The Rangers were gathered around in the command centre, coming together to plan their next move. It wasn't like they'd never had to worry about innocent victims before, but this time in particular; they had a lot more to worry about. Tarantaulus actually knew them. He knew what mattered to them, and he had placed the people they cared about the most in harms' way. Although they were always careful to avoid civilian casualties, this time in particular, there simply was no margin for error.

"So, it's confirmed." Noah sighed as he and Tensou came back from the lab. They'd taken a sample from the section of leg Jake had cut off Tarantaulus earlier, and ran it through the computer, comparing it with the records at the juvenile detention centre. "At one time, that thing was Spider."

"So much for people going to Juvie not turning into monsters." Jake muttered under his breath. Jordan noticeably tensed up. Having heard Jake's story from him, he didn't necessarily see things as being as black and white as he had before, but in Spider's case, he wasn't so sure. Even before he was mutated, Spider had put dozens...maybe hundreds of lives at risk with his bomb plot. It was a miracle no one had died, and many, Ernie included, were still recovering from their injuries. Many more needed counselling or other assistance to get over the attacks. Even without the mutation, he was too dangerous to be allowed out on the streets. Now though, he was bringing that same remorseless cunning and intellect into seeking vengeance on the people that had brought him to justice.

"How is that even possible?" Jake asked. "I thought the combination of chemicals that created the Toxic Mutants was unique to that area, that it couldn't be recreated."

"Not to mention it shouldn't have worked this quickly." Gia added. "Mutation takes time; the mutants that exist now took years to develop."

"Tarantaulus mentioned that Vrak gave him his powers. It looks like Vrak found a way to refine the process, to make it more stable." Noah told them. "I'd say that Tarantaulus is probably only the beginning of our problems."

"We have no idea how many mutants were created the first time." Jake summarised the situation as he got up off the console he was leaning against. "At least we were pretty sure their numbers were limited. If they can produce more..."

"Then there's no telling what kind of army we could be facing." Troy interrupted him, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "We need to deal with Tarantaulus first, then we need to make sure he's the last one they can make."

"Fine, but we get the others first." Gia announced. "So, what's the plan?"

"Before you begin, I feel that at this juncture, it will be for the best that we seek outside help." Gosei announced.

"Who did you have in mind?" Jake asked. "I'm sure the Samurai are busy, last time I texted her, Lauren said her brother was making arrangements for his wedding."

"That's right, the prop 8 thing." Noah replied. "I guess he was serious about wanting to get married at home."

"As fascinating as all this is, I would like to call your attention back to the present." Gosei responded sharply. "There are other Rangers that still have powers, in particular this one has a particular knowledge of predators, and can more than hold his own when the action starts. Since three of you have lost your weapons, and you are a Ranger down, you could use all the help you can get."

Just then, there was a flash of light, and before they knew it, Theo was standing before them. He looked thoroughly confused, and looked around in alarm, seeing the command centre. The Rangers were around him.

"Um...I know this seems odd..."

"Well it's certainly different than swinging on vines." Theo replied as he turned to the team. "So, this is your command centre?"

"Wait, Luen's a Ranger?" Troy asked.

"Theo." Theo corrected him. "And yes, Jungle Fury Blue Ranger, at your service."

He looked to Tensou, and flicked a thumb in his direction.

"So, this is your mentor?" He asked.

"Actually, it's the big tiki head in the wall." Jake corrected him. "His name's Gosei, and he gets a little tetchy if you point it out."

"Well, after RJ, I guess I can put up with just about anything." Theo said with a shrug. "Alright, so what's the situation with that Spider thing?"

Tensou generated a holographic blueprint of the stadium. He gathered the others around.

"Alright, so here's the plan." Troy began.

Back at the stadium, in the swimming pool in the basement, Emma renewed her struggle to get out. Spider had turned on the outlet on a low setting so that she could watch the water slowly rising. She had been here for a couple of hours now, and the water was already up past her waist, and slowly rising up to her chest. Her helmet was at the bottom of the pool, having been removed so that she would have no breathing apparatus. She tried to release herself, but it was no use. The webbing was simply too strong. Tarantaulus came into the pool area, looking down on her.

"Well, it shouldn't be too long before your friends are here." He told her. Emma couldn't say anything. The webbing over her mouth effectively gagged her, preventing her from saying a word. He came around to the side of the pool she was on, and leaned over, bringing his face close to hers. "You know, it doesn't have to be like this. Vrak changed me; he could do the same for you."

Emma just glared at him hatefully. He could guess by context what her gaze meant.

"Now, I don't think you've really thought this through." He told her. "Just think, there'll be no more senseless destruction, no more pollution. It'll just be animals ruling the earth, just as they were always meant to."

Emma just turned her face away from him. He just laughed as he saw this.

"Oh well, suit yourself then." He responded as he stroked the side of her face. "I guess all that's left to see is which of your friends I destroy first. Personally, I hope its Noah."

As he left, Emma just slumped down in her bonds. There was no way for her to release herself. She could only hope that one of her friends would come in time to save her. The only thing she knew was that she would sooner drown than join Spider as one of the mutants.

Meanwhile, the Rangers arrived, bursting through one of the entrances. Theo led the way as they made their way along the passageway towards the centre of the stadium. There was webbing hanging from just about every surface.

"Wow, Tarantaulus has been busy." Jake commented.

"Spiders can spin webs several feet across in a matter of minutes." Theo informed them. "Just think what a spider the size of a human could do."

"Normally, the main trap is at the centre of the web." Troy reminded them. "We just need to keep moving, and try not to attract attention to ourselves."

"Here." Theo stated, handing Jake his Jungle Tonfa, before summoning up his Jungle Fans. "It's not much, but at least you won't have to rely on colourful language."

Gia handed her blaster to Troy, keeping her Tiger Claw, while Noah handed Jake his blaster, keeping his Shark Bowgun close. Jordan just threw up his hands.

"Great, why am I the one left unarmed?" He asked. Jake just tapped the serrated edges of his armour.

"Your armour's a weapon remember?" He asked as they continued to make their way through the corridor.

"Guys, just keep sharp." Troy stated as they got to the end of the corridor. The stadium opened up into the main arena. They all stood, completely gobsmacked by what they saw. The web was truly immense, with strands extending from the ceiling to the floor, and criss-crossing the whole of the stands. Theo gestured to Jake, and gestured round to the right. Noah took Gia round to the left, while Jordan and Troy headed down into the gridiron.

"Just remember, it's the vertical strands of webbing that are sticky." Theo told them over the communicator. "The horizontal ones are the ones the spider can walk over, watch for movement in them."

Tarantaulus had already come back into the arena, and was waiting up in the rafters for them. The stadium was far too large for him to keep an eye on, but then he was already settling into his new instincts. He didn't need to see to know there were others here.

Down in the stands, Gia and Noah made their way around, and happened upon Cat, cocooned to a pillar. Gia came over, stopping by her.

"Rangers!" She called out, only for Gia to hold a finger over her lips to silence her. It was too much to hope for that Tarantaulus wouldn't know they were coming, but that was no reason to announce their presence too early. Gia gestured to Noah, who handed her a can of spray.

"This will dissolve the web." Gia explained, beginning to spray the webbing. Cat watched her working, while Noah looked around, seeing Louise and Eric strung up nearby.

"Where's..." Noah began to ask, before cutting himself off. He couldn't see Emma anywhere, but he knew that he couldn't use her name. "The Pink Ranger, where did he take her?"

"I saw him take her down to the basement." Cat informed him as Gia finally managed to release one of her arms. Cat pointed to a door at the end of the field. "He took her down there."

"Thanks." He told her. "Yellow, can you take care of her?"

"I'll be fine here." Gia replied, carrying on her work.

Elsewhere in the stadium, Jordan and Troy were heading through the centre of the field, and found Eric and Louise strung up. They were both a couple of feet from the ground, complicating the rescue somewhat.

"OK, we've got two more of the hostages." Jordan stated over his communicator. "What about...?"

"There's no sign of her over here." Jake stated as he looked around. "But I have seen something that could be useful. My axe is here!"

Theo was busy looking around for Tarantaulus when he saw Jake reaching out for his axe. He held up a hand.

"Jake, don't vibrate the web!" Theo warned him. Unfortunately it was too late. Jake grabbed his Snake Axe, pulling the blade against the webbing to release it. Just as he did this, a length of webbing tagged Jake on the back, and yanked him hard into a pillar, shattering it with the impact. Tarantaulus started to scurry down the web.

"Alright guys, remember what I told you!" Theo announced, launching himself up the web. He took care to land his foot and hand holds on the horizontal strands, leaping up the webbing with seemingly impossible agility. Troy and Jordan just watched him in awe.

Gia meanwhile, leapt onto the webbing, and sliced down as much of it as she could, causing Louise and Eric to fall towards the ground. Troy and Jordan quickly ran forward and caught them. She hadn't completely released them, she had only cut them down, knowing that it was more important to get them to safety than it was to release them.

Troy and Jordan started spraying them with the solution, dissolving the webbing still attached to them and helped them up.

"Yellow, get them to safety." Troy instructed Gia, knowing that would be her priority. The hostages were three of the people Gia cared most about in the world; he knew she would find it difficult to concentrate on the battle until she knew they were safe.

"I'll come back." Gia assured them as she took Cat, Louise and Eric, and ran with them for the exit. Theo took a hard shot, and tumbled backwards from the web, but opening his Jungle Fans, he slowed his descent, and flipped over, landing on his feet. Tarantaulus let out a hellish scream, at which the arena flooded with Loogies.

"I can't see Emma anywhere!" Troy called out.

"Where's Noah?" Jordan asked, striking down the first of his foes. "I haven't seen him..."

"Guys!" Jake called out as he recovered, leaping into the centre of the stadium. He threw Jordan his Robo Blade, and Troy his Dragon Sword and blaster. "Look what I found!"

"Not before time." Troy stated as he cut down a couple of his foes, but stumbled over some webbing. The web made things hard going.

"This web is ridiculous!" Jake complained loudly.

"I have an idea." Jordan told them. "It's risky though."

"What do we have to do?" Troy asked.

"Hope you can see through smoke." Jordan told him, attaching his Vulcan Bullet to the Robo Blade's blaster mode. Troy knew what he was alluding to. His shot would burn away the webbing, which was now safe to do since there were no more hostages in the web, but it would also cause a dangerous fire. They would not have long before they would be in serious danger. He looked around at the Loogies, who seemed to have little difficulty negotiating the web.

"Do it!" Troy instructed him. "Theo, Jake, heads up, it's about to get seriously hot in here!"

With that, Jordan aimed up into the centre of the web, and pulled the trigger.

Elsewhere, Noah was fighting his way through the basement, being held up by the army of Loogies in his way. As he got down into the old gym though, he couldn't see Emma, not at first.

Emma was trapped under the water by now. She'd only just had time for one big breath before the water raised over her nose. It was now over her head, and she was just waiting until the air in her lungs ran out. Her hearing was distorted, but she was sure she could hear someone calling out for her. Unfortunately, she couldn't reply. Finally, she slumped forward, her vision rimmed in black as she started to pass out.

On the surface, Noah slipped slightly, but managed to regain his footing, taking out a few more Loogies. He looked down, realising that the water was overflowing from the pool. He looked down, and saw Emma trapped underneath the water, bound to the side of the pool. He destroyed the last of his adversaries, and without a second thought, dived straight into the pool. His power over water gave him an impressive swimming pace, and he could only pray that it was enough. He saw to his horror that Emma wasn't conscious. Without her helmet, she was drowning. He couldn't free her, and so he took up his bowgun, and blasted the wall, destroying chunks of the concrete she was bound to. He gathered Emma up in his arms, and surged out of the water, propelling both of them onto the edge.

"Emma, Emma!" He called out, hoping for a response. When he didn't get one, he pulled off his helmet. Her chest wasn't moving. Putting his face next to hers, he confirmed that she wasn't breathing. He immediately began CPR, pressing down on her chest rapidly.

"Oh God, please don't do this." He begged her, tilting her head back. He performed a couple of rescue breaths, before continuing with the chest compressions.

"Emma, please don't do this." He begged her. "It's...it's not fair. You don't deserve this."

Back in the stadium, Tarantaulus and the Loogies were struggling in the burning stadium. Jordan and the others were having fewer problems, having expected the gambit. Theo took Tarantaulus down as the others finished off the Loogies.

Jordan started to approach Tarantaulus, clipping his Vulcan Bullet to his blaster. He could feel his strength slipping away, and held up his hands, begging for mercy.

"No, please don't!" He screamed. "I...I surrender!"

"Did that matter to you?" Jordan asked him in disgust. "Did you give a second thought to the people you hurt? To the people you could have killed?"

"Please, I beg of you!" Tarantaulus continued to cry out. Troy approached him.

"Jordan, wait." He stated. He looked to the creature, seeing for the first time the device attached to the back of his head. "What's this?"

"Some kind of mind control?" Jake asked. "Jordan..."

"It doesn't matter, he's a mutant!" Jordan spat. "He's too dangerous..."

"He was changed against his will, he's an experiment!" Troy implored him. "All of this, it's not his fault!"

"What about the bombs?" Jordan asked. "Do you think he'd have cared if he killed all of us? What if you hadn't saved Emma, do you think this scumbag would have been broken up about it?"

"That doesn't matter; we don't have the right to be judge jury and executioner." Jake told him, putting a hand on Jordan's shoulder. "Sometimes good people make bad choices remember? Sometimes they don't have a choice at all."

"We can take him to the lab." Troy suggested. "Maybe in time, Tensou can find a way to turn him back, and then he can serve his time."

Jordan just looked to Jake, and remembering his story, he sighed.

"We don't have the right to destroy a helpless opponent." He answered, before pistol-whipping Tarantaulus into unconsciousness. He put his blaster away. "Just...don't make me regret it."

Troy used his Tornado Twister card to put out the flames, before looking around. There was still no sign of Emma or Noah. Theo looked to the basement entrance.

"Wait...what about there?" He suggested. Troy ran down the hall, followed closely by the others. They arrived to find Noah still working furiously to help her.

Just as they got in, Emma finally started to cough and gag. Noah quickly sprayed the webbing on her mouth, peeling it away to allow her to get rid of the water she was coughing up. He helped her into a seated position; smiling, overjoyed to see she was alright.

Emma saw him, and realised what had happened, and remembered what Spider had told her. It was so obvious now; she didn't know how she could have missed it. Troy was quickly by her side, and held her in his arms.

"Emma, thank God you're alright." Troy stated, looking to Noah. "Thanks Noah, you did an amazing thing."

"It's alright." He replied, before backing off and leaving Emma and Troy to their moment. Theo just coughed as he saw the scene unfolding.

"Um...guys, I don't know what things are like here, but in my day, we left before the emergency services showed up." Theo told them.

"It's like that here too." Jake answered, carrying Tarantaulus' unconscious frame across his shoulders. "Alright Tensou, do the honours."

With that, they all disappeared, leaving before they would have to explain what had happened to the authorities.