Chapter Twelve

"What?" Jason practically yelped, hurriedly going to examine the doorway for himself. Sure enough, it wasn't some kind of electrical force field that had thrown him backward. Rather, it had been due to his impact with what appeared to be a solid sheet of clear plastic covering the entire doorway.

Leo was still putting pressure on it. "I don't think we're going to be able to get through it very easily. Unless…someone go get a knife or something from the kitchen."

While Zack went to go procure a sharp object from the kitchen, Jason turned his attention back towards the main room, where they had all been peacefully sleeping just half an hour previously.

"Check the windows," The original red ranger commanded. "See if they're sealed, too."

Joel and Rocky, being towards the back of the group and therefore situated towards the middle of the room quickly went and checked the two windows. After opening both the window and the screen, Rocky gave an affirmative nod.

"I think it's pretty safe to bet that the whole house is sealed," Rocky stated.

"But why?" Wes demanded. "What kind of monster does that? An anti-recycling monster who likes to waste plastic?"

"I really don't think it's a monster," Leo stated, just as Zack returned with a pair of scissors.

"This is all I could find," He announced, holding up the scissors. "Remember, Alyssa hid everything she deemed to be 'potentially dangerous' our first day here?"

"I'll say," Eric had taken the scissors from Zack and unsuccessfully attempted to poke a hole through the plastic blocking their easiest escape route: the front door. "These are safety scissors."

"How on Earth are we going to get out of here?" Adam demanded. "Can't we find some way to break through the plastic?"

"I could morph…" Andros said thoughtfully. "That way, if there really are monsters, I'll have at least some sort of protection if they're lying in wait for us to go outside."

"First and foremost, I think we need to clear up whether or not we're in danger of being attacked, first," Carter stated. "We'll form a plan from there."

Andros nodded and lifted his communicator to his mouth. "Come in, D.E.C.A."

"D.E.C.A. here," the computer voice rang out from Andros' wrist.

"D.E.C.A. can you confirm that we are surrounded?" Andros requested.

"Affirmative," D.E.C.A. replied without a second's hesitation. "Your location is surrounded by thirty-two life signs."

As one, it seemed, everyone's eyes widened in worry and disbelief.

"Are they regular foot soldiers, or more powerful?" Andros questioned, attempting to remain calm.

"The data is inconclusive," Came the response. "Anomalous power readings are too high to measure."

"We're going to die," Carlos stated simply.

"No we aren't," Jason contradicted sharply.

"Yes. Yes, we are," Carlos replied. "We are outnumbered more than two-to-one and whatever is out there is obviously pretty powerful. Not all of us have active powers; it'll be hard to get out of this one."

"None of that matters," Jason stated firmly. "Whatever the situation, we are still power rangers, and it is our duty to defend the Earth, no matter what the chance of survival is for us."

"Once a ranger, always a ranger," Adam intoned with a nod.

Slowly, one by one, the remaining rangers all nodded their own agreement.

"It's settled, then," Jason said simply. "We're going to fight. Andros, we'll go with your plan. You—and anyone else with active powers—will morph and get us out of here. The rest of us will follow, and we'll do our best to defeat them." He gave the entire group a stern look. "We can do this, you guys; we are the power rangers."

"What we're going to need to do first," Wes spoke up now, "Is determine who here has active powers. Eric and I are out; anyone else?"

"Me and Jase," Zack said immediately.

"Okay, anyone else?" Wes asked.

"Me," Damon admitted reluctantly. "I kind of, sort of, might have left my saber on Mirinoi. But, in my defense, I didn't really think I'd need it."

"In the future, be prepared," Jason advised him, not unkindly, as he, Zack, Damon, Wes, and Eric all moved towards the back of the group.

"What is this, the Boy Scouts?" Eric demanded.

"Boy Scouts?" Andros repeated questioningly.

"Don't worry about it," Wes stated. "Now, is that it?" No one spoke up so he continued. "Alright then, everyone who can should morph now."

In a flurry of shouted calls and bright lights, a small group of green, red, and black rangers stood before the front door. TJ, unmorphed, stood in the midst of it all.

"I just couldn't do it, guys," He said with a shake of his head. "All I have left is my Space morpher, and that would make me a blue. It would be practically sacrilegious for me to do that in present company."

"We could all die," Joel deadpanned, "And you're worried about wearing the wrong color?"

"At least I had a valid excuse for not going Zeo," Rocky chimed in from behind his red Ninjetti mask.

"You forgot your zeonizers at home," Adam stated, "How on Earth is that a valid excuse?"

Jason held up a hand to cut off both Rocky and TJ's responses. "Personally, I find TJ's actions commendable. After we survive all of this, we're really going to have to do something to honor you for such valiant behavior at our next meeting of the Official Tommy Oliver Must Die Group. Also, it was probably a good thing Rocky forgot his zeonizers; we don't want too much proof that a few blues have infiltrated the Group."

"We'll just be getting on with the plan, then," Andros spoke up before anything more could be said on the matter. He pulled his Astro Blaster out of its holster and with one well-aimed shot the plastic covering the door was soon melted away, leaving a sizable hole for the assembled rangers to jump/crawl/somehow get through.

The thirteen former rangers proceeded with caution in the still-dimly-lit clearing, with only the predawn light to guide them.

"What I wouldn't give for my Power Scope right about now," Rocky muttered.

Adam was just opening his mouth to tell his old friend to be quiet before someone (or something) heard him when there was a loud noise directly across from the front door of the cabin. It sounded as if someone had stepped on a stick and snapped it in half.

"Who's there?"

a/n-Remember last chapter when I said there was only going to be one more chapter left of this story? I lied again. But, for real this time, there's only one more chapter left, now. And as soon as it's finished, it'll be posted, so yay!