Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers. I think Saban owns them again. It was Disney for a while, but whoever owns them, it's definitely not me. I also don't own any song lyrics used. This chapter's again belong to Eyeshine, one of the best bands ever, in my opinion.

AN: Here's chapter 10! Thanks for all the great reviews. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

AN 2: Set in 2007 following the Operation Overdrive episode "Once a Ranger". Everything after that episode is AU.

Crimson Rising

Chapter 10: Shape My Heart

The sounds of traffic fade in and out

The lights of a city blurry now

The cause for panic is over

Stress and discomfort I soon forget

You take my pain away

You make my world okay

You shape my heart so I can feel what love is

You take my hate away

And we'll last forever

Right here or wherever

Song: Shape My Heart

Artist: Eyeshine


En route to Blue Bay Harbor

"No, I understand Zack and I wouldn't even be calling if this weren't a serious code red," Jason said into his phone, as he drove down the highway. Trini sighed and looked out the passenger window, seeing the sign that told her that Blue Bay Harbor was only another sixty miles away. They had flown into Angel Grove this morning and rented a car. Behind them was a burgundy SUV carrying Rocky, Aisha, their daughter Olivia, and Adam.

"All right, I'll keep you posted," Jason said dejectedly.

"No man, I understand. You need to do what you think is right," Jason added. Trini looked at her husband and knew that Zack was not taking the call to action well at all. She sighed. Maybe it was best he didn't get involved, at least not now. Zack had married Angela and moved to New York. He owned a very successful dance studio, which Angela helped him run, taking care of the business and financial side, while raising their young son. She knew about his days as a ranger and was in no way impressed. She expected Zack to be done with that life and be there for his family. Trini really couldn't blame her and for someone who hadn't been a ranger, it was more difficult to understand the gravity of the situation. It helped too that she and Jason didn't have kids yet. They had a good marriage, but busy careers, his as an FBI agent and hers as surgeon. Saving lives was part of what they did so transitioning temporarily back to their lives as rangers was just another spectrum of that.

"All right, take care. Yeah, don't worry, we'll be careful and I'll give your condolences to Billy," Jason said, as he finally hung up his cell phone.

"Not coming?" Trini asked. Jason shook his head.

"The minute Angela heard that what happened in Mariner Bay was an alien attack, she freaked out and forbid Zack to go anywhere near this and I quote, "crazy state"," Jason replied.

"Guess I can't really blame her. I'm just used to being married to a red," Trini mentioned, as she reached over and squeezed his hand. He smirked.

"Guess it doesn't matter if it's human or alien evil. Always seems like I'm tracking down one or the other," Jason mentioned. Trini smiled.

"It's part of who you are and even though I worry every single day, I know that you wouldn't be happy if you weren't doing something to make a difference," Trini replied, as his phone chirped. He handed it to her so she could read the text.

"Who's it from?" he asked.

"Tommy. I guess Malcolm's goons turned up in Blue Bay Harbor and were after Kat again," Trini said.

"Damn it…is she okay?" he asked. Trini nodded.

"She's with Tommy and the others now. Someone named Hunter and Tori took out five of them by themselves," Trini said in disbelief. She knew the type of people that Malcolm hired to do his dirty work. They weren't pushovers and they were always heavily armed.

"Those names sound vaguely familiar. I'm guessing they're rangers from the secret Ninja school," he said, with a chuckle.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"If those kids fight that good, I totally want to spar them," he mentioned. Trini rolled her eyes. Some things would never change.

"Have you heard from Kim yet? Jason asked. Trini shook her head.

"Not yet. But she is training possible future Olympians for next summer's games," Trini reminded.

"Yeah, well there might not be any games next year if we don't take care of Ooze, so she better answer her damn phone. It's well past time that she and the rainbow ranger talked anyway," Jason griped. Trini smiled.

"He really hates it when you call him that," Trini reminded. Jason grinned.

"All the more reason to do it. Besides, he's the one that can't make up his damn mind about what color he wants to be," Jason joked. Trini shook her head.

"I'll try Kim again," she said, as she dialed the number.


Ninja Ops

Hunter and Tori led the returning party down the steps and Aiden continued to babble on in amazement about the waterfall portal they had just stepped through.

"Wow…this place is awesome…" Aiden said in awe. Tommy chuckled, as the little boy went about looking around.

"Oh my God…Kat!" Tanya cried.

"Tanya!" Kat cried in response, as the two friends hugged each other tightly.

"When I heard you were in witness protection, I was so worried," Tanya said.

"I know…I'm sorry," Kat replied.

"We're just glad you're safe," Tommy mentioned.

"And we're going to make sure you stay that way, but aren't you going to introduce me?" Tanya asked, as she pointed to the little boy that was looking around.

"Aiden…come here," Kat called.

"This is Mommy's friend Tanya,"

"It's nice to meet you Aiden. Your Mom and I go way back," Tanya said.

"Yeah, you were the yellow ranger when my mom was the pink one, right?" he asked, surprising Tanya. She nodded.

"Sure was kiddo," she replied, as he went back to looking around.

"He's amazing Kat," Tommy told her. She smiled.

"He's my world and he fears nothing…unfortunately. He wants to be a ranger someday too, it's all he can talk about," Kat said, chagrin in her voice.

"I'm surprised you told him. Not many seven-year-olds can keep that kind of secret," Tanya mentioned.

"Aiden seems a lot older than he is. Moving around all the time isn't easy, but he never complains," Kat replied sadly. Tommy squeezed her shoulder.

"Don't feel guilty. Getting out of that situation was the best thing you could have done. The rangers have bigger fish to fry right now, but don't think we're not going to pay a visit to this guy when we've dealt with Ooze," Tommy said. On the way back to the school, they had given Kat the rundown on what was happening.

"I don't want anyone putting themselves in harm's way for me. It's not fair for me to ask that of any of you," Kat refuted.

"Uh…no disrespect Ms. Hillard, but Hunter and Tori aren't the only Ninjas around. If they can take out five armed guys, then what do you think all six of them can do? They kicked our asses when we were rangers," Conner mentioned. Shane chuckled.

"Yeah, we so did," Shane chimed in, earning chuckles in response.

"You are among friends and family here, Katherine and you and your son are welcome here at the Wind Ninja Academy as long as you like. I'm Sensei Kanoi Watanabe,"

"Thank you for your kindness, Sensei," Katherine replied, her weariness starting to fade.

"You teach Martial Arts here, right?" Aiden asked. Kanoi smiled.

"Yes young one. Here the ways of the Wind Ninja are learned. I sense you have had a few Martial Arts lessons?" Kanoi asked.

"A couple from my Uncle Jason, but we never get to stay long enough anywhere else for me to learn more," Aiden said sadly.

"Well, perhaps that can change now," Kanoi offered the young man.

Hunter smiled at the boy and felt Tori take his hand. He looked at her and noticed her concerned gaze, which was mixed with her love for him.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah…it's a lot to take in, but I'll be fine, because I have you. And because I'm trying to look at this from the perspective that you would look at it," Hunter replied. She smiled coyly.

"Oh and how would I look at it?" she asked. He returned her smile.

"That despite everything that I'm going to face now, I just found out that I also have an uncle who wants to be a part of my life and a mother that's still alive," he replied, as he brushed her hair from her face, gently caressing her beautiful face.

"You always help me see the good in everything. Your love takes the pain, anger, and hate away. I'm a better man because of you," Hunter continued, as he leaned down and kissed her tenderly, before approaching his Uncle, leaving her breathless with a dreamy stare and her feelings for him making her heart swell with love.

"I'm…sorry I ran out. It was just a lot to take in," he said, as Tori stood beside him. She smiled, as they joined hands.

"But I think we're ready for whatever we have to do next," Hunter added. Zedd smiled.

"I knew you'd be back and there is more to be revealed when a few more arrive. Rita will soon arrive with the Scroll of Fire and it will tell us who will be accompanying you to Phaedos," Zedd replied.

"The Scroll of Fire has been missing from the Wind Ninja Academy for almost twenty-five years," Cam mentioned. Zedd nodded and glanced at Kanoi.

"Yes Cam…it has and that's because I made sure it was given to Zordon. The Bradley's delivered it themselves for safekeeping," Kanoi said.

"My adoptive parents?" Hunter asked. He nodded.

"I was still evil at the time you were sent to Earth and though I didn't arrive here until 1994, your mother and Zordon had to make sure I had not even an inkling that you were here. Had I found you when I was evil and took you, all would have been lost. Sensei Watanabe and your adoptive parents couldn't tell you of your true heritage or it could have jeopardized everything," Zedd explained. Hunter sighed deeply, again taking in more overwhelming information.

"What does the scroll say?" Hunter asked.

"I don't know. I don't speak Triforian. It originally came from Triforia and was in Trey's hands the moment Zordon got a hold of it," Zedd replied, before continuing.

"About a month ago, your mother began noticing the restlessness of the Ninjetti spirits and contacted Prince Trey asking him to record the translation of the scroll and send it to Earth. Rita has retrieved it and is on her way here with the Mystic Force rangers. They managed to survive the massacre in Briarwood," Zedd explained.

"I know this is going to sound disrespectful, but how does an ancient scroll tell us anything?" Conner asked, expecting the nudge that Kira gave him. Zedd chuckled.

"I used to ask Dulcea the same thing just to make her mad," he quipped.

"But the scroll will tell us what we need to know. The Chosen Twenty is what the passage in the scroll is called. We know Hunter is one, but it will reveal nineteen others that are destined to fight alongside him. However, every former ranger will have an important role in the preservation of the Earth and the survival of the human race, I assure you," Zedd said, his tone deeply serious now.

"This is all really deep man," Dustin mentioned.

"No doubt," Blake added, his mind still whirling.

"Dude, you being an alien makes so much sense though," Shane ribbed, nudging Hunter's arm.

"I knew that was coming," Hunter said with an eye roll.

"And don't forget a prince too," Dustin reminded, as they, including Cam, snickered.

"Hunter's a prince…that's a good one," Blake teased.

"Shut up…" Hunter grumbled, as he playfully shoved his little brother.

"And you wonder why people worry when they find out that you guys are supposed to save the world," Tori added dryly. The guys snickered again.

"Oh admit it Tor, you want to kiss your prince charming," Shane teased, batting his eyelashes dramatically. The kissy noises ensued and she playfully shoved him away.

"Ugh…you guys are so immature," Tori said, glaring at them.

"She's right. Maybe we should kill time and do something productive, like spar?" Cam suggested.

"That's actually a good idea. How long has it been since you've sparred, little bro?" Hunter asked. Blake sighed.

"I'm back five minutes and you're already on my case about this?" Blake complained.

"That long, huh?" Hunter teased.

"We'll see how cocky you are when I mop the floor with you," Blake boasted. Hunter scoffed.

"In your dreams. I may not be able to beat you on the track anymore, but we both know that sparring is my arena," Hunter challenged, as they circled.

"You're going down bro," Blake retorted, as he launched himself at the taller blonde. The spar soon caught everyone's attention, as the Bradley brothers shuffled along the full expanse of the room, trading blows and kicks.

"Wow…are those two always like this?" Kira mentioned to Tori, who smiled.

"More or less. Hunter can be pretty…intense sometimes," Tori mentioned, as she bit her bottom lip.

"Oh really?" Kira teased, nudging her friend. Tori smiled shyly, realizing what she had just said aloud. She shrugged.

"It must be a red thing. One minute he's being a goofball with the guys and the next he's giving me chills just with a look," Tori said quietly. Kira nodded.

"Conner is the same most of the time. I totally get it," Kira agreed.

Meanwhile, Blake continued his onslaught on his older brother, connecting with a spinning roundhouse. Hunter grunted at the blow, but blocked Blake's next punch, grabbing his arm and flipping him onto his back, effectively winning the match. Blake groaned, as Hunter grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet.

"Dude…it's worse than I thought. You're slipping big time," Hunter teased.

"Shut up…" Blake grumbled.

"I think that's Crimson-one, Navy-zero," Shane teased.

"All right, all right, I'll beef up my training regimen," Blake conceded, as they heard the Ops computer chime. Cam was on it and pulled up the schematics.

"There's a small craft heading toward here. I think it might be Billy, though he's earlier than expected. The ship is honed in around the coordinates I gave him," Cam called. Tommy nodded and looked to Tanya and Kat.

"Can you open the portal for us?" he asked. Cam nodded.

"Just head west. There's a clearing about half a mile and he should be landing there. I'll watch the monitors so I can reopen the portal when you get back," Cam said.

"Thanks Cam," Tommy said, as the three of them headed up the stairs.

"So…what do we do now?" Connor asked.

"More sparring. Ooze could send his goons any time, especially since I'm sure he knows we're building our numbers," Hunter said. Zedd smiled to himself, as he silently watched his nephew naturally take charge without even realizing it.

"Whoa…it's like a Power Ranger convention in here!" Kapri quipped, as she and Marah bounced down the stairs with six people following them.

"Where have you two been?" Cam questioned.

"Relax cousin…" Kapri complained.

"Yeah is that anyway to greet your awesome cousins?" Marah asked, as she greeted Dustin with a kiss on his cheek.

"For your information, Mr. I'm Such a Super Genius, we were on a mission for Sensei," Kapri added.

"Yeah, he sent us to get the Overdrive rangers," Marah said, as the five newest rangers and Mr. Hartford looked around in awe.

"Mr. Hartford, I'm Sensei Watanabe," Kanoi greeted.

"Thank you for contacting us. It looks like with what's going on we're in over our heads again," Mr. Hartford greeted in return.

"So, you're the newest red?" Eric asked, as he approached Mack. He nodded.

"Mack Hartford," he answered, holding out his hand to shake.

"Welcome Rookies," Eric said, shaking his hand.

"Rookies?" Will asked, a little offended.

"Don't be too offended. Eric considers everyone after Time Force as quote, Rookies," Wes replied, with a smirk. Shane raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked.

"Nothing personal kids," Eric retorted with a playful smirk. Shane's gaze steeled at being called a kid.

"Oh dude…it's on!" Dustin called.

"Care to spar a rookie then?" Shane asked.

"You mean me against you and crimson boy?" Eric asked. Hunter smirked.

"I'll spar you…if you can manage to get past Shane," Hunter challenged, eliciting whistles and calls all around the room.

"You sure that's a good idea, Eric? These guys are highly trained Ninjas," Wes warned. The Quantum ranger scoffed.

"Please Wes…stand back and you might learn something," Eric boasted. Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, we're about to watch you learn how to get your butt kicked," she mumbled. Eric strode confidently into the center and sunk into fighting stance, taunting Shane with a hand motion, daring him to charge. Shane smirked and quick as a flash, he pulled away his street clothes, revealing his black Ninja uniform, before sinking into fighting stance as well. Eric and Shane were about to charge when the Ops computer picked up another alert.

"Hold it!" Cam stopped them, as he checked the scanners.

"Guys, we've got trouble at Storm Chargers," Cam called.

"That's Adam," Kira called, pointing at the monitor.

"Rocky, Aisha, and their daughter too," Tori added.

"And Jason and Trini," Wes finally added.

"What the hell are those things?" Ronny asked, pointing out the oozing creatures.

"Ooze's henchmen," Conner said, clearly remembering his and Kira's encounter.

"Have Tommy meet us there when he gets back," Cam called to Hayley, as the other five Ninjas joined Shane in pulling away their street clothes and revealing their Ninja uniforms.

"Who else wants to learn how to do that?" Max asked, raising his hand. He shrunk back under Taylor's glare.

"Time for Time Force!" Wes called.

"Quantum Power!" Eric echoed.

"Let's go guys," Mack called, but his Dad held him back.

"We're sitting this one out for now, son," he said.

"But Dad, we can still morph!" Mack protested.

"Yeah and how well did that help against Thrax?" Conner questioned. Mack looked disheartened.

"No offense dude, but these guys make Thrax look like one of those campy villains from a Saturday morning cartoon. Most of us are out of our league," Conner explained. Mack nodded sadly and stood down.

"Can you teleport us to Storm Chargers?" Hunter asked.

"But our identities…" Cam argued.

"It's almost dark…and it doesn't matter anymore, not after we ran into those sector nine guys in Mariner Bay," Hunter argued back.

"He's right, people are going to get hurt if we don't get there now and Ninja streak will just waste energy," Shane added. Cam sighed.

"Fine. Everyone else standby in case we need reinforcements. I have a bad feeling about all this," Cam griped, as he initiated the teleportation sequence, teleporting the six of them and the two Time Force rangers to Storm Chargers.


"This is the place Hunter told us about," Adam said, as they parked outside the small shop called 'Storm Chargers'.

"Okay, I'll call Tommy," Jason said.

"Have you heard from Kim yet?" Aisha asked her predecessor.

"Not yet, but it's still early evening yet. I'm sure she'll be home and check her messages soon," Trini responded, as the sea air filled their nostrils.

"Mommy, look at the beach!" Olivia called, as Rocky picked her up so she could see the beautiful scene in the near distance.

"Pretty neat place, huh?" he asked with a grin. She nodded.

"Is this where Tori lives?" she asked. Aisha smiled.

"Sure is baby. We'll be seeing her soon," Aisha promised. Her statement was followed by a growling sound and they looked around in confusion.

"Crap…we're in trouble guys," Adam called, as Ivan's henchmen scrambled toward them from the beach.

"Damn it…Aisha, get Olivia out of here…" Rocky called. Aisha scooped their daughter up and ran inside the store.

"Can I help you?" Kelly asked.

"We need to hide. Do you have a backroom?" Aisha asked, as Kelly saw the creatures and gasped.

"Back here…" she motioned. She followed, as she heard her husband and friends key off, signaling that the fight had begun.


Tommy, Katherine, Aiden, and Tanya arrived in the small clearing just as the small ship landed.

"Mom…who is in there?" Aiden asked.

"He's an old friend. He was Earth's first blue ranger," Kat explained, as she knelt down beside him.

"He has a little girl who is a little younger than you and she just lost her Mommy. She and her Daddy are sad so I want you to be really nice to her, okay?" Kat whispered. Aiden nodded.

The craft's ramp dropped and the former Blue Wolf ranger slowly came down, carrying a tiny girl in his arms. He accepted the immediate hugs from Kat and Tanya, as his daughter looked on shyly.

"It's good to see you all," Billy said. His voice was hoarse and he looked like he hadn't slept in two days.

"You too man, we just wish it was under better circumstances," Tommy said softly. Billy nodded.

"This is my daughter Trina," he introduced.

"Billy…she's beautiful…" Kat said, as she knelt down beside Aiden.

"This is my son Aiden. He's not too much older than you Trina," Kat said. The little boy waved.

"Hi…" he said shyly.

"Hi…" she replied just as shyly.

"Is he yours?" Billy whispered to Tommy. The former white ranger shook his head.

"No…the dad isn't in the picture. I'll explain that later," Tommy replied, as his communicator chimed.

"This is Tommy," he answered.

"Tom…Ooze's goons have ambushed Jason and the others at Storm Chargers," Hayley informed.

"Damn it…can you teleport me there and the others back to Ops?" he asked.

"I've got a lock," Hayley replied.

"I guess he knows we're amassing our forces now," Billy said. Tommy nodded.

"Be careful Tommy," Kat warned. He nodded, as they were teleported. Blue Bay Harbor was under attack…