Sorry bout the lack of updates! College life, blah blah blah! This story is keeping me sane, so thanks for the reviews everyone! Starwriter, Abby, ICrzy, Deva, Bandgeek, all of you are as awesome as ever!

Soundtracks for this chapter: (2) (7)

"Having our powers is nothing to be ashamed of." - Robert Parr, Mr. Incredible

"Finally!" Ren cheered in excitement, "almost there!" She and the rest of her friends were making their way to Arcadia Academy's Library. Senior Year was going to begin the next day and the promise of a great final year of High School hung over the heads of the rising class of 2018. Despite the heavy storm taking place outdoors, the class of over 300 kids hurried toward the building.

"Why're we here?" Jackson asked his friends, as they finally escaped the rain.

"Senior Scripture," Erica replied. The Six entered the vast library and waited in line. The line wrapped around the outskirts of the room and up the staircase to the upper level. At the top was a book, about twice as thick as a large encyclopedia. The White Ranger explained, "Before the first day, every Senior class goes into the library and signs the book."

"A book?" Jackson asked in amusement.

Parker pointed to a podium at the center of the room. "Each class has one page to sign their initials. We display our page there for the entire year."

"That's pretty badass," Jackson shrugged.

Tony pointed out, "And we're the 100th class to do it, too. Senior Year's gonna be awesome!"

Suddenly, the lights went out causing a small uproar from the other Seniors.

"Calm down, everyone!" The Class President called out. She easily grabbed her classmates' attention and said, "The storm probably knocked the power out. Just stay calm!"

Erica felt a pulse inside her mind; a certain pull that alerted her to the anguish of someone close by. A cry of terror ripped across the Library, followed by the same voice shouting, "Help me!"

Alarmed, the Rangers left their place and dashed through the doors. They, in front of several other students witnessed Karprex floating a few feet in the air.

Below him was a classmate of the Rangers. Her raven black hair was wildly sprawled over her face, her eyes were bloodshot, and she trembled and jolted as if she were having a seizure.

"Lea!" Jenna, the Class President, called out.

"Leave her alone!" Parker growled at Karprex.

Karprex laughed, "Oh, but the fun is just beginning." He snapped his fingers, causing a dark aura to overtake Lea. She let out a non-human roar and a large green tail burst from her lower back. Claws formed from her fingernails and her eyes changed from dark brown to bright yellow. It became clear to the Rangers that Karprex was turning their friend into a Hollow.

Lea twisted and contorted, her body shifting and making sickening cracks. Her bones rearranged themselves and her voice became more demonic as she writhed on the wet cement. The Senior class, even the Rangers, could do nothing but stare in horror as their friend continued her shift.

"What the hell…" Sage whispered in disbelief, his eyes not leaving Lea. Though she had stopped, the girl's screams continued to echo inside his head.

Tony analyzed the girl and realized something different. Up to that point, the Hollow the Rangers had fought were simply humanoid figures in stylized armor. He noticed that Lea looked more like a rabid lifeform, not a cladded warrior.

"We've got to do something!" Jackson told his friends. He got a response from them and they, though hesitant, charged straight for Karprex. Jackson and Parker got their first and began throwing punches and kicks at the shadow being while Erica and Tony tried to get Lea to calm down.

Ren and Sage stayed behind and led the Senior Class away from the scene.

"What're you doing to her?!" Parker demanded, throwing a high kick. Karprex blocked it and floated above him, out of his range. "Isn't it obvious? You know I'm making a Hollow."

"Using an innocent girl?!" Ren demanded, catching up with her friends.

Karprex nodded, "My powers have grown too… Initially, Hollows are created by the Darkness I've extracted from Humans, you knew that already."

~Flashback, Karprex's Explanation in Italics~

Kappa, the Turtle Hollow, jumped at the Rangers and shouted, "Boo!" He let out a fit of laughter as his human form began to melt into his armored Hollow form.

"The extracted Darkness of a human could take the form of their original host and move along as they please. However, without a substantial body, they would fade out."

"No…" Beetle complained, her body beginning to wisp away, "My Darkness is fading…"

If they'd gather enough Darkness from Humans, they would evolve. They wouldn't need to replenish their Darkness."

~End Flashback~

"However, I discovered a new ability of mine," Karprex pointed out. "Just hoping for a Hollow to evolve would not bring us results. Instead, my new ability let's me rip potent Darkness out of someone and bond it to the human host. The Darkness will take physical form as the human's innermost evil personified. They're more powerful, faster, smarter, and stronger. Though not perfect, they'll still last longer than our standard Hollows."

Lea let out one final bloodcurdling scream. The dark aura wrapped itself around her forming an egg shaped mass. The mass exploded and a humanoid lizard creature landed on all fours. Its skin was scaly green, its eyes bright yellow. Its pupils were black slits and it darted between the six Rangers.

It hissed at them before waving its large tail at the Teens. They quickly morphed, but the swift tail swipe struck each of them in the chest, knocking them off their feet.

"Lightning Style: Laser Circus!" Jackson spun his Lightning Star and thrust his sword forward. 9 thin concentrated beams of lightning flew from his blade and slithered through the air like snakes. They wrapped around Lizard like lassos and electrified her.

"Jackson, stop!" Erica shouted. "Lea's in there!"

The Gold Ranger wavered a bit, which let Lizard easily escape. She jumped high into the air and came down with a tail slam. The shaken Rangers barely got out of harms way. The assault did not end there, Lizard advanced on all of them, and despite their pleas, did not stop her attack. By the end of it, the Six were lying on the ground in pain.

"I think we've made our point," Karprex smirked behind his helmet. "Come along, Lizard."

~Later On~

The storm still raging outside, the Rangers met up with Alan in the Cave.

"Human-Hollow Hybrid?" Alan repeated. The Six sat around the meeting room. None looked up, all were staring somewhere else, trying to escape into a safe place. None were successful; Lea's change haunted their memories.

Erica sobbed and shook. "It was horrible… Lea… my friend… Alan, they're using humans now! We're fighting actual people! How… how is this right?"

Alan was at a loss for words. He looked around the room at the disheartened teens and felt a pressure in his chest.

Ren nodded, "Innocent people. How're we gonna fight and destroy innocent people?"

~Wayland's Fleet~

"Kaprex, you're the best!" Wayland jumped up from his throne and danced around the room. "You're the best, the best, the best!" He flew into his best friend and hugged him tightly.

"Sir… Sir… you're suffocating me…" Karprex sighed pushing his Prince off of him.

"Sorry… but this is awesome! The Rangers aren't gonna stand a chance now!"

Steinrick nodded, "I am intrigued on your newfound power, young man. It is very useful. Perhaps, we can work on some strategies for future assaults."

Karprex tensed up at the General's words, his distrust and suspicion welling up inside him. "Sir?" He asked for permission.

"I'll let it happen," Wayland nodded. "I can't wait for what's coming!"

~Earth~

All the Rangers, except Erica, sat around a booth at Chip's just listening to the constant pitter patter of rain outside.

"This is what we signed up for," Tony whispered.

Ren shifted uncomfortably. "Killing innocent people, Tony? Really?"

"I know, I know… I don't wanna fight anymore, honestly."

"Don't say that, Winchester," Parker mumbled. "Not you…"

"Why?" Tony asked a little louder.

"We can't fight without a leader."

Tony didn't reply, only stayed silent. Jackson nervously fiddled with his straw, not bothering putting it in his glass of water.

Sage asked, "Where's Erica?"

Ren replied, "She went home. She's taking this harder than the rest of us."

~Erica~

Erica lay in her bed, letting tears fall down her face. She cradled herself into a fetal position and couldn't stop herself. She let her eyes gaze upon the walls around her. The multiple human rights posters and banners, pictures of her, Ren, and Parker at the Pride Parade that took place months prior, as well as sticker that read, "Coexist," using different religious symbols for each letter hung proudly above her desk.

She wept at how she was fighting for those causes all this time, only to realize that she would now be killing innocent people with each battle.

The conflicted paradox circulated through her being, crushing her with a wave of dread with each fresh cycle.

"I can't do this… I can't do this…" She repeated over and over. "I can't…" Images of Lea flashed through her head. Always with a smile, always laughing, she never seemed to let anything bother her. She was a gentle, kind soul that soothed even the most cold person.

However, the blinking of Erica's Energem ignited an onslaught of terror.

~Other Rangers~

"No…" Sage shook his head. "I can't do this… Not against Lea."

Ren and Tony shivered, both wanting to rise up, but something nagged them to stay seated.

Seeing his friends in such misery, Parker stood up and made his way toward the door.

Sage was appalled. "Really, Park?! Are you serious about this?" Ren and Jackson rose up too, eyeing the exit.

"You guys have got to be kidding me!"

Parker, shocking the entire team, yelled, "Get over yourself!"

His friends eyed him in awe and disbelief.

"The world is in freaking danger! It's either them or us! That's the way it is!" Parker felt something deep inside him; something sinister permeated from what felt like his sealed darkness. "Accept it! We have a job! This is OUR war and I'm going to fight this thing!"

"Parker…" Ren reached out to touch him, but he backed up before she could.

"I told you guys when this fight began. There's more to me than you'd think." With that, he dashed out the door.

Jackson finally advanced towards the door and said, "You guys can wallow here if you want… But, I have a job to do. You let me into this fight and I'm gonna keep going."

Ren sighed and offered her hand to Sage and Tony. "Guys? We need you…"

Tony and Sage exchanged looks and calmed down. Parker was right, they needed to save the world. Fight each battle one at a time and try to figure things out as they came along. With reignited passion, they placed their hands in Ren's and stood up.

"But what about Erica?" Sage asked.

Alan appeared from the back of the restaurant and said, "Leave it to me."

~The Battlefield~

Parker and Jackson didn't let the heavy thunderstorm stop them in their tracks. Though the darkness and powerful winds proved to be a challenge for them, the two drenched Rangers went to work dispatching the Maligs.

Unmorphed, the two stood back to back with their swords drawn. They covered each other's backs as they sliced and struck, destroying the foot soldiers with ease.

"Lightning Style: Reverse Lift!" Jackson spun his Lightning Star and sent electrical needles from his sword. The needles bypassed the rain and entered each Malig, causing them to rise into the air against gravity.

"Water Style: Explosive Bite of the Water Dragon!" Parker spun his Star to unleash the advanced Jutsu. His blade glowed an aqua blue before releasing a dragon serpent-shaped water mass that flew into the air. It used its special energy to draw in the water that fell around the two rangers. It then burst into smaller serpentine dragons and wrapped themselves around the Maligs. The electrical currents combined with the water dragon caused a superconductive explosion, destroying the Maligs.

"Skyward Scythe!"

"Skyward Buster!"

Lizard hissed at the two Rangers and fired orange lava bombs at the two.

"Skyward Scythe: Riptide Slash!" Parker infused his weapon with water style and sent a slash wave of water at the lava bombs, destroying them.

"Skyward Buster: Lightning Quake!" Jackson jammed his sword into the ground, sending a steady stream of gold lightning forth to electrify Lizard.

"Fire Style: Fireball!" Tony, Ren, and Sage jumped into the air and created intense spheres of flames that surged at Lizard despite the weather.

"Let's keep fighting," Tony nodded at his friends. "Skyward Force, Ascend!"

~Erica and Alan~

Erica hesitantly let Alan into her living room to where she continued to play the grand piano. She absentmindedly played a song that existed in the recesses of her memory. As she played, she said, "I'm not going out there, Alan… I can't."

"But your friends are."

(2)This shocked the girl, who abruptly stopped playing. "What? Why? Lea… But Lea!"

"Lea's in pain, Erica," Alan told her. He sat down on the bench next to her. "I can't imagine how much torment that girl must be in right now. You have the chance to save her from that suffering."

"But… what if she dies? I can't risk that!"

~The Others, Alan Voice Over~

Tony side flipped over Lizard's tail. He slashed downward, but his sword was stopped by the rough scales. He jumped back in defense for Ren and Sage to come in for an attack. However, a quick tail swipe knocked them back. Parker ninja streaked in and blocked her tail from another fatal swipe with his sword.

"Your friends are fighting, right now. They're fighting to not only save your friend, but save the world. To keep her from hurting anyone else. Erica, this is your mission."

~Erica and Alan~

Alan reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a new Power Star for Erica. It was gold and had six arm edges. Its face depicted six circles, each representing one of the Ranger colors.

"This is the Unity Star; using this will help you save Lea."

"Really?" Erica's eyes began to glow. She took the Star and examined it. With hope finally alive within her once more, she dashed out the door. "Thank you, Alan!"(2)

~Battlefield~

(7) "Sage, duck!" Tony yelled out. The boy did, avoiding Lizard's tail. Tony jumped into the air and sliced the tail off to the side, leaving the Hollow open for a combined attack from the other Rangers. However, the attacks were ineffective. One last barrage of lava spheres demorphed them.

Hissing in triumph, Lizard slowly advanced on the five.

"Lea… snap out of it!" Parker pleaded, "you've got to fight back!"

Erica stopped just a few feet away from her friends and screamed, "NO!" She placed the new star onto her sword and spun it. A rainbow aura appeared around her blade and she slashed forward, sending the wave into Lizard, making her back off.

"Erica!" Ren called in relief.

"I'm sorry," Erica told her friends. "I won't run ever again… Let's do it."

"Right!"

With Erica in the middle, the Rangers readied their Morphers.

"Skyward Force, Ascend!"

~Morphing Sequence~

"Heart of Faith: Skyward Force White!"

"Heart of Courage: Skyward Force Red!"

"Heart of Balance: Skyward Force Blue!"

"Heart of Strength: Skyward Force Pink!"

"Heart of Hope: Skyward Force Yellow!"

"Heart of Justice: Skyward Force Gold!"

"Hearts of Light, Shine On! Power Rangers: Skyward Force!"

"So how're we gonna do this?" Sage asked his friends. "Nothing we do works."

Erica pointed out, "Assaults on all sides don't work… There's gotta be a way." The White Ranger, feeling desperate, prayed for a miracle. It came in the form of what sounded like microphone feedback sounding in her head. She flinched a bit, but regained composure.

"Please… Please someone help me!" Erica was hearing Lea's voice in her head while Lizard remained in place, eyeing them intently.

"Lea?" Erica tried.

"Erica! Oh thank goodness! You've got to help me!"

"How?"

"It's the tail! The tail is my weak spot. If you sever it, you can win!"

"What about you?"

"Please… don't worry about me. The terrible things I've done… Just put a stop to it!"

Erica nodded, "I have a plan." The new Star Alan gave Erica glowed and split into six copies, one for each Ranger. "Awesome. Listen up."

After telling her friends the plan, Erica counted down on her fingers. "Five, four, three, two, one. Go!"

Parker and Sage went first, spinning their Unity Stars. Lizard advanced on them, but they kept her front claws busy by clashing them. Ren and Jackson came around and stabbed Lizard's feet, pinning her to the ground.

"Now!" Erica told Tony. The two jumped high into the air and came down on opposite sides behind Lizard. With the momentum from gravity, they sliced down and severed Lizard's tail. She went into a crazy frenzy and swatted the Rangers away.

"Guys, use the Stars at the same time!"

"Right!"

The six spun their Stars and called out, "Unity Slash!" They glowed auras that had shades of all their Ranger colors. Together, they jumped into the air and became one spiraling rainbow-colored tempest. They struck Lizard, and made her explode, only for her to grow giant sized.

"Skyward Force Megazord!"

"Skyward Rider Megazord!"

Rider lifted its guns and let out a flurry of lasers, but Lizard was too fast. The storm seemed to have gotten heavier and masked her movements.

In the Force cockpit, Parker said, "Switch the Drago Mode." They did, and the Zord took off into the air to try to get a better look. However, Lizard jumped upward and grabbed one of the legs. She spun and threw the Zord into Jackson's.

"Rangers!" Alan's voice came through the com. "Use the Unity Star one more time. Bring your Zords together."

"Right!" Tony said. "You heard him, let's do it!"

"Skyward Zords, Unite!"

~Formation~

The Rider Zord folded outward becoming a sort of station shell for the Skyward Megazord to stand in. The top of the Rider Zord twisted to form a new face, helmet, and chest plate.

(Picture is in the Skyward Arsenal)

~End Formation~

"Rider Force Megazord!" With a blaster in one hand and the sword in another, the new Zord dashed forward at mach speed. Lizard did not have time to react to the sword slicing her side.

"Scanning the area now," Ren told her the others. On their viewing screen inside the cockpit, a tracker moved along the scenery before landing on behind a mountain off in the distance.

"Go!" Ren pointed. The Zord bounded one jump and landed over the mountain range. It raised its blaster and fired at Lizard, sending her into a mountain face.

"Let's end it!" Tony called out.

"Right!"

"Rider Force Grand Barrage!" They spun their Unity Stars and thrust forward with their Swords.

The Zord let a flurry of colorful lasers collide with the Hollow before letting its glowing sword come down for a fatal strike, causing Lizard to explode once more.

"Darkness: Purified!"

~Later On~

"Lea… are you okay?" Erica asked helping the girl to her feet.

"Thank you… so much… I won't tell a soul."

"What was it like?" Sage asked.

"Dude, really?" Tony lectured.

"No, it's fine," Lea whispered. "I almost didn't come out… I thought I was gonna die."

This shook the Six, something became very clear.

Jackson said, "If we don't defeat the Hollow within a given time…"

"The victim will be lost," Parker finished.

The weight of what hadn't transpired already burdened the six as they walked Lea home.

~The School~

"Can't believe we're still doing this scripture thing," Jackson mused.

Ren said, "After a while, you just learn to roll with it."

At the same time, the six picked up a permanent marker and wrote their initials in the book.

"Well," Sage let out a breath. "Here's to a good Senior Year."

The storm outside was letting up, but only a small bit. However, promises of a bigger onslaught was on the horizon.

What's wrong with Erica? We'll find out in due time...

Next Time: Steinrick and Karprex hatch a plan to target Tony using one of his civilian friends. When this new hybrid sees into Tony's past, he uses it to hurt the Red Ranger. It all has to do with his history with Parker. Whatever goes around comes around… eventually.

Epic 15: The Mirror's Edge