Kim's scream shocked the five teenagers onto their feet. A loud, feral shriek clashed against Kim's cry as a giant winged something dived at the couple standing apart from the group. Kim and Tommy barely ducked under the creature as more arrived, diving dangerously close to the other five rangers.

Aisha, Billy, Rocky, Em, and Adam managed to escape the pre-emptive attack, but only by seconds. If it hadn't been for Kim's cry, they may not have noticed in time.

"What are they?" Aisha yelled over the shrieks from their attacks.

"I dunno," Rocky jumped up to his feet, ready to face the creatures.

"They look like those things from the construction site!" Em yelled. They had the same dark purple colour bleeding throughout their bodies. They looked like some kind of giant bird, but the feeling that came from them was something the Rangers had only felt once before when they had met Ivan. A feeling of absolute, undeniable evil.

"You're right. They're probably more of Ivan's creatures!" Billy tried to make himself heard over the high pitched wail from the birds as they dived at the Rangers again, making them all scatter.

Tommy and Kim quickly jumped down from the small plateau they had been standing on and tried to join the other Rangers, but the birds were quick to intercede. None of the teenagers were able to get close to one another without having to dive out of harm's way quickly.

Em looked up in time to see one of the creatures dive down toward her, talons extended. She threw her arms up in front of her quickly, though only just in time. She cried out as razor sharp talons dug deep into her arms, but the creature couldn't get a good grip on her in its hurried attempt. It flew past her, knowing it had missed its opportunity. The deep cuts on her arms burned painfully, like nothing she had ever felt before. It was almost like the pure dark essence of the creatures spread into the wound.

"Take cover!" Tommy's voice rang out through the confusion as the rangers dived away from the birds as they unleashed another onslaught. Aisha and Rocky were able to take cover behind a large bolder just before one of the creatures swept past, its long, deadly talons scraped against the rock, leaving large jagged ruts in the surface.

Before anyone could regain their bearings another attack came from above. Adam and Billy turned just in time for the creatures to land devastating blows to their chests. Billy managed to evade the talons of the creature, but the sheer force of the attack knocked him sprawling onto the ground. Adam was not so lucky. He cried out as the creature's talons sliced through the fabric of his shirt and scored the skin underneath. He clutched at his chest as the wounds burned.

Emily turned at his shout, quickly looking for him. Already a dark red colour bloomed across the front of his white shirt. "Adam!" she cried out before one of the creatures' wings hit her with enough force to lift her off her feet and slam her onto the rocky ground. She felt the coarse gravel underneath her skin dig deeply into the wounds on her arms, the salt from the nearby ocean combined with the already burning pain of the cuts felt like fire inside her body. Before she could scramble to her feet the same creature that attacked her swept down on Adam and grabbed him roughly by the shoulders. He cried out again as the talons dug deep into his skin. Effortlessly the bird lifted him off the ground as he struggled futilely underneath. "Adam!" Em cried out again as she started to run after the airborne struggle. She hadn't taken more than a few steps when another scream sounded out.

"Kim!" Tommy yelled, trying to break free of two of Ivan's warriors. Kim screamed as she too was lifted from the ground. Even from where she was Em could see the long, deep scratches in Kim's arms where the bird's talons had dug in. Kim's scream was half of fright, and half of pain as she trashed in the bird's grip.

The teenagers struggled against Ivan's creations as Adam and Kim were carried further from them, but the creatures were too strong. Rocky and Aisha were backed against a wall, only barely able to block the constant barrage of attacks. Billy was laid out on the ground, trying to dodge the vicious beak of his attacker while Tommy struggled against the three creatures surrounding him. Em tried to chase after the creatures, but in moments two more of the purple parasites had resumed their attack on her, and it was all she could do to fend them off, though she was quickly losing ground as they backed her towards the rocky drop of the ocean.

Kim's screams echoed back off the rock walls around them as the teenagers fought for their lives. Zordon's warning against Ivan's incredible power had certainly been true; Em couldn't help but wonder if this really was their last battle. How could they have come so far only to fail Zordon. Of all the ways they could have died it had to be here, on some foreign planet light-years away from home. It didn't seem right. How could it be, after all they had faced, that this was how everything was meant to end up?

Suddenly from the top of the highest cliff a figure holding a large staff appeared. It stood for only a moment, watching the scene below it. Then it jumped from the cliff face, its long green cloak flapping behind it like a pair of giant leathery wings. As soon as it touched ground the cloak fell away from the creature; it was a stunningly beautiful woman.

In a heartbeat the woman quickly turned to the creatures pinning down Billy and dispatched them with a solid blow from her staff. Another of the creatures leapt at her, but she easily caught it with another shattering blow as it flew toward her. She knocked down two more as they came at her from either side with a seemingly effortless spin of her heavy staff. The creatures lay at her feet, stunned.

She tore her staff in half, a savage glow in her eye. She spun the two halves of her staff at her sides. A sound unlike anything from Earth began to echo around the area, bouncing off the walls. But no, Em thought, it wasn't echoing from the walls, it felt as though it was coming from them. It was almost as if this woman with her staff was somehow commanding a force buried into the very fabric of the land itself.

The sound increased until it was at a frequency so high that the teenagers could feel it inside their bodies. Ivan's creatures spasmed and writhed, trying to evade the sound. The two creatures carrying Kim and Adam panicked, their talons letting go of their prisoners of their own accord. Kim dropped safely onto a small outcrop on the cliff face while Adam plunged down into a river feeding from the ocean. The rangers started to move to help their friends, but the sound was still rising in level and it was all they could do block out the sound as it forced its way inside them.

Ivan's warriors, unable to take the aural assault any longer began to scramble away from the teenagers and take flight. They flew out over the ocean in small pockets, their frantic shrieking fading. As the last beast took flight the mysterious woman abruptly stopped twirling the two pieces of staff she held, a triumphant look on her face as she watched the last creature disappear.

As soon as the sound stopped the rangers were on their feet, running to help Kim and Adam. Emily was the first to reach Adam. He had managed to pull himself from the river as she reached him.

"Adam! Adam, are you okay?" she asked as she carefully took his arm, helping him on to the shore. His clothes were dripping with the salt water from the river and the red stain across his shirt had spread. She looked at his shoulders where four deep punctures on either side oozed slowly.

"Yeah," he winced as wind passed over the burning wounds, "I think I'll be okay. Where's Kim?"

"She's fine," Rocky said as he jogged over to his best friend. "Tommy's with her now. It doesn't look like she's too badly injured right now."

"You sure you're okay?" Em asked as Rocky helped Adam slowly to his feet. Rocky ducked under one of Adam's arms carefully to help support his friend.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Adam hissed a breath through his teeth as his shoulder moved so he could lean on Rocky. "What were those things anyway?"

"Dunno," Em shook her head.

"Whatever they were, they were trouble," Rocky said.

"No kidding," Adam agreed, putting on a brave face as the three started to slowly move back into the clearing where the rest of the Rangers were approaching the strange woman. No one spoke as the woman went about reattaching the two pieces of her staff. Rocky helped Adam down onto a flat piece of rock where he could catch his breath. Tommy had already done the same with Kimberly.

No one wanted to be the first to speak to the stranger. Even Tommy seemed hesitant. They couldn't be sure she was an ally of theirs and given what they had just seen, they certainly didn't want to start a fight with her for any reason.

Rocky, curious as ever, stepped forward to the woman. "That was amazing." The woman didn't seem interested in his praise; she didn't even turn to acknowledge his presence. Hesitantly Rocky reached out a hand "Thanks."

The woman turned quickly, slapping her staff hard into Rocky's arm. The teenager immediately backed away as she began to speak in a steely voice. "If you want to thank me, go back to wherever it is you came from."

The Rangers stood in confused silence. The woman's angry gaze fell upon all of them, like she was trying to frighten them away. When her eyes fell on Em the girl quickly looked down, unable to meet such intensity. Just who was this woman?

"But we can't go back," Aisha mumbled when the woman's eyes turned to her.

"We heard there is a great power here," Billy spoke up, trying his best to be diplomatic. "Is it true?"

"Yes," the woman seemed frustrated with them for even asking. "The ground is littered with the bones of those who have tried for it and failed."

The memory of the skeleton from the beach, picked clean and gleaming in the half light, flashed back into Em's mind. It couldn't have been Ivan's creatures that had killed it, but then what had? Had some guardian of the power came for it? Perhaps that's what this woman was here to do. But then, why hadn't she tried to attack them yet?

Tommy stepped forward, a determined gleam in his eye. "Well we're different," he swore. "We won't fail."

The woman swept his feet out from under him so fast it almost seemed like Tommy hadn't even finished speaking yet. She drove her staff into his chest hard, pressing the air from his lungs as a savage look overcame her face. She was every inch the powerful being that Em was quickly starting to fear she was.

Aisha and Rocky surged forward to help their fallen leader, only to stop short when the woman's eyes snapped up to them, her staff digging deeper into Tommy's chest.

"Leave Phados," she spat. "Before it's too late."

"Look," Aisha threw her hands up to show she meant no harm, "we don't want any trouble. Our leader Zordon got hur-"

"Zordon!" The woman's staff dug into Tommy's chest before she realized what she was doing. She quickly eased up a little on the boy as she looked quizzically at the other six. "D-did you say Zordon?"

"Yeah," Em said, trying to take advantage of the woman's distraction. "He sent us," she said before realizing the lie in what she just said, "Well, technically not Zordon but –"

"Do you know Zordon?" Kim cut her off. "Who are you?"

The woman stared at the teenagers for a moment before grudgingly she let Tommy get to his feet. "I am Dulcea. Master warrior of the planet Phados," she surveyed the teenagers sceptically. "What has happened to Zordon?"

"He was attacked by this cosmic being known as Ivan Ooze," Rocky said.

"Ivan Ooze is free?" Dulsea asked, horrified.

Billy looked at the others for a moment. "You've heard of him?" he asked.

"Ivan Ooze is a monster." Dulsea fell back into silence thinking for a moment.

"If we don't find the power here, Zordon won't survive," Kim quickly implored Dulsea. The warrior's head snapped up. She stared at Kim, trying to decide whether to believe her or not.

"It's true," Adam piped up. "It's our only hope."

"Can you help us?" Em asked. If this woman knew Zordon, she had to know what a force for all things good he was. She had to help.

Dulsea thought for a moment longer before finally she spoke. "If we don't hurry you're planet is doomed," she admitted. Dulsea started to walk away without waiting to see if they were following her. Tommy quickly helped Kim to her feet; she leaned heavily against him as they started after her. Adam managed to get to his feet on his own, though he was still very shaky.

"Here, let me help," Rocky said, moving to help his friend.

"No," Adam held up a hand. "I think I've got it." He stood still for a moment before nodding. "I'm alright."

"Don't push yourself too hard," Em warned him.

Adam offered a sarcastic smile, "Do I ever?"

She shook her head, "All the time."

"Well then, I should be used to it. C'mon. They're getting away."

Rocky, Adam and Em hurried after the other Rangers and their strange new ally.