Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers. Saban and Nickelodeon do.

AN: Welcome to the sequel to Endangered Legacy. When we left off, the rangers were celebrating Christmas 2005 together and now, nine months have passed and it is now September 2006. Enjoy and let me know what you think! Thanks for all the great reviews. Here are responses to those who did:

Alex B. Goode: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Harry2: Yep, time for former rangers to rally. Glad you're enjoying the story.

lizziestrong7135: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it.

Boris Yeltsin: Yes, I recommend reading Endangered Legacy. Everything will make more sense. Glad you're enjoying it. :)

TommyOliverMMPRFan: Yes, this one will escalate fast. This is the 2nd story of what will be a series. This one is kind of setting up future events while at the same time having its own plot. Hope you continue to enjoy. :)

Pinkrangerfan: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it. :)

brankel1: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it. As for Zara, she's up to no good and more about her will be revealed later.

Lmv16: Yeah, Hunter and Tori are in quite a pickle again. Hope you continue to enjoy. :)

MF 22: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it. Sometimes, the ideas just come. This story is actually the 2nd in the series that will set up a few more stories in this series after this one. As for Crimson Rising, I update as often as possible and try to more than once a month, but sometimes things don't always go my way. I'm so glad you enjoy my writing though. What a great compliment. :)

CM6NCIS6PLL6: Thanks, glad you like it. :)

garnetred: Thanks, glad you like it. I always liked Skull and so I thought it would be fun to involve him in this series.

MMPRFansince93: Thanks, glad you like it. :)

Secrets

Sequel to Endangered Legacy

Part 2

"Abduction"

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 like 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 proximately 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 had 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 scrolls 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 cellphone.

"And neither of them are answering their phones or communicators?" Sensei Omino asked over the video phone.

"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 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…

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 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 pretty boy 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, Luis 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," Luis 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, 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 weapon. 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…