CHAPTER TWELVE

CALEB

Everything was engulfed in flames. Thick clouds of angry black smoke filled the halls. A girl was trying to call for help, but the smoke filled her lungs and she couldn't scream. She looked at him, her eyes pleading. Caleb knew she was going to die. He tried to reach toward her, but she vanished. So did the smoke.

Caleb blinked as his surroundings shifted. Thorn was looking at him with concern. "Caleb? Are you okay?" Thorn asked.

"I... I have to go," Caleb said.

"What's wrong?"

"This is going to sound crazy... But I think someone's in trouble."

"Who?"

"I don't know her... But there's a fire. She's trapped."

Thorn looked like he wasn't sure what to think, but he said, "Take me. Let's see if there's something going on."

Caleb nodded. They raced across town, finally arriving at the house he'd seen. He knew because it was completely engulfed in flames, just like it had been in his mind.

"Crap..." Thorn whispered. "You think someone's inside?"

"I saw her, Thorn... She's trapped. She's barely a teenager."

Thorn took a deep breath. "Stay here. Call 911 ," he said.

"But you don't have your powers, right?" Caleb asked. Thorn had told him the truth... All of it. Caleb had assured him he understood he'd been manipulated and that it wasn't cheating, especially since Thorn had thought he was dead. "You could get hurt!"

"I'm a Power Ranger, with or without powers. Saving people is what we do." He kissed Caleb before running inside.

Caleb called 911 and tried not to panic. Thankfully, a few minutes later, Thorn emerged with the girl clinging to him. They were both coughing violently, but they were safe.

Caleb rode with Thorn to the hospital. They treated him for smoke inhalation and called his father. Adam arrived quickly.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Just some smoke inhalation," Thorn replied.

"What were you thinking?"

"There was a girl in there. She needed help..."

"Thorn, you don't have your powers! You could have been killed!"

Thorn stared at his father before saying, "Once a Ranger, always a Ranger, right?"

Adam sighed. He pulled something out of his pocket. "Take it," he said. "I talked to Zordon. It should work for you."

"Dad... Is this your power coin?" Thorn asked in obvious shock.

"Until we get yours back, no. It's your power coin. Use it well, Thorn."

"Does that mean...?" Caleb asked.

"If it works, I'll have my powers back," Thorn said.

As soon as Thorn was discharged and in a fairly secluded area, he tried to morph. Caleb watched in fascination as his boyfriend morphed into a super hero before his eyes.

"How does it feel?" Adam asked.

"A little different... But good," Thorn said.

"Good. Trini went home, but she's going to have Alpha teleport her coin here for Maddie. It was never destroyed because the rest of us lost our coins after Jason, Zack, and Trini left, and when they transferred their powers to us, new coins were created... By the time Kat joined, unfortunately, Zordon wasn't duplicating power coins anymore... Anyway, only two of you will be without your powers now."

"If your powers were destroyed, how did your coin work for Thorn?" Caleb asked.

"My powers were restored so I could help Operation Overdrive when they lost theirs. Kira from the Dino Thunder team, Tori from the Ninja Storm Wind Rangers, Xander from the Mystic Force Rangers, and Bridge from SPD had their powers restored, too. I actually led the team."

Caleb tried to take all of that in. "Exactly how many teams of Power Rangers are there?"

"A lot," Adam said with a laugh.

Thorn powered down, as he called it. "Okay, let's get home," Adam said. "Why don't you come over for dinner, Caleb?"

"Good idea," Thorn said. "We need to talk."

Caleb nodded. "Sure," he said.

Adam drove them to the house. When he left them alone to cook, Thorn asked, "How did you know all of that was going to happen?"

"I saw it," Caleb said. "Ever since I... came back… I've been seeing things in my head, and a little while later, they happen."

"You're having visions?"

"I think so... It's kind of been freaking me out, but this... I knew she'd die if someone didn't find her."

"Being in the Underworld must have opened up this ability..."

"You don't think I'm crazy?"

"No... But we have to keep this between us, Caleb. The bad guys wanted you dead before... I don't want them to have a reason to go after you again."

Caleb certainly didn't want that either. He curled up in Thorn's arms and tried to stay calm. He was safe. Sage had saved his life, and he knew Thorn would protect him. He just prayed that would be enough.

JOSH

He was sitting with his father working on the computers at the Command Center and it almost felt like the last three years had never happened. It was so easy to get lost in the technology. They communicated in a way no one else could understand, and they worked together like a well-oiled machine.

"How perplexing..." His father mumbled. "This terminal appears to be sending the wrong signals to the rest of the unit, but I can see absolutely no cause for this to occur..."

Josh studied the computer for a minute before nodding. "It seems to be reporting the exact opposite of the data it collects... Do you think it has a virus?" He asked.

"Affirmative... However, it's unlike any I've seen before."

Josh smiled to himself. Nothing seemed more normal than his father saying affirmative. It brought light to a dark void he hadn't realized still existed inside of him. His father was back, but he'd hardly been himself. Now, however, he was in his element.

Together, they inspected the computer. It only took them about thirty minutes to find and correct the problem. "Someone sent a signal into the computer to corrupt the data," his father explained to Zordon. "Josh and I have removed the signal and increased the security on the system… However, I am mildly concerned someone did this in the first place."

"Who do you think it was?" Zordon asked.

"I'm not certain… Although if I had to guess…" He hesitated.

"What is it, Billy?"

"It reminds me of the technology Merkhet had me working with… And the code was written in such a manner that… I suspect…" His father looked at Zordon. "I fear I may have been to blame. I can't recall everything they had me do… But once Josh cleared up a couple of points for me, I recognized the code. It's written in the same way I would have written it. I'm sorry, Zordon. I must have done this."

"It's not your fault, Dad," Josh said quickly.

"Indeed, it is not," Zordon said. "The important thing is it appears to be fixed now."

His father looked understandably upset. "I've been alone with these computers frequently recently. Josh, will you check the others? Make sure nothing appears to be corrupted. I won't forgive myself if something is wrong and I miss it," he said.

"Of course, Dad," Josh said. He set to work checking the computers. It helped Josh a bit to know that even if he had lost his powers for the time being, he could help in other ways. His knowledge of science and technology were still an asset.

Over two hours later, Josh had thoroughly checked every single computer in the Command Center. He looked at his father and said, "Everything's clean, Dad. There were no other issues."

His father looked visibly relieved. "Thank you for doing that," he said.

"Of course."

"I think we should go back to Tommy's house."

"Alright. Let's go." Josh took his father's hand. Alpha teleported them back to their current home. They went inside and Kimberly greeted them.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Yes," his father said. "It almost wasn't, though, thanks to me." He proceeded to explain what had happened. Kimberly listened patiently.

"It's okay, Billy. You fixed it. That's what matters," Kimberly said.

"It's not okay!" His father snapped. "I betrayed you all! That program could have done a lot of damage! I'm a threat to everyone! I shouldn't be here! I need to leave-"

"Billy, listen to me. You found the issue. You fixed it before any real harm was done. You had no control over what you did before, but you're making the right choices now." His father looked very shaken up. "Come on," Kimberly said gently. "Let's go upstairs so you can relax."

His father didn't argue. Josh was left watching them walk away, too shaken up to do much. It always startled him when his father yelled. He'd never been one to raise his voice before, especially not in front of Josh. It reminded him that his father was back, but he still wasn't fully himself. The illusion the day had presented was gone now, and he was left with the harsh reality that his father might never be "normal" again.

KAT

She was getting really sick of sitting inside of the stupid Zord. She hadn't eaten in days, but somehow, she hadn't starved to death. She wondered if that was Katie's plan. Desperate to come up with a way to escape, Kat spent her endless time plotting.

If I'm quick enough, I can attack them, she thought. Of course, Katie would see that coming. She'd be expecting her to try to attack or flee the second the Zord opened up.

I have to change things up… If I shift into cat form, I'll be smaller, faster, and much harder to catch. I might be able to escape, she thought.

"Ugh! Why hasn't anyone come to rescue me yet?" She wondered aloud. She hadn't expected Merkhet to send in the cavalry, but she'd assumed Rita, at least, would try to save her. She'd sworn to protect her as long as Kat declared her loyalty, so where was she now?

It's a true mark of my dark side that I can question my Empress, Kat thought. As a teenager, she'd been blindly loyal, forced to do Rita's evil bidding whether she wanted to or not. Now that she'd chosen this life for herself, she was free to think whatever she liked, as long as she not express disloyalty openly in front of her Empress.

She knew she was running out of time. She settled on her plan, changing form into a cat and waiting for the one opportunity she'd get to escape with her life.

KATIE

Her head was clear. She felt good. She knew it was time to go home, fully at peace with what needed to be done. Katie said goodbye to Andros and headed back to Earth.

As soon as she arrived at the house, her father greeted her. "You're home!" He said, pulling her into a hug.

"I am. So, you're ready if I am, right?" Katie asked.

Her father sighed. "I guess we've stalled long enough."

Katie nodded. She walked over to the Turbo Falconzord and said, "Alright. Open up." She had her sword ready.

The cat that flew out of the Zord was only a mild surprise. "Coward," Katie mumbled. She chased after her mother, but her father got to her first.

"Not so fast, Kat!" He said.

Her mother transformed back into a human. She looked at her father with sad eyes and said, "You can't blame a girl for trying."

"You turned your back on the powers of good. You willingly handed yourself over to evil… You murdered an innocent boy and someone you claimed was one of your best friends," Katie said steadily. "The punishment for your crimes is to put an end to you."

Her mother looked at her father with pleading eyes. "Tommy… Tommy, if you ever loved me, you'll stop her!" She said.

"Katherine… I did love you. I loved you so much… But I don't even know who you are anymore," her father said sadly.

"Oh, Tommy… I love you, too," her mother said. "I always will." Her mother then laughed and immediately lunged at her father, pulling out a weapon she'd somehow managed to manifest.

"Dad!" Katie screamed as her father hesitated for just a split second. Katie knew he couldn't bring himself to do this, so she took a deep breath and ran at her mother.

Her father was stabbed, but Katie hoped it wasn't a bad wound because he was able to move out of the way of a second attack. Katie raised Saba into the air and brought him down across her mother's chest, slashing her open. What came out of her was not only blood, but a strange goo Katie suspected had formed when her mother became pure evil. She knew now that she'd made the right choice… The only choice.

As the woman who had once been her mother lay dying, she stared at her. "Impressive…" She mumbled. "You… are… your father's… daughter…"

With that, she was gone. Katie took only a moment to process that before she ran to her father's side. "Dad! Are you okay?" She asked. She knelt beside him, putting pressure on the wound in his chest.

"I… I'm okay…" He said. He didn't look it.

"Kim!" Katie screamed. "Kimberly, help!"

Kimberly came running outside moments later. "Oh my God… What happened?" She asked. She immediately began looking at her father's wound. "Katie, go get my sewing kit. It's in the desk drawer in my bedroom."

Katie hesitated. "He's bleeding…" She said, as the shock finally began hitting her. If it had been anyone else, Katie probably wouldn't have been so affected, but this was her father. She'd just killed her mother, and now her father was bleeding.

"Honey… I can stitch him up. It's not as bad as it looks. I just need the supplies," Kimberly said gently.

Katie nodded numbly before running upstairs and getting the kit. She made it back outside impossibly fast. She watched as Kimberly remained freakishly calm and began sewing her father's flesh back together.

"Stay with me, Tommy," Kimberly said urgently as she worked on him.

"Kim…" He managed to get out.

"It's okay. Just hold on. You're going to be okay, Tommy," she promised him.

Role reversal, Katie thought. Dad was always Kim's hero, not the other way around.

Kimberly looked at Katie. "Call an ambulance. These are only temporary," she said, "but they'll hold for now. He's going to be okay, Katie."

Katie nodded and dialed, still numb as she told the person who answered the call what had happened. "There's been a murder… And an attempted murder," Katie said. "My father needs to go to the hospital…"

"Your father?" The person asked.

"Yes. He's been stabbed… A family friend was able to stitch him up, but she says he needs real stitches soon."

"How old are you, Ma'am?"

"Sixteen. Why does that matter?"

"Do you have anyone who can help you right now?"

"The woman who stitched up my father has been staying with us."

"What's your name, honey?" With the admission of her age, she'd gone from Ma'am to Honey. Katie should have been annoyed, but she was too freaked out to care right now.

"Katie. Katie Oliver."

"Okay, Katie. Help is coming. I already sent them out… You said there was a murder. Can you tell me who was murdered?"

"My mother," Katie said coldly.

"Your mother?"

"Yes."

"You're sure she's gone?"

"She's dead."

"Katie, did you see who did this?"

"No. My dad rushed outside after he heard my mother scream." That was a blatant lie, but she didn't want to have to explain that she'd killed her mother after the bitch had attacked her father.

"Okay. Just hold on, sweetheart."

"Don't call me sweetheart."

"Sorry, Katie. Just stay with me, okay?"

Katie did, because she knew she had to. When the ambulance arrived, her father sat up. He looked at her and said, "I'm okay, Punk."

"I know… Thanks to Kimberly," Katie said. "I'm sorry I let her get to you, Dad… I should have realized she'd try something like that."

"It's not your fault. Now, quiet… We need time to figure out what to tell them."

Katie knew he was right. As the paramedics loaded her father into the ambulance, she climbed in with him. Her mother's body was covered with a sheet and loaded into a different vehicle. She held her father's hand the entire way to the hospital, even though she knew he was out of immediate danger.

CASEY

She'd felt her brother get injured. As soon as Casey could focus, she jumped in her car and drove to the hospital, leaving a note for Adam telling him where she'd gone. She called David on the way there.

"Tommy's hurt," she said.

"So it's not you I felt. Good," her other brother said. "What the hell happened?"

"You know what's been going on with Katherine… Tonight, Katie and Tommy confronted her. I think Kat managed to attack Tommy before Katie could stop her." She knew Kat was dead. She could feel that much.

"Which hospital? I'm on my way." David and Tommy might go back and forth, but at the end of the day, they were brothers. Their bond was powerful, just like Casey's bond to them was. They were triplets, after all. Casey gave him the information.

When she finally got to the hospital, she rushed inside. "I'm here for Tommy Oliver," she said.

A nurse pointed to an ER bed. Sure enough, Tommy sat hooked up to an IV of blood. Other than looking pale, he seemed to be alright. Katie sat beside him.

"Tommy…" Casey said. She shook her head and sat in the only other chair, taking his hand in her own. "Are you both okay?"

"We'll survive," Katie said. "The bitch is dead… And the hospital promised me Dad's fine."

Katie looked calm now, but Casey could tell this had been hard on her. "You look exhausted."

"That's true."

"Come here, Punk. Squeeze in," Tommy said, shifting to make room on his bed. Katie crawled in beside him.

"Rest, Katie. I'll watch over you both," Casey promised.

It was very obvious how exhausted she was when Katie didn't protest. Within minutes, she fell asleep curled up on her father. He passed out right behind her. True to her word, Casey stayed with them, even after David arrived, until Tommy was finally discharged.

"We'll need you to come back," a doctor told him. "Because of the trauma of what's happened, we need to do a psychiatric evaluation… After all, you're the guardian of a foster child."

Tommy nodded. "I'll come back first thing tomorrow," he promised.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Doctor Oliver," the doctor said. "It is a tragedy."

"Thank you."

When they were ready to leave, David turned serious. "Are you a suspect?" He asked.

"No. Considering I was injured, too, they aren't questioning if I was involved. I told them it was a monster… Literally, one of the many monsters who attack Angel Grove on a regular basis. They didn't question me. I'm known to be an authority on these things… It pays to be a doctor," Tommy said.

"And if it was a monster, they won't look for it," Casey said. "The investigation should end here… But you need to prove you're grieving but still functional enough to take care of Josh… And Katie, for that matter."

"I'm not going anywhere," Katie said. "They can kiss my ass."

"It's not a problem," Tommy replied. "I am grieving… But my first priority is the kids."

"They're not going to like leaving Josh with you," David said. "With no maternal figure and with you not being his father… Maybe it's time you guys told everyone Billy's still alive."

"We can't yet, He's not ready. He needs time to get a little bit more stable, or they'll never let him have custody of Josh."

"He's right," Casey said.

"I do have a maternal figure around, anyway. They know Kimberly's living with me. That should be enough to convince them Josh is safe," Tommy said.

Casey hoped he was right. No matter what, they weren't letting Josh go back into the system. As Katie and David got into David's car, Casey took Tommy into hers. "How are you really doing?" She asked.

"My wife is dead, Casey. How do you think I'm doing?" He asked.

"You knew it would end this way. Kat left us no choice."

"I know… But for a second… For just one second… I thought she was still in there… And then she tried to kill me. She didn't even hesitate, Casey. I saw the look in her eyes. She enjoyed it. She wanted to be evil." He looked like he might cry.

"I know how hard this is for you. You loved her… And you understood the temptation of evil."

"But I never gave in to it once the team saved me from the spell… I always fought. I fought a thousand times as hard as anyone else just to prove that I'm not evil… But Kat went and gave into it. She embraced it with open arms… Did I ever know her, Casey?"

"You did… But over the years, the evil crept back in, Tommy, and it destroyed the woman you married. We just didn't want to see it."

He sighed and rested his head on her shoulder as she started to drive. Casey knew Tommy and Katie would survive this, but she also knew it was going to take some time. Katie would recover first. She'd saved her father's life by killing her mother, and that would be enough for her. She would never doubt the choice she'd had to make. Tommy, however, would probably struggle with it for a bit, wondering if he'd somehow caused Kat's downward spiral. Casey knew that wasn't the case. In truth, Katherine had been turning evil for quite some time, but even she hadn't wanted to believe it. Now, there was no denying it. The moment Kat murdered Caleb, and then Rocky, she'd gone too far. There had been no saving her because there was no turning back from something that evil. The only thing Casey could do now was try to be there for her brother to help him through this.

RITA

"No!" Rita shouted. "My poor kitty cat! I'd hoped to keep her around at least a little bit longer than this."

"Great plan," Zedd mumbled.

"Shut up! At least I had a plan!"

"So do I! My children-"

"Yes, yes, your little bastards… I know. But they don't seem to have actually done much. The Pink Ranger fought off my brother! Of course, I have no idea why the idiot went and targeted our daughter, but I'll forgive him… He's family. The Black Ranger managed to run into a house fire and rescue someone and come out basically unscathed! Oh, and he got his powers back! The White Ranger is still a pest and still has her powers and killed my pet! The Green Ranger woke back up instead of dying, how happy for her! The Red Ranger, who should have been an easy mark, held on to his power coin in spite of your perfect children! The Blue Ranger is still a threat because he uses technology to fight us! What the hell have your kids done, really? Scared the Yellow Ranger into cowering? Great, but guess what! Now that they restored the Black Ranger's powers, it's only a matter of time before they figure out they can restore hers, too! She'll be back to annoying us in no time! Ugh! You're giving me a headache!"

"I'm giving you a headache? Your endless ranting is giving me a headache!"

"Arrrrgh!" Rita cried in frustration.

"Arrrrgh!" Zedd echoed. At least they agreed on that much. Rita stormed off, determined to escape from the source of her latest migraine.

MADDIE

As she arrived at the Command Center with her mother, Maddie was confused. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Maddie… We have figured out a way to restore your powers," Zordon said.

"Seriously?" Maddie asked. Her face lit up. For the first time, she felt hopeful. "How?"

"This is Trini's power coin," Alpha said. "She has entrusted it to you until we recover your coin."

"Trini really gave this up?" Maddie asked.

"She knows you're needed," her mother said.

"And it'll work?"

"Thorn has his father's coin and it worked for him. We're hoping this will work the same way."

Maddie eagerly took the coin in her hands and began to play with it, trying to connect to its power. It wasn't her coin, but it felt very similar, and it called to her.

"Go on, Maddie. Test it," her mother said.

Maddie nodded. "It's morphin time!" She said. "Saber Tooth Tiger!" Suddenly, the power returned to her. She felt herself begin to morph. When it was complete, she couldn't stop smiling. Finally, something was going right!

"How do you feel?" Her mother asked.

"Like I'm ready to kick some bad guy butt!" Maddie said.

Her mother smiled and hugged her. "That's my girl."

For the first time since she'd been attacked, Maddie was starting to feel like herself. Maybe everything had not been lost after all.