Author's notes – this is the fifth story in my "Junior Rangers Saga" series of fanfic, so I would recommend at least a quick glance through the series so you know the basics of what's going on. This story takes place about a week after the events of the final chapter of "Divided We Fall". If you like, please leave a review, as I thrive on feedback :).

Prologue

The eleven of us peered down over the top of the hill, and Jason looked back to the team and nodded.

"This is the place," the Red Ranger said.

Down the hill and across the sandy, desert plain sat the Temple of Lothos, a red rock building carved straight into the side of the mountain towering above us. A pair of twisted rocky spires rose above the temple's two enormous wooden doors, while between twenty to thirty putties were spread out around the temple entrance.

"Not exactly Club Med, is it?" said Zac.

Beside him, Brendan nodded. "I don't know, add a garden and some nice bay windows and I could see this as a bed and breakfast," he said. "For a fairly specific market, granted."

Kimberly smiled. "Why so few putties? You'd think she'd like go all out."

"Rita probably still hasn't had the chance to rebuild her army," Teresa replied. "Not since Aaron destroyed them all last week."

"Can we get moving?" I asked quickly, looking back to the group. "Rita's already inside. We need to be down there."

Jason glanced to me, frowning beneath his visor, but nodded. "Okay," he began. "Junior Team, keep the putties busy while we head inside and deal with Rita. Guys, let's move!"

"Right!"

With that, we all leaped over the line of outcropping rocks and raced down the hill, charging across the desert plain towards the temple. Seeing us approach, the putties instinctively turned to confront us.

"Brendan!" called Jason. "Clear us a path!"

"Path cleared!" Brendan replied, and raising his arms, twin beams of light shot out from Brendan towards the temple doors. Whipping back around on either side, the ribbons flattened two entire lines of the putties and left a clear path for the Senior Rangers.

"Thanks dude!" cried Zac, flashing the Silver Ranger a thumbs-up as the Seniors raced past us and on towards the temple.

All around, the plain came alive with the sounds of battle. Racing towards our opponents, Sarah somersaulted into the midst of a crowd of putties, instantly dropping several with two high spin kicks. A few metres away, Scott ducked under a blow, caught punches thrown from either side and threw the grey warriors aside, while behind him, I was working my way towards the temple doors, leaving a trail of defeated opponents in my wake. Across the battlefield, Teresa was holding her own against a crowd of opponents, and beside her, Brendan was moving forward with every step, beams of light spinning around him.

A putty leaped towards him from the side but Brendan spun a ribbon of light around the warrior and threw him away. "That wraps you up," he nodded - another putty charged forward, but he flattened the warrior with a high punch, before spinning back to drop a third opponent with a raised forearm. "Smackdown."

A few feet away, Teresa struck away an opponent on her left, but a glancing blow to her shoulder from another putty knocked her to the ground.

"Brendan," she said loudly, catching the putty's foot as he kicked forward and spinning him off his feet, "more fighting, less one-liners. If you're not too busy."

The Silver Ranger froze, turning to Teresa as she climbed to her feet and dusted herself off, his expression falling behind his visor. "Um... sorry," he mumbled, before turning back to continue the battle.

"I don't understand," Rita murmured, glancing from the scroll she was holding to the huge stone doors standing before her. "I've used every kind of light I can think of." She stopped, turning back to Scorpina and Goldar. "I don't suppose either of you brought a flash light...?"

Without warning, the temple's huge wooden doors crashed open, slamming back against the wall on either side as the six Senior Rangers stormed in through the entrance, framed against the red desert outside. Glancing around, the Rangers took in the temple's interior in an instant - a staircase on either side of them led up to a stone ledge on the far wall, where Rita and her two generals stood before two huge stone gates. Around them, the red stone walls were covered with strange carvings, while four statues of armoured warriors stood facing them across the centre of the room.

"Party's over Rita," called Jason, as the villainess spun to face them.

"Yeah," said Zac. "Whatever's behind those gates was never meant for you."

Rita sneered. "Funnily enough, I can't think of anyone better," she said, and nodding to her two generals, Scorpina and Goldar immediately leaped down towards the Rangers, raising their swords and slowly advancing.

"Funny thing is," said Tommy, "even if they beat us, that still won't help you open those gates. You see," and the Green Ranger held up a brown scroll similar to the one Rita was holding, "as it turns out, yours wasn't the only edition. And if you'd read carefully, you would've seen that this temple only gives up its secrets to pure light. And I bet that even with all your power, something pure is beyond your ability."

Rita froze, and they watched as her eyes flickered down to the scroll for a few seconds before turning back to them. Fury flashed across her expression, and without another word, she raised her wand and the three villains vanished in flashes of flame, leaving the Rangers alone in the empty temple.

The Rangers all turned to each other. "We won, right?" asked Zac.

"Not even a parting shot," said Kimberly. "It's official. She's slipping."

Outside, the five of us were just defeating our final opponents when the bodies of all the unconscious putties around us teleported away. Catching our breath, we all jogged over to each other, meeting in front of the temple doors.

"Guess we won," said Scott.

I nodded. "Yeah, a nice change..."

Across from us, the huge wooden doors swung open, and we all turned to see the Senior Rangers emerge from the temple and walk towards us, Zac closing the doors behind them.

"We guessed right," nodded Jason. "Rita hadn't read the scroll properly, she wouldn't have been able to open the doors anyway. Still, not a bad afternoon's work."

"Yay for us," said Brendan softly, glancing over to Teresa who seemed to be looking everywhere but at the Silver Ranger.

Scott and Sarah glanced from me to Brendan and Teresa, and then back to each other and shrugged. "I guess we can get out of here then," said Scott.

Kimberly nodded. "By my count we have at least two hours left of a perfectly good Friday afternoon," she grinned. "Let's make the best of it."

Everyone nodded, and reaching for our communicators, we teleported away.

And as the eleven of us celebrated our victory, far away across impossible distances through the black of space, red eyes flickered open to look at the stars above. The last moment of memory was one of fire and noise and power, world- shattering and all-encompassing. But there was something else - brightly-coloured figures, twelve of them around him, heroes, laughing. Mocking him. Humiliating him with their defiance. In that moment, his fate set, the warrior threw back his head and roared.

Even if he had to pull the very stars themselves down from the sky, they would not be laughing much longer.