baby…" Tori cooed back, as she took her daughter. The little girl pointed her tiny finger in the distance.

"Da…" she cooed. Tori smiled.

"Yes, there's daddy," she said. Kanoi smiled.

"Congratulations on your victory. I believe Dustin might decide to not skip so many training sessions this year," Kanoi mused. Tori smiled.

"Maybe, but I'm not sure it was so much that. Last year, Hunter and I lost I think not because of skill, but lack of sleep. Someone is sleeping through the night now," Tori said, kissing her daughter's head.

"Shane better watch himself," she added, as Kanoi chuckled.

"All the training in the world is useless if one is not well rested," he agreed.

Hunter struck first and his punch was blocked expertly by Shane, who attempted to sweep his legs out from under him. But Hunter backflipped to evade him and countered with a flying kick. It missed, as Shane took to the sky and landed on the edge of the arena. They smirked at each other and with lightning speed, red and crimson energy swirled in the palms of their hands. The air energy beam and the thunder energy beam met in the center of the arena with explosive force, causing a violent wind to sweep through the observing students. Shock registered on the newest student's faces and awe from some of the older students. Hunter's energy won out, but he nullified the thunder before it could hit Shane. This was just a friendly exhibition spar, after all. Shane traded blows with the blonde thunder ninja and a flying spin kick met its mark, knocking the red wind ranger out of the ring.

"They expect us to do stuff like that?" one of the new students asked. Tally smiled. Once an inexperienced, average fighter, she was now an accomplished water ninja in her own right, thanks to Tori's training.

"Their energy control is unparalleled. They are rangers, after all. But stick with your Sensei, and you'll become a great ninja," Tally assured him.

"Better luck next year," Hunter said, as he helped Shane up.

"Yeah, yeah, you got lucky," Shane replied, as he brushed himself off.

"I think Sensei would say there's no such thing as luck," Hunter said, as Sarah reached for him as he approached. He picked her up and kissed her hair.

"Hey Princess," he cooed.

"You're dismissed for the day," Shane said, as the students bowed respectfully to them and dispersed.

"So, we still grubbin' at La Casa de Bradley?" Dustin asked.

"Do you always think with your stomach?" Tori teased.

"He's Dustin, of course he does," Cam drawled.

"Dinner's still on, just don't fight over who gets to grill this time," Tori said.

As a wedding present, Tori's parents had presented her and Hunter with the title to their beach house. While they could have sold it, being that they were residing in Angel Grove now as part of a joint DEA, FBI, and Angel Grove P.D. taskforce, the house was paid for and they decided they wanted to keep it in the family. Tori and Hunter had been blown away and even insisted that it was too generous. But Jack and Alana knew how much Tori had loved growing up by the beach and wanted the same for their granddaughter. Naturally, outside Ninja Ops, it was a frequent gathering place for all of them.

"Let's clean up and go then. I'm getting hungry," Leann said. They agreed and Hunter and Tori left first, taking their daughter home.

~*~

Onyx

The disgusting, dusty Cantina on Onyx was bustling with the usual activity. Bounty hunters, mercenaries, soldiers, and minions alike milled about in the galaxy's well known watering hole for all shady characters, like it was a normal day. While most planets had various forms of currency, much like Earth, many systems also had the presence of a universal currency that could be spent on most worlds.

S.P.D was even in the process of trying to integrate the universal currency on Earth, being that many friendly aliens were now flocking to settle on Earth. Many worlds, including Onyx, had currency conversion stations, where a local currency could be converted into the universal currency, effectively known as Universal Standard Credits, or just simply credits, completely digital and easy to manage and trace, if needed. Though many criminals had many ways of making sure their transactions were erased to prevent them being traced.

"Make sure that conversion is untraceable," the hulking man ordered. He appeared to be humanoid, but his face and skin seemed to have tendril-like tattoos, blue in color on his ruddy colored skin. He was in fact a Bakurian from the planet Bakura near the M51 galaxy. He was one of the best mercenaries in the galaxy and on S.P.D's top ten wanted list. He had numerous scars to speak of, evident of his rough lifestyle and he was very well armed with two blasters and several sharp weapons, such as knives and daggers.

"Excuse me, but are you Krell?" the olive skinned Drakonian asked. The man lit a Bakurian cigar and exhaled a purple colored smoke.

"Depends on who's askin'," he responded.

"I am Siphon of the Planet Drakon, here on behalf of the King," he answered. Krell smirked.

"And whatever could the King of Drakon want with me? Doesn't he have his own legion of mercenaries at his beck and call? Krell asked.

"He does, but this matter requires the services of someone like you," Siphon asked, as he produced a small imaging device, displaying two rangers battling a Drakonian female. He vaguely recognized her as the King's daughter.

"You want me to kill a couple rangers?" he asked skeptically.

"These rangers slayed the King's daughter two years ago and he will not allow Heliya's death to go unpunished," Siphon stated. He scoffed.

"Give me a break. There's no way Heliya was killed by a couple of rangers from a backwater primitive place like Earth," he replied, as he kept watching the screen, witnessing the purple energy explode between the two and incinerate the Drakonian warrior princess.

"And you want me to go after them?" he asked.

"We've been watching them for the last two years and we are convinced that they must be separate in order to take them down. We want one of them, whichever presents the easiest opportunity, to be taken alive," Siphon replied. Krell smirked and exhaled another puff of smoke.

"You're going to throw one of them into one of your little games to be hunted, then?" he asked knowingly. Siphon clenched his jaw.

"Krato Agon is no game! They must pay for killing Heliya! The King is offering you a small fortune to bring one of them to Drakon, but I'm sure I can find someone else!" Siphon growled.

"Relax pal...I didn't say that I didn't want the job," Krell said.

"Good. Half the money now and half when one of the targets is delivered," Siphon replied.

"And the other target?" Krell asked.

"We will deal with them one at a time. Apart, they cannot use that mysterious power," the Drakonian replied. Krell nodded and finished his drink. He raised his comlink to his lips.

"Fuel my ship," he said.

~*~

Blue Bay Harbor

Skyla tossed the frisbee and both Shane and Dustin went for it, colliding in mid air. Dustin grabbed it, sending Shane into the sand.

"Sorry dude," Dustin said, helping his friend up.

Tori and Hunter walked in the surf with Sarah between them, holding each tiny hand, as she toddled between them.

"I can't believe she's trying to walk already," Marah said in amazement.

"I know...I can't believe it's been a year," Leann mentioned. Hunter picked her up so as to not tire her tiny legs too soon and they ventured over to the table they had set up.

"Time for presents and cake before she's too sleepy," Tori said. Sensei sipped at his tea and watched Hunter put a sweater with a hood on the tiny girl. The wind had picked up now that the sun was starting to set an he marveled at how much the young thunder ninja had matured over the years from a young angry kid, troubled with grief and loss to a strong, loving man, who was as devoted to his family as any young man Kanoi had ever seen.

Tori lit the candles on the birthday cake and though she didn't really know what was going on yet, they sang to her, while Marah and Leann cut and served the cake.

In the meantime, the young parents helped their daughter open her gifts. Sensei gave her a beautifully painted scroll for them to hang by her bed, scrawled with ancient poems to protect her dreams as she slept. The rest of her gifts were a combination of clothes, mostly from the girls and toys mostly from the guys. And Kelly had brought a package that was delivered to the store from Blake with her own gift. Needless to say, Blake and Kapri had gone about spoiling her with lots of toys.

There was one gift left in the form of an envelope and the Gridiron company seal on it soured Hunter's mood considerably.

"Dude, just open it. Maybe he really is trying to change," Dustin reasoned.

"Men like him don't change," Hunter insisted, as he opened it. There was a birthday card with the usual pink and glitter common in cards for little girls with the words for a special granddaughter on the front. He sighed and opened it to read it, finding another envelope inside.

Hunter,

I would have liked to send a more personal gift, but I know and understand that you're not ready for that level of involvement. But please accept the enclosed savings vouchers. I would be very honored if you contribute these funds to a college fund for Sarah. Best wishes,

Jared.

"A little college fund can't hurt, can it?" Marah asked.

"I'm just afraid that if we take anything from him that it will give him the opening he wants. He knows about our powers, our identities, and probably a whole bunch of other stuff we don't know about," Hunter said.

"And you're worried that one day, he might use that leverage to extort favors," Shane added. Hunter nodded.

"With Logan, it is wise to be leery," Sensei said, using his real name. Sarah was getting sleepy and they decided to call it a night. They would be having a bigger party in Angel Grove later that week since Tori's parents were insisting on throwing a party for their granddaughter and a get together for as many rangers as could come.

~*~

New Tech City

"All right Mr. Vasquez, let's go over this again. You claim on the day that you were arrested that the undercover DEA agents had help," the man stated.

"You won't believe me...just like the rest of the shrinks they've sent in here!" Palo ranted.

"I assure you, Mr. Vasquez, I just want to hear your story. I'm not inclined to agree with the doctors," he replied.

"Who are you?" Palo demanded to know, realizing that this man was not a psychiatrist or doctor of any kind.

"Special Agent Owen Tate, Space Patrol Alpha, Earth Division," he introduced himself.

"SPA? What interest do they have in this?" he hissed.

"SPA is no stranger to happenings that seem out of the ordinary, in fact, we specialize in all things...alien to this planet. We like to keep track of beings who may not be average people so to speak," Tate explained.

"These brats were far from average! There are entire pieces of my memory missing, but I remember them shooting water and lightning from their hands," he said.

"Water and lightning?" Tate asked.

"I know what it sounds like, but it's true!" Palo insisted.

"Thank you Mr. Vasquez, you've been very helpful," Tate said.

"I've helped you, so you can help me by getting me out of this place!" Palo spat.

"Oh make no mistake, Mr. Vasquez, you're a hardened criminal and former leader of a drug ring. Prison is your home indefinitely," Tate said, as he left the ranting man, yelling expletives at him. He joined Commander Cruger in the next corridor.

"He definitely remembers something. Sounds like a memory wipe," Tate reported.

"Then you believe Jack and Alana Hanson didn't apprehend him alone?" Cruger asked.

"Sir, if I may speak freely, I'm originally from Blue Bay Harbor. I've seen what he is describing from the rangers that protected that city in 2003, the same rangers that popped up again two years ago. I just don't know why they would have been involved in something like this. Why are retired rangers saving two DEA agents?" Tate wondered.

"It is an interesting puzzle," Cruger admitted.

"And a mind wipe? I was unaware a device like that existed on Earth," Tate mentioned.

"It does if Billy Cranston invented one," Cruger said silently to himself. He was sure Birdie suspected as such. Billy Cranston, Jason Lee Scott, their friends, and the ninjas of Blue Bay Harbor were likely involved: why he didn't know yet. Birdie wanted them all exposed. He wanted no more non-SPA sanctioned ranger operations and that included the secret ninja academy. However, Cruger wasn't ready to try to step in and confront them. It would only be met with resistance and aggression if they pushed too hard.

"Hmm...perhaps that is what Birdie wants," Cruger thought silently. He didn't want to think ill of the Admiral, but he had been known to make politically motivated decisions. Rogue rangers were not good for SPA's image. Earth's operation was in its infancy and wildly powerful rangers that refused to join SPA looked very bad. There would be pressure from the higher-ups to conform all ranger teams under SPA control.

Plus, SPA operated their ranger teams with pure technology, with no access to the actual morphing grid. They had a similar grid developed by a gifted scientist, Kat Manx. But Billy Cranston had knowledge of the original morphing grid like no one else in existence now that Zordon was dead. Billy had repeatedly turned down job offers from them in the last few years, seemingly happy to work for the FBI, which seemed ill-suited to his skill set. Birdie wanted that knowledge at any cost, but Cruger wasn't willing to cross such moral boundaries. Leaving Billy Cranston alone was their best option. If they were to threaten his family or friends, no security system, no matter how top-notch, could keep him out. A man like Cranston would need mere hours to hack SPA and he had a feeling there were things Birdie didn't want exposed about himself.

That in itself made Cruger highly uncomfortable. Politics blurred the lines of good and evil and he knew that you didn't advance the ranks as fast as Birdie had without questionable ethics violations. But he was still the Admiral. Cruger's loyalty had to ultimately be to SPA. That being said, he wasn't ready to allow Zordon's legacy to be trampled on for the sake of power. He would have to handle all of this delicately.

"I'll report our findings to the Admiral, thank you Lieutenant," Cruger said.

"Yes Sir," Tate responded.

Chapter Text

Chapter 27: Captured

The California Desert

Twenty miles outside Angel Grove

"So this is Earth," Krell said, with an unimpressed tone. He had been informed that this desert was a good place to set his ship down. It was a little further away from the town where his targets lived, but since Earth now had an SPA presence, he had to keep a low profile. He cloaked his ship and checked his chrono device. As expected, his contact rolled up in some sort of earthling vehicle. He was a long time acquaintance of Krell's that had recently relocated to Earth for a promising business venture. He hailed from the same quadrant as Krell and had leathery brown skin, being that he came from a very harsh volcanic planet where some of the hardest and most valuable diamonds were mined. It was also where a very potent and illegal spice known as Irishium was grown, or simply Rishi as it was known on the streets of many worlds. Earth's new acceptance of off world settlers meant a whole new species to expose the drug to and it promised to be lucrative. He got in the vehicle.

"Earth is still using wheels?" he asked his friend, who shrugged.

"Yes, but they are far more advanced than you might think. And I like the climate much better than home," Zaa'tar replied.

"It's just a few hours to Blue Bay Harbor. I'd keep a low profile though. I hear that town is well protected," he warned. Krell nodded.

"So I've been informed. No matter, I can handle a ninja or two. I'll make sure my targets are separated before I choose and make my move," Krell responded, as he drove back toward the highway.

~*~

Angel Grove Police Department

Squad Room

"Yeah, let me know when the autopsies are complete," Rocky said, as he slammed the phone down.

"That doesn't sound good," Skull said from his desk.

"Two more dead from an apparent overdose, but the medical examiner is confused by the tox screens," Rocky replied.

"Confused as in she doesn't know or confused as in she doesn't recognize the drug?" Jason asked, as he sipped at his coffee.

"The latter," Rocky replied.

"We expected this. The influx of aliens is bringing new substances to Earth for the first time, offering new and exciting ways for teenagers to get high," Billy stated.

"If SPA gets wind of this, they'll take over our investigation," Skull warned.

"Not if I can help it," Billy said, as he stood up and grabbed his blazer, concealing the gun and badge on his hip.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked.

"I lifted a couple samples off the latest two victims. I'm going to my basement lab to send them and the tox screen to Cestro. He might know what and where this new drug is coming from," Billy replied.

"Good idea. We've got dead kids and I'd like to keep the Space police out of it," Jason said.

"Like hunting drug dealers wasn't hard enough without factoring in alien drug dealers," Alana mentioned.

"I miss 1993 when all the aliens were bad. Sure made the line easier to see," Skull quipped.

"Let's canvas the neighborhood again and get some people to talk. Someone saw something," Jason said, as they dispersed. It was probably going to be another long night

~*~

"This is very disturbing, Billy," Cestro said from the comm screen in Billy's basement lab.

"Then you've seen this stuff before?" Billy asked. The Aquitian nodded.

"It is a very deadly substance known as Rishi, found on a volcanic planet in the Bakura sector, in the M51 galaxy," Cestro said.

"M51…nothing but trouble comes from there," Billy lamented.

"I'm afraid so. Most planets in that sector are a haven for illegal dealings and wrought with criminals and mercenaries. Rishi is a very potent hallucinogen and very deadly. I'm not surprised that it has made its way to Earth already," Cestro said. Billy sighed.

"I wanted to keep SPA out of this, but I'm not seeing how that's going to be possible," he replied.

"Perhaps not and while I agree there are many I would not trust within the top branches, Delphine has a very good opinion and friendship with Commander Cruger of your Earth division," Cestro said. Billy smirked.

"Yeah, but do you think Jason and I could get a one on one with him?" he asked. Cestro smiled.

"I'll have Delphine arrange it herself," Cestro replied.

"Thanks Cestro. We've got five dead kids already and we need to get a handle on this now," Billy said, as his phone chimed. He frowned.

"Make that seven dead kids," he said, as he read the text from Rocky. They had two more bodies.

"I'll speak to Delphine immediately," Cestro said.

"Thanks Cestro, talk to you soon. May the power protect you," Billy said.

"And you, my good friend," Cestro replied, as they signed off. Billy hurried upstairs to kiss Kat and the girls, before rushing out the door.

~*~

"You've got to be kidding," Krell said with an eye roll. His friend smirked.

"The supposedly tough ninjas that killed Heliya live in this sleepy little speck of a town?" he asked. His friend nodded.

"It's true, though don't let the looks of it fool you. It supposedly sits right on top of the gates of Gehenna and the ones you're after are the two that closed those gates," his friend reminded.

All that power and they waste it in a place like this," Krell said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"My contacts say they frequent the beach a lot and a little place called Storm Chargers," the other alien said, as Krell got out of the car. It was still just before dawn and the streets were still mostly deserted.

"I hope I get a good fight out of this," he said, as he cracked his knuckles and slipped into town using stealth to conceal his presence.

~*~

Years of early training made it easy to rise at dawn, which was good since their tiny daughter usually chose that as her time to wake. He had finished cleaning up first and changed Sarah, before taking her to the kitchen and mixing her baby cereal. That's how Tori found them when she came into the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee, ready for the day in her ninja uniform. Hunter was in his street clothes, because he didn't have any classes until after lunch.

Tori kissed their daughter's head and sat down at the table.

"Kelly called while you were in the shower," he said. She smirked.

"Let me guess…her mechanic called in sick again," Tori replied. He smiled.

"Former mechanic, she just fired him. I told her I'd come help for a couple hours this morning," Hunter said.

"Too bad she can't find a permanent mechanic as good as you," Tori replied.

"I'm not that good," he said.

"Yes you are. Everyone else forgets that it was you that had to do the Zord maintenance on the thunder Zords before you guys joined us," she reminded. He smirked.

"How do you know that Blake didn't make repairs?" he asked playfully.

"Cause the one time my van got a flat when he was with me, I fixed the tire while he watched. It gave me a pretty good idea that he wasn't the mechanical type. He can ride the bikes, but we both know he doesn't fix them," she replied, as she kissed him.

~*~

Skull partitioned the area off with crime scene tape and ignored the flash bulbs of the reporters trying to get as close as they could to the scene.

"Detective, can you tell us anything at this time?" one reporter asked.

"We'll release our report once our investigation is completed," Skull said vaguely, as he joined his team. Billy flashed his badge to the uniformed officers and slipped under the crime scene tape to join them.

"Did Cestro have any information?" Jason asked. Billy nodded.

"Yeah and it's bigger than we thought," Billy replied. Not willing to say anything else within earshot of the reporters, they quickly had the crime scene team move in and bag the bodies for the medical examiner and they headed back to the van.

"Cestro says it's a very potent drug with a street name of Rishi. It's a big problem on all major systems, including Earth now," Billy explained.

"Do they know where it comes from?" Jason asked.

"M51 of course," Billy answered.

"Is that bad?" Alana asked.

"It's a haven for crime and is run entirely by crime families. Master Vile's family ruled it for centuries. When he was turned to dust, the next family in line took over and continued business as usual," Billy replied.

"And SPA does nothing about it?" Jack asked.

"They consider it out of their jurisdiction," Jason said with a huff.

"I thought the entire universe was their jurisdiction," Jack replied.

"It should be, but any SPA agents that go in don't come out alive, so it's been ruled as hostile territory," Jason explained.

"How are we going to keep the Space police out of this if this stuff is alien?" Skull asked.

"That was my question," Rocky added.

"We can't, but Delphine is good friends with Cruger. She's going to get us a one on one with him," Billy said.

"Just him? No other SPA bureaucrats?" Jason asked. Billy nodded.

"Off the grid again?" Alana asked. He nodded.

"It will have to be, but it's a start," Jason said.

"We can't let this stuff keep killing kids," Rocky replied. They all nodded in agreement, before Jason started the engine and they drove off, back in the direction of the precinct.

~*~

Hunter finished washing his hands and dried them off on a towel.

"Thanks again for helping out," Kelly said gratefully. He smiled.

"No problem, you know I don't mind," he replied, as they suddenly heard screams and commotion coming from outside the store. Hunter saw an alien being striding toward the shop and stalled Kelly from going out.

"Stay here," he said in a tone that left no room for argument and ran outside.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Hunter Bradley, I presume. You're a wanted man, you know," the being said.

"Let me guess, Lothor's hired another mercenary to try and take us down," Hunter replied.

"Oh…you're going to wish it was just Lothor that is after you soon," the mercenary goaded.

"If not Lothor, then who?" Hunter asked.

"That bounty hunter you killed two years ago has a very powerful father. The King of Drakon has invited you to be a part of his annual Krato Agon tournament…as the prey of course. I'm just here to deliver you," Krell stated.

"I'm not going anywhere with you and Heliya caused her own demise by coming here to do Lothor's bidding," Hunter spat, as his morpher appeared on his wrist. He looked around to make sure no one was around and made his customary hand motions.

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!" he called, as his crimson armor molded around his body. Krell drew his sword and engaged the ranger in battle.

The alien's sword slammed down on Hunter's thunder staff and it crackled and sizzled with crimson lightning, as Hunter struggled to keep from being overpowered. He ninja streaked away, leaving his foe shadowboxing. But Krell countered with blaster fire, leaving Hunter dodging wildly. He stopped and used his thunder shield to absorb more blasts and conserve energy, for ninja streaking expended too much energy too quickly. Krell quickly grew tired of that and attached a larger barrel to his blaster.

"Block this!" he yelled, as he fired a large blast. Hunter dodged it, but the impact threw him back several feet and sent him rolling away. He chuckled.

"I said I wanted a good fight and you're good, I'll give you that. But I don't need your friends interfering," Krell said.

Krell knew he had mere moments before the others showed up and tossed a circular device into the air. Hunter dodged it, but didn't expect the device to open into a net, which quickly encased him inside. He found the substance to be sticky and his attempt to use thunder ineffective. It was resistant to electricity. Someone had planned this well. The bounty hunter reached into the net and confiscated his morpher.

"NO!" Hunter protested.

"Now for the prism…" he said, as he reached for the trinket around Hunter's neck. It sparked violently with crimson energy and he recoiled his hand in pain.

"No matter how much you want it…you can't touch it," Hunter said smugly, as he struggled with his bonds.

"Hmm…well that's the King's problem to deal with. I'll still hold up my end," Krell replied, as he struck Hunter in the back of the head with the butt of his blaster, knocking him unconscious. His ship arrived above him, having been programmed to fly to that location on auto pilot and he quickly boarded with his prisoner, absconding with him and leaving the planet behind…

~*~

The three Winds, plus Leann hurried into Ninja Ops. Cam had put out an alert so they had left their classes with their top students in charge.

"What's going on?" Tori asked.

"Lothor hired another goon, right?" Shane asked.

"I'm afraid it's way worse than that. I'm sorry, but this is just the footage of what happened. By the time I got the alert from Hunter, he was gone," Cam said regrettably.

"Cam...what are you saying?" Tori asked, dread in her voice.

"Just watch," Cam instructed, as he played the battle that had taken place just moments ago, ending with Hunter's abduction and the knowledge that he was being taken lightyears away to a hostile planet that wanted him to pay for the death of one of their mercenaries, who also happened to be a royal.

"Dude...where are we going to get a spaceship fast enough to go after that poser?" Dustin asked.

"As much as we hate it, we need to go to SPA. They've got ships," Shane said, as Leann put her arm around a strangely silent Tori.

"I'm afraid SPA will not help you," a female voice said from the screen, which was now a split screen between Billy and an Aquitian female.

"I already sent the footage to Billy," Cam informed them.

"And I called Delphine," Billy replied.

"What do you mean they won't help us?" Shane demanded to know.

"Drakon, like most of the planets in the M51 galaxy, is considered hostile territory. SPA won't send anything or anyone in there. I've already contacted Andros and he should be getting back to us soon," Billy replied.

"You must understand that no one that has ever been uninvited has made it off Drakon alive. They kill all intruders," Delphine warned.

"He's my husband...I won't just give up and let them kill him!" Tori exclaimed. Delphine's gaze was one of sympathy.

"I'm sorry, I wish there was more I could do," she apologized, as the comm beeped.

"That will be Andros," Billy said. Cam accepted the transmission and Andros took Delphine's place on the screen. He didn't look like he had good news.

"Andros…can you help us with a ship?" Shane said.

"Yes, though I'm worried that by the time I come get all of you and attempt to touch down on Drakon, the Krato Agon tournament may have run its course," Andros replied.

"What exactly is this Krato Agon tournament?" Leann asked. Andros sighed.

"It is a celebrated tournament of sport. The most skilled Drakonians win the chance to compete, a total of twelve players. Worthy candidates are then collected and put into an arena, which is usually held in the vast Pandresia forest in the southern hemisphere of the planet. Twenty-five beings from various worlds then fight to survive and evade the players, as they are hunted as prey. The player with the most kills wins and it is considered the highest honor on the planet. It means instant wealth and prestige in their society," Andros explained.

"How the hell is that legal?!" Shane asked angrily.

"No outsiders are allowed. Mercenaries are hired to abduct the targets and gone before they can be stopped. Their King is corrupt as they come. He is notorious for abducting those he believes have wronged him and he puts them in the arena to be killed," Andros replied.

"That's whack, dude," Dustin said angrily. There was another chime on the comm and Cam accepted it. They were shocked to see Jared Zale on the other end.

"How did you get on this frequency?" Cam spat.

"Never mind that. I saw what happened to my son and I'm offering my help," Jared replied.

"And how can you help?" Shane asked.

"I can get us a ship fast enough to get us there in under forty-eight hours," Jesse stated.

"Why would you help us?" Billy asked skeptically.

"Do you really think I wanted my son to be murdered?" Jared asked, silencing them.

"How soon can we leave?" Tori asked.

"My technician can have it ready by tonight. Have your rescue team meet at Gridiron at seven," Jared told her. She nodded.

"We'll be there," Tori decided.

"Who is going? We probably shouldn't leave Blue Bay unprotected," Dustin asked.

"Any that each team is willing to send, We've already called for other teams to help. Jason and I are going," Billy said. Tori smiled tearfully.

"Thank you," she sniffed.

"You better get Blake back here," Leann suggested to her husband, as he put out the call.

~*~

Tori kissed her daughter's head, as she prepared to give her to her mother.

"Everything will be fine, baby. Mommy is going to bring Daddy home. I promise," Tori whispered. Alana smiled and stroked her hair.

"Promise you'll be careful?" Alana requested. Tori nodded and they hugged.

"Sweetheart, are you sure you're okay? You're freezing," Alana said in concern. Tori shrugged.

"I don't feel cold," she replied. She turned away and touched the prism around her neck. It glowed a faint blue and was cold as ice. But for now, she pushed her concern aside and finished packing her bag.

"I wish you'd let me come help," Jack lamented.

"It's nothing against you, but we have morphers and I think this one is going to get rough," Jason replied.

"I know...I'm just hoping that you make it in time. I've come to love Hunter as a son and I don't think I could bear seeing my little girl's heart broken," Jack replied.

"We'll bring him back. I don't care if SPA is too scared to go in, cause we're not. We'd never leave one of our own to that fate," Jason said.

"We need to get on the road," Billy said. Tori hugged her parents and kissed her daughter again, before they headed out.

~*~

Gridiron Industries

The gathering in the empty lot might have attracted unwanted attention, but Jared had made sure the public was kept out of this evening. In addition to Shane and Blake, Jason, Tommy, Billy, and Adam were accompanying them. Andros and Ashley were also meeting them there on the Astro Megaship. But Tori was blown away by the support of other teams, each one sending representation.

She recognized T.J. and Justin right away.

"I thought we'd come help a fellow blue," Justin said.

"Thank you both," she replied.

"I contacted Leo and Andros is picking him up on the way," T.J. said.

She recognized most of the others and was taken aback that so many were willing to help. Carter and Dana from Lightspeed. Wes and Jen from Time Force. Cole and Alyssa from Wild Force. Conner and Kira from Dino Thunder, though she wasn't surprised by them, as they were close friends to her and Hunter.

Nick and Madison were there to represent Mystic Force. And Mack had come as a representation from Overdrive. Two people she didn't recognize approached.

"You don't know us, but we're from the newest team. I'm Lily," the woman in yellow said.

And I'm RJ When we heard a fellow ranger was in trouble, we wanted to help," RJ added.

"You're from Pai Zhua...I recognize your insignia," Tori said. They nodded.

"Thank you for coming. I'm so humbled that you...all of you have come to help me," Tori sniffed.

"It's going to be okay," Lily said, as she hugged her.

"You're freezing...are you okay?" she asked in concern.

"She's been like that since it happened," Shane mentioned.

"I honestly don't feel cold. I'm fine," she insisted. Lily noticed RJ's pensive look, just as Jared Zale approached.

"What is it RJ?" Lily asked.

"I'm not sure…maybe nothing," he replied.

"Thank you all for coming. If you'll follow me into the hangar, we'll board the ship and be on our way," Jared stated.

"We?" Jason asked.

"Yes, I'm going after my son with you and my pilot will be coming, of course," Jared replied.

"I'd like to co-pilot," Billy said. Jared nodded.

"Of course," he replied, as they boarded the massive space cruiser.

"This thing is huge. Are you sure it's going to be fast enough?" Billy asked.

"Don't let her size fool you. She's as fast as they come," Jared replied. They wasted no more time and were soon leaving the Earth's atmosphere.

Chapter Text

Chapter 28: Arrival on Drakon

The moment Hunter woke up, he knew he was in trouble, for there were several aliens looming over his prone form.

"Get up," Krell snapped, as he grabbed a fistful of Hunter's sandy blonde hair. His thunder morpher now rested on Krell's belt, but his prism still remained around his neck.

"Move," he ordered, as Krell and the others, all Drakonians, forced him down the ramp of the ship and then down a very long corridor. The doors opened at the end and they entered what was clearly a Throne room.

"Kneel before the King!" one of the Drakonians ordered.

"Not a chance," Hunter spat. The guard growled and hit him behind the knees, sending him spilling to the floor.

"Easy guards, we want our guest in full health for tomorrow's tournament," the King said. Hunter glared at him, as a visual appeared on the screen of the Throne.

"You have committed a serious grievance against our people and as punishment, you will be one of twenty-five tributes. Tomorrow, all twenty-five of you will be deposited into the Pandresia forest and become the prey of our Krato Agon contestants. You will die by whatever means that falls upon you in the arena as punishment for your crimes," the King stated.

"Seems a little cowardly to me. Your contestants have weapons, yet the tributes aren't allowed the same," Hunter spat.

"Silence!" one of the guards spat, as he saw Hunter's prism glow.

"We'll be taking this too," he said. But the moment the guard touched it, he was electrocuted violently.

"No one can touch it, but nice try," Hunter said smugly.

"You will remove it yourself then," the King ordered.

"Not a chance," Hunter hissed, as his prism glowed with angry crimson energy.

"Let him keep it. It should add even more challenge to the hunt," one of the contestants said.

"Very well. That little trinket will do you little good in the forest anyway," the King spat.

"Take him to his cell!" he ordered, as Hunter was dragged away…

~*~

"Krato Agon is quite possibly one of, if not the most barbaric practices in the known galaxy," Delphine said, with conviction in her voice that clearly demonstrated how offensive she found the savage event. Kat nodded with worry for Tori, as she possibly faced the real possibility of losing her husband.

"Is it true that no one has even gotten past their planetary defenses?" Rocky inquired.

"Yes…though not many have tried. It is shameful to say…but Krato Agon is very well known throughout the universe, but no one has ever been able to successfully stop it," Dephine said.

"There are a few examples of complete annihilation that caused most to stop trying and led to SPA declaring it hostile territory. Admiral Birdie won't even consider touching the subject," Cestro explained.

"This is absurd…SPA is supposed to be protecting the universe with rangers. How is something like this so glaringly ignored?" Aisha lamented.

"We feel the same way, but I would be derelict if I did not tell you what your friends and loved ones are walking into. I do not like the odds and that is if Hunter even survives long enough," Cestro said.

"We appreciate your candor, Cestro…but we're going to choose to have hope that he is and that our teams are able to breach the planet," Rocky replied.

"We will share in your hope. I have seen amazing things from the ranger teams of Earth. Perhaps a combination of such remarkable individuals will do what has never been done. May the Power protect you all," Delphine said, as the screen went dark.

"With Jason leading the way…they'll get there," Tommy said, trying to reassure everyone.

"I never bet against my husband…I just hope that Hunter is alive when they do," Trini replied, as they all shared a moment of silence.

~*~

Hunter felt like he was falling and suddenly jerked awake. Though his cell was dark and small, he could tell it was morning already. There was faint noise, as a servant delivered breakfast trays to the prisoners. Hunter ate, only because he knew what was ahead. He could tell that part of his meal consisted of some form of egg protein, from what kind of animal, he had no clue, but they didn't taste all that dissimilar from chicken eggs. There were also meats and fruits that he wasn't familiar with either, but it was clear they wanted their prey to put up a fight for a good show or they wouldn't have been so well fed. And Hunter planned to not only give them one hell of a fight and take down as many as he could, he also planned to look for a way to escape. He pulled a picture from his pocket and gazed at the family photo of the three of them.

"No way Tor...this isn't how it ends for us," he said with determination. Tears came to his eyes, as he looked at his tiny daughter, wondering if he would ever see her again. He heard someone coming and he quickly sobered, putting the picture back in his pocket. His prism glowed and he gripped it to put it underneath his shirt, but found that it was extremely and unusually warm and the tributes, including him, were filed into the Throne Room. The other tributes were various aliens, all of which had supposedly wronged the Drakonians.

"Welcome tributes...as you know, you've each been found guilty of a serious crime against the Drakonian crown or the Drakonian people. You have each been sentenced to die and your means of execution will commence in the annual Krato Agon tournament. To the arena!" the King called, as all prisoners were chained and led onto a transport.

After what felt like an hour, they reached the destination and were an immediate spectacle, as the people of the planet gathered in the stadium like they were watching a sporting event. They cheered and shouted at him and the other tributes. He managed to tune them out, as he took in his surroundings. His ninja skills would be vital to his survival. His first move would be to ninja streak into the forest and find water. Once he had done that, he could scale the trees and bushes to look for food and a suitable campsite. His plan was to outlast the other tributes and then pick off the players one by one. He knew his chances were slim at best, but he wasn't going down without a fight.

"It is time. At the sound of the drum, let the tournament begin," the King announced. The thunder of a very deep drum sounded and Hunter disappeared into his ninja streak. Meanwhile, six tributes were slaughtered upon the start. The game had begun…

~*~

"Tori?" Shane called into the darkened cabin. Most were getting some sleep, but he was restless and worried. Ranger or not, Hunter was probably being hunted like an animal right now and he hated that it was still hours before he could do anything.

It was funny how his relationship with Hunter had evolved over the years. He had started out with serious mistrust toward the crimson ranger. That had turned to actual hate for a very short amount of time, an emotion he wasn't comfortable with at all. Then came jealousy. Hunter was a red too and he had lamented why his team had two reds when most others only had one. No one had ever challenged the other reds for the most part. But Hunter came along and he was not only older and a natural leader, he had trained all his life in the ninja arts. He was the better fighter when he first joined the team and they butted heads in a big way.

But somewhere along the way, they had become co-leaders. Hunter made Shane work harder and train harder. Shane had taught Hunter that a team meant working together and that it was always a democracy. Then somehow, they went from co-leaders to friends as well.

After Lothor was defeated the first time, Blake left and it hit Hunter harder than he would ever admit. Their tight knit trio had become a tight knit quad. Obviously, Hunter's relationship with Tori had evolved the most from barely friends to best friends, to lovers and finally, to husband and wife. But he and Hunter had for all intents and purposes become brothers.

Both Porter and Blake rarely visited little Blue Bay Harbor. Porter was a highly sought after corporate attorney, traveling frequently to the likes of New York City, London, Tokyo, Dubai, and Sydney to name a few. Blake was the same, race after race, events, and endorsements from week to week, city to city. Such was the life of a celebrity athlete. He loved them all, but would always be too restless to settle down in Blue Bay Harbor. And now his brother was facing mortal danger. Dustin had begged to come, but they needed at least three rangers on standby in Blue Bay. Since Blake was with them, Leann had given him the navy prism, so they needed Cam and Dustin to stay behind in case Lothor decided to pop back to Earth.

Tori?" he called again. He then spotted her sitting in a chair outside the kitchenette with a cup of tea in her hand. As he got closer, he saw the tear tracks on her face and she looked up at him with a lost expression.

"Tor…" he said, as he sat down next to her.

"I think something is wrong with my powers," she stated.

"What makes you say that?" he asked. She handed him the cup and he noticed the contents were frozen solid.

"You...did this?" he asked. She nodded and produced a sphere of water. He watched in sheer amazement, as the water froze and the now ball of ice fell to the floor.

"Okay...let's go get Billy. We need to get Sensei on the comm system. This is heavy," Shane said, as they noticed RJ approaching.

"I don't mean to intrude, but I may have some insight. Can I join you in your conversation with Sensei Watanabe?" RJ asked. Tori nodded, as did Shane, as they headed for the ship's control room.

~*~

High in a tree top, Hunter dozed, as evening dawned. Since escaping into the forest, there had been announcements that seven more tributes were dead. That left only eleven left, including him. He noticed a glow in the near distance below and shook his head. It was like a beacon for the hunters. Sure it was freezing, but he didn't dare build a fire. Sure enough, about an hour later, he heard screams of terror that quickly died. Two more signals chimed. They were down to nine. His breath caught in his throat, as two hunters came his way, laughing about their latest kills.

"Man...that was too easy. I was hoping this year there would be a challenge," one grunted.

"There is that ranger to deal with. Anyone that took on Heliya won't be a pushover," the other reminded.

"Great...so much for flying under the radar," Hunter mumbled to himself, knowing he was likely the prize target. His prism suddenly glowed, as they got closer. He clutched it and bit his bottom lip in pain. It was scorching hot. But the glow was too much and they noticed the crimson light, as they were now right below him.

"Well...speak of the devil…" one chuckled.

"Dammit…" Hunter swore, as one pointed a blaster at him. But he ninja streaked to the ground, evading the blast. He conjured thunder in his palms and they watched in amazement, as the thunder morphed into twin fireballs.

"What kind of freak is he?" one of them uttered. The other growled and fired his crossbow. Hunter sidestepped it, but not quickly enough, as it struck his shoulder. He cried out in pain and the fire spheres exploded into a beam that engulfed his adversaries. When the flames died, nothing but ashes remained. Hunter looked at his hands in shock. He hadn't meant to kill them. He didn't even know how he was suddenly conjuring fire. He knew everyone in the stadium and probably on the planet was watching, for this was like the pinnacle of entertainment to the Drakonians.

Despite his wound, he ninja streaked away. He found a body of fresh water, about five miles away, and hid there in the brush nearby. He slept and woke at dawn. His shoulder felt like it was on fire and now that he could see, it was time to treat it.

Gingerly, he removed his leather tunic and tore his shirt underneath into strips. Gritting his teeth, he removed the arrow and swallowed the cry of pain that tried to escape his throat. He cleaned the wound, but the bleeding was not stopping. He knew he had to cauterize it. He found a stick lying nearby and bit it between his teeth. Taking a deep breath, he summoned the mysterious fire power he could suddenly conjure and clenched his eyes shut tightly, as he put it to the wound. His scream was muffled by the stick between his teeth and the bleeding stopped. He spit the stick out and wrapped cloth around it, using his teeth to help tie it, before he put his tunic back on. He didn't stick around much longer and after drinking a lot of fresh water, he started moving again.

~*~

Cam's bleary eyed face appeared on the screen, as they made contact.

"Sorry to wake you, Cam," Shane apologized.

"S'okay...I figured it must be important. I got Dad," Cam said, as Kanoi sat down next to him.

"Is something wrong?" Sensei asked.

"Maybe," Shane said, nodding to Tori. She produced a sphere of water and they watched in amazement, as it turned to a ball of ice before their eyes.

"That's definitely not normal," Cam commented.

"Sensei Watanabe...if I may, I might have some insight," RJ interjected. Kanoi smiled.

"Hello RJ, it is very nice to see you again. I hope your father is well," Kanoi greeted. RJ smiled.

"He is, thank you," RJ replied.

"You know why this is happening to me?" Tori asked.

"More like a hunch. From what I've heard, your powers work in conjunction with Hunter's to create the amethyst fire, am I right?" the violet ranger asked. She nodded.

"Pai Zhua masters don't draw their power from the elements, but rather our animal spirits, as you know. But the concepts are similar. My father is a shark Master so he knows a lot about water," R.J. stated. He paused for a moment.

"When my mother died, for a brief time, I saw his powers of water act very strangely. His shark spirit was very angry and he was depressed. It wasn't to the extent that yours is, but there was a brief time that he would leave frost in his wake when using his shark powers," RJ explained.

"Are...are you saying my powers are acting this way, because Hunter is dead?" Tori squeaked. RJ's eyes widened, as he realized his mistake.

"Oh no, not at all. I think just the contrary actually," RJ replied.

"Maybe you should explain what you mean," Cam suggested.

"I'm sorry, what I'm trying to say is that because of the powerful connection you share, I think your powers are evolving into a stronger version. The power is reacting to your separation and the evil force at work," RJ explained.

"RJ is right. Ice is a much more powerful version of water. Do not fear it. Wield it just as you would water and you will be an unstoppable force," Kanoi advised her.

"No one has ever gotten onto the planet. This might be our edge," Jason agreed.

"If Tori's prism is reacting like this, does that mean that Hunter's is as well?" Billy asked.

"There is no way to be certain, but it is a good assumption that he is experiencing a version of this," Kanoi replied.

"A version?" Shane asked.

"Hunter's powers are closer to another element, the polar opposite of Tori's," RJ replied.

"You mean fire," Billy replied. The wolf ranger nodded.

"That's the theory," RJ replied.

"Once Hunter and I are reunited, will our powers go back to normal?" Tori asked.

"It's difficult to say. Most likely, but there is a chance you could retain them, especially yours since ice is directly related to water. Fire is much more spontaneous and difficult to conjure, much less control," Kanoi replied.

"Thank you Sensei," Shane said. Kanoi nodded.

"Please be careful and may the power protect you all," Kanoi said, as the transmission ended. There was silence in the chamber for a moment, before Adam broke the silence.

"So do we call you ice queen now?" he joked, getting a smile out of her.

"I hope they like winter on Drakon," Tori quipped.

~*~

The King watched the recording of the Earth ranger torch two of the players and threw his goblet of wine, shattering it against the wall.

"I want him dead!" the King ordered.

"Even if he manages to make it past the other players, our guards will never let him escape," the Royal Vizier tried to soothe him.

"It doesn't matter! If word gets out that a tribute has slain players, the galaxy will fear us less and outsiders could penetrate our planet!" the King ranted.

"We will not let them disgrace the crown, Sire" the Royal Vizier promised.

~*~

Hunter sat behind a large tree surrounded by brush ensconced from the view of anyone passing by. In the last few hours, he had heard several signals indicating that more tributes were dead. If he had counted correctly, only five remained, including him. Fortunately, he had managed to conceal his survival knife from them in his boot. It was something all ninjas carried and he had never been more glad. He was now using it to carve a makeshift thunderstaff. He had already shaved off the ends of four sturdy branches into points, creating spears. He now shaved an even larger one until he had the desired balance. Once he finished, he dipped the homemade weapon in water, so it would better conduct his thunder powers when the time came.

Just as he was arming his belt with his knife and new spears, he heard a frightening yell. He peered around the tree and saw what was clearly a young woman wearing a cloak, attempting to fight them off. He knew he should take care of himself, but these other tributes were in the same situation he was. None of them had asked for this and it wasn't in his nature to turn a blind eye, not to mention it was against the ranger code.

The woman gasped, as the blaster was aimed at her head now. She was very petite and beautiful, with long chocolate colored hair, streaked with blue highlights and eyes to match. She looked to be no match for these two men, but they were not underestimating her, for she had evaded and fought them thus far.

She was sure they had her this time, out of nowhere, a man stepped in and easily disarmed one of the men with a swift aerial kick.

"It's him...he killed two players. The King wants him dead!" the other shouted, as he raised his blaster. A basketball sized orb of energy appeared between Hunter's palms and he struck the man with the crimson thunder energy, sending him flying into a tree and he did not get back up.

"You little bastard!" the other shouted, as he wound up his fist and came at Hunter. The seasoned ranger blocked his punch and followed up with a sweep to his legs. As he landed on the ground, Hunter helped the young woman up.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"No," she replied. He nodded and employed the mysterious fire power he had been gifted with to put a blaze between them and their would be assailants, before ninja streaking away with the woman he had saved. He knew his team and friends were coming; he was certain of it. He just had to stay alive long enough for them to arrive…

Chapter Text

Chapter 29: Rescue and Reunion

Billy observed his quiet, skittish co-pilot. There were very few people besides rangers on Earth that had experience with space travel. Most were astronauts and Billy was very curious as to why this
supposed scientist seemed not only at ease, but experienced with space flight.

"So you helped construct this ship?" Billy asked. The skinny man seemed nervous.

"Um...I constructed the entire thing actually," he replied.

"Impressive. That must have taken decades," Billy said.

"When I say by myself, I mean I had no help from sentient beings," he clarified.

"Nanotechnology, I suspected as much. The question is where did Zale get it? I thought only SPD had that kind of tech on Earth right now," Billy mentioned.

"Mr. Zale only wants to rescue his son. He is the reason we even have a chance of rescuing your friend," Finch replied. Billy shrugged.

"Men like Zale never do anything selflessly. It doesn't matter though, I'll figure out his ulterior motives if he has any," Billy said.

"You will be wasting your time researching Mr. Zale," Finch stated.

"Oh I doubt that. It's funny you mention research though, because when I ran your name through the FBI database, I found something very interesting, like how you didn't exist on paper until 1999," Billy said, as the console beeped, indicating they had arrived at their destination.

"Maybe instead of blabbering you could bring us out of hyperspace," Finch spat. Billy smirked and flipped the necessary switches and brought them out. The planet Drakon

filled the viewscreen and there was already trouble, as they were fired on.

"Shields up! We're under attack!" Billy called. He noticed a hail from another ship that was also taking heavy damage from the Drakonian fleet.

"S.O.S...this is Altair of Andresia. My shields are down to fifteen percent! I need immediate assistance!" the voice pleaded.

"Altair...this is Billy Cranston, blue ranger of Earth. I'm attempting to lock onto you with our tractor beam," Billy responded, as their ship shuddered.

"Guys, we need to do something about those enemy ships!" Billy called into the comm.

"We've got an idea. Standby," Jason called.

In the loading bay, Tori stood ready and nodded to Jason and Tommy, as they lowered the ramp. Tori released an icy wave of power, causing the ships to ice over and stop firing. Billy locked onto the damaged ship that had hailed for help and they pulled it into the docking bay. They waited, as a human looking male disembarked from the damaged ship. He was tall, well built, with shaggy sandy brown hair, streaked with blonde and piercing blue eyes.

"Thank you...I owe you my life. I am Altair of Andresia and silver ranger, lone protector of our planet," the man said.

"I'm just glad we got to you in time. I'm Jason, first red ranger of Earth," Jason said, as everyone else quickly introduced themselves.

"Guys...I hate to interrupt, but you need to strap in. We've got a small window to get in, before they send more fighters," Billy called through the comm system. They led their guest up to the cabin and strapped in, as Billy took them into the atmosphere.

"Do they have someone close to you too?" Jason asked their guest.

"Yes, my wife. We come from a mining planet called Andresia. The Drakonians are very fond of pillaging planets for items with high monetary value and Andresia mines some of the most beautiful, expensive diamonds in the galaxy. I am the leader of my tribe and when I refused to allow them to pillage our mine and take precious gems free of charge, they retaliated and abducted my wife," he said sadly.

"They took my husband too in retaliation for our defeat of Heliya," Tori replied. His eyes widened.

"Heliya was a monster. You are responsible for ridding the universe of her?" he asked in admiration.

"Half responsible. My husband and I defeated her together and then the King sent a bounty hunter to abduct him in retaliation," Tori explained.

"These Drakonians are monsters, but no one save for all of you have been brave enough to combat them. No one offered help when Vega was abducted. They were all too scared, but I couldn't just let the woman I love, the mother of our boys, to be slaughtered by those animals," Altair spat in frustration.

"We didn't get any help from SPD either, but we don't leave anyone to that kind of fate. We'll find them both," Jason assured him.

"Jason's right. I'll have a very sad little girl if I don't bring her daddy home. We'll find them both," Tori assured him.

"What if we are too late?" he asked in despair.

"We can't think like that," she replied. He nodded.

"We're about to touch down. I was able to locate the place where I think the tournament is being held. Get ready," Billy called from the comm. They steeled themselves for the coming battle…

~*~

An arrow zoomed by Hunter's head, so close that he felt it brush his hair. As tired and out of breath as they were, they ran as fast as their legs would carry them. His new ally was tiring as well, but she offered no complaints at his fast pace, as he pulled her along.

More blasts licked at their feet and splintered wood sprayed them, as blaster fire pulverized the trees around them.

"We're not going to make it," Vega said. It wasn't panicked, signs that she was a warrior like him, but more of a statement. That meant they needed to fight. He concentrated and his prism glowed brightly. The mysterious fire he could suddenly wield appeared in his palm. It was volatile and hard to control, but would slow them down while he prepared a more devastating attack. He whipped around and thrust his palm outward. The fire exploded in front of their attackers and they remained a safe distance away, but still continued to fire their weapons. For the moment, the fire was canceling the blaster shots. But it would soon die down.

"That's...really impressive. I didn't know humans had powers like that, but it won't hold them for long," Vega said. Hunter drew the makeshift thunder staff he had carved. It wasn't honed like a carefully crafted one from home, but it had soaked up enough water that it would pull off the attack he had in mind.

"Most don't have powers like me...we're just a very highly trained, secretive group on my home planet. I don't really have a grasp on the fire, but thunder is a different story," he said. Her eyes widened, as she heard thunder boom above them. It had come out of nowhere and she watched him raise the staff to the sky. His prism glowed, as he focused crimson lightning into the staff. She had no idea how he was not being electrocuted, as the staff became alive with lightning.

"Thunder staff...full power!" he called, as their assailants were pummeled with his attack and after they stopped convulsing violently, none of them moved or got up. Hunter fell to his knees, breathing hard and Vega helped him to his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He nodded.

"I'm not really supposed to do that attack without my ranger armor, but we didn't really have a choice," he replied, as they continued on at a much slower pace now. He was exhausted and he wanted to stop...but he knew if he did, he would never see Tori and Sarah again and he wasn't about to let that happen.

~*~

Billy landed the ship and they disembarked. It was met with a welcoming committee of Drakonian soldiers though. From the podium of the stadium, the shouting spectators quieted, as the King spoke.

"Trespassers on our great planet are a most serious criminal offense!" the King roared.

"Return those you've taken from us and we'll gladly leave your blood thirsty world," Jason roared back. Spectators and even the soldiers laughed at him.

"Trespassing is an offense punishable by death!" the King retorted, as the soldiers raised their weapons.

Tori glared at them and welcomed the icy glow of her prism, as she extended an arm and blasted the four soldiers closest to her. Cries of outrage erupted from the crowd, as it was seen that the soldiers were frozen solid.

"I suggest you negotiate with us unless you want winter to come early!" Jason shot back. He could clearly see the King's frustration, especially as the crowd became more boisterous. On the outskirts of the arena, two figures could be seen running to them. Tori's breath caught in her throat, as she watched her husband and a woman who she knew had to be Altair' wife, dodge blaster fire.

"Hunter…" she murmured.

"Vega," Altair sighed in relief.

"You can't defeat my entire army! Kill them all!" the King ordered, as the eight blast doors at the base of the area opened around them with soldiers pouring through them and surrounding them.

"Uh...I think we should ranger up now," Adam suggested. Jason's smile curved into one of grim satisfaction. Billy had seen it for years and it always showed up when they were about to charge into some insane battle.

Tori moved toward Hunter, as he slowly closed the distance between them. More blaster fire pelted around them and as they took cover on the ground, Tori extended her arm, freezing the remaining players. Hunter looked behind him with wide eyes and then at his wife in amazement. He scrambled to his feet and they crashed together, arms encircling each other and holding on tightly. Another reunion was happening beside them, as Altair reached Vega, but they were too absorbed by each other to notice. They knew it wasn't the best time, but they kissed with the hard, desperate passion of two people who thought they may never see each other again. They parted, because they had to, not because they wanted to, but stared into one another's eyes for a brief moment. There was so much they wanted to say.

"I know," she told him, her eyes promising more when they got out of this and she placed his morpher in his palm.

"Thanks, I've been missing this," he replied. She smiled.

"Let's go home to our daughter," she said. He nodded and strapped it onto his wrist.

"Ready!" Jason hollered to his ranks.

"It's Morphin Time!" Jason called, as he, Billy, and Tommy gripped their morphers and made their calls, while Adam connected his zeonizers.

"Dragonzord!"

"Triceratops!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

"Zeo Ranger IV, Green!"

The rest of the morphing calls followed in sequence.

"Shift into Turbo!" T.J. initiated, as he and Justin inserted their keys into their morphers.

"Let's Rocket!" Andros called, as he and Ashley entered their codes and completed their morphing sequence.

"Go Galactic!" Leo called, raising his quasar saber to the sky, letting the power envelope him.

"Lightspeed Rescue!" Carter issued, as he and Dana activated their morphers.

"Time for Time Force!" Wes called, as he and Jen felt the familiar tingle that resulted from morphing with powers bonded to their D.N.A.

"Wild Access!" Cole said fiercely, as he and Alyssa felt the inner call of their animal spirits grant them their powers once again.

"Dino Thunder, power up, ha!" Conner initiated, as he and Kira, now reunited with their bonded Dinosaur powers, brought them forth once again.

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!" Nick and Madison called, as they raised their wands and felt the power of magic fill them.

"Overdrive…Accelerate!" Mack called.

"Jungle Beasts...Spirits Unleashed!" Lily and R.J. cried, as they called forth their animal spirits.

Shane, Blake, Hunter and Tori's prisms glowed almost blindingly, as they stood with the rest of their friends.

"Ninja Storm!"

"Thunder Storm!"

"Ranger Form, ha!" the four of them called and then went a step further, quickly ascending into Hurricane form.

The spectators in the coliseum were in an uproar and some were starting to pour through the eight openings to join the fight.

"We don't need anymore to fight than we already have," Jason said.

"On it," Tori responded, as she extended her hand, blasting the first opening over with a thick wall of ice.

"Guess that answers that question. The ice powers are permanent," Hunter mentioned, as she iced over the remaining seven entrances.

"How about your fire?" she asked. He held out his hand and crimson lightning sizzled in his palm...but no fire. He shrugged. If being reunited with Tori nullified his fire power, it was something he was glad to give up.

"I didn't really have a good handle on it anyway," he replied, unfazed, as his thunder hammer appeared in his hand.

"Let's end this quickly and go home," he suggested, as he twirled the hammer and slammed it on the ground, sending a crimson lightning traveling along the crack he had created, taking out at least a dozen adversaries.

"Nice," she replied. Shane razed a dozen more, as his cyclone destroyed all its path, while the others fought their way through the masses of soldiers. Once they were clearly thinning, they began to board their ship. Fighters from above were quickly amassing and it would still be difficult to make it off the planet. In a land battle, the Drakonians were no match for the hoard of rangers. But a battle in the sky would be a different story without zords.

"Tori...we need to go. Let's end this," Jason said.

"Say no more," she replied, as she tapped her trident on the ground and they ran to board their ship. The ground rumbled beneath the remaining soldiers and torrents of water shot up around them, as the ground exploded underneath them, quickly filling the coliseum with rising water.

The ship lurched and everyone was chucked into a wall, as blasts peppered them.

"Sorry guys...there's no time to get strapped in. Hold onto whatever you can," Billy called from the cockpit. Luckily, they were in the cargo bay and there were tarp straps to hold onto, as the ship shuddered and rose higher in the sky.

"I could really use someone on those guns!" Billy called.

"Got it," Adam called, as he ran through the corridor, smashing into the walls several times as he went.

Adam could see the sky darken to space, as he arrived at the weapons cockpit and quickly strapped in. He started picking off their attackers and allowed Billy to pilot. He felt them picking up speed and soon the stars streaked by him. The shuddering stopped and Adam sighed in relief. They were safely in hyperspace. He smiled, as he could hear the whoops and cheers of victory coming from cargo bay and he ran back to join them.

"That was awesome!" Conner whooped.

"We need to work on your definition of awesome," Kira replied, as they canceled their morph.

"Nah, it was awesome, thanks to our Ice Queen," Jason teased. Hunter gazed at her fondly and she blushed shyly at the attention.

"They're right...we owe you this win. I owe you my life," he said.

"You really think I was going to just let you go so easily?" she asked. He smirked.

"Thought never crossed my mind," he replied.

"After that, I need some serious alcohol," Shane said wearily.

"I second that. Zale better have stocked the mini bar on this thing," Tommy mentioned.

"Zale?" Hunter asked, bristling. Tori bit her bottom lip.

"It's kind of his ship...we didn't have a choice. S.P.D. refused to help us," Tori replied. He softened.

"It's okay. You saved me. I get to go home to our little girl, so I really don't care how you did it," he promised.

"You guys coming?" Adam asked, though it was clear Tori wasn't letting go of him anytime soon. He smirked.

"We'll take a rain check," he said. Once they were alone, Tori surprised him, by pushing him against the wall and kissing him passionately. His arms wrapped around her and he met her desperate kisses with his own fervor. Wordlessly, she took his hand and led him to the lift. Once inside, she hit the correct level and his lips were on hers again, as she locked her arms around his neck. They stumbled to the room she had claimed during their journey and once inside, Tori practically tore the zipper down on his leather uniform and threw it to the floor. His lips tackled hers again, as he fumbled with the zipper on her uniform top, while she growled in annoyance at the crimson undershirt he was wearing. He chuckled and lifted his arms for her, as she practically ripped it off. He managed to rid her of her leather top, as her hands and lips busied themselves on his bare torso. His hands slipped beneath her blue tank top, sliding up her soft flesh to his true destination. Clothes were shed with desperation and the bed caught them in their passionate frenzy, as he stared down at her with something akin to awe.

"See something you like, thunder boy?" she asked in a breathy whisper.

"Just my beautiful wife," he replied, his voice slightly agonized.

"I need you now," she demanded. He smirked and obeyed her command, as he always did, no question.

Sometime later, he collapsed beside her and pulled her atop him, as they panted heavily, slowly coming down and settling in the afterglow.

"I should get kidnapped more often," he joked.

"Don't even joke about that, thunder boy," she warned. He smirked and dropped a kiss on her head. They both had a feeling that this might not be the last they saw of the Drakonians and were aware they had probably made some lifelong enemies, but neither of them could be bothered to care at the moment, for they had been reunited and were going home…

Chapter Text

Chapter 30: Homecoming

Nearly two days later…

After a quick stop on Andresia to return their new friends, Altair and Vega, to their home, they finally made it back to Earth. Cam and Leann were the only ones waiting for them, informing them that everyone else was waiting at Storm Chargers. They were setting up for a welcome home party on the beach. Hunter and Tori disembarked from the ship first, running excitedly to meet their friends, who held their baby daughter. Sarah kicked her legs excitedly and held her arms out for him, as Hunter scooped her into his arms. He wrapped his free arm around Tori, as she kissed their daughter too.

Hunter turned to Jared, who stood a safe distance away and gave him a curt nod.

"Thank you for helping Tori come after me," he said. Jared returned his nod.

"You are my son and I have much to make up for. It was the least I could do," he replied, as he and his scientist friend turned and left without another word. Hunter watched him go for a moment and then turned back to his family. Despite overwhelming odds, he was back with his family and he was never letting go.

~*~

Jared entered his office that morning, finding that he was not alone. He glanced at Finch, who took the hint and left quickly.

"Admiral Fowler, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Zale asked sarcastically.

"Have you by chance checked any of the Galactic news?" Birdie asked.

"I've been busy and you know I detest intergalactic gossip," Jared retorted.

"Word has spread like wildfire! An unsanctioned rescue mission to the M51 galaxy by non SPD rangers is an embarrassment!" Birdie exclaimed.

"SPD is too cowardly to deal with the Drakonians. I wasn't going to allow those heathens to murder my son," Jared growled. Birdie snorted.

"Since when do you give a damn about that boy? He wants nothing to do with you," Birdie replied.

"Not yet...but he'll soon see me differently. He already does, as I gave his wife and friends the means to save him," Jared said.

"You murdered his Sensei and his mother. You're deluded if you think he'll ever regard you as anything but a murderer," Birdie sneered.

"Funny how you throw that word around. You're as guilty of murder as I am. Don't forget that I know things about you that I bet would make the galactic news reporters salivate," Jared warned. Birdie seethed.

"I'm feeling the pressure from the SPD hierarchy to move in on the Ninja Academy. They want it under SPD control," Birdie stated.

"But you're not that stupid...at least I hope you're not that stupid. Non sanctioned teams would most definitely side with the ninja team. And Billy Cranston will hack SPD earth in a matter of hours. What he finds will destroy us both and squash SPD earth division," Jared warned.

"I know that!" Birdie snapped.

"Fortunately, I have a work-around," Birdie continued. Jared raised an eyebrow.

"We have something on Cranston and his cohorts. Taking down the Academy would expose us...but outlawing the practice of the Ninja arts would not. Cranston will refrain from exposing us if he wants to keep us from exposing what really went down in Mexico. He and his friends would lose their jobs and credibility. The ninjas get to keep their little Academy, but can never use their powers outside the grounds. If they do so, SPD will arrive to arrest them," Birdie stated.

"You really think that the ninja team won't defend their city if Lothor attacks again?" Jared asked.

"Oh, I know they will. And after each victory, SPD will chase them back into their woods. And if Cranston tries anything to disparage SPD, then I will go public with the identity of every living ranger that has ever donned armor. If I go down...so do they," Birdie hissed. Jared smirked.

"Impressive. In the meantime, I'll play the part of the horrified father and offer my words of encouragement to their cause," Jared replied.

"And over time, you'll gain the allegiance of your family and get close to your granddaughter, who will surely possess the amethyst storm powers one day. SPD would be unstoppable with a ranger like that," Birdie said.

"What you're talking about will take years to come to fruition," Jared reminded.

"Anything worth having requires patience, of which I have a wealth of," Birdie replied.

"As do I. Now get out...before I change my mind," Jared spat. Birdie smirked and heeded his words. Jared poured himself a drink and gazed out at the cityscape. If Hunter even had an inkling to his true plans, he would be horrified.

"I'm doing this for us, my son. And in the end, you and your family will have everything. You may not approve of my methods...but you'll eventually thank me," Jared reasoned.

~*~

When they arrived at Storm Chargers, the whole place erupted in cheers, as they greeted the returning rescue team. Every former ranger that could make it was there.

Hunter felt a little overwhelmed again that so many had volunteered to go on what could have been a deadly mission, just to rescue him. It was humbling and he felt his wife squeeze his hand. Their little girl imitated the others, as they clapped for them, making her parents chuckle, in which they received a toothless grin from their baby in return.

They quieted and Hunter felt like he should say something. He placed Sarah in Tori's arms and became the center of attention.

"I'm not really good at speeches, but I want to thank everyone for coming here and everyone that risked their lives to bring me home. I'll never be able to repay any of you. Just know that I'll never take my life for granted. Because of you, my daughter doesn't have to grow up without a father and my wife didn't have to lose her husband," Hunter said, as Tori smiled at him.

"I used to be kind of a loner, so having this many friends is humbling and rewarding. Thank you doesn't seem like enough," he said. Tommy raised his glass and everyone joined him.

"Once a ranger, always a ranger," Tommy said.

"When one of us is in trouble, we're always going to do everything we can to help," Adam echoed his sentiment.

"Yeah...cause I never pass up the opportunity to lay the beat down on evil alien assholes," Jason quipped, earning laughter and eye rolls.

"To the Power Rangers family," Rocky toasted.

"And to Zordon's Legacy," Kimberly added, as they all took a drink and the mingling began anew.

~*~

Lothor snarled and threw the goblet of wine in his hand at the view screen. It shattered to smithereens, as he angrily watched these damned rangers team up to save the crimson one. Now that his nemesis had gone up against the likes of the Drakonians and won, bounty hunters willing to take them on would be more difficult to find and more expensive.

"Nice tantrum. No wonder you're a joke on most civilized systems," Jared goaded, as he appeared and waltzed onto the bridge of Lothor's ship.

"What the hell are you doing here? Seize him!" Lothor ordered his Kelzacks. But Jared merely raised his hand, the navy electricity spilling from his fingertips and easily subdued his would be attackers.

"You've got your powers back, I see," Lothor noticed.

"Omino's dead, as is my saintly brother-in-law. They stripped me and so they have returned fully upon Omino's death," Jesse responded.

"No matter...my dark prism is more powerful and I'll kill you for helping your brat and his friends!" Lothor snarled.

"He's my blood...and if you kill me now, you'll never get your revenge," Jared stated. calmly.

"What are you blathering about?" Lothor demanded to know.

"About how you're going to hire some new lackeys and I mean decent ones, not from the trash on Onyx. Then you're going to send them to attack Blue Bay Harbor," Jesse replied.

"Even if I were to do that, which I'm not going to. I don't really have those kinds of funds available, especially not to waste on monsters that those blasted whelps will just blow up!" Lothor growled.

"You're going to do it and you'll have the money you need," Jesse replied.

"Why? I thought you were trying to get back in your brat's good graces?" he questioned. "I am. He won't know or suspect I'm connected. He'll be too busy blaming you and SPD," Jesse responded.

"The space police?" Lothor questioned. Jared nodded curtly.

"Explain," Lothor demanded.

"SPD's admiral is as corrupt as they come. If I were to go public with what I know about him, it would not only destroy his career, but there would be a court martial. So he wants all ranger teams under SPD control," Jared said. Lothor snorted.

"Those ninja nuisances will never give up control of their precious Academy," Lothor spat.

"Yes...and Billy Cranston will never allow them access to Zordon's true morphing grid. But SPD has their own dirt on them," Jared explained.

"What do they plan to do?" Lothor asked.

"All non-sanctioned ranger teams will be outlawed by SPD, as will the use of ninja magic," Jared stated. Lothor smirked.

"Those goody-goodies will never leave the protection of Earth in the hands of the space police," Lothor goaded.

"No, they won't. They'll come out to fight your monsters, save the Earth, and then be chased back into the woods like fugitives. And Billy Cranston won't dare to hack SPD unless he wants all their identities and their pasts to go public," Jared stated. Lothor smirked.

"Well, I suppose it's a start to my revenge. But let me guess, you'll be playing the supportive daddy?" Lothor asked.

"He is my son...and he will come to me for help eventually. If for no other reason than to protect his little family. He will understand that everything I am doing is for him and his family," Jared stated.

"Or he'll realize you are exactly what he thinks and turn on you," Lothor goaded.

"No! He will need me. You'll have your revenge and we'll both have the power we desire. And I will get back the family that was stolen from me. My son, his wife...and my granddaughter," Jared said. Lothor smirked.

"There'll be plenty of thugs in the M51 galaxy looking for revenge. Hiring some new lackeys there shouldn't be an issue," Lothor said. Jared nodded.

"Very well...I'll be heading back now," Jared said, as he activated the device on his wrist and teleported away.

"Set course for the M51 galaxy," Lothor ordered.

~*~

Two weeks later

Exactly two weeks had passed since they had returned. And nothing terrible had happened. A semblance of normalcy had almost settled in, as they resumed their lives. They should have known that's when Lothor would return, this time, hiring more competent foes.

That morning, training was interrupted by an attack on the city. A particularly angry Drakonian had made his way to Earth with Lothor's assistance, surely, and began a rampage in the town square. Leaving their students with their senior students in charge, the six of them morphed and ninja streaked to the town square.

~*~

People screamed, as the Drakonian warrior stormed through town, leaving debris in his wake. The ground shook and buildings crumbled, as he used his weapon to fire energy beams at structures.

He fired another blast, this time at people, who screamed in terror. Thankfully, Shane countered it with his battle blast, landing to face the foe. Dustin and Tori flanked him in a ready stance. The warrior chuckled.

"That's it? Three rangers is all this planet can spare?" He joked.

"Who says there's only three?" Hunter called from behind him. He stood in his usual stance, arms crossed over his chest, with Leann and Cam flanking him.

"You!" He screamed as he fired a blast directly at the crimson ranger.

"Thunder shield!" Hunter and Leann called, as they blocked his beam and their shields absorbed it, while Cam charged him, only to be backhanded away. The warrior was seeing red at that point and charged headlong at Hunter. But he didn't see the trail of ice creeping up behind him, until it was already under his feet and he went colliding with the ground.

"I am never going to get tired of seeing you do that," Hunter mentioned. She smirked beneath her helmet.

"Let's finish this poser," Dustin suggested.

"Good idea…" Shane said, as his hands glowed with red energy. He formed it into a ball and it shot out at their foe, growing into a cyclone. It whipped around him, trapping him inside a vortex.

Dustin was next, as he pushed his yellow energy into the ground. It burrowed beneath the ground and shot up around the monster. Hunter and Tori joined hands and their respective powers combined into a amethyst orb of power. The monster cried out, as the power consumed him and he exploded into nothingness.

"Ha, bet he didn't see that coming," Dustin joked. As they waded through the crowd that had gathered to thank them, they heard sirens and an SPD squad jeep screeched to a halt on the curb near the square.

Five SPD officers, four of whom looked very green behind the ears, exited the vehicle and were led by Commander Tate. Their SPD uniforms were crisp and branded each with a different color, signifying rank and each bore a badge on their hip.

"You're a little late. We've taken care of the menace," Shane said, from one red to another.

"So it would seem, but that's not why we're here. I'm afraid the six of you are under arrest," Commander Tate stated.

"What?" Tori cried.

"We're the good guys," Dustin said.

"Yeah, if you didn't notice, we just pulverized the monster that was destroying the city," Leann snapped.

"You obviously haven't heard the latest decree from SPD then," Tate replied. Hunter crossed his arms over his chest.

"Guess not, so why don't you enlighten us, Commander," he suggested.

"Any non sanctioned ranger teams are to be immediately disbanded. More importantly, the use of the ninja arts is illegal and those caught doing so will be arrested," Tate stated.

"You can't be serious?!" Shane exclaimed.

"Quite," Tate replied tightly.

"Are you seriously going to try and arrest us, because we saved the city?!" Cam shouted.

"You refuse to be a part of SPD and we're charged now with the protection of this planet," Tate said. Hunter snorted.

"Forgive us if we don't trust you to do the job. We've been at this longer and our powers are stronger than yours," the crimson ranger hissed.

"Which makes you far more dangerous. It's not a chance the Admiral is willing to take," Tate replied.

"Should have known. The birdman is jealous of our powers. SPD wants the prisms, don't they?" Shane asked. Tate was silent.

"Thought so," he said, as he and Hunter nodded to each other. The six of them ninja streaked away.

"They're running, Commander," the female officer in blue said.

"We knew they would. The sensors will pick them up on the edge of town and incapacitate them," Tate explained.

"Sir, forgive me, but they did save the city," the young male officer in yellow said.

"They're too dangerous. We can't condone those that operate outside galactic law," Tate snapped, as they got back in the squad car and followed them.

The ninjas streaked toward the woods and as Shane, Leann, and Cam slipped through the barrier at the edge of town, the sensor was tripped. A shield was activated and Dustin, Tori, and Hunter slammed into the invisible barrier. They cried out in pain, as they were tossed to the ground, effectively trapped.

The SPD squad car screeched to a stop and they held their laser pistols on them.

"Billy...this is Shane. SPD is trying to arrest us! They've got three of us trapped inside a barrier!" Shane cried into his communicator.

"Crap...I didn't think they'd really go this far. Hang on, I'm analyzing the shield," Billy answered.

"You're under arrest," Tate said, as his officers approached, now morphed, and attempted to put them in cuffs. The three of them engaged the four SPD rangers, as Tate observed. Knowing that his officers were rookies and they were fighting seasoned fighters, he used his morpher to activate the sensor again, which was situated on the nearest phone tower.

The beam shot out and hit the three rangers inside the barrier. They cried out in pain and were forcibly demorphed.

"You're under arrest," Tate stated again, as he held out his morpher.

"GUYS...DON'T LET HIM HIT YOU WITH THAT BEAM FROM HIS MORPHER. IT WILL DIGITIZE YOU AND I'LL NEVER GET YOU BACK!" Billy cried from Shane's morpher. The three of them rolled away from Tate and huddled together.

"Billy...why isn't the shield down yet?!" Shane cried.

"It's taking too long. But there might be something quicker. Tell Tori to freeze that phone tower that the beam came from! It's the only way out," Billy said.

"Tor...the phone tower!" Shane cried. Icy tendrils shot out from her fingertips and she blasted the tower. The shield dissipated and the three of them escaped with the others. Tate seethed, but wasn't surprised by their escape. At least now they knew the consequences of using their powers outside the Academy grounds. The Admiral's objective was complete.