DISCLAIMER
Inspired by a PSA and the Mutant X ep "She's Come Undone". Some things inspired by the Lois And Clark ep "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. When I'm in the POV of the characters that run Project X9, other characters will be referred to by their last names. This chap is rather long and I'm sure the constant scene shifts will get confusing and I apologize, but I had a certain plot device that I wanted to get in and this chap is the best one for it.
In the Command Center, Alpha watched over Monica in concern.
"Zordon, the Rangers must defeat Soul Stealer quickly!" Alpha exclaimed. Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! I've never been so worried! he thought to himself. Then, the alarm blared. "Oh, no! It's back!" he exclaimed. Without being told, he summoned the Rangers.
"What's up, Alpha?" Zack questioned.
"Soul Stealer's back!" Alpha replied.
"Where is he?" Kimberly asked.
"Downtown Angel Grove!" Alpha told her.
"We're on it!" Zack promised. The Rangers morphed and materialized in the park. Meanwhile, Stryker had sent some of his men to look for Monica. Finally, one of the men went to a payphone.
"Sir, we've checked all over Stone Canyon and Angel Grove. We can't find her," he reported. Stryker growled.
"You better find her---now!" he roared. He slammed down the phone angrily. When I get my hands on her…his thought trailed off. Then, his lips curved into a grin when he remembered Scott's voice. The boy had always been a fun one to manipulate, especially with his major guilt complex. The kids had thought that by forcing him to deactivate them that everything was over, but how wrong they had been. He still owned them and there was nothing they could do about it. With a sigh, he turned on the t.v. in his office. However, the only thing of an interest was a report of a monster attack a few hours previously. Suddenly, he noticed a figure on the screen and leaned forward. The monster zapped a girl and she fell to the ground. Then, after the monster retreated, the Rangers teleported her away. So that's where she went, he thought to himself. They probably hadn't realized that she was part of a special project and thus had taken her to their base of operation. Well then, no matter. I'll just focus on the other kids, he thought to himself. Meanwhile, Rita had made the Soul Stealer grow and the Rangers had called on their zords, forming the Megazord. With a slice from the Power Sword, the monster was destroyed. At the Lunar Palace, Rita fumed and hit the balcony.
"I DON'T BELIEVE THEY BEAT US!" she shrieked.
"It was all Finster's fault. He made a stupid monster," Goldar quickly stated.
"SHUT UP! I HAVE A HEADACHE!" Almost immediately, in the Command Center, Monica moaned. As she started to sit up, the morphed Rangers appeared in the Command Center and turned to her.
"Easy, Miss. Sit up slowly," the Black Ranger advised.
"Where am I?" she wondered as she did as she was told.
"In our Command Center. You got caught in the crossfire of a monster attack," the Pink Ranger answered.
"What?" she gasped.
"Yeah, you just waltzed right into the park and started defacing everything. Do you have any idea why?" the Green Ranger queried.
"The last thing I remember is the phone ringing," she stated. "And then---" she groaned.
"Just take it easy. There may have been side effects from the monster's attack," the Yellow Ranger said.
"My friends! I have to go to them! They're probably worried sick," she told them, starting to get up from the medical chair.
"Wait, don't---" as the Green Ranger tried to stop her, she elbowed him and then spun around and kicked him in the side, knocking him against a console.
"Aw, geez," he groaned.
"Ma'am, calm down. No one is going to harm you," the Blue Ranger stated, putting his hands out in a placating manner.
"I have to get to my friends and you're not going to stop me," she insisted. "Now send me home…if you can." The Rangers looked to Zordon, who nodded.
"Do as the civilian requests, Rangers. We have no right to hold her against her will." The Green Ranger pressed a button on a console and Monica disappeared in a ball of white light. Back at his office building, Stryker drummed his fingers on the desk. Who should I activate next? he wondered. The only one he hadn't activated yet was the Chandler girl. But he didn't just want to hurt her, but the Scott boy as well. Then, his features curved into a terrible grin. He knew exactly what to do. Yes. That will work perfectly, he thought to himself and leaned back in his chair. Yeah, that would fix Scott. All he had to do was wait for the right time. Meanwhile, Monica had gone back to Ruby's and had relayed what had happened.
"So wait, whoever activated you put you right in the middle of a battle?" Ruby queried. Monica nodded. "Harsh." Then, she looked at her watch. "Oh, man! Mom's going to be home any second!"
"And that's our cue to go." With that, Monica, Curtis, and Jason left the house.
"Jase, man, what are we going to do?" Curtis wondered.
"Don't know. I mean, we can't go without answering the phone forever," Jason answered.
"Yeah, I think our parents would start to notice," Curtis agreed. Jason chuckled.
"Can I drop you off?"
"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks." Jason drove to Crystal Drive and up to Curtis' house and then dropped him off. Then, he went to his own home, where he immediately went to the backyard and started attacking his punching bag. Several hours later, he went inside and headed for his bedroom, where after changing into his clothes, climbed into bed and then drifted off to sleep. The next thing he knew, the phone was ringing. He groaned and then froze. Oh, man. What if Stryker's trying to activate me again? I don't know if I can handle it, he thought to himself. But, but on the other hand, what if it was one of the others? He shook his head. There was no need to pick up the phone. He'd see them at the youth center. He got out of bed and got dressed. Afterwards, he went into the kitchen where the phone kept ringing. Guess Mom and Dad went out, he thought to himself. The phone rang again and he jumped. He stared at the device nervously. It rang again. Man, the heck with it! he thought. As the phone continued to ring, he picked up the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Warrior." The word was out before Jason had time to hang up. The effect was instantaneous. His eyes became glazed.
"What's your command?"
"The Chandler girl. Dispose of her." There was a click. Without a word, Jason headed for his room, where he searched until he found his pocketknife and put it in his jeans pocket. Then, he headed out. Meanwhile, Ruby had decided to visit Angel Grove in an attempt to clear her head. Man, I should come here more often. It's prettier than Stone Canyon, she thought to herself.
"Looks like we had the same idea," a voice said. She turned to see Curtis.
"Looks like," she commented.
"So you came to the Grove to get a change of pace, huh?" he queried.
"Only you call it the Grove, dork," she told him.
"Emo," he shot back. She fumed playfully. Just then, he noticed a newcomer.
"Hey, Jase," he greeted. Then he noted something flash in the sunlight. "Ruby, watch it!" he shouted. Ruby jumped out of the way as Jason thrust the knife at her. Aw, man. This is not good, Curtis thought and quickly ran up to him.
"Yo, Jason, chill," he said.
"Out of my way," the other boy growled, kicking him. Curtis staggered back as Jason lunged at Ruby who dodged the jab. Can't let him do it. he'll never forgive himself, Curtis thought as he tried to attack again, but was blocked and punched back. Jason turned to Ruby, brandishing his knife.
"Hey, wake up, Scott. Don't let him use you this way," she said, trying to block an attack. Come on, man. You can fight this, she thought to herself. However, his eyes remained glazed and unseeing as he swiped at her again. She groaned in pain when the blade nicked a palm. Curtis spun around to deliver a side kick, but Jason expertly blocked it and then kicked the other boy back.
"I said stay out of my way!" he growled, delivering a kick to his head. With a moan, Curtis fell to the ground. Then, Jason's gaze turned to Ruby who had begun to run off. "Oh, no you don't." He quickly caught her arm and started to strike, pulling her close. Curtis forced himself to his feet and his breath quickened when he saw the scene.
"JASON, NO!" Though the warning came too late, Curtis managed to tackle Jason and the knife went into the lower part of the girl's stomach right above her waist. She gasped and her eyes widened. Jason groaned.
"What? Where---" then he saw the girl sinking to the ground. "RUBY!" he quickly caught her before she hit the concrete. She moaned and her eyes started to close.
"Ruby? Ruby?" He slapped her, trying to force her to stay awake. "RUBY!"