Thanks for waiting so patiently guys! I have a week until I go to camp and to say that I'm nervous would be a complete understatement. As it's a six-week course, you can expect a lull in posting, but I'll try my darndest to post another chapter in the next seven days. I hope you'll stick with me 'till we finish with this tale. We're coming very close to the end! Please review, I hope to see some kind notes from everyone when I check my inbox in August!

Disclaimer - No I do not own the Power Rangers, as cool as that would be.

Signing off,

Satori Blackthorn

Chapter Nineteen

A Show of Strength

As Trip looked around he remembered, painfully, all the years he had spent on his home planet, wishing he could be anywhere else. Everyone he encountered had more psychic powers than he did… He could never measure up to people his age.

And everyone knew it too.

Taunting voices rang in his ears, from classmates, his family, even people on the street.

"He might as well have his gem removed, the amount of good it does him…"

"Who does he think he's kidding?"

"Only real Xybrians can play with us…"

"It's too bad about your son, it's not your fault…"

Their words were like daggers straight to his heart. Trip had been ecstatic when he had been accepted to Time Force Academy for training. The first Xybrian to ever join the ranks of Time Force.

Of course, the honor was lost on his family.

"Well, if you can't succeed here, you might as well go somewhere else…"

He had made something of himself, and among the other, non-psychic races, he had actually made some use of his mental power.

But now he was back among his people.

Outclassed,

Overpowered,

Overwhelmed.

He looked around him, seeing his fellow Xybrians go on in their everyday lives, happily communicating with anyone and everyone, he felt sick.

Why did he have to be different? What he would have given to be just like everyone else…

"It's not fair…" he whispered, crawling into a dark alley between two tall buildings, "It's not fair…" His voice drifted off, unnoticed by anyone.

"Katie! Trip! Someone tell me what's going on!" Katie could hear Lucas clearly, a lot clearer than she should have been able to. The morphers never worked so well, unless the Rangers were in close vicinity of each other. And from the looks of things, the other Rangers were nowhere to be seen.

"I don't know," she heard Trip call.

"Guys, I can't see you!" Katie started panicking; realizing there was something far more sinister than what had appeared to them moments before. This definitely wasn't the inside of an old warehouse, and there were no signs of Jen or Wes anywhere. Even more disconcerting, there were no other signs of life as far as her eyes could see.

"Calm down, both of you. We need to go at this logically," Lucas said again, "Katie, Trip, what do either of you see?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly, though still looked around again, just to ensure herself again that what she was saying was true. The darkness was starting to seep into her; she could feel it fighting its way into her skin, permeating through her bones. It was cold, but it didn't make her shiver, or want to rub her hands together. It was an intangible force. And it was sucking all the warmth and happiness from her very being.

"Same here," Trip agreed.

"Do you have the cycles with you?" The Blue Ranger asked.

There was a pause, but she heard Trip's puzzled voice come through, "no, mine disappeared the moment we busted through."

"Yeah, and there's no debris from the crash either," Katie noted. The fact was a pertinent one. If there was still any doubt they weren't in the warehouse - that cinched it. Now the question was, where were they exactly, and how did they end up there?

"Alright," Lucas said, his voice betraying a note of worry now. Katie squirmed in place, knowing something was up with their second in command. "Alright… Trip get the morphers to lock in on one another, we'll use those to meet at the –"

Lucas' words were cut off by the sound of static coming through Katie's – and she presumed Trip's – morpher.

"Lucas? Lucas!" Trip sounded unsettled.

"Trip?" Katie said, quietly, tentatively, "Trip, are you still there?"

"Y-yeah, Katie," the alien answered after a second's pause. "I can't reach Lucas."

"Neither can I… Trip, what's going on?"

The knot of worry that had been growing in Katie's gut seemed to expand thrice the size it had been with every moment Trip didn't answer. Panic and fear had never been emotions Katie had had to deal with on a regular basis. Growing up she had always been relatively reckless. She was always the first one to charge into a situation head first, without fully knowing what was going on. There was never any need for thought. With her super-strength she could get herself out of any sticky situation. The younger children had always looked to her for answers to their bullying problems, and Jasmine had gone through a stint of less than stellar choices of boyfriends. Katie had been glad to help them out.

But now…

This was definitely not some punk stealing change from kids smaller than he was. This wasn't a persistent boyfriend Katie would have to encourage to never call again.

This was emptiness.

And silence.

Katie hated silence.

"Trip? What's going on? Trip?" Katie said, unable to stand Trip's lack of feedback.

"Katie. I need you to calm down."

"Trip-"

"Katie, calm down. Something big is coming, but you need to focus. My communication link is going to cut out in a second, but-"

Another burst of static cut off whatever Trip was going to say.

"Trip? TRIP! Come on, Trip answer me! Trip…"

Now Katie was alone. And if there was something Katie hated more than silence, it was that.

At a loss for anything else to do, she began to run, looking for something – anything - that would give her an idea of where she was and why the other's morphers had cut out so suddenly.

'Psykincon,' she thought venomously, 'this is all your doing. Just wait 'til I get a hold of you…'

Katie ran, but the landscape, if one could even call it such, never changed, it just continued on, a vast ocean of darkness. The yellow ranger felt her muscles start to burn, but she kept pushing forward, knowing that if she stopped, she would never be able to start running again, and would give in to her despair.

Her friends were gone. What was she going to do?

Feeling warm tears make tracks down her face underneath her helmet, she pushed herself even harder. She would find a way out of this godforsaken place. Even if she had to run to the ends of the earth to do so.

"What are you running from Ranger? Does your uniform color suit you that well, Yellow Ranger? I thought you were an animal who would go down fighting, not running away scared."

A familiar mass of shadows appeared from some sort of portal in front of her and Katie skidded to a stop.

"Psykincon…" she growled dangerously. The mutant was unaffected by her anger.

"You can't escape from here, Yellow Ranger," he stated mockingly, "This is the Nightmare Realm, powered by fear, it is endless, you can not simply run to the end of it."

Katie felt something snap within her. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to get out of here through you!"

She had been so close to heading home. There weren't many mutants left to capture. Ransik was down to his last few cronies. Soon she would be seeing her mother and father again… But then he had to go and wreck everything she and the others had worked so hard for. And now the others were gone. Wes was brainwashed, Jen was kidnapped, and Trip and Lucas were somewhere in this Nightmare Realm. Trapped like rats.

Just like Katie.

And wouldn't you know it, Katie hated rats too.

"A physical attack, Yellow Ranger? You really think I will let you lay a hand on me? Here? The very thought-"

A resounding smack cut Psykincon's rant off halfway.

"Shut up, Psykincon. Shut up and fight me!" Katie yelled, and lunged at the mutant again. Shocked that the woman had actually dared to punch him – and blown away by the fact that she still had hope left in her soul to fight back – Psykincon said nothing. He only narrowed his eyes and melted his body into the shadows lacing the floor.

Katie slid to a halt and listened, ears pricked, for any sign of the Nightmare mutant's return. She didn't have long to wait.

"I think it is time you cooled off Yellow Ranger, though I will admit our dance was enjoyable, I have always preferred taking the lead."

Katie whirled about, to find a fully reformed Psykincon standing inched behind her, his eyes blazing icy blue in rage. She drew back to hit him again, but the mutant beat her to it. A swift hit to her gut threw her back and she fell, clutching her throbbing stomach. Her Ranger uniform dissolved around her.

'With just one hit…' Katie thought through her pain-laced mind, 'with just one punch he's made me demorph…'

"Now you understand my power… This is MY realm. I control everything here. I hold the power of the entire world's fear. All their despair, all their anger, all their negative feelings – it belongs to me! You are nothing, Yellow Ranger, although…" He glided over to her, his feet, it seemed, sunk into the ground with every step, and knelt down in front of her face.

Reaching a shadowed hand to her tear-stained cheek, Katie tried to recoil back from his touch, but found she was frozen in place. He drew a cold, lifeless finger down her skin and she felt her stomach rebel. His touch was so cold… it was unnatural. He leaned his face closer to her. Katie fought with all her might to move away, but still found herself unable to do more than blink.

"Although I have greatly enjoyed this affair… your fear… your despair… is certainly enough to make me yearn for more… I feel you would be better suited to a little… solitary time…

"NO!" Katie screamed, feeling the ground opening up beneath her.

"NOOOO!"

Katie was still screaming as she fell.

End Chapter Nineteen