This is Teresa's point-of-view story, featuring her brother Scott, and Trini and Zac. I decided to rewrite this one quite recently. I'm really proud of a lot of the story (I love how bleak the story is, given it takes place only at night, and it's pouring rain the whole story. I'm also really proud of the villains and the twist about them which I won't spoil), but I still feel like the subplot with Brody is a weakpoint. Which is a shame, because Teresa learns a valuable lesson about human nature here, which makes her a stronger character in the long run. So like I said, this is version 2. I hope you like it :).

Chapter One

When I was a young girl, one winter there was a bad flu epidemic. My mother is a nurse at the local hospital, and she spent long fourteen-hour days tending to her patients. She came home one night totally exhausted, and I remember asking her why she couldn't take a day off and leave it to the other nurses. And she answered by telling me, "I have to help, Teresa. It's what we're here to do."

Years later, my twin brother Scott and I were inadvertently swept up in the middle of a war one day. Teleported into an amazing secret base, a kindly old wizard with a knack for seeing things in people they didn't see themselves gave us the opportunity to join a team of superheroes, with access to amazing powers and incredible weapons. Scott and I turned to each other, and instinctively knew that we were both going to say "yes". But in the back of my mind, I was thinking about what my mother had said, and that resolute sense of purpose she'd had. So this was my turn to help, what I was here to do. And I've never looked back.

People get the wrong idea about us, though. Sure, most of the time it's fighting and monsters, and wars waged on faraway worlds. But that's not all we do. A week ago, we had to evacuate low-lying islands in the Caribbean in the face of an approaching hurricane. Last month, we tracked a decommissioned Soviet satellite as it fell, to make sure it landed safely in the desert. One of our first missions was getting help to a small village deep in the Middle East that had been destroyed by an earthquake. The events of that night stayed with me for a long time afterwards. But that's the job. When the call comes, you answer it.

So I couldn't help wondering, as I left school that day, what adventures lay in wait for us this week.

It was a cold and grey Monday afternoon. Heavy rain hadn't stopped falling for days, and forecasts were predicting it to continue long into next week. The ground was soaked, the dirt long since becoming mud, and I followed the path carefully out through the school towards the front gate. I'd had to stay back, working on an assignment in the library, and by now the school was empty. Reaching the admin block at the front of the school, I hung back under the patio, waiting for a break in the deluge.

But glancing over to the nearby arts block, I noticed a boy my age sitting against the wall with his knees against his chest, trying in vain to stay dry. It was an impossible task. His blue uniform was saturated, and his dark, wavy hair was plastered against his head. I think his name was Brody, yeah, Brody Graves. He was in my homeroom and my art class, although we'd never really hung out much. In fact the more I thought about it, I realised I'd never spoken to him at all. But shivering in the wet, he looked like the loneliest person in the world, and my heart went out to him.

Braving the rain, I jogged over towards him. "Brody, hi!" I called, but frowned as my shoe sank into a puddle. "I wish this rain would stop."

He turned to me as I sought shelter under the awning beside him. For half a second, there was something in his eyes that was desperately sad. But it was gone just as quickly, and he looked away with a deliberate air of disinterest.

My face fell. Maybe he was just in a bad mood because of the weather? I rallied and tried again. "I'm Teresa," I continued. "We're both in Mrs Porter's art class, you sit behind Sarah. How are you going with that art history assignment? I just cannot get into it."

He shrugged. "I'm going all right," he murmured, his teeth chattering.

Another few seconds of awkward silence passed. But I thought back to the look in his eyes when I'd first walked over, and knew I had to ask.

"Hey, is everything okay?" I began. "It's just, you look so down."

"I'm fine," he grunted.

Wasn't that the universal code for people who were the exact opposite? I sat down beside him. "Are you sure?" I asked. "I've never seen you here so late. Are you waiting for your family? Do you want me to wait with you?"

He spun to face me. "I said I'm fine," he snapped. "Do you need something?"

I stood up. "You don't have to get upset," I said irritably. "I'm sorry for thinking you might've just needed some help."

"Well I was managing fine by myself," he shot back.

He looked away, done with the conversation, and I didn't see much point in trying again either. Above us, the rain had softened to a light drizzle. Pulling an umbrella from my bag, I left Brody behind me and headed for the gate.

"Question," I began, as Scott and I made our way home from school the next evening. It wasn't raining, but dark, heavy clouds hung low in the sky. "Do you know Brody Graves?"

Scott has the same green eyes and dark curly hair as me. He sees our lives as Power Rangers as one great adventure, and meets every day with boundless curiosity. He has this incredible drive to learn everything he can about the world around him, and I've always loved him for that. He's one of the smartest people I've ever met. Given some of our team-mates, that's saying something.

"Brody Graves?" he repeated.

"Yeah. About so high. Dark hair. He's in art with Sarah and me."

"Oh yeah, Brody," he said. "I have history with him," and he blushed when he realised how it sounded. "No, not that kind of history, we have history class together. But he hasn't been showing up the last couple of weeks. That's probably why he's always in detention. Why do you ask?"

"I had a run-in with him yesterday afternoon," I replied.

"You being nosy again?" Scott teased.

"No!" I said, then paused. "Well, okay, yes. But there was something in his face. He looked so sad. And when I tried to talk to him, he just about bit my head off."

"You could've taken him," Scott smiled. "I believe you, though. Last week, a couple of us offered to help him catch up in history, and he just about punched us. I know he got in trouble for throwing a book at someone last week."

"He's obviously having a rough time with something," I said, as we strolled past the western entrance to the city park. Wide green lawns stretched back into the evening shadows behind the fence. "But I don't get it. Why the attitude?"

"Maybe he's just…" but Scott's voice trailed off. "Hey, check that out."

I turned to see what had caught his attention, and despite the lengthening shadows, I immediately spotted it. A short distance into the park, three figures were crouched around an odd metallic device sitting on the grass. The three men all looked to be in their mid-twenties, wearing oddly-coloured tunics and thick leather boots. Tools, small capsules and weapons were strapped to their belts. One of the men had a braided ponytail. The second had scruffy blond curls, while the third was wearing a visor with a magnifying glass attached. As Scott and I watched, the third man got up and walked across the grass to position a second device a short distance away from the first.

"What are they doing?" Scott wondered aloud.

"Maybe they're park employees?" I suggested.

"Not dressed like that, they're not."

"You're right," I said. "Let's check it out."

Dropping our backpacks, we stepped over the chain-link fence and cautiously approached. The rain was coming again, but we were alert and focussed. After four years, Ranger instincts tended to kick in fast. As we approached, the blond man saw us and signalled to his companion. They turned to greet us.

"Please leave us," the first man called. His English was stilted, but understandable.

"You're not from around here," Scott said, nodding to their outfits. "Who are you? Where are you from?"

The two men stopped a few metres away, blocking our path. "This does not concern you," Ponytail said tersely.

Blond folded his arms across his chest. "Move on."

I glanced to Scott. "Not until you tell us what you're doing," I said.

Behind them, the first device began blinking, the flashing lights seemingly counting backwards. Scott's face fell. "Um, sis?" he began. "Is it me or is that thing ticking?"

I glanced to the device on the grass, knowing Scott was thinking what I was. "They're bombs," I said. "Go!"

Hearts pounding, we raced away from each other, sprinting across the slippery grass towards the blinking devices. The blond guard reacted quickly, lashing out as Scott approached. Scott dived under the man's fist and rolled to his feet. Lumbering forward, the man grabbed at Scott's sleeve. But it was wet from the rain, and Scott spun around on the spot, sliding the man's hand off and striking it away. Blond struck back, aiming high, but Scott was faster than he thought, blocking the blow, striking away a second and aiming a chop for the man's neck, forcing him to retreat.

A few metres away, Ponytail held his ground, raising his arms as I closed in. Once I was within range, he struck out with a powerful right hook. I ducked under his fist, dodged a second blow and batted away a third. He turned on his heel with a spin kick, but I spun under the blow, aiming my own heel for his jaw. He ducked back out of range, and finding my feet, I leaped forward, kicking high. He struck the blows away and then charged towards me. But using the wet grass to my advantage, I dropped low, grabbed his chest and used his own momentum to throw him off his feet.

He crashed to the ground, sliding along the grass and rolling over one of the devices. It shattered with a loud 'crunch', leaving pieces of debris spread out across the ground.

"No!" the scientist cried, still working on the second device. "You broke it!"

Ponytail climbed to his feet, a look of horror creeping across his face. Blond raced over to join him as Scientist leaped to his feet, holding the second device close to his chest. Ponytail reached down and grabbed one of the broken pieces, while Scott and I regrouped and wiped the rain from our eyes.

The three men backed away fearfully. "We have to go!" Ponytail cried, pointing over to the school and the forest reserve beyond. "Run!"

"No!" I shouted. But even as they raced away from us, the heavens opened, and I lost sight of them in the blinding downpour. I was immediately soaked to the skin. I glanced to my brother but could barely see him through the haze, and he was only a metre away. Whoever they were, there was no hope of tracking them through this.

"We lost them," I said, over the noise of the rain. "Damn it."

Scott nodded, and knelt down in the mud. "But they lost something too," he said, and he held up a piece of the broken device that Ponytail had missed. "Let's get this back to the Command Centre, and see what Alpha and Zordon can make of it."

To be continued.