Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to Disney/Haim Saban
"So…David, Ris, and their friend, Eva know?" Cam said, fingering his glasses. Thy lay in the palm of his hand, which rested on his knee.
"Yes," Tori sighed, suddenly feeling every bit her age. "The look on David's face…"
"They'll tell the others," Shane said in a quiet voice. "You know how close they are."
Blake immediately bristled. "I told David not to. I'm sure –" at the look on the others' face, he deflated. "Yeah. Man, I hate it when you're right."
"And Trev and Jeanie will put together the rest," Cam said. "They're so clever sometimes, they scare me. How Hunter came to have a smart kid still amazes me."
"What I'm worried about is that other girl. Their friend from school." Hunter said from where he was leaning on the wall. For once, he did not rise to Cam's insult. "The kids…they've been keeping secrets their whole lives. We know nothing about this girl."
"They trust her," Tori said, recalling the scene from the morning before, when they'd had the hard duty of telling Ris what had happened to her parents. "If they trust her…then I suppose we should trust her."
"They're kids," Hunter said. "What do they know about trusting?"
"We were about their age when we became Power Rangers," she shot back. "Dustin was their age when he trusted you guys. When he believed in you guys – when we all did. You tried to kick our asses, and we still trusted you, and look how things turned out. So, tell me," she said, blue eyes drilling into blue eyes. "What do kids know about trusting?"
"Okay, okay," he muttered. "You've made your point." An awkward silence filled the room.
There were the only Wind Rangers there. The former Dino rangers had gone back to their hotel after the less than pleasant scene that morning with David, Ris and Eva. The doorbell rang, putting an end to the silence. "That'd be Kira and the rest," Blake thought aloud, and went to answer it. Sure enough, Kira, Conner McKnight, Trent Fernandez-Mercer, Ethan James and Dr. Tommy Oliver filled the doorstop. "Hey," Blake said, stepping by the let them in. "We'd thought you'd be back by now."
"One word," Ethan said in a sarcastic voice. No matter how many years passed, he still retained the sarcastic wit that he had perfected in high school. "Paparazzi." As he said it, he gave Kira a pointed look.
"I said I'm sorry," she said, sounding peevish. She pulled off the hat she wore and jammed it on the hook behind the doors. "Jeez. How was I to know that stupid receptionist was a fan?"
"Kira, you're a singer. A pretty big one. Most people know what you look like, whether they're fans or not." Conner pointed out, raising his eyebrows.
"Guys, let's get back to the business at hand," Dr. O said in his quiet voice. At sixty-three, he was still lean and fit. "We have to find Dustin and Marah, remember?"
The three nodded, while Trent looked amused. Sometimes, they seriously reminded him of the teenagers they'd been. "Is everyone here?" Conner asked Blake.
"They're in the living room."
"Will there be any more…little surprises?" Ethan asked.
"No, the house is all clear," Blake replied. "We sent the kids out with Jasmine, Leanne and Carla. Kapri is at the Wind Academy." As he spoke, they moved to the living room, where the others awaited.
"Finally," Hunter said, impatience lacing his voice. "What –"
"Don't ask," Conner interrupted in a short voice, eyes flicking to Kira. "Have you heard anything bout Dustin and Marah?"
"Nothing," Shane replied in a tight voice. "It doesn't make any sense." His hands clenched. "If they were exposed, then it'd be over the news by now. And if they were taken because they're ex-rangers then…then why?"
"Shane's right." Tori said. "It doesn't make any sense." She turned to Blake, and let herself sink against his chest. "Tommy, have you contacted the others?"
"Everyone I can get a hold of," he replied. "Everyone but the Space Rangers are coming down. We can't risk T.J. and rest coming here and looking for Dustin. Just in case they haven't been exposed."
"That's a very slim chance," Cam spoke up.
Tommy turned to look at him. "It is, yes, but we can't take that risk."
"What could they want with Dustin unless it's because he's a former Power Ranger?" Trent wondered aloud.
"Got it in a nutshell."
At the new voice, they turned to look in disbelief at the six people ranged in a line just inside the doorway. And they couldn't believe their eyes. Three boys and three guys – because they couldn't be taller than teens – dressed in too familiar multicolored suits and helmet with dark visors that hid their features stood in the Bradleys' living room.
"What?" Without thinking, they moved until a longer line faced these new Rangers. "Who're you?" Shane demanded.
"Power Rangers," the red ranger replied simply. Though muffled, his voice sounded suspiciously familiar.
"What do you know about Dustin?" Conner snapped out.
"He was a Power Ranger," replied the boy in black. "And he and his wife are being used as hostages."
"Hostages?" Tori repeated.
"They want a power only we can give them," answered the pink ranger. "But this power could mean the destruction of our galaxy."
"And you can't give them at power," Trent said. "But you can't let a fellow Ranger die."
"No," agreed the blue ranger. "That's why we need your help."
They veteran ranges looked at each other, then returned their gazes to this new generation of Power Rangers.
"Tell us what to do." Tommy said.
A quarter moon hung in the inky sky above the quarry. Looking up at it, hidden in the bushes above the deep hole, Tori bit back a shudder. "Too many memories in this place…and none of them particularly good."
"We'll get them back, Tor," Shane promised, taking her hand and giving it a good squeeze. "We've been through bad times, and we've gotten through it. We'll get through this as well. Don't worry."
"I can't help it." But she gave him a smile because she knew he was as worried as she was. "But I'll try not to."
They were just one of the teams scattered through the bushes overlooking the quarry. The Bradley brothers were one, Kira and Ethan another, Trent and Conner together, and Cam and Tommy the last team. Below them, the new team of Rangers waited in the middle of the quarry.
The plan was simple. The other rangers would stall the kidnappers for as long as possible, while the teams moved down the quarry sides. Then they would attack – a flash attack one of them had described it as. They were hoping that they enemy would be taken by surprise and wouldn't react until they'd at least gotten Marah out of danger. Dustin could fight as well as any of them. It was dangerous, and it wasn't guaranteed to work, but it was the only plan they had.
Finally, the moment they were waiting for arrived. Without the flash of light that had signaled Lother's arrival, or the sudden opening of a portal that signaled Elsa's and Zaltrax's, the enemies of the team appeared. One was a darkly handsome man, another a freakish monster, and finally, a horde of orange foot soldierss, exactly like the ones their children had described. "So you came," the man said, his voice somehow carrying over to Tori and Shane high up on the cliff's lip.
They waited until the red ranger shifted – the signal – before they began climbing down. They could see, through the night, the darker shadows of the rest climbing down as well.
"Where are they?" The yellow ranger demanded.
"Come to us first," the leader replied.
"Hell no," the black ranger stepped in front of her. "What are they?"
"Here." He shifted aside, to show tem the couple being held by the orange freaks. For a moment, clinging to the quarry's sheer face, Tori was frozen. Dustin was struggling, his lips parted in a snarl. Marah couldn't struggle – she was held too tightly, and her pregnancy made it awkward for her to even try kick out.
She hissed in a quick breath when Shane touched her arm. She looked at him and he started climbing again. After another moment, she followed, landing silently on the stone littered ground. The Rangers were still talking. "Let them go first." Said the pink ranger.
"And have you run away to Dayton? I think not. The Phoenix comes to me first."
"I'm not going anywhere until you let them go," the yellow ranger shot back, her hands fisting at her sides.
They struck then. Shane was first, striking the nearest orange freak in the guy, then swinging it into another. Hunter slammed his foot into the one holding Marah's left arm. It stumbled back, its claws not releasing their hellish grip on Marah's soft arm. Hunter cursed at that.
"Their heads!" The red ranger yelled as the man turned to look at the disturbance. "Go for their heads!"
As if to emphasize his words, the black ranger surged forwards and struck the nearest orange freak in this wide-stretched face. It exploded. Blake immediately followed his example and slammed his fist into the one still holding Marah. It disappeared in the sparkle of lights, freeing one arm. His brother freed her other. "Come on," Tori appeared then, sliding one strong arm around her waist. "Let's get out of here."
They were on the defense now, Kira and Trent slapped back to back as they tried to hold back the now hordes of orange freaks with claws. Conner, Ethan, and Tommy were side by side, ducking blows, and hitting the orange freaks where ever they could. Hunter and Blake were working together – as they always did – occasionally using each other to bounce off of and hit an orange freak. Tori and Shane mainly concentrated on trying to get Marah out of the rabble. Cam had released Dustin from the five freaks holding him and they were struggling to get to Marah.
But, even through the chaos, Cam watched and noted how the six new Ranger fought. And most of their moves were familiar to him. Far too familiar.
The man and his monster had stepped back to watch the action. He called more of his foot soldiers, pouring them into the mix, a half smile on his face as he watched the results. They were painfully outnumbered, and the Rangers were busy both fighting and defending the older fighters. It was time. "Destroy them," he said to his creation. His Master had always appreciated his creations. "Destroy them all."
"The Frissons?"
His upper lip curled slightly, revealing those pearly white fangs. "Destroy them all," he repeated, before disappearing into the darkness. Tonight would be the night the Rangers died.
The monster – a cross between a Doberman, an alligator and a koala bear raised its paws. They were a koala's paws, topped off with claws as lethal as the Frissons. It began summoning the dark energy that resided in all of Pleance's monster creations. It whirled within the cradle of its paws, a glimmering dark substance that formed into a ball.
Sensing something, the red ranger turned in time to see the monster with that dark ball hanging in the air between its paws. His eyes widened behind his visor, then he jumped, yelling as he did. "Watch out!"
The others turned at the warning, and eyes widened behind dark masks at the furiously whirling mass of dark matter. Then they jumped without thought, to protect the more vulnerable of their companions. The beam struck the six figures full on, taking several Frissons out, sending the Rangers flying back, smacking into the rest of the Frissons on the way. They landed on the ground in front of a horrified Shane, Marah and Tori.
As the monster powered up for another shot, the others ran towards them. Dustin reached them first, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Shane. They had yet noticed that the Rangers had been hit hard enough to force them to de-morph.
As one, they lifted their hands to allow their elements to run through their bodies. Then, as they had once before, they swung their arms out and let streams of power stream from their fingers, joined and melding until they created one clear channel of power, heading straight for the monster.
It hit it straight on. It let out a strangled scream, before exploding, bright sparks raining down on the stone littered ground. As before, the three ninjas had used their ninja powers to defeat a monster.
Panting, they dropped their arms, then looked at the others, who were kneeling over the de-morphed rangers. And swearing.
They looked down at the rangers and, as one, let a string of curses fly. Because, lying on the ground, at their feet, pale faced and bruised, their breathing even from unconsciousness, were their children.
