A/N: OK, very short chapter here, but the story is at a point I really don't want to risk taking too much further. The next episode will air on Saturday, and I plan to keep my promise not to spoil. Hope you enjoy it.

At Central High School, Melanie and Vicky got into the basement, where all the other students and staff were already assembled, clearing the way as Spike and Mrs Kaplan brought Mal down the last few stairs. Jimmy and Cody saw him and cleared a space for them to sit down, at which they brought him over.

Being in California, like many schools, the whole building had been built to withstand earthquakes. The basement especially was built for strength, meaning that it was currently the safest place for them to be. Mrs Kaplan, having had experience with her time teaching in Angel Grove, had set up a new SOP for what the staff were to do in the event of a monster attack, and right now it looked like it was paying off. A few kids were still pretty shaky, but on the whole, now they were underground, they seemed a lot more at ease. She was sure that seeing half a dozen shafts of purple energy extending beyond the clouds would do nothing to put their minds at ease.

She helped Spike set Mal down, taking care to lay his leg down straight, while Jimmy looked around for something to use as cushions. Melanie took a seat next to him, putting her arm around him and trying to ease him into as comfortable a position as possible. Mrs Kaplan closed and locked the basement door, before coming back down.

"Alright, we all got down here safely, just try to remain calm." She told them, pulling out her cell phone. "I have a signal down here, so I'll just keep a track of the news reports. When it's considered safe to leave, we'll send you all home. Until then, everyone just try to stay safely down here until the danger passes."

"What if...?"

"You can rest assured; I have experience in these matters." Mrs Kaplan assured them. "If we all remain calm, and just wait until the authorities declare it safe to leave, then it's for the best that we stay down here."

"What were those things?" One of the students asked.

"What things?" Mrs Kaplan asked in response.

"Oh, nothing much, just those five thousand foot tall purple geysers!" He answered sarcastically. She just took a deep breath and looked to them.

"You all know that strange things happen in this city because of all the monsters." She stated. "The Power Rangers were seen going into battle, all we can do is trust that they have things well in hand."

"But..."

"Have they ever failed to protect you before?" Mrs Kaplan interrupted him. There was a small murmur among the students. She had seen Ranger teams fail in battle before, only to come back stronger. She knew that of all the Ranger teams there had been, the one constant was that they never gave up, no matter how bleak things looked. She could only hope that this time was no different. Her students and her staff were relying on her to put a brave face on things, and were looking to her for strength. "Fine, then in the meantime, your time is yours to do with as you see fit. I would recommend that you take this time to study, but I am sure that would be a futile suggestion."

As the kids all split off into their groups, looking to each other for support, Vicky wrapped her arms around herself, looking over to where Melanie was comforting Mal, assuring him that he wouldn't have to stay down there for long. Cody had pulled out some tiles, a game that she still had no idea how to play, but that Cody and Jimmy seemed to be obsessed with, and started to play on an old crate to pass the time.

Just as she was starting to feel a little dejected, she felt something wrapping around her shoulders. Looking up next to her, she saw Spike standing beside her, his arms around her.

"It's looking pretty wild out there." He commented. "I've never seen anything like this."

Vicky just nodded in agreement as he sat down with her, holding her closely.

"I've got to admit, this whole thing is pretty terrifying." He admitted, thinking that if he shared his own fear that it would help. His lessons had given him a lot more confidence, but one of the things that hadn't changed was that he was always frightened whenever he had to fight. Serena had always told him that a certain element of fear kept him sharp. That said, he had to admit that there was a big difference between facing even the biggest of the school bullies and the supernatural powers of the Nighlock. The one time he and Cody had fought with Moogers at the school dance, he had noticed a marked difference in their abilities. The Nighlock that commanded them were a whole different league. He hadn't seen anything like the geysers, and he had to wonder how the city would survive. Several blocks all around the nearest geyser already lay in ruins.

"Do you...do you think they can stop this?" She asked him. "The Rangers I mean. Mrs Kaplan said they could stop this. Do you really think they can?"

"Well, I don't remember much about Angel Grove, I was still a baby when we left." He admitted. "But from what mom and dad told me, the Rangers are never more determined than when it looks like its hopeless."

She huddled into him, taking comfort in his arms. Things did look pretty hopeless right now, and she only had one regret, the fact that for so long, she had let her fear that Spike would reject her stop her from asking him out. She made a decision right there in his arms, if they got through this, she would take her shot, no matter what happened.