DISCLAIMER: Insert standard disclaimer here, regarding Saban, Disney, and everyone else whom I am not ripping off.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: To all of my longtime readers, I sincerely apologize for the long gaps in between chapter updates lately. It's a long story, and one that I don't believe is appropriate to go into here. I had originally wanted to post this chapter a few days ago, on the 24th. But, it being my birthday, I was out of the house all day, and was unable to do so. On top of that, I got some more inspiration, and added to what I already had. I hope you all like it.

Chapter X

Demon Hunter appraised the situation laid out before him grimly. Nirril's body lay unmoving in the middle of the oddly deserted street, his eyes staring upward unseeing at the sky as a pool of murky blood began to flow outwards from beneath him. His mouth remained open, in the throes of a scream that could no longer be heard. A dagger at his belt lay halfway out of its sheath, apparently in some last ditch effort to kill his executioner, who lay prone and unconscious amongst the forms of the other four warriors, now without their armor.

Demon Hunter gazed at the face of Nirril's killer intently. Mere moments ago he had been fully aware, retrieving the enchanted sword from the alleyway where he had very nearly discovered Demon Hunter's presence. Now it was contorted in a look of agony. The man's life signs, while somewhat erratic, were still strong. For the moment, he wasn't in serious danger. There was something about the man… Something that Demon Hunter couldn't quite put his finger on. Moving swiftly, he took a running start and launched himself into the air, jumping the chasm of air in one leap to land nimbly on a rooftop on the other side, directly above where the warriors were located. He approached the edge of the rooftop silently, until he was close enough to make out the conversation clearly.

"What the hell just happened to him?"

"I don't know, but the same thing happened this morning in our classroom. Except he didn't fall unconscious."

"Was there anything different about this morning in relation to right now?"

"Not that I can remember. What about you guys?"

"We can't remember either."

"Alright. You guys keep thinking about it while you follow me to the hospital. Both me and Tommy need medical attention, and that's where the others are going to be heading anyway."

"Uh, alright, but could you be a little more specific than 'hospital'? We aren't exactly sure where anything is here."

"Queen of Angels hospital is a few blocks away. Just follow me and you won't get lost." The warriors all nodded, and dispersed. The second of the two men who had begun the fight before the three newcomers arrived picked up the unconscious man, and carried him to a motorcycle parked a little ways up the road.

Demon Hunter took a step back and accessed the town's information distribution web as he contemplated his next move. The hospital that was spoken of wasn't very far away from his current position. If Nirril had gone after these two men, they might be able to lead him to his primary target. And yet… Perhaps it would be more prudent to continue the hunt alone. They may only serve to slow me down. He returned his gaze to street level. The two vehicles carrying the warriors were gone. All that remained was Nirril's corpse and the remnants of a few dozen virebots, hissing and sparking in the sunlight.

- PRG -

The main chamber was blanketed in darkness as Zeltrax walked in, his footsteps echoing loudly in the open air. Mesogog had been less than understanding when informed of the failure of the bio-zords to destroy the city. He had been less so when informed that the Power Rangers had tamed the zords. Zeltrax winced in remembered pain. While he hadn't been harmed physically, the mental agony that his lord had inferred onto him had been excruciating. The warning had been well received. He came to a halt in the middle of the room.

"Lord Mesogog," he said, bowing his head slightly in reverence. Mesogog turned to his general.

"Zeltrax. I trust you have learned your lesson. Failure will not be tolerated," he said, his tongue giving his words a distinct serpentine timbre. Zeltrax nodded, twisting his head backward at the sound of footsteps behind him. His heart began to beat faster in his chest as he saw who it was. Elsa. His longing for her had been building gradually since she had begun her tenure with Mesogog. It was nothing of substance, true. Mere attraction. But that attraction was beginning to grow too strong to ignore.

"Lord Mesogog, I believe I have discovered something you will find most pleasing," she said, completely ignoring Zeltrax's presence in the room, as always. Mesogog tilted his head to the side, baring his canines.

"I may find your blood spilt across the floor pleasing, Elsa. Don't presume about such things." Elsa paled visibly at the audible threat. "What have you found?" Elsa swallowed the growing lump in her throat and nodded quickly.

"I've detected a source of great power somewhere near the outskirts of Reefside. I have reason to believe that it's another Dino Gem."

"Very good. Zeltrax, you will accompany Elsa in the recovery of this power source. A monster will be sent into the city to occupy the Power Rangers. Do not fail me again." Elsa and Zeltrax both nodded and left the chamber as Mesogog moved to the Gene Randomizer. "Why must I put up with such incompetence? It seems as if I must do everything myself." He brought his clawed hand down on the activation switch, sending the machine whirring into action.

- PRG -

The drive to the hospital proceeded uneventfully. Adam was driving as fast as he could, within the law, talking to Tanya in hushed tones. Kimberly couldn't make out what they were saying, and didn't even bother trying to. She sat in the rear of the cab in silence, watching the building move swiftly by as they drove. Every so often, she shifted her gaze to the unconscious man lying on the seat beside her, mentally keeping of track of his breathing, shallow as it may be.

Adam shifted uncomfortably in his seat, driving his right hand into his jeans pocket while he maintained control of the vehicle with his left. Tanya reached over instinctively and helped to steady the steering wheel while he dug into his pocket for something. A grunt of satisfaction came from his throat as he withdrew his hand from the recesses of the pocket, his cell phone in tow.

"What are you doing?" Tanya asked. Adam set himself more comfortably into the seat and flipped open the phone, quickly finding a number in his phone book.

"There's no way that all of the pieces of the armor are hidden here on Earth. In fact, there's a good chance that none of them are here. Which means that we need to get in touch with someone offworld, and if that's the case there's only one person that Tommy could have been trying to call." Tanya's eyes widened as the answer dawned upon her. After three rings, someone finally picked up on the other end.

"Yes, I'd like to speak with someone in the residence office, please."

- PRG -

A soft, intermittent beeping sound awakened the man from his slumber. He groaned sleepily, pushing himself into a sitting position. The pale yellow moonlight streaming in from the partially open window shined across his toned upper body, reflecting off of the thin layer of sweat already present there. He turned to the form beginning to stir in the bed beside him. He leaned over and brushed his lips gently across his wife's forehead.

"Go back to sleep," he cooed softly. "I'll find out what's wrong." She whispered something incoherent and rolled over, returning to sleep. The man reached down to the floor and retrieved a pair of blue jeans. Standing up, he pushed his left foot into the left pant leg, beginning to hop almost comically on one foot as he struggled to put the pants on in his still-drowsy state. Finally getting them on, after much cajoling, he walked over to a communications panel inset into the wall beside the bedroom door. Adjusting the controls to send a transmission to the barracks located a handful of metres away, he began to speak.

"Was it really necessary to wake me up at this hour, general?" he asked, fighting to hold back the yawn bubbling in the back of his throat.

"I apologize for the inconvenience. However, the nature of the communication we have just received warranted your immediate arousal." The man sighed and nodded to himself.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," he said. Terminating the transmission, he grabbed a dark t-shirt slung carelessly on a nearby chair and left the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him.

- PRG -

Adam hung up the cell phone with a motion from his index finger. He had been on the phone for a scant few minutes, but had managed to explain the situation quickly enough.

"He said he'd meet us at the hospital in half an hour," he said briefly. Tanya nodded, stealing a glance backward at Kimberly. She was curled up on the seat, visibly shivering. Probably not from the cold either, Tanya thought to herself. Adam seemed to notice it to, for he spoke.

"Are you alright, Kim?" he asked, concern audible in his voice. Kimberly bit her lower lip.

"I'm just worried about Jason and Tommy," she said, her voice unusually meek. Tanya smiled reassuringly.

"They can take care of themselves, Kim. Besides, if we had stayed our new friend here might not have made it. At least this way he'll have a chance," she said, trying to put Kim's mind at ease. Kim nodded, but the worry was still evident in her eyes.

"We're here," Adam announced, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had begun to fester in the jeep. He maneuvered the jeep through the parking lot, bringing it to a stop in front of the doors to Emergency. Grabbing hold of the overhanging bar, he pulled himself out of the jeep, landing lightly on his feet. He moved to the rear cab, and gingerly picked up the unconscious man, who moaned softly in pain. He locked eyes with Kimberly.

"Do you want to come in with me now or go with Tanya to park the jeep?" he asked. Kimberly shifted her gaze between Adam and Tanya, then back to Adam.

"I'll come with you," she said, standing up with her purse gripped firmly in hand. Adam nodded once, and turned to Tanya.

"Go park the jeep and wait for the others in front," he said, handing her a few bills for the cost of parking. Tanya nodded, and slid into the driver's seat, being careful to avoid the shifter in-between seats. As she drove off, Adam walked as quickly and carefully as possible through the automatic doors, with Kimberly falling into line a few steps behind.

- PRG -

The man had been wrong in how long it would take him to get to the barracks. He made it in eight minutes flat. He stopped before the large portcullis-like door and placed his hand against the palm reader, sweating slightly from the exertion of running. A wash of blue light moved across a digital screen just above the palm reader, scanner-like. The blue light made two more passes before the vague outline of the man's hand turned into the distinct impression of his palm. Brief flashes of the blue light illuminated each finger of his hand as the computerized algorithm searched the barracks' central database for a match. A high-pitched ring, followed by a deep click from within the door denoted that a match had been found. The man removed his hand from the reader, and waited patiently as the servos within the door whirred to life, causing it to begin its slow climb to the top of its track. As soon as the door had raised enough to allow him to walk underneath it, the man walked into the barracks.

He gave brief nods to the soldiers stationed at the communications posts on either side of the door as he walked to the control hub located a few metres down the corridor. Two armed guards flanked the heavy-set twin doors, their eyes sweeping the corridors leading to it in parallel, semi-elliptical arcs. The man stopped before the guards.

"Gentlemen," he said curtly. "I believe I've been expected." The guards nodded in unison, stepping aside to allow him to pass.

"You may go ahead, sir," one of them said, activating a control behind him. The doors swung inward, allowing the man to the security center of the facility. Nodding his thanks, he walked in, moving to the general's position as the doors closed behind him.

"General," he said, announcing his presence. The general turned, his head turning slightly as he made eye contact. "What is the nature of the transmission?"

"It's being delivered on a delta-band frequency," he replied. The man's eyes narrowed.

"Delta-band… But that's impossible. Nobody uses the delta-band anymore," he said, his mind working furiously. "Unless…" He moved quickly to the nearest computer terminal and began to work, his fingers flying across the keyboard. A map of the solar system appeared on the screen in front of him, overlapped with a grid divided into alphanumerically labeled quadrants. He performed a sensor sweep through sporadically placed tracking satellites throughout the system, in an attempt to trace the origin of the communication. He turned to the general. "Have your men scan the adjacent systems for the origin of that transmission." The general nodded and gave the order.

The man's heart began to race just as fast as his mind was. There are only a few people who would send a transmission on a delta-band frequency. Something serious must have happened. The head of one of the technicians to his right bobbed up.

"I believe I have found the point of origin," he said. The man straightened and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Put it up on the main screen," he said. The technician nodded and put it up on the largest monitor with a few keystrokes. The image of a red dwarf system appeared on the screen. The top of the image read "KAROVA SYSTEM". A flashing yellow dot, denoting the transmission's point of origin, appeared on an orbiting station of the third planet. The man nodded to himself and turned to the general.

"Is there somewhere that I can take this in private?" he asked. The general nodded.

"You may use my office," he replied, pointing to a door in the northwestern corner of the room. Nodding his thanks, he walked briskly to the door, opened it and stepped into the office, letting the door swing shut behind him. He sat down behind the desk and spurred the computer sitting there into action.

"Please enter voice authorization," a computerized voice stated. The man leaned forward.

"Voice authorization: Blue-Tango-Charlie-Tango-Nine-Two."

"Voice authorization confirmed."

"Accept incoming transmission. This screen only." The man waited while the computer processed the commands. A beep sounded, signifying that the transmission was coming through. The man leaned back into the chair and appraised the screen as it flickered to life. The image of a man in his mid-twenties appeared. He was dressed in a gray military jacket overtop a form-fitting red shirt. His shoulder-length, blond-streaked brown hair looked disheveled, his eyes had heavy bags beneath them.

"Hi –"

"No names," the man behind the desk interrupted. "I can't be certain that the connection is secure." The man on the other end of the transmission nodded.

"Understood."

"What do you have for me?"

"I detected a ship leaving the Earth's atmosphere about ten minutes ago. It's of Direntian design."

"Direntian? Is it the same ship that you detected a week ago?"

"We can't be sure. I have someone working on it now. I should know within twenty minutes."

"Good. I'm heading to Earth on my ship, the Yavneh. You should do the same. Contact me as soon as you know."

"Will do."

The screen cut out, black except for the words TRANSMISSION TERMINATED.

- PRG -

Adam let out a breath slowly, leaning against the wall of the waiting room. Kimberly sat in the chair next to him, wringing her hands slowly.

"I'm really beginning to hate hospitals," she said softly. Adam chuckled.

"Believe me, you aren't the only one," he replied. He crossed his arms across his chest, glancing down at his watch. "He's probably still in surgery."

"How bad was he?" Kimberly asked. Adam shrugged his shoulders.

"I can't be sure, but if I were to venture a guess, I'd say broken ribs, internal bleeding and a concussion, at least." The door to the elevator adjacent to the waiting room chimed open, revealing the group of Hayley, Katherine, Rocky, Tanya and Zack. Adam waved them over, and the group moved towards them. Hearing footsteps coming from behind him, Adam turned to see a doctor approaching him.

"How is he, doctor?" he asked as soon as the doctor was close enough to hear.

"Are you a family member?"

"No, I'm the one who brought him in. We found him unconscious in the park."

"He's out of surgery. We have him in the ICU, in stable condition."

"I need to see him, doctor. When will that be possible?"

"I don't think that's a—"

"This is a matter of life and death! When can I see him?" The doctor's eyes narrowed.

"You can't. If that changes I'll let you know, but until then you either stay in the waiting room or get out of this hospital." The doctor walked away without saying another word. Adam gritted his teeth and was about to reply with a scathing remark but was restrained by a firm hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Zack standing there.

"It's not worth it, man. Let it go." Adam sighed heavily and allowed Zack to lead him back to the waiting room.

- PRG -

A light blue jeep pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, tires screeching as it came to a halt in a parking space near the hospital entrance. The door opened, and a man stepped out into the afternoon air. He stood about five feet eleven, with closely cropped light brown hair. He was clad in a pair of dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a loose fitting blue flannel shirt with the arms rolled up just past the elbows. He closed the door behind him, patting the hood once before pocketing the keys. He looked quickly from side to side before locating the machine responsible for paying for parking.

He scanned the instructions quickly, pulling out his wallet from his back left pocket. He opened it and withdrew a couple bills: a five and two ones. He inserted them into the machine and selected an hour and a half, just to be safe. Pressing the 'print' button, he grabbed the white slip as soon as it was available and jogged back to his vehicle, placing the ticket onto the dashboard, just above the steering column. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, before making the trek to the entrance.

Reaching it in a few minutes, he entered the building, being met with a brief gust of air as the automatic doors opened before him. Turning to his left, he saw the information desk. Walking over to it, he smiled at the woman seated there, and began to speak.

"Hi there, I'm looking for a few friends of mine. They came in through emergency with an unconscious man. I was wondering if you could tell me where they might be." The woman looked up at him and smiled.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. It's against protocol. What you told me is too vague to be able to tell you anything, anyway. Your best bet would be to head over to emergency and see if they're still there."

"How do I get there from here?" he asked. The woman pointed to her right.

"Take that corridor straight down and make a right. There'll be a sign hanging overhead. You can't miss it."

"Thanks a lot. I appreciate it." He walked down the hall briskly, hoping to hell that they'd still be there.

- PRG -

Ryan tapped his foot impatiently on the floor. He was seated in the belly of Draeph's ship, waiting to be told of their destination. He unbuckled the belt holding him down and stood up, intent on finding Draeph and finding out. He didn't get far before Draeph appeared in the doorway, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Going somewhere, Ryan?" he asked.

"I was just coming to find you, actually. Where the hell are we going?" Draeph took a step forward, motioning for Ryan to sit back down. "I'm fine where I am, thank you." Draeph's head tilted slightly to the side, his eyebrows rising briefly before nodding.

"Very well. We're headed to a planet in the next system over called Onyx. A planet of ill-repute populated by the lowlife scum of the universe. They aren't my kind of people, but they serve their purpose when used properly. My master has informed me that the right armguard is located there. Once we've acquired it—"

"—it'll be one down, four to go," Ryan finished. Draeph nodded.

"Precisely. We'll arrive in approximately two hours. I suggest that you rest until then. I don't know what we'll face on Onyx, but it's best that we be prepared." Ryan groaned and lowered himself back into his seat.

"I feel like I'm going to go stir-crazy in here," he muttered.

- PRG -

The door the bridge opened with a hiss. Six pairs of eyes turned to face him.

"Where are we headed?"

"We're heading home," the newcomer replied. "Set course for Earth, maximum hyper rush velocity." As the others moved to follow the order, he stood at the accelerators. Looks like it's time to break it open…again.

- PRG -

Direntian – (dir-REN-she-in)

- PRG -

The name of the ship mentioned in this chapter, the Yavneh, is named after the producer of the hit Fox television show "24". The voice authorization code used related directly to the character who used it. I challenge you guys to try and find the connection. I hope you guys like this chapter. The last little bit may seem rushed, but trust me, I did it for a reason. I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say, as always. 'Till next time.

Oh, and do feel free to let me know what you think regarding the new format of the chapters, readability wise.