I said two days, but of course forgot that it would be my birthday, and thus, all thoughts of updating would fail me. Sorry, guys. Here's the next chapter now though. Only two more to go after this and DT's done once and for all!

Thank you again for your continued support through these last few installments.

Get ready for one hell of a chapter :) hehehe

Death of the Dino, Part One

"Well, Hayley's finished checking over Mercer. Seems he's really 100% reptile-free," Ethan stated, flopping into the seat across from Conner. "She should be back to run the show here soon," he added, looking around a buzzing Cyberspace currently manned by Kaylee. "Trent's looking after him so-"

"Ethe," Conner snapped, drawing the blue-clad boy to obviously foul mood. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Look, Conner, I know you're worried about her. We all are. But we're dealing. We gotta act like nothing's up, and Dr. O's monitoring portal activity all over Reefside. If something's up, he'll let us know. Be cool," Ethan explained, eyes falling on Kaylee as she waitressed tables nearby. "I mean, look at the best friend. She's still working away, keeping her head high, and they're practically symbiotically linked."

"I'm going to act like I know what you just said," Conner nodded slowly.

"Joined at the hip," Ethan chuckled.

"I just don't understand how the whole team can be so calm when our teammate is out there, and who knows if she's safe, in danger or worse."

"None of us are really that calm, dude. We're just focused on a distraction."

"What's yours?"

Ethan grinned proudly, pulling a piece of paper from his jean jacket pocket and flashing it at Conner. The soccer star reached for it, but Ethan pulled away, shaking his head. "No way, dude. This baby leads to my ticket. Isn't leaving my possession." A super-speed second later and Conner had it in his hands, examining it.

"Receipt for purchase of tickets to Asteroid Conquest 2?" he frowned. "What the heck is this?" Then, he noticed the date, and his eyes narrowed over the ticket at Ethan. "And why's it on prom night?"

"Because that's the movie's release date," Ethan replied, snatching his receipt paper back and stuffing it in his pocket. The moment he noticed the look on Conner's face, however, he regretted ever having mentioned his prize.

"You're going to the movies instead of the biggest social event of the year?"

"Oh, look, you have your distraction!" Ethan grinned, sliding sideways out of his seat, attempting stealthily to evacuate the table.

"Sit," Conner baked, and reluctantly, the Blue Ranger did so. "Dude, it's the PROM. It's tradition!"

"Oh, yeah, nice tradition," Ethan rolled his eyes. "Smart kids spend the entire semester in agony wondering if they'll get a date, or if they'll be forced to stand in the corner with the other smart kids. It's too painful, bro."

"Well, why didn't you say something?" Conner grinned. "I can definitely help you there, my man!"

"Sorry, dude, but you're not having the best of luck in that department lately," Ethan replied, regretting as he saw the hurt flash across the Red Ranger's face. "Shit, I'm sorry, dude."

"It's fine. Maybe I was under the impression that with a little luck, I could convince her to go to the prom as friends. Now? Not a chance in hell," Conner sighed, crossing his arms on the table and resting his chin on them. "I'll find someone I guess. I never have trouble."

"Hey, um, Conner?" They looked up to see Devin standing there, balancing on the balls of his feet, looking nervous. "Can I borrow you a minute? It's a-" he leaned down, dropping his voice to a whisper, "prom date question."

Ethan couldn't help hide the smirk on his face as Conner's misery became more evident. "Um, I'm kind having a rough day, dude. Think you can wait?"

"It's pretty important," Devin urged, eyes practically bulging out of his head in his plea. Sighing, Conner pushed himself up, nodding. "Sweet!"

"Have fun!" Ethan called, standing up from his seat as Devin dragged Conner away to speak in private. "Alright, now's my chance to make that line!" He waved as he passed waitress Kaylee, pushing through the red doors and out of Cyberspace. He pulled to a halt, nearly smashing to the two people on the other side.

"Whoa, careful there, dude," Dustin smiled, slapping him on the shoulder as he and Hayley sidestepped the boy in blue. "You okay?"

"Going to pick up my ticket for Asteroid Conquest 2," he beamed, patting the jacket pocket that concealed his receipt. The Earth Ninja's eyes widened.

"Lucky! At the Reefside Theatre, right?" Dustin questioned, and Ethan nodded. "Better hurry quick then, man, I passed it on my way here. The line's getting pretty fierce."

"Shoot, thanks, Dustin," he turned to take off, but hesitated, looking from Hayley to the Earth Ninja. "Um, look, Kaylee's going to be a little off. She'll be worried about-"

"He knows. I debriefed him in the parking lot," Hayley smiled sweetly, and Ethan nodded, relieved. He thanked her before taking off. "Good luck with that line!"

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"So, I've got this little problem," Devin began, wringing his hands together, nervous. "It's female-related, for the prom, like I said."

"You need a date," Conner nodded, looking bored. "I can arrange something with one of the girls from-"

"No, no, see," Devin chuckled nervously, running a hand through his hair. "I want to ask C…um, well, there's someone specific that I've got in mind." Conner shot him a suspicious look, and Devin prayed he hadn't caught the almost-slip. "I was hoping you could help me go the right way about it."

"Okay," Conner shrugged. "Here's what I would…" he trailed off when he noticed Dustin walk in with Hayley, offering him a wave seconds before a streak of green and blonde jumped him.

"Conner?" Devin frowned, waving a hand in front of his face, drawing his attention back.

"Right, sorry," he shook his head, coming back to the conversation at hand. "Here's what I would do."

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"Dustin!" Kaylee exclaimed, leaping into the air, her arms looping around her boyfriend's neck as his arms automatically moved back to hold her legs in piggy-back fashion out of instinct. "You're here!"

"Good to see you too, Kayl-Whale," he chuckled, swinging her to the ground in front of him and dropping a light kiss on her lips. "Can I borrow her for a few, Hayley?" He looked up at the café owner who smiled, taking the order pad from Kaylee and the plate of empty glasses she'd left on the table beside her before jumping him. Dustin grinned, taking his girlfriend's hand and leading her past the red Cyberspace doors and to the outside, where he could safely ninja-streak them to a secluded park bench.

"Now that I mind or anything, but why?" Kaylee giggled, twirling, still holding his hand, motioning to the trees around them. Calmly, Dustin pulled her to the bench, sitting down. Her giggling ceased once she saw the look on his face. "What's up?"

"Leanne's worried, as you can probably guess. She hasn't alerted the students, since Hunter's still on his weekend off, of course, but she will, soon. She called Blake and told him. He was pretty pissed."

"He does that," Kaylee shrugged. "How's Lea holding up?"

"Well enough. She says you have the Thunder Academy behind you if you need it, and Sensei said the Wind Academy too, of course," Dustin squeezed her hand, meeting her eyes. "But the important question to me is, how are you holding up?"

"About Hunter?" she giggled. "Over that one, remember, Dustin?"

"I meant Kira, Kayl." She shifted her gaze, looking down at their joined hands, her long blonde hair shadowing her face from his view.

"Fine. She can take care of herself. What makes you think otherwise?"

"The fact that when Hayley and I walked in, the glasses on that tray you were holding were shaking," he explained. "Kind of like you are now." Kaylee pulled away, and although to the untrained it would've gone unnoticed, he heard the very faint, very tiny sniffle she let loose. "Kayl…?"

"She's going to get herself killed!" Kaylee yelled, slapping her hand against the bench. "I get that she's going after Hunter, and that she's worried, but this isn't how she should be handling it! It's dangerous, suicidal, just rushing off through that invisiportal to freaking Mesogog's Fortress! She should've waited for us. We should've gone as a team. She could be captured, or tortured, or dead, or I don't know what and I-"

"Shh," Dustin cooed, sliding across the bench towards his girlfriend, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"She's my best friend, Dustin," Kaylee looked up at him, tears now freely falling along with her defensive wall in the comfort of her boyfriend's company. "She's practically a sister. I can't lose her."

"I know," he breathed, holding her close, letting her relieve her fears. "I know, Kayl-Whale."

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Conner spun on the stool, bored out of his mind of all this waiting, trying desperately to focus on anything but his urge to run off and hunt down an invisiportal. "I'm sure practicing soccer would be a good outlet for your frustration, Conner," Hayley's voice floated to his ears, and he spun to see her standing behind the counter, smiling. He shrugged.

"I don't know, Hayley, I'm just not really in the mood."

"Suit yourself," she said, before a ringing caught her attention. She frowned, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her cellphone. "Odd, when I'm at work, everyone just calls the café one… Hello?" As Conner spun away to give her privacy, he never noticed her eyes widen in shock, nor did he see her sneak off into the back, with haste.

Instead, he caught a glimpse of bright orange enter Cyberspace and stopped spinning to watch Devin look around, flowers in one hand, chocolates in the other. Beneath the simple grey suit jacket he wore his dress shirt beamed bright orange, hurting the eyes if directly looked at. His hair was lightly gelled, and aside from the dorky grin he wore, Conner figured he'd made good work of the short time he'd been gone.

To distract himself, Conner scanned the patrons of Cyberspace, wondering if he could guess which girl Devin was planning to ask. She was obviously here, judging by his get-up. Maybe it was Macey Andrews, over by the computers. If Conner remembered, she was one of those Mathletes, and was kind of Devin's type, he thought. Or maybe Alicia Hill, sitting at the couches with her fellow chess team friends, glasses falling to the tip of her nose. They had stuff in common, right?

But nothing prepared him for where Devin headed-straight to Cassidy Cornell. "No way…," Conner breathed. He followed her around all day like a dog. She treated him like crap. And yet, despite those facts, there Devin was, walking towards Cassidy with those flowers, those chocolates, and that dorky grin. He thought about stopping the poor soul, but thought better of it. He'd rather watch the explosion.

"Hello, Cassidy," he grinned, reaching her table, beaming. She looked up from her notes, speaking in a rushed, ushering him into the seat across from her.

"I'm glad you're here, Dev. I just met with Mr. Cormier at the news station and…," she paused, looking at the flowers and chocolate he'd plopped onto the table. "What are you doing with all that stuff?"

"Well, it's funny you should ask, because I kinda want to talk to you about something and-"

"Okay, but me first," she cut him off, and over by the counter, where Conner had moved into earshot, he cringed. "We have to find the identity of the Power Rangers, and like, fast." The soccer star's eyes widened.

"It's kind of old news," Devin waved off, reaching for the flowers.

"By the end of the week or we're fired!"

"Fired?"

"Fired."

"Hmm, that's not good."

"No, it's not good at all. So, no clubs, no activities, no rest until we succeed."

"Wait, wait, wait," Devin looked up, eyes widen, face horrified. "What about the prom?"

"Definitely no prom until we find out who they are. Now, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she smiled sweetly, but there was no point, she'd just torn his hope into a million tiny pieces and he knew it.

"No, no, it's nothing," he said, glancing at his watch and getting up, reaching inside his jacket and pulling out a piece of paper. Conner immediately recognized the emblem that he spotted when Devin opened the paper, grinning sadly. He'd seen it on the paper Ethan had shown him. "I gotta jet, but I'll see you later, okay, Cass?"

"What? But…Devin! Hey! Hold on a minute! What about the Power Rangers?"

The bracelet on Conner's wrist went off just then, and as he ducked around the counter and into the empty bathroom to answer, he chuckled at the irony. "This is Conner."

"Activity on one of the invisiportals down in the warehouse district. The energy flow was pretty big. I'm not saying it's what we've been looking for, but we need to check it out. I'm radioing the others."

"I'll meet you there."

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"Can I look at it when you're done?" a voice broke Ethan's concentration, and he looked up from his book to see a pretty blonde in line ahead of him, pointing at his book. He grinned, stammering nervously as he began to speak.

"Y-you can look at it n-now." He handed it to her, cursing how stupid he sounded. "I've read it a hundred and twenty times." Way to sound cool, Ethe…

"A hundred and twenty-three for me!" she grinned, accepted the book and flipping it open with wide eyes. "My friends think I'm nuts."

"Mine can't understand why I'd rather got to a movie than the prom," Ethan stepped closer, all nervousness gone following her admission to common ground.

"Mine say the exact same thing," she chuckled, shaking her head as she scanned a page of the book. She looked up, tilting her head. "Are you, um, picking up a ticket just for you, or… because, well, we could always-" His Dino Bracelet chose the most horrible time to go off, cutting her mid-sentence.

"I can't believe this," he groaned, stopping the noise before it continued. She frowned.

"Is that part of your costume?"

"No, it's…it's kinda like a beeper," Ethan lied, feeling guilty. He'd been doing really well, too. "My, uh, my mom's a little over-protective." Right now Dr. O's has worse timing than my mom.

"You're not…leaving, are you?" She looked crestfallen.

"I have to," he apologized, taking a step back.

"You want me to save your place?" she perked up, hopeful. He grinned back at her, nodding emphatically. The guy behind him pushed forward, glaring at the two from his tall stature.

"There are no saving places!" he exclaimed, and she raised a challenging brow.

"You really wanna go there with me?" He took a step back, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. She beamed at Ethan. "Go, it'll be fine."

"Thank you, you're great." He turned away, ducking under the divider keeping the line straight and took the nearest set of stairs, two at a time. He made it to the top, glanced around, and, coast clear, activated his bracelet. "You've reached Ethan, Dr. O."

"My scanning picked up activity from an invisiportal in the warehouse district."

"You think it's Kira?"

"Pretty big, so if it's her, she's not alone."

"On my way," he sighed, shutting it off and, after taking one last look around, running off. He never noticed the figure who'd thrown himself into the shadow of the nearby cement post in an effort to avoid a run-in with the blue-clad teen. And it had been a good thing, too, because what kind of device what Ethan talked into? Devin thought it looked like a totally cool spy watch. And he'd mentioned Kira, and had been talking to Dr. O. This was just weird. Grabbing his camera from the ground where he'd dropped it, he followed.

"Maybe it was a good thing I was late to the line," he told himself.

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"There's nothing here!" Conner exclaimed, exasperated, throwing his red-spandex-clad arms into the arm. He'd gotten morphed and rushed over here for no reason, and he was going to let it be known. "This was stupid."

"You can't deny the readings I got from the lab, Conner," Dr. O pointed out, but still, the young leader shook his head. "Something came through."

"Whatever it is…it's long gone, Dr. O," Ethan shrugged sadly.

"Look out!" Kaylee yelled, Spino Whip appearing in her grasp in an instant. A moment later it was whistling through the air, wrapping around the throat of the Tyrannodrone that had launched itself off a bunker at Ethan and was dragging it to the ground.

"Thanks," Ethan grimaced, watching the Tyrannodrone struggling against the green whip only a moment before it went still. But a growl rang out in the air, several of them all at once, and suddenly, they were all on alert, weapons summoned to their hands as a wave of the monsters descended from all directions at them.

Staffs swung into the guts of the creatures. Kaylee's whip cracked at them, strangling. Ethan's Shield pushed them back, bashing them in the head. But still the beaten Tyrannodrones pushed on, trying to drive the Rangers off their feet.

"I think they're trying to herd us towards the water!" Conner cried, looking over his shoulder.

"I vote we stop taking fights at places surrounded by water!" Kaylee exclaimed. "I'm getting tired of being pushed off docks!"

"We live in Reefside, good luck with that!" Trent's voice reached them, and they looked up to see him standing on a stack of boxes, his Drago Sword swung over his shoulder.

"Thanks for that insight, dude," Conner rolled his eyes beneath his mask. "Help would be nicer, though."

"Coming right up," Trent nodded, waving his hand in front of him and summoning a whole brigade of energy arrows. "Ready?"

"Ready!" they replied, and he unleashed the barrage, each hitting weak spots in the Tyrannodrones' backs. They'd practiced this take-out technique many times in battle after they'd accidentally discovered its efficiency, and so the other Rangers were ready to attack from the front with their weapons when the Tyrannodrones reeled back, affected by those arrows. The whole wave fell in face of the Rangers.

"Alright!" Ethan cheered, high-fiving Trent as he jumped down from the boxes. "Go team!"

"That was good work, everyone," Dr. O nodded. "Power down."

"Not the same without Kira," Kaylee stated, ruining the moment as they complied. She looked over the water at the setting sun. "I'm going to look tomorrow. No offense, Dr. O, but I can't sit around and wait for your scans anymore. If anyone else agrees, I'll let you know when I head out."

ZWOP!

"What's gotten into her?" Ethan frowned, but the others merely shrugged. Sombre, the four boys walked away.

Taking cover behind the very boxes Trent had launched his aerial assault from was a shaking Devin Del Valle, closing the lens on his video camera, mouth wide open in disbelief at everything he'd just witnessed. Conner, Ethan, Trent and Kaylee-and they'd mentioned Kira too, which made sense, given that the Yellow Ranger was missing…kids from his very own school, some he'd grown up with. The five of them, from completely different worlds, who'd started hanging out together at school for seemingly no reason… Them, and their high school science teacher, Doctor Oliver… They were the Power Rangers? This was…

"Whoa," he breathed, in awe. "I don't even know what this is."

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

ZWOP!

"I'm back!" Kaylee called, standing in the front entrance to her and Tori's place. Although the latter was still at the Wind Academy for the weekend, she'd left Dustin watching a movie when her bracelet had gone off. She took off her shoes, kicking them into the front hall closet before moving inside, unzipping her green hoodie and slipping it off as she walked in. "It was totally pointless. Just a bunch of stupid Tyrannodrones who'd I bet were lost. Dr. O was wasting our time. How's the movie?"

But Dustin sat there and didn't answer her, his smile awkward. Kaylee noticed the movie wasn't playing anymore, and the TV was in fact off. So were half the lights in the house, for that matter. The hair on the back of her neck rose at the eerie quiet of the house, and the tension she could almost reach out and touch. What was going on?

A light cough brought her attention to a shadowed corner of the living room, and she noticed a figure sitting on the small table there, legs crossed. Clearly female, from the silhouette, and she frowned. "Tori, you come home early?"

"Close," the figure replied, and Kaylee's eyes went wide. She dropped the hoodie from her hand, taking a step forward. "Don't. I think you should take a seat… we need to talk."

Kaylee swallowed the lump in her throat, uneasy.

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"So…was it them?" Anton asked his son as Trent placed a newly dampened cloth on his father's forehead. Although Hayley had checked him as 100% Mesogog-free, he was still suffering from side-effects of the formula that had separated them, such as a running fever and more, so she had ordered him bed-ridden for the next few days. Trent, of course, was taking good care of him, and Hayley promised to make frequent visits, given that she was the only medical aid they could afford right now, since taking him to the hospital would raise far too many questions they didn't want to have to answer.

"No," Trent shook his head sadly. "No Kira or Hunter. Just a bunch of Tyrannodrones."

"I was afraid it would be a disappointment," Anton sighed. "Tommy was right… The energy levels were too high…"

"Wishful thinking, right? I just…I just hope Kira and Hunter are okay," Trent shrugged, looking up at his dad. His eyes were beginning to close again. Trent removed the damp cloth, folding it up and putting it on his bedside table. "You should get some rest. I'll be in the other room if you need me."

"Whatever…happened to…you two…Trent…," Anton mumbled, giving into the pull of sleep, his eyes closing.

"I don't know, dad," Trent shook his head, smiling. Within moments, the guy would be snoring.

"I do," a voice spoke from behind him, and Trent froze. "People change. Without a spark, they move on. Too bad though, because we were pretty compatible, y'know?" Slowly, he turned to see Kira standing in the doorway, arms crossed, leaning in the doorjamb with a smirk.

"Kira?" he asked, mouth wide.

"Trent," she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. It took him only a second to notice the difference in her stride, now more aggressive and confident, the way she carried herself, now with head up, and the entire lack of yellow in her attire, and he swore under his breath.

"Please be mind control, please be mind control, please be mind control," he looked up, fingers crossed as she stepped towards him.

"'Fraid not," she laughed. "People change, yeah?"

"Not like this," he shook his head, stepping away from her.

"There goes that tactic," she sighed, dropping the smile. "Guess I'll save it for Conner."

"What are you doing?"

"What I have to."

"This isn't how you should be saving him, Kira. Not like this."

"You'd do the same," she replied, before tilting her head, smiling. "We're all making sacrifices for the ones we care about lately, hmm?"

"There's an easier way about this, Kira."

"Yeah, you give me your gem, and I don't knock you cold." He adopted an offensive stance, shaky, and she shook her head, disappointed, still moving towards him. "You don't even want to fight me, Trent. Why bother?"

"I'm not letting you give into that madman. I did, and it wasn't fun."

"You gave into the gem, Trent. Unwillingly. There's a whole world of difference here." He looked down at her, fists still clenched and just inches from her face at the closeness she was standing. She winked, and he faltered, taken aback by the action. It was all she needed. Her fist collided with his jaw, solid and demanding, and he crumpled to the ground, down and out. She shook her hand, wiggling her fingers.

"Ow! Dammit. That's not going to work more than once, or my pic hand will be ruined at the end of this." She leaned down and detached the White Dino Gem from the bracelet, watching as the brightness faded until it looked like nothing more than a hunk of metal, bracketed to his arm like a handcuff. "Sorry, Trent." She clipped his gem to the thick belt at her waist, fitting it into the empty slot next to the green one before exiting the room.

"Mmmm…," Anton mumbled, stirring as he turned in his bed, his eyes fluttering open. They adjusted to the darkness in his room and he frowned. He could've sworn he'd heard voices. He scanned the room, and decided maybe he should take a look. He was supposed to call Trent if there was anything, but, he didn't want to bother the boy. He was so exhausted. He didn't need more stress.

He swung his legs out of bed, and hit the bedside table sooner than he'd expected, swearing as the damp washcloth fell. He reached out to catch it, but his fingers never quite got the order to close around it as he spotted his son lying there, a welt already forming on his cheek. "Trent! Oh, God, Trent!"

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Ethan typed away, the grin on his face getting brighter and brighter as his current IM conversation went along. For the past three months, in his anticipation for the release of Asteroid Conquest 2, he'd signed up on an online forum for the fans of the movie, hoping to find others from Reefside who would be attending the midnight showing in an effort to make a group thing out of it. He was a fan of the series, sure, but he wasn't a fan of viewing a movie, no matter how nerdtastic, all on his lonesome. Ethan before the Ranger business, sure. Ethan now? No way. He had the others to thank for that.

But the first two months his efforts in the forum's chatrooms had been unsuccessful, because most were already going as a group with their friends to see it. A month ago, however, he'd met AsteroidConquestFan#A, supposedly a girl his age living on the outskirts of Reefside who shared many of the same interests as him. Her name was Angela, a fact he'd discovered when he'd politely pointed out that A was in fact a letter, not a number, something which she obviously knew. They'd begun to chat, but despite Ethan's repeated pointing out that they would be seeing the movie alone, and that they should go together, she'd never caught on and agreed to go with him, reinforcing the fact that she never made plans with guys she met online thanks to some pretty bad experiences.

Who knew she'd remember that he'd mentioned he was going to bring The history of the Asteroid Conquest Series to wait in line with, having read it a hundred and twenty times. Who knew she'd be waiting in line, trying to spot anyone with the book and find out how many times they'd read it.

Who knew it had been Angela standing in line in front of him today.

When he'd returned to the line, which was no longer a line, but a guy closing the box office, he'd no only felt so bad about leaving her after she'd offered to save his spot, but that he'd lost any chance he had at seeing the movie, given that his ticket receipt had been his bookmark. The guy had told him it was closed, but Ethan had begged, explaining his whole situation, which had seemed to spark something in the box office attendant.

He asked his name, and when Ethan had answered, the box office attendant had reached behind the counter and grabbed his book, opening it to reveal a note and his ticket, picked up and ready to go. He'd said a blonde girl had showed up with both receipts, and asked that he place one, with her note, in the book, and hand it to Ethan James when he arrived.

Looking down at the scribbled words on the piece of paper next to his computer, Ethan grinned, happily chatting away with Angela on the forum's IM chatroom. He was so engrossed making plans with the girl that he didn't notice a hand pick up the note from his desk and bring it closer for the hand's owner to read.

"Dear BlueAsteroidRanger, sorry you couldn't make it back on time. I read the whole thing while you were gone. Now I'm at one hundred and twenty-four! Let's make plans for the premiere, AsteroidConquestFan#A." Kira 'hmm-ed', sounding impressed. "Wow, BlueAsteroidRanger, didn't know you had it in you."

Frozen mid-sentence, Ethan looked up, wide eyed. "Yes, I am indeed standing here, in your sanctuary," she dismissed his look, motioning to the room as she dropped the note, walking around, poking stuff. "Not too shabby. I actually kind of expected more action figures and video game consoles, no offence." She turned to face him, smiling. "Close your mouth, Ethe, it's impolite. Besides, I already got enough from Trent."

"You…You saw Trent?"

"Yep." She took a seat on his bed, crossing her legs to make sure she shielded the white and green gems on her belt from his view. She was kind of hoping she could get through this one without having to hit her friend. "So, who's AsteroidConquestFan#A? I'm assuming it's a girl… please tell me it's a girl."

"What the heck are you doing here?" he exclaimed, then heard movement from down the hall and quieted down, standing up from his computer chair to get close enough to whisper. "You…you just run off without a word, running into danger after Hunter, not contacting us, telling us not to follow you. We wonder where you are, if you're safe, worried sick, and yet you show up here like none of that happened? Like everything's okay?"

"Everything is okay, Ethe," she smiled, calculating the distance between them, praying that the stuff she'd found in Mercer's warehouse when hiding from the others as they took on the Tyrannodrones that had followed as a distraction worked. "Or, at least, it's going to be."

"What are you talking about, Kira?"

"This." She leapt forward; pulling the spray can from a small pack on her hip and pushing on the trigger. Mist sprayed forth into the Blue Ranger's face, and within a second or two, he lost consciousness, falling forward against the Yellow Ranger's shoulder. "Kaylee'd be jealous of my ninja skills if they weren't being used for eeeeevil," Kira did her best imaginative Kaylee impression as she dragged Ethan towards his bed, supporting his whole weight against her before flopping him onto his mattress. "Jeez, Ethe, you gotta cut down on the late night forum snacking. You're getting a little heavy." She pulled the Blue Gem loose from his bracelet, securing it to her belt with the others before walking out.

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Dr. O was tired. He'd been here most of the day and into the evening, trying to work out a way to track down Kira, get into the fortress, and get out safely. So far he'd come up short, with no answers, a lot of time wasted, and an irritated team. He wanted to tell them everything was going to work out in the end, he really did, but if he couldn't even convince himself of that fact, how could he say it to them?

One of the screens to his left, which was currently off and unused, caught his attention with movement in its reflection and he looked over. His eyes widened, and for a moment, he thought he might be hallucinating due to all the work, so he rubbed his eyes. When he opened them, however, the reflection of the Yellow Ranger was still there, arms crossed, leaning against one of the posts in the lab behind him. And she did not look like herself.

He sat up straight, taking a deep breath. "I'm not going to ask you if you're alright, or why you didn't contact us to tell us you were back," he spun on the computer chair to face the rocker, who offered him a smirk. "I'm just going to assume you're not entirely yourself."

"Sorry to crush your hopes, Dr. O," she smiled, pushing off the post and starting towards him, "but no mind-control or anything. Trent already tried that one."

It was her movement under one of the dimly lit lamps that caused the three gems at her waist to flash, and Tommy's heart sunk. "No..." He stood up, clenching his fists. "What did you do to them?"

She pulled a can from her hip-pack; the very same one she'd used at Ethan's and tossed it to her science teacher. He caught it, examining the label, finding the Mercer Industries logo, as well as the contents. "Knock-Out Spray?"

"Ethan's safe and comfy in his bed. Trent, however, I couldn't say the same for. He fought back," she shrugged, shaking the hand she'd used to punch him. It was still sore.

"Why are you doing this?"

She scoffed. "Saving a life, Dr. O, duh." She held up a hand as he went to reply. "And don't act all holier-than-thou, because I remember those tapes we watched when you went missing. I know the general idea of your Ranger past. You're not perfect either."

"What does Mesogog want the gems for?"

"A surprise," she grinned, playing with one of the machines on his tables. "He needs them to power up this shiny new machine he's got. Supposed to turn us all into his kind, or something."

"Have you heard yourself?" Dr. O yelled, his patience thinning. "You're talking about turning the human race over to that monster! You're talking about dooming us all! And you're so incredibly nonchalant! What has he done to you, Kira, tell me, please, because this isn't you. This isn't the only choice."

"Yes, it is," she looked up at him, and he noticed the sadness and pain in her eyes. "He won't let Hunter go otherwise, and if it weren't for me, he wouldn't have been captured. I'm sorry, but this is my only choice." By now, she'd gotten closer to her teacher, who'd let his defenses down when seeing her eyes, knowing that she wasn't liking any bit of this. "Do you trust me, Dr. O?" she whispered, and although he knew very well this could be a trap, he also knew his students. Those Dino Gems had picked them, had chosen them for the good they could do, for their ability to save people, and he had to have faith that perhaps she was indeed doing the right thing. That perhaps she knew something none of them did. "I'm getting your gem whether you like it or not."

"I can't let you do this," he cleared his throat, trying to sound angry again. But something was prickling the back of his mind, telling him he was right, telling him to trust her. So he took a very half-hearted punch at her, launching himself at the petite girl.

Nimbly, she sidestepped him, pulling another can of spray from her hip-pack and pushing the trigger as he went by, hitting him as directly in the face as she could. When he fell, he didn't get up. She grinned. "And that makes four," she whistled, reaching down and plucking the black gem from his bracelet. "This is getting easier and easier."

But as she fastened the black gem to its place on her belt, and exited the lab, her heart was pounding in her ears, knowing that where she was headed next was perhaps the least easy of them all. Both on the boy she was going to steal from, and herself.

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Conner was snoring when she slipped into his room quietly, spotting him at his desk, asleep over a stack of papers and two computer screens-worth of notes. As she tiptoed over, slowly perching herself on his desk, her heart soared-he usually slept like a rock. She smiled. Maybe this would be the easiest of them all. Maybe she wouldn't have to lie to Conner, even though he'd lied to her about Hunter. Maybe she wouldn't have to fake it.

But just as soon as her fingers touched his gem, he shot up, nearly knocking her off his desk. As his eyes focused in the dark, he nearly shot off his chair and onto the ground when he spotted her. She quickly dropped an arm over her waist to hide the gems, keeping her smile plastered on her face as he stared at her, mouth open. She noticed that his eyes roamed, looking her up and down, from the black laced-up boots, to her black leggings, and finally, to her tight black shirt. She was thankful for the darkness, because he was actually causing her to blush. "Kira?"

"Hi, Con," she breathed, and his eyes lifted to meet hers.

"What are you doing here?"

"I, um…," she thought quickly, needing to play this one just right. "I came to apologize. I…I was scared, when you told me about Hunter, and…and I said something things I shouldn't have. I overreacted, and…I'm sorry. I don't… I don't hate you." I knew this wouldn't be the easiest, she thought, trying to ignore the way her whole chest ached as she spoke. She had to be strong, had to keep her tears at bay.

If Mesogog was watching as he said he would be, she could get away with words, since he couldn't hear, but she had to portray the heartless traitor her friends had seen. She had to show them all that lie, for all their sakes. To mask it, she threw herself into the role, leaning forward to smile at the Red Ranger. "I realized you were right; you were only trying to protect me. It's okay."

"I…," he reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes, blinking at the darkness surrounding them. Finally, his gaze came to rest on the papers and computer in front of him, and his shoulders seemed to sink. "I'm dreaming, aren't I? I fell asleep doing my research, and now I'm in a dream... that's the only thing that explains the hot tomb-raider look… man, not again," he sighed, shaking his head sadly. "I wish I hadn't fallen asleep… I hate having these dreams, they're so unfair."

He dreamed about her? Like this? Often? Kira thanked the darkness a million times over for covering her now completely evident red cheeks. It should unnerve her that the guy was apparently dreaming about her, and she could only assume where those dreams led. But she remembered her task at hand, and although it hurt so much more, she could use this to her advantage, even if she was going to hate herself for it. "Conner," she called, and he looked up at her smile again, relaxing. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise."

She leaned down, quickly closing the gap between them and crashing her lips onto his.

She hated the way her heart soared.

She hated the way his hands came up to her hips.

She hated the way she let him pull her onto his lap.

And as she brought her left hand up to the clasp the back of his neck in order to keep him there as her other hand silently removed the gem from his bracelet, she hated the way she didn't want to leave.

Her right hand dropped the Red Dino Gem into her hip-pack, exchanging it for her last spray can. She brought up the can as she pulled away from him, turning her head to avoid the mist as she pushed the trigger. When his hands dropped from her sides, she knew it was over. She detached herself from the Red Ranger, slipping off his lap to stand. She stared at her unconscious friend, at the can in her hand, and flashed back to how very comfortable she'd been.

In anger, she threw the can into his garbage bin, struggling with the sob now caught in her throat. She looked back at Conner, how peaceful he was, smile on his face, and a tear broke past her defenses, rolling down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Conner…"

She turned away and fled his room, knowing that if she stayed a minute more, the dam of tears would break and everything would be ruined. She ran down his stairs, out the front of door, and into the darkness, running away from her problems, running away from her fear, running away from everything and back into the hands of this whole mess she'd placed herself in, knowing that when he woke up, he would be the one to hate her.

Before you say it, yes, I know, I'm evil. I'm torturing poor Conner yet again, and making Kira a real bitch. But all is not what it seems, my friends, I assure you there are bigger and better things at work here. For all you Kironner fans, stick with me, good news is coming your way other than this instance between them here.

Stay tuned for the next step in this epic conclusion. Death of the Dino, Part Two.

Brownie points to whomever figures out the real truth behind what's going on. And no, you can't ask Lily for the answer lol