A/N: Some big changes are coming with this next arc while I can't fully disclose them at this moment, I will say that I'm going to add these little interludes while I figure things out. Consider them side stories to the main plot.

Devon stood outside of a Nevada motel. The dusty run down slum was only a few miles from Los Vegas, and the city's blinking lights still sent tendrils of light across the night sky. Devon pressed his ear against the door, and listened to the sounds inside, moans mostly.

Devon grinned as he kicked the door down.

A man and women sprang up. The woman was half naked, her bare breasts bounced as her body quickly shot up. She tried to cover herself with a pillow. Devon turned his attention to the man that stood with her. He was in a sweaty suit, most of the buttons were askew, and his tie was strapped around the girl's neck, firmly resting on her bare back, his right hand still hung to it loosely.

"Who are you?" The man demanded. His face was red and sweaty at least, half of the color was from anger.

Devon pressed his hand against his chest and mimicked someone who had been offended, "I'm surprised you don't remember me, I was one of your best employees." Devon looked to the bare chested girls. "Is she one of your girls?"

The girl looked offended, "One of your girls?" She echoed in a furious tone.

The man jumped up, ignoring the fact he was naked from the waist below. He drew a pistol and pointed it at Devon. "Tell me who you are before I blow your face off."

"Pequeño dulce." Devon spat, the name left a filthy taste in his mouth.

"You…" The man muttered. "I thought Hoss killed you years ago!"

Devon smiled wickedly, "He tried. In Old Hoss's words. 'You can't keep a good boy down.'" Devon drew his spear, the red and black staff tipped with the Shards of Darkness. The Shards gleamed, they craved vengeance for Devon's past. They needed the blood of the guilty.

The man fired at Devon, but the boy moved too fast. He appeared in front of the man. He swatted the gun away like it was nothing and pointed his blade at the man's neck. Devon swung fast before his enemy could even scream his head rolled across the floor.

Devon grabbed the girl before she could escape. Her eyes leaked with tears. She stared at Devon only to find a husk. His cheeks were sunken, and dark circles surrounded his eyes. He looked dead, like a corpse left in the sun all morning.

"Find Hoss.' Devon said in a stern voice, "And tell him I'm looking for him." The girl nodded and rushed off, forgetting to even throw and shirt on.

Beevil and Jabbar stood a few feet away. They watched as Devon exited the hotel, his blade was dripping blood, a sight which deeply pleased Beevil.

"The boy is very powerful…" Beevil said. It was true, he was one of the strongest beings in the entire galaxy. He could easily take down any foe that got in his way. The Power Rangers didn't stand a chance, they were a bunch of multicolored idiots. Even that new enemy, the strange monster dubbed Thrax wouldn't stand a chance against Twisted Crimson. Keeping that in mind, why was he wasting his time with all these punks?

"He was unsuccessful in breaking Zoltar's seal," Jabbar said in a soft voice. "Nonetheless, he will be one our master's greatest warriors."

"Can Zoltar still be freed?" Beevil asked, "I'm not even sure why it didn't work."

"Young Devon hadn't collected all of the Shards of Darkness, one still remains with the fool Sankari. Without that one Shard, all the darkness collected within his blade simply manifested itself into a solid form."

"So there is hope…" Beevil said with a grin.

"As long as Zoltar remains alive, nothing can stop him from escaping."

Devon sat in a public bus. He may possess the ability to run and jump from building to building, but he preferred things this way. It gave him a certain perspective, he felt like he was at same level as his prey.

He was nearing the Hoss's base. It had been two weeks since the murder of the useless grunt, and word was already getting around. Very few people picked fights with the Cartel, few of their high ranking members turned up dead.

Devon stepped off the bus, the hot Nevada sun beat down on his tanned shoulders. The small little town was mostly empty, a majority of the population worked for none other than Hoss himself. They carried all of the generic characteristic, big shoulders, scarred faces, and the familiar bulge of a concealed weapon.

Devon could hear the chore of voices behind him. They never quite left. They were the screams of all those he'd wronged, everyone he killed, their souls never left him. They seemed louder than normal, their cries seemed to convey more joy than dread.

Devon was more terrified than he'd like to admit.

Suddenly Devon felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He quickly turned around, and his heart stopped. Blonde hair flew behind her perfect head, her piercing blue eyes seemed to convey amusement as she gazed into Devon.

"Y-You." Devon spat. He'd seen her before, among the countless faces, but now she was more than a shadow, more than just a phantom of the past. He could feel her hand on his shoulder, he could sense the softness of her breath.

"What's wrong?" The girl asked in a mocking tone, "Did you forget your first love so easily."

Devon swung his spear at the girl. "I never loved you."

She caught the blade, a hurt expression on her face.

"I remember our first kiss- my first kiss." She glared at Devon. "Who was your first kiss? Probably some whore you smooth talked into thinking you loved her, just like you did to me." She threw his weapon away, it clanked against the hard ground.

"I watched you die, Julie. I slit your wrists and watched the blood leak out of you…"

"I know, I know, and it was so romantic." Julie sent a jolt of electricity through Devon's body. He fell to his knees and pain spread through him.

"What do you want from me?" He gasped. The lightning was a Ninjetti skill he had personally taught her.

"I came to get my revenge. I came all the way from hell."

Devon stood up and armed his Morpher. "You'll regret coming back." He opened his Morphed and he was enveloped in his armor.

Twisted Crimson charged at Julie. The tip of his spear moved toward her head, but Julie quickly dodged and fired a bolt of lightning into his chest.

Twin blades extended from her forearms as she stalked towards Twisted Crimson.

"You're not human." Twisted Crimson gasped.

Julie smirked, her eyes glowed a crimson color. "Took you long enough."

She slashed towards Twisted Crimson, the armored warrior blocked the blow, but sparks still expelled from his weapon.

"What happened to you?" Twisted Crimson asked, "Who did this to you?"

"My hero." She said in a soft voice. She slashed her blade into Twisted Crimson and sparks flew from his chest. "He saved me when everyone else left me when the man I loved left me…"

"Freeze!" A rough male voice called out. Twisted Crimson turned to the source of the voice, it was an angry looking thug with an automatic rifle. He aimed his gun at Twisted Crimson's head and hollered out.

The armored warrior signed, most normal humans were painfully annoying. He fired a blast of black lightning at the man. It sparked against his clothes and burned his flesh, leaving him squirming and spasming around.

More of the armed men crowded around the two warriors. Julie turned to Twisted Crimson, her lips twitched slightly. "You haven't changed one bit."

An armed man aimed his gun at the duo, Twisted Crimson slashed in retaliation, severing his artery and sending blood gushing from his neck.

Twisted Crimson broke from the mob. He didn't really want to deal with them. Killing humans wasn't something Crimson wanted to do every chance he got. He had to savor every single time a life faded from the existent.

Less angry eyes to stare in the dark.

Twisted Crimson headed towards the towering hotel that Hoss would be staying at. Twisted Crimson only cared about killing him. The rest of his workers might be vile, they might all be disgusting monsters, but they weren't Hoss, they didn't leave Devon a scarred monster, they didn't steal his childhood and replace it with the constant feeling of filth and the bruises that littered his body.

Devon had been visiting the Gulf of Mexico as a child. His parents laughed and drank as Devon waddled around the beach. Life was good, the sun beat down on his face, seeming to energize his existence. He ran around, playing Power Rangers alone, the irony was overwhelming.

During his time as playing as Turbo Red, a man plucked him up. It was that simple, a rag came to his face, a weird smell followed, and everything went black.

It was Hoss that kidnapped him, and Hoss that owned him. Hoss would sell Devon to anyone who flashed a Benjamin. Devon had no say in who he was stuck with, or even what they did to him. None it was good, often leaving him feeling worthless and violated.

Sometimes Hoss would throw some drugs his way, heroin, cocaine, mostly weed thought. None of it cured the pain, but they always seemed to make his life a little more enjoyable. Twisted Crimson shook the memories away, they had caused his legs to wobble and gave him a strange dizzy feeling.

"Why are you helping me?" Crimson asked Julie.

The young girl shrugged. She appeared to look just as young as he had when they first met. "I'm just doing my mission. It isn't my fault you got tangled into it."

The two broke into the hotel. Glass shattered as the sound of bullets exploded around them. A ragtag group of punks fired their automatic rifles at the two. Black lightning knocked the punks off their feet and the two rushed up the stairs.

Julie and Twisted Crimson rushed down a narrow hallway. Hoss was just behind the cheap wooden door. Twisted Crimson could feel him, he could feel the darkness that leaked from his evil heart. Humans were different from the monsters Twisted Crimson was accustomed to fighting, but humans that were also monsters were the vilest of creatures.

Figures began to flood from the spare rooms, they wore black tuxedos that complimented their onyx skin and their heads were white and faceless. The creatures armed their Tommy guns and Julie swore under her breath.

Twisted Crimson dragged Julie behind a couch as the creatures opened fire. Fluff and splintered wood flew in the air as the piece of furniture were torn to pieces by the fire.

"Who are those guys?" Twisted Crimson asked.

"They belong to Scorpina. I should have known they'd be here, that Witch has ingrained herself into every single black market organization on Earth."

Twisted Crimson shrugged, he didn't care about Scorpina. Whoever she was, she didn't matter to him. All that mattered was revenge, and if she interfered then he'd take her down along the way. "How do we deal with them?"

Julie smiled, "Let me take care of that." She jumped up and her body began to pulse with a pink light. A tight armor wrapped around her frame, it was pink with a section of black in the middle, the helmet was silver metal with a wide visor that emulated a fanged mouth.

She armed curved blades on her forearms and charged at the grunts. She dodged the fire of one and cut into it, sending sparks from its body.

Twisted Crimson entered the battle. He fired black lightning and slashed his spear. The two of them took down the grunts with little problem.

Twisted Crimson turned to the armored Julie. "What happened to you?"

She laughed, "Oh this?" She asked with some level of enjoyment, "This is the Succubus Armor, it was a gift from my employer." To Twisted Crimson's amazement, the grunts began to leak dark smokey energy that was absorbed by Succubus. "It seems we've both became sponges for dark energy." There was a certain level of sweetness in her voice, something almost akin to seduction. "I guess that's the fate of those who were abandoned by who they love."

With the coast clear both villains broke down the door that led to Hoss's room. There was a sticky sweet smell that hung in the room. The scent of fear and filth danced with lavender incenses.

Old Hoss sat on the cheap bed. His skin was dry and deeply tan, lines of age and wear riddled his face. The little bumps of acne scars collected around his slimy smile.

"It's been awhile," Hoss said. He brushed his dark hair from his green eyes. Crimson noticed the faint shades of gray that weaved themselves into his hairline. "You look as lovely as I remember."

Twisted Crimson tightened the grip on his weapon. It lusted for his blood, it wanted nothing more than to pierce itself into his jugular and watch him bleed out. Twisted Crimson wanted that as well.

Hoss sighed, "I seem to have made you a monster." His voice sounded strangely sad. "That wasn't ever my intention." Hoss gazed at Twisted Crimson, his old eyes seemed to peer through the armor and gaze into his hollow soul.

Hoss shifted his eyes to Succubus. "And you, I have what you came here for." Hoss reached into his pocket and drew a small object it seemed to radiate an aura all its own. It was roughly the size of a softball, a glowing red orb that pulsed with a dark energy.

"That heart of Serpentera…" Succubus said in a dark voice.

"That's right," Hoss agreed. "Serpentera, the strongest Zord ever to exist, one of Zoltar's personal toys. The Power Rangers may have destroyed her outer shell, but her heart remains."

The heart flew in the air and Succubus quickly caught it in her gloved grip.

Hoss turned back to Twisted Crimson. "I'm sorry that you became this." He gripped a pistol and slowly leveled it to his head. "I'd love to give you the satisfaction, but I'm the only one who gets to take down Old Hoss." The gun exploded with a loud bang, taking half of Hoss's head with away with a stream of hot red mist.

Twisted Crimson stared at the scene, to shocked to move. He then turned to Succubus. "What are you doing with that?" He asked.

"Well I was going to take it's power for myself," She said in a humored tone, "But it appears that you've given me a much better alternative." Succubus placed the heart into Twisted Crimson's hand.

He felt the power wash over him. It was incredible, overwhelming, one of the greatest feelings of his entire existence. He was filled with unlimited energy, the same power that destroyed countless worlds under Zoltar, and enslaved countless more while under Lord Zedd.

Twisted Crimson's armor began to shift once more, he became much more armored, gaining thick grievers and arm guards. A small metal dragon's head stuck from his chest, engulfing the spot which had formerly held the five-pointed star.

Succubus took the heart away from Twisted Crimson's grip. "Sorry to interrupt, but I still have a mission to accomplish." Twisted Crimson reached for the heart, but Succubus knocked him back with a wave of dark energy.

"How dare you interrupt the will of a God!" He howled and lunged for her. Succubus held out her hand and began to summon her armor's ability to aid her.

Twisted Crimson felt daggers sink themselves into his brain, they dug deep, causing a searing headache that was unlike anything he's ever felt before. She was trying to steal his energy, the fool was trying to siphon the power of a god!

Sparks raced across her body, throwing her back and causing a strange red mark to form on the right side of her visor. She picked herself up but Twisted Crimson was gone. The Heart of Serpentera was still tightly in her grip.

Twisted Crimson returned to Beevil and Jabbar. He seemed weaker than normal, in any other situation that would cause a level of anxiety to form in the warrior, but the expression the two ninjas held when they gazed at his newest form eased his pain. They seemed terrified of him, of the power he had collected.

"What happened to you?" Beevil asked. She pressed her hand against the dragon head that poked from his chest.

"I'm am more than a host for the Shards of Darkness." Twisted Crimson said in a low, gravely voice. "I am an a weapon of pure destruction. I am the sword that will cut down all who get in my way."

Jabbar began to nod in approval. He lightly touched Twisted Crimson's shoulder. "You will be Zoltar's next General. Until then, we must work towards his resurrection."

Devon demorphed in a flash of light. His Morpher fell, smoke rising from the small device. The boy shrugged, he didn't really need it anymore. The power was inside of him, not some shitty toy. He was the Morpher now, nobody could take the power away from him. "Yeah," Devon said softly. His body had turned a pale color, dark swirling runes danced across his skin and his eyes had turned a deep shade of red. "I'll free your master or whatever, I just want to have some fun first." The villain sudden disappeared in a flash of red light.

Julie entered a small compound. Bright lights reflected against her skin as she approached a man in a lab coat. The man was young, probably no older than seventeen, his hair was curly and his face was covered in bright red acne.

"Dr. X." She said in a soft voice. The boy was one of the newest minds of Alphabet soup. They claimed his I.Q rocketed off the charts. It seemed it to, his gaze carried a certain level of haze, but it was a calculated haze. He knew who Julie was, he just didn't care.

She dumped the Heart onto his table. The corner of the boy's mouth twitched, it was the closest thing to a smile she'd seen from him. "I knew I was right to choose you."

Julie as satisfied by his reaction. She owed her life to Dr.X when Devon had left her bleeding out and dying Dr.X had saved her.

"This will be perfect for my newest Armored Rider." He said with an overjoyed tone.

Julie felt a sting of jealousy, her armor was a prototype of his "Armored Riders" the main difference was that he needed a Core to power each suit. Her suit lacked a Core, it instead had an unstable reactor that enabled her to absorb energy from other creatures. She essentially had unlimited power, but she still lacked a Core.

She had tried to absorb some of the Heart, but she hadn't succeeded until she stole it from Devon. It was probably something that Dr.X had installed, he wouldn't want her to steal power from his precious Armored Riders, he hadn't expected her to use Twisted Crimson as a proxy.

"I'll send Wing Knight to investigate a proper host for the suit." Julie felt a pit sinking in her stomach, she hated Wing Knight with a burning passion, he had received a Core when she hadn't. He got to feel the satisfaction of being complete while she was stuck with a black hole in her gut.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked her master.

He shrugged, "I guess you can stay close to Twisted Crimson, you already seem pretty close to him so it shouldn't be too hard. I saw that he absorbed some of Serpentera's power, it'll be interesting to see how he reacts to it. "

Julie nodded, she was still upset that he wanted to send her on such a mundane task, but a new idea was forming in her head. A plan was developing, a very interesting plan. "Yes, sir." She said and rushed off.

She could feel excitement building inside her chest. Soon everything would fall into place. All she needed to do was find sooner she found him, the sooner she would become Dr.X's favorite toy.