Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to Disney/Haim Saban

It was three hours past the midnight hour but Dayton was still awake as he wandered about his new home; the underground cavern the new generation of Power Rangers had dubbed their command base. He was still trying to find the place of Pleance's new lair, though all his efforts had revealed nothing yet.

He was considered quite handsome, with his strong jaw, too long dark hair and tawny eyes. Standing just over six feet tall and moving with easy grace, he passed from the hidden chambers in which he lived to the centre of the command base, where the rangers constantly 'hung' out.

It was a large cavernous chamber, where the roof roses hundreds of feet above his head. Much of its craggy walls was taken up by shining panels, full of buttons, knobs and read out screens only he understood. In the centre hung a large glass panel suspended in midair, through which he viewed the outside world. It also lit up whenever there was a monster attack. The rest of the large space was mostly taken up by large multi coloured cushions which the rangers constantly lounged on when they were in the command base.

He wandered through the large, mostly empty room; almost stumbling over a couple of cushions, so immersed was he in his thoughts.

He sighed, bent down and picked up the cushions, moving them to a far corner of the chamber. But he was still restless.

He paced the length of the room, trailing his hand along the control panels which helped keep his home hidden from the world until he got to the stairs that led up to seemingly nothing. When someone got to the top of the stairs, he knew, the portal leading outside would open, letting them out. He rarely left the underground chamber that had become his home since he had woken up in it just a few weeks ago with Pleance's return to this dimension and this world.

He hesitated then took a step forward, onto the stairs. As soon as he was on the top stair, the portal whirled open, just a step away. He hesitated once more, unsure. The world outside was so different from the world he well remembered. At times, he felt in a limbo, as if the entire situation was unreal. But then…

He took the needed step forward, stepped through the portal. And into the outside world.

He was on the empty lot where the rangers had first fought as a real team. Weeds and stones were scattered about the lot, while fences rose sharply on either side. Concrete – something he had never seen before – ran in an unnaturally straight line in front of the lot. Overhead, the pale moon hung in a velvet sky, while the few scattered stars struggled to shine as brightly as the human made lights that lit the city.

Dayton closed his eyes, seeing a time when the lot would have been filled with grasses of every kind, sweet smelling flowers, and whatever types of trees that the environment would allow. When the sky would have been so dark only the light of the moon and stars would be able to pierce it. A time when the Phoenix, Minotaur, Centaur, Unicorn, Griffin and Dragon roamed the lands. A time when, standing here, upon closing his eyes, he would have almost been overwhelmed by the resonance of power from his charges. Now, he could only barely feel the faint echo of their powers in six young humans.

Eva Smith, David Bradley, James Clark, Jeanie Bradley, Trevor Watanabe and Marissa Brookes. Six young humans who held the fate of the world in their sometimes less than capable hands. But they were the humans who possessed the power of the Life Spirits and they were meant to be the Spirit Rider Power Rangers.

He just hoped they would not fail.

The attack slammed him to the ground, sent him rolling, the rough surface scraping his skin. With a warrior's easy grace and instinctive moves, he gained his feet, bowing his knees in readiness as for another attack.

It came without warning, slamming this time into his back. He stumbled forward, but didn't fall and whirled, eyes probing the weak darkness for any sign of his attacker. But there was no one other than him in the empty lot.

His hands fisted. "Pleance," he said in a near growl, those tawny eyes flashing.

As if on cue, Pleance appeared, leaning against the neighbouring fence. He was as tall and broad shouldered as Dayton, with the same prominent cheekbones that made Dayton's face so interestingly handsome. However, his face was thinner, and his eyes had no whites; they were pure plack with tiny violet pupils, making his face look even more menacing. His hair was long as well, but white in shocking contrast to his eyes and flowed in a straight fall around his shoulders. His ears were pointed, like the elves in the Lord of the Ring movies. And his teeth. His teeth were a child's worst nightmare. They were bright white and as sharp as the claws topping his slim fingers.

"Dayton." He looked around the lot. "You still are the same sentimental fool. Is this not the place where you first gave your rangers –," he sneered the word, "their so-called powers?"

"It is the place they first defeated you," Dayton reminded him in a far quieter voice. "As they have time and time again."

Though his eyes flashed in anger once, Pleance did not seem too bothered by Dayton's deliberate taunt. "Failures," he said in a seemingly bored voice, "do not make us failures. They only teach us to move forward and learn from our mistakes."

Dayton stiffened, the well remember quote from an old friend washing over him, bringing loved and painful memories. His fists tightened further, his lips drawing back in a snarl. But he did not give in the urge to rush his opponent, as he knew Pleance wanted. "Enough failures," he said, "and you are a failure." He took a step forward. A challenge. "You are getting might close, Pleance."

Now Pleance unfolded himself away from the fence. His eyes, those pure black orbs, were fiery with rage. But, still, he did not strike out, as Dayton expected of him. "Perhaps," he said, actually allowing Dayton's taunt. Though surprise raced through the ranger mentor, he did not show it. Then Pleance narrowed his eyes. "And perhaps not."

Instinct told Dayton to look behind him and, as he had for too many years to count, he whirled, though he made sure to keep Pleance in his sights. Then he saw just what Pleance wanted him to stay and fear rose to tangle with the anger flooding him.

The rangers, obviously in the throes of a sleeping spell, hung limply in the claws of six monsters as black as the old night. They had cold snake like features, with mere slits for nostrils and a hard slash that served as mouth, but they had the humanoid body of disciplined athletes. Sharp fingernails, because they weren't long enough to be called claws, dug into the rangers' vulnerable flesh. Hanging there only reinforced and reminded Dayton how young his chosen warriors were.

"You dare," Dayton managed to control his voice to a muted roar but still it shook with barely restrained violence. "You dare take them from their beds, rip them from their homes, when they sleep and are vulnerable. When they are defenceless."

Pleance raised a thin colourless eyebrow. "I have dared far more." Then he laughed; a low laugh that crawled over Dayton's skin like dirty slime. "It still startles me," Pleance said. "How you can act so outraged over such simply silly things. Startles me," Pleance repeated with a thin oily smile. "And amuses me. Dayton." He took a step forward and looked unbearably even more amused when Dayton tensed in readiness. "You still are the same fool you were millenias ago."

"This fool," Dayton retorted, "beat you and your master back millenias ago. And I will beat you back now."

Pleance did not reply immediately and Dayton was pleased to see rage at the reminder race across his sinisterly handsome face. "You only were able to beat back the great Gregon with your precious Life Spirits at your side," Pleance sneered the words like they were a curse. "They are dead now."

"Their powers live on," Dayton said, flourishing a hand at the sleeping rangers.

Again, Pleance laughed and this one was, if possible, even more evil than the one before it. "These children?" With a gesture, he had his monster send them tumbling to the rough ground. But still they slept. "These pathetic weak willed children are this world's only hope?" This time, he merely chuckled but it was as evil as his laugh, and made the hair on Dayton's skin stand on end. "I tremble for this world's sake."

"They have beat your monsters back time and time again." Dayton said in a hot voice, unable to completely control his emotions any longer.

"Because I have allowed them."

At Pleance's admission, Dayton's eyes widened involuntarily. He wanted it to be a lie – by the diren let it be a lie – but there was a ring of truth to Pleance's voice that told him otherwise. Still he said, "you lie."

"Do I?" Pleance mocked, pleased he had once more gained the upper hand. "You have the gift of knowing truth Dayton. Use it. Tell me; do I lie?"

Dayton's hands fisted without his control. "Why?" He very nearly snarled. "What is the point of creating monster to destroy the earth only to allow my rangers to destroy them?"

"To destroy you." Pleance's tiny violet pupils seemed to constrict further, making his eyes look pure black. "Is it not obvious?"

"Destroy me by allowing my rangers to destroy your monsters?" Dayton asked incredulously. "I hoped it was not true," he added in a quiet voice. A voice that was also immeasurably sad. "But now I see it is. You are mad. Driven insane."

"Perhaps," Pleance said in a sour voice with a sour smile. "But mad as I am, I will still destroy you." He held out a hand, claw tipped fingers extended in a deadly circle.

Instinct had Dayton turning so the cold blast of whirling wind shot past him and, to his horror, surrounded the rangers. "No!"

Looking immensely pleased at Dayton's involuntary outburst, Pleance turned his head, slowly curling his fingers into a fist in a sort of graceful, almost dance-like move. The wind lifted the rangers up into the air, still deep in enchanted sleep, and separated them until they hung, suspended in the air, like a mockery of soldiers awaiting inspection. Again, Pleance extended his fingers, in one quick move, and something pulsed from his palm. Dayton tried to stand in its direct path, let it hit him instead of his rangers but, like it had a mind of its own – or, more accurately, a ranger sensor built into it – it dodged around him and continued heading for the rangers. It separated into six revolving circles, enveloping them, covering them in a shimmering bubble, entrapping them each in their own personal prison. And, when Pleance lowered his arm slowly, so slowly, to his side, the bubbles seemed to harden and, at the same time, clear so their surface no longer glimmered in the moonlight. When Pleance's arm returned to his side, the rangers slumped on the floor of their personal bubbles.

And awoke.

"What?" David snapped into immediate awareness, jerking to his feet and staggering back against his clear jail walls. "Pleance!"

"What the hell?" Jay rose and hurled himself against the wall of his imprisoning bubble, only to be almost pushed back into the opposite wall. Though he landed on his knees, he gained his feet in a moment, snarling.

Ris pounded her fists futilely on the wall. "What's going on?"

"Pleance." Trev muttered, just standing, almost calmly, in the centre of his bubble. But his tensed muscles spoke another story

"Damnit!" Jeanie kicked at the wall, her bright blue eyes shining with anger and frustration. "Damnit, damnit, damnit!"

"Dayton." Eva pressed the palms of her hands against the invisible walls, straining against them. "He's planning to do something to Dayton."

Responding to the worry in her voice, David turned his head to look at her. "He'll be all right," he said in as confident a voice he could manage. "Dayton beat the bastard once. He'll do it again."

"Rangers." Dayton's voice had them snapping their gazes back in his direction. "Do not worry."

"Oh, we're not," Jay managed, though his cheery tone rung false, even to his ears.

"Bring him down Dayton," Jeanie said in an intense voice. "And make sure he stays down."

"Oh," Dayton vowed grimly, eyes now on his opponent, "I will."

Pleance smirked. "We shall see."

A/N: Aplogies for the very very very late update. I've been going slightly crazy in this new school of mine but that's not a real excuse. Besides that, this story's gone through too many drafts for me to count and I've ben debating myself whether this is the time to put this particular story up. Whatever happens, I hope you like this. And thanks for reading. :) chibiwriter