Kira and Flynn talked quietly as they walked. They had decided to take a shortcut and now they were in a dark alley between a Japanese restaurant and a tobacco shop. Frankly, the darkness of the place gave Kira the willies. She walked a little bit closer to Flynn. The Scot looked down at her and winked.

"So how are you really?" Flynn asked seriously. He draped his arm over Kira's shoulder and pulled her against his side.

Kira sighed. She thought about letting Flynn in on her secret and then decided not to, to just avoid the topic all together. "Not so good. How are we supposed to fight against people who can just simply do some kind of magic and make us disappear? We're a team of like twelve now against an unknown. How are we supposed to win? How do we survive?"

Flynn didn't say anything for a moment. Kira looked up and was surprised to see a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"What?" she asked, concerned. "You okay?"

He shook his head and tried to smile. "I'm fine. Let's just get to Connor. I have to tell all of you at once."

Kira shrugged and let the matter drop.

* * *

Leo didn't move. He just stared into a face he'd hoped never to see again.

"Hello Red Ranger. Long time no see." Psycho Red's voice sounded gleeful.

"Psycho Red. Can't say it's a pleasure." Leo shifted his weight from his left foot to his right and rested his hand on his Quasar Saber. "We beat you once, we can beat you again, no problem. You've picked the wrong people to mess with."

Psycho Yellow laughed. "Not this time, Ranger. This time, we have more power."

Psycho Pink was there too and Leo felt a pang as he remembered the last time he'd seen the evil creature, the time when he'd thought Kendrix was gone forever…and now she really was. "This time," Pink sounded excited, "we fight with all the powers of your vanished comrades."

Then, as Leo watched in shock, Psycho Red seemed to morph before his eyes. Seconds later, Leo faced not four Psycho Rangers but Carter Grayson, Lily Chilman, Kendrix Morgan and Carlos. Just as quickly, he was facing off with Shane Clarke, Summer Landsdown, Cassie Chan and Danny Delgado. And then the Psychos were changing forms so fast, they were no more than a blur. Leo caught a glimpse of Adam Park and Taylor Earheart.

"Now we will kill you." Psycho Red as Rocky DeSantos grinned. The four advanced and Leo drew his Quasar Saber.

All of a sudden, Psycho Yellow stopped. She cocked her head to the side and then laughed. Turning to the other Psychos, Yellow—who looked a lot like Ashley Hammond—said,

"He wants me to go after Kira Ford. Apparently, she was stupid enough to venture into a dark alley. It's time for her."

That was it. Leo attacked. "No!" he shouted as he charged forward. "No more!" He sprang at Psycho Red, his Quasar Saber slicing downward.

Psycho Red ducked easily out of the way and kicked out at Leo, hitting him in the back and sending him sprawling. Leo scrambled to his feet and looked for Yellow, intent on keeping the Psycho here and away from Kira. His gaze landed on Psycho Yellow, still looking like Ashley, at the door. Yelling, he launched himself at her and hit her with a flying tackle, driving her to the ground. He cocked his fist and drove it into Yellow's face. Before his punch reached its target, he felt himself being pulled off of her. Then, in rapid succession, three blows came in at his face, his chest and his gut. Leo doubled over involuntarily and felt a strong arm crash down across his back, sending him to his knees. He jerked his head up in time to see Psycho Yellow run out the door. Leo's whole body was in pain but he forced himself back to his feet.

I have to get out of here, Leo told himself. They have to know it's the Psycho Rangers. I have to run.

Leo called on every last ounce of strength he had and charged at Psycho Red. He feinted left then drove right, hoping to make it to the door. He did make it past Psycho Red but Psycho Pink and Black stepped into his path. Black laughed.

"You're not going anywhere, Red Ranger," Black jumped at Leo, fists flying. Leo dodged the attack and turned to face Pink and Red, resigned to having to fight.

"Quasar Launcher!" Leo cried and the big gun materialized in his hands. Leo aimed at Red and fired off three quick shots. Two of his blasts flashed by harmlessly but the third struck Red in the leg. Psycho Red yelled and dropped to one knee. But that was only momentary relief as Black and Pink charged from opposite directions. Leo gripped his Quasar Launcher in one hand, his Saber in the other and waited for his end.

He ducked under Black's—now appearing as Ziggy Grover—slash with a giant green axe and swung his Saber behind him. Black jumped easily out of the way. Pink—now posing as Katherine Hillard—landed a punch on Leo's faceplate, cracking the visor and exposing Leo's right eye. Leo's head was spinning and he stumbled.

Suddenly, a new voice entered the room, a voice that was vaguely familiar to Leo. "Leo!" it called. "This way!"

Leo spun to see a figure wearing a silver biosuit running towards him from the direction of the door Leo had been trying to get to. The person spun a stick of some sort in his hand and Leo watched as the newcomer launched a spinning roundhouse kick into Psycho Black's back. Then the man slashed with his stick and scored a direct hit across Psycho Pink's stomach.

The figure faced all three Psycho Rangers and drew his stick in a line in front of him. "Laser pool!" the person shouted. He placed three round objects in front of him. "Rack 'em up." Then he aimed his stick like a pool cue, yelled, "Lunar break!" and shot all three objects towards the Psychos.

The three Psychos each took a hit and were dropped to the ground but Leo knew they weren't out of this yet. Finally, Leo's rescuer turned and Leo saw clearly who it was.

Merrick held his Lunar Cue against his shoulder and clutched his three Wild Zord Crystals in his other hand. He ran over to Leo. "You have to get out of here. Now."

Leo nodded. "Let's go."

But Merrick shook his head. "No. I'll hold them off. You go."

Leo stared at him. "What? No, we can get out of here together! But we have to hurry. They're-"

Merrick pressed a button on his helmet and his visor slid up revealing his face. "Leo," he interrupted, smiling sadly. "Those they vanished are dead. Taylor and Danny; my whole team is gone. I will assure your escape. Tell the other survivors to fight. This is the final battle. And here," Merrick dropped his Crystals into Leo's hand and closed his fingers over them. "Take my Crystals. Let the Wolf, Alligator and Hammerhead help you if they can. If they can't, at least protect them."

Now the Pyschos were on their feet and rushing the two Rangers. Merrick turned and faced all three of them on his own, his Lunar Cue whistling through the air. Leo knew he had to do what Merrick asked and so he ran for the door, feeling guilty for leaving the brave warrior.

Merrick had one last gift for Leo. "My Savage Cycle is outside! Take it! And tell Shayla I love her and died so she might live!"

Leo didn't stop running. Even as he burst through the door, he heard the agonized scream of a Ranger who would soon be dead. Tears welled up in his eyes as he leaped onto Merrick's bike. He slammed the pedal down and roared off, hoping he'd soon figure out where he was and how to get back to the lab.

* * *

Tori knew she was about three minutes from the Wind Academy. And she also knew that her pursuer would catch up with her soon after that. Her lungs burned but she continued to push her body for all it could give. All she had to do was make it to Cam's computer and she could connect with the lab. Then she could get help. So she kept running.

As she ran, she thought about Blake. About how she wished Blake was still there, still around. And since he wasn't, that left just her and Andrew. She hoped it wouldn't soon be just Andrew. At least, if I die, he'll still have Hunter.

There, she thought happily, there's the waterfall. Tori pushed her body for more and managed one last burst of speed. Right before her body gave out, she entered the Ninja Base. Gasping for breath, nearby crying with relief, Tori rushed over to the computer and scanned the communication frequencies for Tommy's lab. She found it and slapped the "Open Link" button. Then came an agonizing wait of about ten seconds before Hunter answered.

Tori didn't even give him a chance to speak. "Help! Everyone's gone and they're coming!"

* * *

Hunter leaned towards the screen as if he could physically grab Tori and bring her to safety. "Who's after you? Tori, where are you?"

But her back was to the screen now and Hunter could hear her breathing, rapid and shallow. Hunter pounded his fist on the desk. "Tori!" he cried.

Jason laid a hand on his shoulder and pointed at the screen. "She's at the Wind Ninja Academy."

Hunter stood and ran for the door, nearly bowling Connor over in the process. Connor pressed his hand against Hunter's chest. "Hang on!" Connor exclaimed, obviously not having heard Tori's transmission. "What's going on? Where are you going?"

Hunter tried to push past him. "To help Tori!"

Connor let Hunter pass and then followed him. "We'll take Dr. O's Jeep. Come on."

The two Rangers left at a run. Jason watched them go, then looked at Xander. "Xander, go check on Casey. See how he's doing. He may need to be ready to fight sooner than we'd like." He turned to Zhane. "Zhane, you monitor the transmissions in case we hear anything from Leo. Kim and Billy, try to determine Kira's location. Once you find her, let me know. We need to get her back here before she gets attacked too." Xander left and Zhane sat down at the computer. Billy and Kim came to stand behind him.

Jason sat back and sighed. What next? He prayed they wouldn't lose anyone else.

* * *

Flynn heard it first. The sound of someone approaching. He grabbed Kira's arm and pulled her behind a nearby Dumpster. They crouched there and listened hard. Soon they could hear the footsteps slow down and come to a stop just beyond their hiding spot. Then the pursuer spoke.

"Kira? Kira, are you here? Connor said I could find you here." Lily called. "Kira? We need you, Kira."

Kira looked at Flynn and whispered, "It's Lily! She's not gone, she's looking for me! Maybe Trent's not dead either!" And before Flynn, who had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, could stop her, Kira jumped to her feet and ran out from behind the Dumpster.

Sure enough, there stood the Cheetah Master in front of her, dressed in the garb of a Pai Zhuq master and with dirt covering nearly every inch of her body. She smiled as Kira stepped out from hiding. "Kira! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Lily!!" Kira exclaimed, stepping forward. "What happened? Where did you guys go? Is Trent with you?"

Lily shook her head. "No, he's not with me." Kira's smile faded and her head dropped a little. Lily continued, grinning. "But I can take you to him. I know right where he is, I was with him just a few minutes ago."

Kira stepped towards Lily. "Yes! Yes, take me to him, please. I need him."

Flynn watched, still unwilling to reveal himself in case this all went south and he was needed to defend both girls, as Lily reached out and took Kira's hand. Then, before he could move, Lily moved, faster than he'd ever seen the Jungle Ranger move before, to grab Kira in a head-lock.

"I'm afraid this is it," Lily sneered. "I'll be taking you to meet your dear Trent in death."

Kira screamed and Flynn reacted. He leapt from behind the Dumpster and hit Lily, throwing her away from Kira. Lily rolled across the ground and came to her feet, surprise in her expression and a glint of fear in her eyes.

"You—you're—how—what?" was apparently all she could manage as she stared at Flynn. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"Too bad for you, then, right?" Flynn responded. Kira moved to stand next to him and he looked down at her. "You ready?" She nodded and he slid his Engine Cell into his Rev Morpher. "RPM, Get in Gear!" he shouted.

"Dino Thunder, power up, ha!" Kira screamed right after him and seconds later the two stood clad in their biosuits, one yellow, one blue.

"Don't do this, Lily." Kira pleaded. "I don't know what's happened to you but you don't have to do this. Please."

"I'm not Lily," Lily said and attacked. Kira and Flynn flanked her and the battle soon rose in pitch and intensity.

* * *

Zhane turned to face Jason. "Kira's morphed! She's in Ocean Bluff. Her energy levels are fluctuating, I'd say she's in a battle."

Jason scowled. He turned to Rose. "Rose, you up to helping her out?" The young woman nodded slowly. Jason glanced at Dominic. "Go with her. Try to come back alive, please." Dom grinned and he and Rose dashed from the room.

"Good work, Zhane." Jason said. "Keep me posted. Have Hunter and Connor gotten there yet?"

Zhane shook his head. "I don't think so."

Just then, Wes' voice came from upstairs. "Someone's approaching on a bike! Jase, get up here!"

Jason jumped up and ran for the stairs, Ryan on his heels for extra backup. They took them two at a time and met Wes and Eric at the top. Both were morphed with weapons drawn.

"It's Morphin' Time! Tyrannosaurus!" Jason shouted. Ryan yelled, "Lightspeed Rescue!" and the two stood morphed as well. All four took up positions inside the door. Jason looked out at the billowing dust cloud approaching.

Wes squinted towards the bike. There was a sudden intake of breath and then he yanked open the door. "That's Merrick's bike!" he exclaimed. He ran out onto the porch, then stopped. "But that's not Merrick."

Sure enough, the person on the bike wasn't Merrick, that much was obvious even at this distance. His hair wasn't long enough and he didn't wear the silver biosuit that the Lunar Wolf Ranger was known for. Eric was the first to make the connection between what the guy was wearing and his identity.

"No, that's impossible. Guys, that's Leo!" Eric shouted, jumping off the porch. After a moment's hesitation, the other three joined him as the bike skidded to a stop in front of them. Its passenger nearly slid off and landed on his knees in the dirt.

"Leo?" Ryan asked. He stepped forward a step then stopped, as if unwilling to believe that Leo could indeed be alive. This was too good to be true.

The man kneeling in the dirt looked up and, sure enough, there was Leo Corbett's face staring up at them. He grinned slightly. "Hey, Ry. What's cracking?" Leo tried to get to his feet but fell back into the dirt, placing his hand to his side.

Jason jumped forward to help him to his feet. "Come on, we'll get you inside, get you cleaned up."

Leo gripped the collar of Jason's shirt. "Casey, is he okay? I led them away; did he make it here?"

"He's fine," Jason assured him. "Now we just need to worry about you."

But Leo interrupted him, still clutching Jason's shirt. "Kira, they're going after Kira, we have to get to Kira. They'll kill her. I swear, they'll kill her."

Ryan shook his head. "Dominic and Rose are on it. Don't worry. Right now, we need to get you to Hayley and you need to tell us what you know."

Jason started walking towards the door, Leo limping along beside him. Wes and Eric flanked them on either side and Ryan walked next to Leo on the opposite side from Jason. The five of them entered the house and headed straight for the den where Hayley, Casey and Xander were. Jason helped Leo sit down on a couch and then turned to Hayley.

"Hayley, Leo's hurt. Can you do something for him?"

At the mention of Leo's name, Casey looked up and broke into a wide grin. "Leo! You're okay! Man, you saved my life. Thanks."

Leo shrugged. "No biggie. I'm just glad you made it back here in one piece."

Eric held up a hand. "Okay, not to be rude, but yay, you both made it here alive, you're in one piece, now Leo, we need to know anything you might have learned. Everything you know. Anything at all."

But Leo had a question of his own first. "Where's Connor? And Tori, is she okay? I saw her ride off when I left earlier but I couldn't catch her. Is she back?"

Ryan shook his head. "Connor and Hunter went after her. Apparently she ran into some trouble; they went to help her out. Kira's fighting in an alley somewhere and Dominic and Rose went to her aid. Don't worry; we'll have them all back soon enough. Now, seriously, Leo. Anything you can tell us. Anything at all."

Leo nodded and sighed. "They caught me and vanished me. There were four of them. The Psycho Rangers. I knew them. I have fought them and I have beaten them twice. Once they claimed the life of my love, Kendrix. It was a miracle that she came back. But every time, we have beaten them. This time we might not be so lucky."

Wes interrupted. "Then how did you escape? If you say we might not be so lucky, how did you get away?"

"Merrick," Leo said sadly. "Merrick arrived and held them off while I escaped." He pulled out three objects from his pocket and showed everyone the three Wild Zord Crystals. "He died. If it weren't for his sacrifice, I wouldn't be here right now, I know that for a fact."

Eric swore loudly. "I can't believe it. Merrick is gone too? What about Taylor, about Jen? Did you see anyone who vanished?"

"Yeah," Leo scowled. "Yeah, I saw them. I saw Taylor. She's dead, Eric. They're all dead. Kendrix, Cassie, Carter, all of them. Dead."

Eric pounded his fist into the wall. "No! She can't be dead, she can't! How do you know? Maybe you were wrong, maybe it was a decoy?"

"No. The Psycho Rangers are channeling their spirits or something because they are dead, Eric!" Leo shouted, tears running down his own face. "You think I don't care that Kendrix is dead, that Kai is dead? I care! But I'm not going to put the rest of us in jeopardy by refusing to accept it and operating as if we can still rescue them! This is it, Eric. This is the final moment. We can either fight and win or we can fight and die." Leo grinned, paraphrasing Connor's words from their last battle. "We need to get everyone back here and go on the offensive. This is it. Here and now. It's time."

Author's Note: Well, now you know. The Psychos are back. And this time they have special "powers" so to speak. You'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out the results of Kira's and Tori's battles…and whether or not Flynn being in the past will make a significant impact.

Please, please, please, read and review!!!! I love to get reviews!!! It lets me know that you like the story!!

Thanks goes out to Pinkranger888 for reviewing Ch.6 and I hope you now know who the killers are, Lina!! Thanks also to dare-deviless for reviewing Ch. 6 and I'm sorry I confuse you with the RPM stuff but you should really watch it, I think they're the best actually!

And, just for you, dare-deviless and anyone else who is lost, here is a list of the Rangers who are left and where they are at the end of this chapter.

Lab

Wes, Eric, Casey, Xander, Leo, Ryan, Jason, Hayley—upstairs

Billy, Kim, Zhane—computer room

Alley

Kira

Flynn

Ninja School

Tori

Headed to Ninja School

Connor

Hunter

Headed to Alley

Dominic

Rose