Hey all. Sorry for the long delay. But hey, it's only been what? 2? 3?... 7?!! 7 months since last update! I sincerely apologize but I simply haven't been in a writing mood. But episode 9 is here now, so sit back and enjoy (or not... depends on what you like of course). Credits to my beta-reader for the title.


Episode 9: Missing Ranger

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" Wyrmina's voice tore through the unusual calm courtyard. She was standing in one of the many arches leading outside, arms folded across her chest. In front of her was a mess of blood and fallen Imps. In the middle of the yard stood Golzor, a demonic knight dressed in pitch-black armour, adorned with golden strings.

The knight turned around and looked at Wyrmina through the visor in his helm. "Training," he snarled.

"And in order for you to train you have to slaughter each and every imp?"

"Unless you provide me with a more challenging encounter, then yes," Golzor replied as he picked up his sword from the ground.

"And what would be a more challenging encounter than the imps?" Wyrmina asked sarcastically.

"The Rangers," Golzor said with a fury behind his words Wyrmina knew only too well.

"Great idea," Wyrmina said. "You go to Golden Springs, the Rangers kick your sorry, little, miserable butt and you come back here, swearing revenge. Again. That sounds like a plan indeed."

"It's better than having that beetle lady battle them."

"For the last time, she's not there to fight them."

"My point exactly!"

"I suppose you have a better plan?" Wyrmina hissed, her eyes blazing.

Golzor growled, but it was drowned in the distant sound of thunder. Wyrmina looked up and saw that the sky, which had been a cool grey when Golzor started training, was now covered in the blackest clouds. A lightning tore through the clouds, illuminating the two contestants.

"If I may," a voice sounded from another side of the yard. Golzor and Wyrmina looked, only to find Quiser walking towards them. He was wearing his dark-magenta robe as always and other than the fact he had pale skin, Wyrmina knew nothing about him. "We are about ready to summon a demon again."

"Finally," Wyrmina said as she walked towards Quiser, "Some good news. Take us." Quiser bowed and turned around heading towards the door he had come from. Wyrmina and Golzor followed him closely. Once inside, they walked through a series of hallways and corridors. All the halls looked the same; the castle was made of obsidian-like stone; the floors were covered in old, tattered cloth; a window broke the barren wall every now and then.

"I believe that we are on the verge of a breakthrough," Quiser said as they walked down some stairs. "By this time next week we should be able to summon not just one but two demons!"

"Impressive!" Wyrmina said, genuinely surprised.

"Indeed," Quiser replied, "I left Fuboon to do the final preparations."

"You did what?!" Wyrmina shouted and stopped. She could not believe what Quiser had just said. "Why would you leave something so important, to an imbecile like Fuboon?"

"Relax, my princess," Quiser said, "Not even Fuboon can screw up thi..."

Before Quiser could finish his sentence, a loud bang could be heard from below. A horrified look appeared on both Wyrmina's and Quiser's face as they ran down the stairs and into the room, Golzor following slowly behind them.

The first thing that met their eyes, as they looked into the room, was chaos. The table and chairs were all knocked over, whatever wall decor there had been once, was now torn to pieces and laying all over the floor. A single decorative statue had tripped over and smashed to a hundred pieces, flooding the mess in chips of stone. In the middle of this chaos was Fuboon, lying helplessly on his back.

"What happened here?!" Quiser asked, paralyzed with horror. Golzor smirked behind his helmet, not that anyone could see it, but before he could say anything, Fuboon grunted and a now non-paralysed Quiser made his way to him. "What happened, Fuboon?" he asked again as he helped him to his feet.

"I just wanted to help you," Fuboon sniffled, "You said that you were busy and in a hurry and... and... I just wanted to help. You always make it look so easy, so I thought I could do it too."

"Which you couldn't" Golzor said hard.

"Please tell me, Fuboon," Quiser started, "What exactly did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," came the reply, "I wanted to, but before I could do anything, I accidentally spilled some of your powder into the cauldron." A look of horror passed over Quiser's face. "And before I knew of it, everything looked like this."

"Oh no," whispered Quiser as he sank to the ground.

"What is it?" snapped Wyrmina.

"If what he says is true, and I have no reason to expect otherwise, we won't be able to summon any demons for a few weeks."

"WHAT!" Wyrmina roared. "Are you sure?"

"Too sure, I'm afraid."

Wyrmina clenched her fist and raised her hands, as if she was preparing to strike someone. "GAH!" Without warning, she turned and left.

"Great job" Golzor remarked sarcastically, where after he too left the scene, leaving Quiser to comfort a crying Fuboon.

-o-

The weather was fair in Golden Springs. As fair as any other October day, that is. The sky was covered in grey clouds, heavy enough to bear water though they had so far remained dry. A strong wind blew through the streets of the city, taking fallen leaves and newspapers with it. Only few cars roamed the windy streets of the city, as most were staying in their homes. Those souls who braved to go outside, quickly sought refuge wherever they could.

In a small restaurant in the city core, Ben was sitting at a table.

"So, what do you do outside of the classroom?" Ben asked his companion.

The girl on the other side of the table sank her food and wiped her mouth before answering. "Well," she started, "sometimes I hang out with my friends. We usually go to the mall and stuff like that." With this, she gave a little jerk with her head, as if laughing it off herself. "You must think it's stupid" she said with a smile.

Ben looked at her and said, "No, not really. My friends as I hang out at the youth centre all the time."

"Really?" the girl asked, her hazel-brown eyes filled with curiosity. After taking a sip of the soda in front of her, she asked: "What do you do there?"

"Usually we just hang out" Ben replied. "We do a little training, practice some moves or simply sit around talking."

"Practice what?"

"Martial arts," Ben replied, "Travis, a friend of mine, and I are both members of the local karate club and we use the youth centre actively as part of our training."

"Sounds like fun."

"It is," Ben said, with a smile, "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you swing by sometime, just so you can see what I'm talking about."

"I'd love that," the girl replied with a smile that lit up her face.

"I'm sorry, I interrupted you," Ben said, shaking his head with a grin, "Please, continue."

"It's quite alright," she replied and took another sip of the soda. Both of their platters were empty but neither had noticed. "As I said, we sometimes go to the mall. Other times, we hang out at one of our houses, talking about school, fashion, boys."

"Hope you'll be talking about me from now on then," Ben grinned.

"Hmm... I might," the girl said, as if she was thinking it over, before laughing, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the ladies room."

Ben signed for her to go and she did. Ben sat back and smiled to himself. He could scarcely believe he was here right now. The girl had started in his class less than a week ago. They had been put together on a science project, not one of Ben's strong suits. The girl had introduced herself as Dawn, and thanks to her they passed the project. Ben had then asked what he could do in return, where to Dawn's reply had been that he should invite her out. It seemed surrealistic, but for once, Ben was glad to go with the flow.

Having watched her during dinner, Ben conjured up her face. Her red lips were thin, her nose straight and small and her hazel eyes the most caring Ben had ever seen. There always seemed to be a smile in them. Her hair was short and the colour of mahogany, complimenting her eyes. Overall she was a little smaller than he was, but her looks and being more than made up for it.

"Would you like to pay now, sir?" a waiter asked, waking Benjamin from his daydreaming.

"Uh... yes. Of course," Ben said bewildered, found his wallet and handed over his credit card.

"Thank you," the waiter said, placed their plates on his tray and left. He came back shortly and handed Ben his card.

"I'm back," Dawn said a minute later.

"So you are," Ben replied with a smile, "I took the liberty to pay while you were gone."

"Okay," Dawn said as she sat down again. She looked out of the window and saw that the grey clouds had grown darker. A single drop fell and landed on the window, slowly creeping downwards.

"We should probably get going now," she said as she turned back to Ben.

"Why?" he asked.

"Otherwise we'll never get out before the storm breaks out."

"Good point," Ben answered and both of them rose, took their things and left the building. Ben looked around, but couldn't see anyone else. "Let's get going" he said.

"My house is close by," Dawn said and led the way. They crossed the road and started walking down the street, holding hands.

But before they had gone ten steps down the new road, a loud noise made their ears. A noise like an explosion. Both of them turned around, and saw that the restaurant was in flames. Bright colours of yellow, orange and red lit up the building, while eating away at its very foundation. A few feet away stood Golzor, laughing. Panicking people were running out of the building, screaming, tripping. Without warning, Golzor fired another blast and another explosion followed.

"What's happening!?" Dawn screamed terrified.

"Dawn, listen to me!" Ben said and took hold of her arms, staring her directly in the eyes. "I know you're new to the city, and there are a lot of things you still need to learn, but for now, I need you to get to safety and call the fire department. Can you do that?"

Dawn nodded. "What about you?"

"I'll see if I can help get the people to safety," Ben replied and let go of her.

"But what if you get hurt?"

Ben smiled and gave her a thumps up, "Don't worry. I won't. Now, please, get to safety." Dawn nodded again, turned and ran. As soon as she was around a corner, Ben turned too and ran towards Golzor.

"That's right humans," Golzor bellowed in an uncharacteristically deep voice. "Flee. Run. But no matter what you do, you will still die."

"Not if I have anything to say about that."

"Hm?" Golzor turned around and found Ben in front of him, "So there you are, Red Ranger. I was wondering when you'd show up. I was almost afraid I'd crushed you in the fire."

"Not a chance, tin brain," Ben retorted.

"Hmpf. So it has come to name calling, has it?" Golzor asked, "I could think of a dozen replies, Ranger, but why don't we just skip the crap so you can fight me like a true warrior?"

"Works for me," Ben said and darted towards Golzor. As he came within range he jumped, aiming a punch at Golzor's head. But despite the armour, Golzor dodged it nimbly and landed a kick in Ben's back, effectively sending him into a wall. With no time to think, Ben instinctively protected his head. He hit the wall and fell, his left side bruised by the impact.

Ben slowly uncurled and shook his head. He looked up, just in time to see Golzor rush towards him. Ben tried to jump out of the way, but he was too late. Golzor grabbed him with his left arm and, holding Benjamin like a punching back, shot a powerful, armoured fist into his guts. Ben coughed as the air was blown out of him. Golzor turned swiftly and hurled Ben away, sending him rolling over the road.

"Is this all you got?" Golzor asked as a panting Benjamin got up, "How pathetic!"

He's right, Ben thought, I can't last much more like this. Ben felt for his morpher, but couldn't find it. Then it struck him. The morpher was in his bag. But where was that? Ben looked around for it, and found it where he had parted with Dawn. The only problem was that Golzor was standing between him and it. In the distance, the sound of the fire fighters sirens could be heard.

"Now I'll finish you, Red Ranger!" Golzor shouted and started running towards him.

"Heh," Ben said, smiling defiantly, "We'll see."

Golzor closed the distance rapidly, sprinting towards Ben. But to Golzor's surprise, Ben mimicked his move and dashed towards him. Seconds before the two fighters would have clashed, Ben jumped. Golzor looked up, only to see the bottom of Ben's shoe as it made contact with his helmet. Ben set off and continued to soar above Golzor as the knight was forced to the ground. Ben landed a few feet behind him and ran to his bag. He reached it in time and found the morpher. He rose quickly and saw that Golzor, too, was on his feet.

Instinctively, Ben threw his right arm into the air, the red sphere already summoned into his hand. As he lowered his arm to pass it by the morpher, Golzor ran towards him. Let me make it, Ben thought as he swung his arms apart sideways. Golzor was closing rapidly now. Please let me make it! Ben slammed the sphere into the morpher.

For just the shortest of moments, Ben felt a tingling sensation. When it passed, his body was covered in a tight, protective suit, patterned red and white. At his legs and arms the patterns were diamonds; his chest covered in red with a white emblem on his upper left chest, containing a red 'A'.

Golzor threw a punch, but Ben brought his arm up to deflect it. Ben punched back, but the blow had nearly no effect on the armoured knight. Ben jumped back and kicked at his opponent, but Golzor evaded easily and jumped backwards.

"About time you took me serious," he said.

"Yeah? Too bad for you, 'cause now that I'm serious, you don't stand a chance."

"Then I guess you wouldn't mind taking this to the next level" Golzor replied.

"Which is?"

Golzor smirked beneath his helmet. Then, in one movement, he started running towards Ben. Ben brought up his arms as to protect himself, but to no avail. Just before he came in range, Golzor sped up even more, becoming but a streak of light. He raced past Ben and struck him. Ben was knocked over, but before he could hit the ground, Golzor came from behind and attacked again. This time, Ben was flung forwards, and landed some ten paces away.

As Ben struggled to get up, he looked around to find his adversary.

"Behind you, Ranger!" Ben turned around, and realized he was too late. Golzor had jumped into the air, holding his right hand in front of his face. With a scream, Golzor flung his arm out at Ben, causing purple lightning to shoot forth. The lightning hit Ben and around him, causing small explosions that flung pieces of the road at him. A piece hit him in the knee, and were he not already falling, he would have done so now.

"Pathetic," Golzor spat, as he slowly walked towards Ben, "Is this all that you can do on your own?"

"I'll show you..." Ben panted furious. But before he could say more he was cut off by a loud rumbling – the sound of several engines. "You're in for it now," Ben said. "My friends are coming and together, we'll beat you."

Golzor didn't reply. Instead, he started running and turned a corner.

"Hey, get back here!" Ben shouted. "Red Atlantis Bike!" At his command, his bike appeared from around the corner. Ben jumped on as it raced past and gave chase. He soon caught up to Golzor, who accelerated, as if trying to shake him. Ben matched his speed and kept going. Golzor turned a corner and Ben followed him into a small alley.

"It's been fun," Golzor said, "but the game ends here." With that, Golzor mumbled something Ben couldn't make out and pointed at the wall. A flash. Ben shielded his eyes best he could, but the sharp light still blinded him momentarily. As he slowly regained his vision, he saw Golzor step through what Ben made out to be a portal, similar to the one leading to Atlantis.

For a moment, Ben simply sat on his bike. He could give chase to Golzor, but there was no guarantee that he would be able to let the others know. On the other hand, if he waited for his friends, he might not be able to catch up to Golzor. He looked at the portal and realised it was shrinking. Without a second thought, Ben got off his bike and threw himself through.

-o-

Ben groaned and opened his eyes. He was surprised to see grass, even felt it tickling his nose; the damp grass slowly seeping into his clothes. His heart skipped a beat. Where was he? What had happened? He couldn't concentrate, his head hurt like it had been smashed into a wall. Ben screwed his eyes shut, forcing back the pain and opened them again. He was still lying in the grass.

Not a dream then, Ben thought to himself and slowly sat up. He looked around and found himself in a small meadow in a forest. The trees stood high and mighty; the nearest a span thick at least 20 tall. The bark was rough and gnarled, as had it stood there forever, undisturbed. There was a strange mist in the air, obscuring the true height of the tree.

Ben slowly got up. There was no sign of Golzor anywhere, and the portal that had led him to where he was, had disappeared. He was about to pick a random direction, when he heard a voice.

"How brave of you to follow me here, Ranger. Brave, but stupid."

"Show yourself, Golzor," Ben called out, turning to face the direction the voice was coming from.

"Now, why would I do that?" Golzor asked. Ben turned again, the voice had moved to directly behind him. "Why endanger myself, when I can take you out from the shadows?"

"You wouldn't..." Ben started, but was interrupted by a bolt of purple lightning. It struck the ground only a few feet away. Ben's heart was racing. "Coward!"

"Name calling won't help you," Golzor said, the restrain evident in his voice, "But I'd suggest you start running."

"I won't run," Ben said defiantly, "I'll take you on any day."

"So you say, little Ranger, but what can you do without your powers?"

"What do you...?" Ben's eyes widened in shock as he realised what Golzor meant. The feel of the grass. His moist clothes. He wasn't morphed any more. Ben looked at his arm, but his morpher was missing. He felt his back. "Where's my morpher?" Ben asked horrified.

"You mean this?" Golzor appeared from amongst the shadows. In his left hand were the morpher and sphere. "I wouldn't try anything stupid if I were you," Golzor taunted.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do," Ben replied.

"Suit yourself," Golzor replied, "But don't say I didn't warn you."

At once, Ben took off and ran directly towards Golzor. He jumped and kicked, but Golzor deflected his attack with his right arm. Ben landed and launched again, this time throwing a fist at Golzor. The dark knight blocked the attack and countered, sending Ben doubling backwards.

"Don't you get it?" Golzor asked mockingly. "I have your morpher now, and there's nothing you can do!"

"Well, it's his bike alright" Sarah remarked as the four remaining Rangers pulled up next to Ben's abandoned bike. They had arrived at the battle scene only a few moments to late, and once they had ensured that everyone was safe, they had left the injured to the police and rescuers. Joseph had called up a search system built into the bikes and tracked down the Red Ranger's bike.

"Yeah, but where's the rider?" Travis asked.

"How should I know?" Sarah asked back, shrugging.

"Perhaps there are clues nearby," Catherine suggested.

"Perhaps," Travis mused, "it's worth checking out."

"I'll take a look at the bike," Joseph said, "maybe there's a recorder or something."

"You think?" Catherine replied sceptically.

"By now, would it surprise you if there were?"

"Good point," she replied and started looking around, joined by Travis and Sarah. They searched the alley for a good ten minutes, but eventually wound up empty handed.

"Did you find anything?" Travis asked Joseph as they returned.

"I'm afraid not," the Blue Ranger replied.

"So, what's our next step?" Sarah asked.

"We go see King Haslan," Travis said, taking charge, "we need to inform him of what has happened. Besides, they might be able to figure out what has happened."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Catherine replied, looking around. No one replied. As one, they all returned to their bikes and drove off.

Ben looked across the clearing, judging the distance between him and Golzor. Golzor stood victorious on the other side of the clearing, holding Ben's morpher in his left hand. If he could distract Golzor for just a second me might be able to leap forth and grab it.

"Now, what are you going to do, Red Ranger, powerless as you are?" Golzor mocked.

"This!" Ben yelled as he fell for the taunt. He ran towards Golzor and jumped, throwing a punch in midair. The knight swiftly evaded the attack and sent Ben flying with a well placed punch. Ben brought up his arms to protect himself only seconds before hitting a giant trunk.

This is becoming a bad habit, Ben thought as he got to his feet. He looked up, and saw Golzor charge towards him. Ben threw himself out of the way, barely dodging it. Golzor stopped and raised a leg, preparing to smash it down onto Ben. Ben rolled aside immediately as soon as the foot came down. He wearily got to his feet.

"So, you can run," Golzor said smugly, "but can you fight?"

Not as well as with my morpher, Ben thought to himself. Before Golzor gave him a chance to respond, the armour-clad knight rushed towards Ben. As he neared Ben, he lifted a leg and made a tornado kick, allowing momentum to carry him forth. Ben had just the presence of mind to duck the kick. Before Golzor could regain his balance, Ben shot up and punched at the knight. Golzor stumbled backwards. Ben followed it up with a kick, then another punch, and another kick. Golzor kept stumbling backwards, trying to avoid Ben's flurry. Another punch came flying towards his head. Golzor stepped back and felt the trunk of a tree. He had been backed into a corner.

Ben smirked. He had Golzor right where he wanted. Ben jumped and stretched a leg, aiming at Golzor's head. The knight blocked it with his arms. Ben smirked again. With an effort he twisted his body, putting all his strength into the kick. The foot made contact with Golzor's left arm and the morpher flew out of his grip.

"NO!"

"YES!"

Ben landed and shot into the air, snatching the morpher. He activated it right away, passing his arms by each other and merging the gem and morpher. As the gem merged with the morpher, he was enveloped in a bright, white light. It disappeared as soon as it had appeared and revealed his Ranger suit. The helm appeared right away and Ben's field of vision was given a darker shade.

Ben landed on the ground and turned to face Golzor. "Now the real battle starts."

-o-

The four Rangers got off their bikes and ran up to the church, navigating the fallen debris. When they reached the backside Travis held up his morpher. A green light shone from it and a man-sized portal opened on the wall, leading to Atlantis. One by one the Rangers stepped through and arrived in a small greeting room. The portal closed behind them as soon as the last of them got though. All as one, the Rangers demorphed.

Without waiting for an escort, the Rangers made their way through the castle hallways and approached the throne room. The gang walked up towards the closed double doors, which was guarded by two guards, one on either side. Like most Atlantians they were tall and slim, carrying heavy plate mail and wielding a spear.

Travis reached for the handle, but the guard to the right stopped him.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but the king has ordered us not to let anyone in."

"Not even us?" Travis asked in astonishment.

"Not even you," said the other guard.

"But we need to talk to him," said Joseph, "it's urgent."

"I'm sorry, but there's simply nothing we can do," the first said again, "we can't let you in."

"We don't have time for this!" Catherine said, staring furiously at the guards. "Ben is in danger. We don't know where he is, but his bike has been abandoned and we can't reach him on the communication system." Everyone stared at her in amazement. Catherine was usually the cool and calm one, yet she had absolutely exploded. "Either you let us in or you drag Haslan out here right now!"

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Sarah said, her face beaming. Everyone's attention switched to her. "You said we can't go in, right?" she asked the guards, who nodded in agreement. "But what's preventing one of you from entering and asking if Haslan has a few minutes to see us?"

Everyone was struck speechless. The two guards exchanged glances, clearly not knowing how to react. The four Rangers looked pleadingly at the guards.

"Well... I guess that would be acceptable," one of them finally said. The Rangers let out a sigh of joy, as the guard slid the door open and edged inside, only to close the door again. The four teenagers waited in tension, as every second seemed like a minute; every minute an eternity.

Finally, the guard came back out, with Haslan at his tail.

"I was told you wanted to see me?" the friendly king asked, though his voice was strained. He kept looking across his shoulder, as if expecting someone to follow him.

"Yes," Travis said, taking charge again, "it's about Ben."

"Oh?" Haslan replied and looked around.

"Say, where is Ben?" he asked, when he realised that there were only four of them.

"That's the thing," Travis said, "we don't know." The Green Ranger then explained how they had found Ben's bike and how that had searched the area without finding anything. "And that's the story" Travis wrapped up.

"Hmm..." Haslan mumbled, looking genuinely concerned. "Perhaps he has... and now of all times..." Haslan broke off and a look a fear crept over his face.

"What?" Katherine asked. "What is it?" But Haslan continued to mumble for himself. "Haslan, tell us."

"I'll be just a moment, my friends," Haslan said and turned towards the doors. "I have something to finish here first and then I'll be right with you. And this time" he said, directed to the guards "neither they nor you, enter."

"Yes, sir!" the guards answered in agreement as the king opened the doors, went through and closed them behind him, leaving the Rangers to themselves again.

-o-

CLASH! The sound of metal on metal sung through the forest. Ben and Golzor were exchanging blows and had both started using their swords. Ben jumped back and lunged again, aptly guiding his sword towards its target; its bright silvery blade shone with just a slight tint of crimson, enhanced by the setting sun. But Golzor blocked the attack with his own sword; a mighty, black blade engraved with runes and golden patterns, like his armour.

Bun struggled but he could not match Golzor's strength anymore. It had been easy to begin with, but the fight had dragged on for more than ten minutes now, and his arm was losing strength. How he could even keep lifting his sword was beyond him.

Golzor withdrew, only to lunge at his body again at full force. Ben tried to block the attack, but Golzor had read his move and altered his attack to the legs. Having no choice, Ben threw himself backwards, barely escaping the blade.

But his adversary didn't waste any time. Golzor stepped forward and slashed the air above Ben, who had been on his way up. Ben panted behind his helm, as he ducked to avoid. Golzor kicked and Ben managed to roll out of the way.

"Heh heh heh," Golzor chuckled mirthlessly, "look at you. I thought you were a mighty adversary, but look at you. You're on the ground, broken. You don't stand a chance."

"Oh yeah?" Ben retorted, more confident than he felt. "We'll just have to see about that, won't we?"

"What can you possibly do?" Golzor asked.

"This!" Ben shouted and sprung at Golzor. Using the element of surprise, Ben punched at Golzor's helmet, but the armour-clad knight grabbed his punch. Ben withdrew his punch and tried a kick towards Golzor's body. But once again the knight intercepted the attack. Ben tried with another attack, but that too was blocked.

Before Ben could defend himself, Golzor gave Ben a sucker punch to the stomach. Ben gasped and doubled over, only to receive another blow to his head. The blow sent him flying across the clearing and as he landed he rolled across the barren ground.

Ben heaved for air, as Golzor slowly walked towards him. It didn't make sense. He had fought Golzor alone before, but Golzor had never had this much of an upper hand. Ben looked over at the dark knight, trying to find a weakness. But nothing he had done seemed to even face his opponent. Golzor raised his right hand to his face. As purple lightning started dancing between his fingers, Ben finally realised what was wrong.

Golzor threw his arm out at the Red Ranger and a series of purple bolts flew towards Ben. Without time to dodge, the Ranger threw his arms up to protect himself. The lightning exploded upon impact, sending Ben flying again, this time followed by a rain of dirt and bark.

Ben fell hard to the ground, rolled into a rock and demorphed on impact. The panic he felt showed on his face and Golzor grinned maliciously as he saw it.

"So you figured it out, didn't you?" Golzor asked.

Ben nodded and sank. "I've been here before. The clouds, the trees, the ground. I should have realised it much sooner. That's why you're so strong, isn't it?" Ben asked back, almost expecting Golzor to make an admission. But Golzor remained stoic. "We're in the Shadowfell!"

-o-

At the castle in Atlantis, Haslan was leading the other four Rangers through a series of hallways. They were in a portion of the castle they had never seen before, but none of them were concerned about that right now. Only minutes ago Haslan had come back out from his meeting, grabbed the Rangers by their arms and hurried them along. Now, they were walking as fast as they could, the four Rangers almost running in order to keep up with the king.

"Haslan, what is it?" the Rangers desperately pleaded again.

"I'll tell you as much as I can while we walk, but some of it will have to wait until we reach our destination." Haslan stopped abruptly and turned around to face them. "What I'm about to tell you, must never leave your tongues. You have already been sworn to secrecy about both Atlantis and your identities as Rangers, but we need to know that we can trust you. You must give me your word that you will tell no one of what I'm about to tell, and show, you." He looked gravely at the Rangers in turn. Each of them promised to keep it secret.

"Good" Haslan said, turned and started walking again. "A few weeks ago, something happened to you all. You paid your first visit to another plane, long before you were ready."

"The Shadowfell!" Joseph exclaimed.

"Yes" Haslan replied. "Since then, we've been working on extra weapons and defences, should you ever go back there again. But I'll get to that when we get to our destination."

"I have a question," Travis broke in, "when you first came out, you mumbled something about Ben, something that might have happened to him."

"Yes" Haslan sighed, "as you might have deduced, I'm afraid that he has somehow gone to the Shadowfell."

"But how?" Katherine asked.

"My guess would be a portal, but without analysing the scene; I can't state anything but the obvious" Haslan replied sharply. "Now, if you'll let me continue." He threw a glance back and they all became quiet. "The past few months we've been registering a build in energy in the Shadowfell. Some amongst us were against telling you from the start, but I'm telling you now. We don't know if the build up is coincidental, or related to Wyrmina, but we do know this: It enhances the power of all native Shadowfell creatures."

The Rangers stopped walking as the weight of the words hit them all as one.

"So, you're saying that..." Joseph started.

"No!" Katherine cut him off, "No way!"

"I'm afraid so," Haslan said sombrely. They were all silent for a moment.

"So, if Ben is fighting in the Shadowfell," Sarah started, saying what they all thought, "he'll be fighting someone a lot stronger than him. And... he might not make it." The others sank.

"There must be something we can do!" Travis exclaimed. "We have to go help him, right guys?"

"You will do no such thing!" the king nearly yelled at them. "Ben is in enough danger as it is. Sending you all to the Shadowfell once were an error, doing it again could be catastrophic."

"Right," Travis retorted, "it could be. There's no guarantee." He looked as his friends. "I say we go, now!"

"No, you will not!" the king said so firmly that the Rangers became as quiet as mice. "If you want to save Ben, you'll come with me and say no more until we get to where we're going. Got it?!" The king looked sternly at all of them, until they broke beneath his gaze. "Now, if there's nothing else, let's continue."

-o-

Lightning flew from Golzor's fingers. As it impacted on the tree, the trunk exploded, sending a rain of woodchips into the air. Ben protected his head from the splinters, as he hid behind a rock. Where was Golzor now? He dared not look up, but he had to.

Ben carefully raised his head enough to see over the rock. His eyes widened as he saw Golzor's large sword bearing down on him. He hastily threw himself out of the way, but couldn't quite clear the chips of stone. A single chip cut his cheek.

Ben scrambled to his feet as he tried to get away from Golzor. He threw a quick look around him, choose the path that seemed less obstructed and started running. Purple lightning flew all around him, leaving explosions whenever they made contact. He was constantly running through a cloud of dust, splinters and chips of rock.

Ben ran in panic for minutes, fleeing for his life. The explosions slowly dwindled in number, until there were none. Ben dared a fleeting look behind him. It seemed safe and Ben slowed his pace, then stopped. He bent over to catch his breath.

Out of nowhere, a kick threw him sideways and Ben crashed to the ground. Ben looked up and saw Golzor towering above him. The armoured knight kicked again and Ben rolled into a tree.

"You'd better start running again," Golzor said, mockingly, "otherwise, this hunt will become very boring. And end very – very – badly for you." Ben sank, got up, and ran into the forest again, with Golzor's laughter trailing behind him.

-o-

"What is this place?" the Rangers asked, all as one, as they entered a pair of double doors. The room was vast, the size of the Throne Room, if not larger. The ceiling was domed, in the same fashion as the city. Everywhere were people in long white coats working at a variety of tables. The only shared attribute amongst them were, that they were made of metal. Some were tall, others small; some of them were filled with various equipment, others practically empty.

"This is a laboratory," the king explained, "It's used for research and development and may contain the key to saving Ben. Now, follow me." Haslan lead the Rangers down an aisle between stations then turned right. He kept walking, until he noticed that the Rangers had stopped a good ten paces behind him. He turned around and walked back to them.

"Is that...?" Travis started.

"I think so," Joseph replied.

"Guys," said Sarah, trying to get their attention, "is this what?"

Joseph picked up a large sheet of paper before answering, "They appear to be schematics of our Zords. Weapon systems, defensive capabilities, everything."

"And while you could learn a thing or two about your Zords," Haslan interrupted, "wasn't your friend in trouble?"

"BEN!" Travis and Joseph cried out loud. Haslan walked on and the Rangers followed, Joseph reluctantly letting go of the schematics. Haslan lead them to a remote corner of the room and walked over to a scientist.

"Your Highness," the scientist nodded curtly and returned to his work. Peeking behind Haslan's back, the Rangers could see something red lying on the table.

"Is it ready?" Haslan asked, gesturing at the item.

"Why do you ask?" the scientist replied in a raspy voice, clearly annoyed.

"The Red Ranger is in trouble," Haslan replied, keeping his cool, "and he needs it."

The scientist sighed. "The shield itself is done, yes," he replied, "but it hasn't been field-tested yet."

"Then consider this its field-test," Haslan replied, then turned to the Rangers. "Come over here and take a look, this is why I wanted you down here." The four Rangers stepped closer and looked at the shield. Its form was a mix between an oval and an octagon, spanning about a meter in length. The frame was red, like Ben's suit, while the rest was a silvery glass-like colour.

"Ever since you became Rangers we have constantly been working to increase your chances," Haslan explained, "the boosters are one such example, if not the best. And ever since you first entered the Shadowfell, this need has become all the more urgent. This shield has been in development... how long?" he asked the scientist.

"Two months," came the swift reply.

"Two months?" Travis asked in shock. "It took you two months to design a simple shield?"

"A simple shield?!" the scientist spat. "Let me tell you something, mister. This 'simple' shield is capable of withstanding any heat short of lava; it is made of our strongest alloy, making it nigh indestructible; and its middle is capable of reflecting most, if not any kind, of energy weapon." The scientist stopped to catch his breath.

"Okay, okay," Travis said, putting up his hands, "I'm sorry."

"You'd better be," the scientist said with obvious contempt.

"Let's all just calm down," the king said nervously. "Now, can you send it to Ben?"

"Yes," the scientist said, "It should take a minute." He then turned to do his work, leaving Haslan and the Rangers alone.

"Now what?" Joseph asked.

"Now, we wait," Haslan said, "and pray."

-o-

"AGH!" Ben screamed as a lightning exploded next to him, hurling him into a tree. He managed to stay on his feet and pushed himself away from it. As soon as he did, another lightning tore the tree in half. Ben threw himself out of the way to avoid the falling trunk. BUMB! The sound of the trunk hitting the forest floor was deafening. Ben turned his head and panted. The tree had fallen right beside him.

Not looking, Ben got up. He turned his head forward again as he took the first step, only to find himself staring right into the tip of Golzor's blade. Ben eyes widened as the gravity of the situation struck him. But the realisation didn't hurt as Golzor's punch, which sent him falling down again. Ben hit the back of his head on the trunk.

Golzor grinned and took a single step forward. "Guess I win, little Ranger" he said mockingly. "But I commend you. You were a worthy opponent. But now it's over." Golzor raised his sword above his head, wielding it in both hands. "SAY YOUR PRAIERS!"

As the sword came rushing down, Ben closed his eyes and threw his arms up to protect him, knowing that the giant sword would skewer them, only a second before cleaving his skull.

CLANG!

Clang? Ben thought, eyes still closed. Arms don't go clang. Carefully, Ben opened his eyes, and looked up at a red and silvery object on his left arm.

"What?" Golzor said and jumped back. Ben too, was in disbelief. "Where did you get that shield?"

"I don't know," Ben answered honestly. "But a good guess would be my friends in Atlantis." Ben jumped back up. "And now it's time for me to kick your butt!" He flung out his right and left arms, holding the red sphere in the right and the morpher and shield on the left.

"Ancient power, ready to fight!" he yelled as he passed the arms across each other then slammed the sphere and morpher together. A bright light enveloped his body then disappeared, leaving Ben behind in his Ranger suit. "Power Rangers, Atlantis Knight!" he yelled on, as he struck a fighting pose.

"Dress up all the times you want," Golzor snarled his former joy now completely evaporated. "It won't change anything."

"Red Knight Sword!" Ben called and a longsword appeared in his right hand. The red hilt fitted perfectly into the palm of his hand; the crimson blade pulsing in perfect mimicry of his heartbeat.

"Okay..." Golzor said hesitantly. "That's new. But it won't matter."

"We won't know unless we try!" Ben yelled and flung himself at Golzor. He swung his sword at Golzor, who now barely had time to block. Ben stepped back then made another vertical slash. Golzor stepped back and Ben lunged forward. But Golzor read the move and used his sword to repel the attack, guiding Ben to his right. Without a pause, Golzor slid forwards and left, retracted his sword and aimed for Ben's back.

But just as Golzor struck, Ben twisted and raised the shield. The sword smashed against the shield and the momentum pushed Ben a few steps backwards, before he regained his balance.

"Grr," Golzor growled and threw his arm up in front of him. Lightning danced between his fingers, and beneath the helmet, Ben sweated. As Golzor threw his arm towards him, Ben raised his left arm, betting it all on his shield. As the lightning made contact, Ben expected them to explode. But instead the lightning bent off and was reflected in various directions, making more, smaller explosions.

"What?" Golzor screamed.

Now's my chance! Ben thought. "YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" he screamed as he ran towards Golzor, sword raised. Ben leapt and raised the sword above his head, holding it in both hands. As he came down, he slammed it towards Golzor. The black knight hurled his sword up to protect him. The two swords clashed and this time Golzor was pushed several steps backwards.

"THIS IS IT!" the Red Ranger yelled, his sword pulsing vividly. He dashed towards Golzor, who was still off balance and had no time to block or evade. The tip of his sword hit and pierced the left side of the armour.

For a few moments it was as if the world stood still. Nothing moved around them, not a sound could be heard, other than the contestants heavy breaths. Then, roughly ten paces away, a light flared. They shielded their eyes and when it died out, they both turned to look; Golzor still impaled on Ben's sword. Where the light had been before, there now was a portal, leading back to Golden Springs.

"Ben, come in" it sounded through his morpher.

"This is Ben," he replied, turning back to keep a watch on Golzor.

"Thank God you're safe," he heard Katherine sigh and the others cheered.

"Ben, did a portal appear around you?" Haslan voice sounded.

"Yeah," Ben said, "there's a portal."

"Good," Haslan said with relief, "get though and we'll talk on the other side. Haslan out."

"Seems like I'll be the only one to leave," Ben said.

"Don't think you've won, Ranger," Golzor growled, "you may have pierced my armour, but the wound is far from fatal."

"Maybe, but you're in no condition to fight now," Ben replied. With a swift heave he pulled out his sword and ran towards the portal. He stopped midway and turned around. "It was nice playing with you, Golzor. But I'll take my leave now." As Golzor cried out in rage and stumbled to his legs, Ben ran and hurled himself through the portal. Before Golzor was completely at his feet, the portal was gone.

-o-

"What in the world were you thinking?!" Haslan asked Ben after he had returned to Atlantis.

"Well, I..."

"You know very well that protocol dictates to call for help as soon as you are under attack. I thought you of all would adhere to the rules." Ben said nothing to defend himself.

"You had us all worried," Joseph said.

"I'm sorry, guys," Ben said, "I thought I could hold him off when he was alone but he lured me away and I lost my cool."

"That's one way of saying it," Travis mumbled.

"I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course," the other Rangers said. Ben then looked at Haslan.

"I'm not sure," the king replied, "I put my trust in you. If you become severely injured, or even killed, I'll have your lives on my conscience. Perhaps it was wrong to make you Rangers after all." The Rangers stared at him in shock.

"Wh... what do you mean?" Joseph asked with a stutter.

"I'll give you another chance," Haslan said, ignoring Joseph's question, "prove to me that I was right in insisting you becoming Rangers." He looked at them in turn. "But to ensure that you don't do something like this again, I'll schedule extra training for you all." The Rangers moaned. "Starting tomorrow."


And that's it. A little shorter than what you're used to from me, but I can live with that. There was a lot of things I've tried in this chapter, one being my attempt at writing something semi-romance-like, the other being the many transitions. I wanted to try and make it a little more action-oriented, not to mention it's good practise for when we reach episodes 14-15. Writing those without transitions, would take... more than two chapters, that's for sure. But keep you eyes peeled. With any luck, the next chapter wont take 7 months more. This time, I'm aiming for 4 :)