Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers; I do own Andrew (he's mine!), Scout Rin, Daniel Cade, Rhine, Zayla, Jaden, the Glaph, Damek, Gael, Kaen Slan, Eara, Mallory C., KRA, the plot, the feelings and everything else you don't recognize!

A/N: Yes, I know, took me a while… But with Finals season starting in a jiffy, I don't feel very inspired. I guess it's going to take longer than I thought. I apologize.

Star Fata: thanks:)

zeopurple: I admit it was a spark of some sort, but the fun part will be chapter 28?

Phantom Rogue: I agree :P and he will. Eventually:D

Slytherin-Angel44: Okay, so you got me there. But I'm not saying anything else XP

AH/AY: oooo! Cookie!! X) ;chewing cookie;

PRISFAN: I totally agree, Gael is one of my favs (another one is Kaen Slan…)

Quest into Space III: Serenity
by DarkHonda aka Tal

Chapter 27

It has been a month since she joined me and I was watching my baby cousin sleeping, it's funny how her staying has awoken the big brother protectiveness in me. She was sleeping in what used to be my bed, I made the living room's couch my new one without any regrets, as long as she was happy, as long as every morning she joined our training there was a huge grin all over her face, I was happy too. But tonight, today actually, as it was 01:00 AM, I decided to reward my aunt for everything; every support she has given me in the last five years; today, I decided, she will be informed that her daughter is safe with me. I wasn't going to let her go mad with worry, not like my parents, who, as Zayla said, were lost in the unknown. I entered my room to find a piece of paper and a decent pen, I pulled one of my drawers, and as I am as great in stealth as my dad, Zayla raised a rather sleepy head from the pillow. I smiled at her in the darkness.

"Go back to sleep, Zay, it's just me," I calmed her with a whisper and kissed her temple as she settled her head on the pillow. Managing to pull a yellow notebook and a red pen, I looked at Zayla; her blond hair nearly glowing in the dark, a most lovely sight, she deserved the quiet this place, the KRA, gave her. She deserved Gael's adoring glances, Eara and Mallory's endless friendships, Damek's approval and my protection, she was so innocent and young and very hopeful. It made me smile, she knew when I was down and never let me be alone, she had bear with my sadness and always tried to fight it.
'Oh what are you doing, you stupid git,' I told myself suddenly, shaking myself off of those memories, 'you'll wake her in the end!' I accused myself, and guiltily, I've checked Zayla was all tucked in properly, warm and sleepy and then, I hurried out of the room, closing the door without a noise. I walked to the living room, putting the notebook and pen on the table and going to the Synthetron in my kitchen to get a large mug of hot chocolate. With all this achieved, I sat down on my armchair, took a sip from my mug and grabbed the paper and pen.

Dear Zhane and Karone, I started writing on the yellow block but immediately tore it and started anew; Dear Aunt Karone, I tore that page down with a huff. What was I supposed to write? How was I supposed to calm Uncle Zhane and Aunt Karone when anything I write will make them worry even more? I put the pen on the block and rubbed my face tiredly, 'maybe it's not one of your greatest ideas,' a voice in me amended and I sighed, 'maybe it's best for you to wait until tomorrow morning and consult Zayla about this,' the same voice amended once more and I tried to look clearly at the subject;
Zhane and Karone are now in complete case of uncertainty, not having heard of Zayla for a month, they might as well think Zayla is dead. If they hadn't lost hope, and as I know them I knew that a month wouldn't make them desperate, but three months could, six months could and a year surely could, and hope wasn't something I wanted to meddle with. I felt sorry for them, so sorry everything happened this way, but it wasn't Zayla's fault, it wasn't my fault… 'Wait, what?' I stopped for a second, 'this is not about me,' I mentally lectured myself, 'it's not about my stupidity, about my decisions! It's about Zayla!' but I couldn't lie to myself, because there I was, sitting and trying to amend a broken family and I knew that if I could, if I could unite them and it wouldn't matter if it took more than a million years, then I'd know there is hope for me too. With that I took the notebook again, determined to solve this, ignoring the fact it's not my business.

When dawn finally pierced its way through black skies, I've completed the task; I reread all I have written and with a pleased smile pushed a button on my morpher's communicator.

"Yes, Andrew?" Asked the familiar voice of Deca, it made me smile.

"Good morning, Decs, could you teleport this note I am holding in my right arm to Zhane and Karone's house, in a place they can see it?"

"Of course, Andrew," She replied, "Request acknowledged," she said and the letter disappeared from my hand with white sparkles.

"Decs, is there a possibility you would track a reply note if such existed?" I asked, suppressing a yawn.

"Of course, Andrew," she answered.

"Great, thank you Decs, you're the best!" I exclaimed as I jumped on the couch, fully intending on spending the next hour sleeping before training, "Good night!"

\4-4-7/

Dear Aunt Karone and Uncle Zhane,
I know you might be surprised to hear from me, but it's an important matter that brings me to contact you: I know the location of Zayla.
A month ago I came across her, she was crying, apparently Rhine attacked her; he bruised her and tried to do more than just bruise but my cousin used a little magic and escaped. She's ashamed of coming home and currently can't face the consequences of what had happened to her. We talk everyday and she knows that when she feels ready to come home, I'll take her home, I think it's mostly time that she needs.
As I've already written, she is staying with me, I would rather not to disclose the exact location, I hope you understand. I'm doing as best as I can to provide all of her teenage needs, and that includes clothing, a decent place to live, friends, pocket money and believe it or not- school. I've also taken care of Rhine, and I'm pretty sure my name is written all over the guy's face.
If you have a reply of some sort, put it where you have found this letter, it will find its way to me.

I will appreciate it, if you tell my family that I am more than okay.

Andrew Zhane Hammond

\4-4-7/

(The Next Day)
I rolled on the ground, evading a Machinatron's evil attack with a malicious saber too. I jumped on my feet, grabbing his saber and throwing it away, kicking his stomach, he fell on the ground and vanished. I grinned inside the red helmet, but then I noticed Eara was in trouble; I was about to help her when I saw Deviot appearing out of nowhere, in the middle of the raging battle, I think I froze. How dare he attack this town? My town? This planet, after what he has done to me, to my family!? Trying to concentrate I looked at Eara, thankfully, Damek was already helping her out which meant I had Deviot all for myself. Yipikayyay! So I ran, my highly rated red ranger's saber in hand as I charged him, managing to slash his metal armor in a horrible sound, but I guess a part of me forgot he was a robot. He couldn't feel anything and my slash only did minor damage.

"Red ranger," he welcomed me in his very annoying-and-gloating metal screeching voice, I greeted my teeth angrily, if there was one thing I hated... it was him. Suddenly a weird looking gun was in his hands, aiming at me, he shot purple laser beams, they managed to burn my suit! The words 'stronger' and 'reallybad' did not leave me, my mind was screaming at me to move, to evade and believe me, I did my best to do so. I flip flopped between the beams, trying to have him under my counter attack, it didn't work so well especially when he managed to shoot a beams straight to the hand which was holding my saber. It flew backwards and I was left weaponless, but to tell the truth, I couldn't care less. Anger, bitterness and even hatred raged through me, overflowing my senses, I was blind with them and unusually to me, I didn't even try to calm myself, because a part of me wanted this. Wanted to destroy him so bad, that it had to be wrong. It had to be wrong to hate someone this much but I did; I was never the forgiver and I slowly began losing control. I knew I had to beat him and it didn't matter if I used a rock or a super sophisticated shotgun, it also didn't matter if I die, my will to win, to show that unimportant can exactly who I was and exactly how wrong he was to try and hurt my family and my friends.

"What do you want?" I shouted at him, still evading the purple beams which were dancing on my suit, burning holes in it and tingling my skin. I knew that another shot to one of the already burnt places would get the laser to my skin and I didn't want to know how deep a burn can be. 'Bastard,' I thought, glaring at him behind the helmet, and as if he could read my mind, only laughed coldly.

"I want what every villain wants!" he declared, I rolled my eyes, why was this so familiar?
"…to take over the universe!" he exclaimed and I snorted, nearly laughing at his face. As serious as the battle was, to 'take over the universe'? I mean, really, really! Just as I thought villains couldn't get any cheesier! I managed to grip my poor saber which was laying on the ground and charged at him yet again, I couldn't feel any beams burning my skin even though I knew they have not ceased; I slashed his stomach, but to no avail, he's a piece of rusting metal, remember?
He pushed me on the dusty ground, I coughed as the clouds of dust entered my nose and blurred my vision. He pushed his sword down to stab my chest, I rolled on the ground, managing a lucky escape, my hand leaving my saber; he laughed, I jumped on my feet. 'This is it!' I thought now really, really pissed, 'who does this chunk of rusting metal thinks he is?!' I grabbed my saber again and with one twist of it and a few 'magic' words: "Lightning Saber, striking mode!", it was soon charged with electricity, the Power and what not, I ran towards him, slashing him forcefully, then turning around and slashing his back, I didn't stop, I couldn't but a bunch of Machinatrons grabbed me. Fighting those creatures, I noticed the deep slashes I managed to make in Deviot's metal armor, I was pleased but then, when he didn't fall to the ground and exploded like the rest of the monsters, I frowned.
He froze in mid-air for a second before an unexplainable electric charge went through his whole body and then, in spite of his injuries, he grabbed his sword. I think my jaw was on the ground, what the hell was wrong with the bloody machine? Why can't it just fall apart and lose the battle?! I was so shocked that I didn't even notice the other Machinatron that was creeping behind me.

"Andrew! Behind you!" it was Mallory's voice but it was already too late, it kicked my back, I fell on my stomach but quickly recovered. I jumped on my feet, sent a few blows to the Machinatron which is probably regretting for the day he met me, and turned to attack Deviot. Yet as it appeared, he was in the process of attacking me, his sword met my chest again, only this time making me demorph. I was laying on my back on the ground, 'damn!' I thought and jumped on my feet, just far enough from Deviot to successfully evade his blows. I tried to morph, quickly pressing on my morpher's digits, but nothing happened.

'Okay chill,' I tried to tell myself as the bloody machine was now laughing its… guts at my unfortunate disability to morph. Guess the morpher had to recharge, but I am the red ranger and as one, I can't back off, so I kept fighting him, demorphed.

You'd think I'll learn my lesson after being blind for nearly a year, but no, I'm a heroic idiot, what can I say? So we kept fighting, he kept attacking mercilessly, I kept evading until I couldn't evade any more, simply, because my back was pressed against a rough tree trunk. The next time he attacked me with his sword, I blocked his arm with my hand, not allowing him to get the saber's blade to my face, trying to push him back as hard as I could. But he was metal heavy and I was just human, when I saw his sword's blade coming closer and closer, I closed my eyes, still trying to push him away. He managed to slash the left side of my face before Gael and Damek pulled him away from me. He still hurt me, I could feel the blood dripping from the beginning of the slash, my forehead, my eye brow, my eye was closed but I was pretty sure it looked horrible, I put my hand on my eye, not allowing any of them to see something they shouldn't. With a last laugh, Deviot and his Machinatrons disappeared and someone, I don't even know who because the pain was too great, grabbed my hand and teleported me with him to the Academy.
We were at the infirmary, my vision was already blurry and I felt weakness spreading all over me, my worried friends were right behind me, actually I think it was Damek who forced me onto the bed and forced the sedative down my throat…

I woke up to a total darkness, it was almost like returning to an old friend's arms, only this friend was frustrating, annoying and very unfriendly. I tried to open my eyes and realized I couldn't and when I put my hands on my eyes I touched a smooth bandage. I grunted.

"Aww man, not again..."


A/N: well, I decided not to update In the Beginning or What's Left of Me until I finish this one…. I'm not intending on keeping too many chapters, it's driving me nuts. I think I need to fill three chapters more before it can start to end, then maybe another three and an epilogue. I, personally, love the epilogue, I'm planning it for years now! So I'm apologizing again for the lack of updates and I'll see you around (if you review, that is…).

And I want you to note that I hate this chapter. If not all of it, then at least half of it, the fight scene sucks... XC