AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm back! Thanks for being patient. If you want to read the backstory of Jeirmi and Eloise, check out Tales from the Rebellion, Chapter Ten, Timeless. A lot of the newer characters mentioned in this chapter who are from Eltar tie back to the Rebellion stories, including Stone and the people he mentions. I'll do my best to give brief recaps so you understand what's going on even if you didn't read those stories. On a similar note, if you read Go, Go, Wildcats, you're about to see some familiar faces...

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
ALEX
He watched his prisoner as he began to stir. Blood was caked onto his body, head, and hair. Bruises and cuts covered nearly every inch of exposed flesh, and there were more underneath his shredded t-shirt. Wes raised his head slowly before trying to fight against the ropes binding him to the chair.

"It's no use, Wes," Alex taunted him. "You try every day, and you never get anywhere. Even if you could loosen the ropes, you're still handcuffed.

"Alex, why are you doing this?" Wes asked. "What did he offer you to make you betray the team?"

"In exchange for my services, I get to destroy you, Wes. After all, you destroyed my entire life. It's only fair."

"You've lost your mind..." Wes mumbled, shaking his head.

Alex punched Wes in his side, making his already severely wounded ancestor cry out in pain. He began to beat him again, taking out all of his rage with his fists. Only when Wes passed out did Alex step outside of the prison.

Zell sent a communication to him using the technology Alex had given him. "My dear boy, I have need of your services," he said.

"Of course, Great Zell," Alex said. "What can I do for you?"

"I fear that a problem has fallen into the time you're in. His name is Jeirmi, and he is an Eltarian with the power to walk the time line. I had trapped him outside of it, but it seems my current injured state caused a ripple in that place and he has found his way back into time. You must find him and prevent him from encountering the Rebels."

"Sure, that's easy enough. I'll just trap him with Wes," Alex said.

"He is wounded. Keep him that way, or he will use his power to escape."

"No problem."

"Remember, my boy... Be careful. If anyone from that time suspects why you are there, you will fail as the one who came before you."

"I won't fail, Great Zell. I know the rules of time travel, remember? Besides, she was a fool."

"She was, but at the time, she had earned the opportunity to prove herself. Do not make her mistakes, Alex."

As Alex began to search for Jeirmi, he had a bad feeling. He spotted a pretty, bouncy teenage girl with blonde hair crossing the street. She looked perfectly ordinary as she cheerfully chatted with her ditzy friends. It was clear she was incredibly popular. She didn't seem to have a care in the world. Then, suddenly, she looked up as if she sensed something.

"Sorry, guys," she said casually to her friends. "I've gotta motor."

"I thought we were going to the movies," one of her friends protested.

"I just remembered that there's something I'm supposed to be doing... Family stuff," she added with a roll of her eyes.

"Okay. We'll catch you later, I guess," the friend said. She walked away with the other girls.

The blonde began walking quickly toward an alley. Alex decided to follow her. That was when he realized he'd screwed up.

A man lay motionless on the ground. His head was bleeding. "Oh my God!" The girl cried. "Mister, are you okay? This looks, like, really bad..." She seemed to realize the man was unconscious then. She immediately pulled some sort of kit out of her bag. She started taking care of his wounds before pulling out a stone of some sort. She tapped it twice before saying firmly, "Laby."

Shit! Alex thought.

"What's up, Tiff?" Laby responded through the stone.

"Laby, there's a man in an alley... He's really hurt... And he's Eltarian," Tiffani said.

"Eltarian? Do we know him?" Laby asked.

"I don't recognize him, but you know a lot more Eltarians than I do," Tiffani pointed out.

"I'll track you and be right there. Hang tight, Beautiful."

Kill the girl and take Jeirmi, Alex thought. He knew he couldn't do that, however. Tiffani was meant to die a few months later, horrifically, at the hands of her father. Alex couldn't risk killing her early. He considered abducting her, but he knew Labyrinth wouldn't stop until he found her, and Alex had already been warned that he couldn't take Laby in a fight. He would just have to watch them and see what happened next.

Laby arrived a short time later. He froze when he saw Jeirmi in the alley. "I'll be Goddamned..." Laby mumbled.

"Laby? Do you recognize him?" Tiffani asked.

"That's Jeirmi... He and his girl Eloise vanished on Eltar a long time ago... We all assumed they were dead. They could run through the time line, and Zell hated people who could do that. I wonder if Ellie's nearby... Did you see a hyperactive redhead around?" Laby asked.

"No, just this Jeirmi guy."

Laby nodded. "He's pretty hurt. We need to get him to Mama Ama."

"Should we be moving him? I think that's too risky."

Laby considered this. "You're right. Call Ama and tell her to meet us here."

A short while later, the Sorceress Amareese appeared. "Oh, dear... He is injured," she mumbled before setting to work on healing him.

Laby pulled out his communication stone and said, "Jaybert!"

"What is it, Laby?" Jaybert answered.

"Jay, I think we've got a problem," Laby said. "A time traveling Eltarian I thought was dead just popped back up... Tiff found him. He's seriously injured, but Amareese is working on healing him now."

"More time travelers? Was the man we captured not enough?"

"We don't know for sure that he's from another time, Jay. It's not like he gives us any answers when you try to torture them out of him..."

Alex realized they were talking about the Phantom Ranger, although they wouldn't discover his true identity for a few more months.

"His energy feels wrong in this time," Jaybert said. "Regardless, bring the Eltarian to me. If he is a friend, we will help him regain his health and send him to Garron. If he's not, we will keep him prisoner."

"We will not," Laby said firmly. "Jeirmi's a good guy, Jay. I'm sure he landed here by accident because of how injured he is. There hasn't been so much as a trace of him or Eloise since they vanished when Zell was still around. He's probably responsible for this."

"You believe the Great Wizard attacked them?"

"I think he wanted them both out of the way and was too arrogant to consider they might survive his attack."

"Laby... I do not think it is wise to make an enemy of the Great Wizard," Jaybert said cautiously.

"He's dead, Jay. What could he possibly do to us?"

Alex knew Laby knew better than that. Given his abilities, Zell could easily come from the past and kill them. He also knew Laby probably suspected Zell would come back one day, but might not be willing to consider it. Laby was more traumatized than possibly anyone else Alex had ever heard of. Alex figured that happened when someone was immortal and kept having to watch everyone he loved die. He had no idea what would become of Laby after the slaughter in a few months. The shapeshifter had completely vanished from the grid. No mention of him could be found in the files for the next thirty years until he resurfaced in Angel Grove.

Suddenly, a girl cried out in alarm, "Like, watch where you're driving in that sad excuse for a car!" She shouted.

"Oh, no..." Tiffani whispered. She clearly recognized the voice.

Alex moved so he could see who was talking. A girl sat in the middle of the street covered in dirt. "Ugh! Grody to the max..." She mumbled.

A boy extended his hand to her, causing her to look up. "Lee!" She cried in relief, allowing Lee Scott to help her to her feet.

"Are you okay, Ronnie? I saw what happened from down the block," Lee said.

"I'm okay now," she replied with a smile. "My hero."

Lee laughed. "I'm no hero, Ronnie," he said.

You will be, Alex thought. Lucas and Cassie would be arriving any day now and Lee would become the leader of the Wildcats. Alex had to leave Tiger's Bluff and 1989 before that happened.

"Like, I'm so sure, Mr. Humble," Ronnie teased him.

"Did you bother to get his license plate?" A girl asked dryly as she arrived with a boy and a girl Alex recognized.

B'Danna and Draze, he registered. The punk rock girl looked too much like the fallen cheerleader for Alex not to realize she must be Ronnie's twin sister, Roxy.

"Like, I was kind of busy trying not to die, Rox," Ronnie replied, flipping her hair in frustration. "He came speeding like he was trying to hit me or something."

Roxy shook her head. "What an asshole... Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine... Just covered in dirt..." Ronnie sighed.

"Maybe I should take her home... Bea, do you mind if I bail?" Roxy asked.

"It's fine," B'Danna replied. "There's something I need to handle anyway."

"Cool. Later, Dave," Roxy said as she and Lee walked away with Ronnie.

Seconds later, a knife was pressed to Alex's throat. "Choose your words very carefully, Time Traveler," B'Danna said. "Why were you watching us from the shadows?"

Alex hadn't thought she'd noticed him. It took him a moment to recover from his shock. In that time, Draze gently said, "Beatrice..." He was sticking to her cover name.

"Answer me," she demanded, but she pulled the knife away from his throat.

"I'm Alex," he said. "I'm here on a mission from the Great Wizard of Eltar."

"Then you're no friend of ours," she replied sharply.

"You don't dress like you're from the past," Draze commented. "The Great Wizard has been dead for millennia."

"Here's probably here to clean up Zell's mess," Laby said as he stepped out of the alley. "You should walk away, Friend. Because there's no way in hell I'm letting you get anywhere near Jeirmi."

Alex knew he was in more trouble than he could handle. He hit the panic button on his communication device. It automatically teleported him back to Wes.

"Shit... Shit, I just seriously screwed up!" He said in a panic. What was he going to do? If he failed as Divatox had, Zell would kill him. "I'm out of time," he decided aloud. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Luckily, Alex was a hell of a good shot.

He took his gun and went in search of Bradley Drew.

SAGE
She was finally heading home from the Reservation and had nearly made it. The last thing Sage expected was for a person to fall out of thin air and land at her feet.

She couldn't stop to ponder what the hell was going on because the girl was bleeding severely. Sage immediately began to heal her throat, which had been slashed open. She sensed something in her energy and realized the girl was pregnant, although she probably didn't know that yet. Sage took care to ensure the baby was safe as well.

The girl slowly opened her eyes. "Holy smokes! Sage!" She cried.

"Um... Do I know you?" Sage asked in confusion.

"Not yet, but you will," she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'm Eloise... Eloise Loren Parker. My friends call me Ellie."

"Okay, Eloise or Ellie... Who slashed your throat?"

"The Great Wizard."

Sage tensed. "I thought Zell was still too injured to do this sort of harm..."

"Oh, he probably is," Eloise said. "He slashed my throat several millennia ago and tossed me into the realm outside of the timeline like trash. Rude, right?"

Sage took a deep breath, trying to follow what Eloise was saying. "Okay... So, how do you know Zell?"

"Well, see, I was raised on Earth in the 1920s... I was totally a flapper. The thing is, I'm half-Eltarian, and I had the power to skip through the timeline. That's how I met... Oh my gosh, where is Jeirmi? Or when? What if he did this to him, too? I have to find hi-"

"Ellie, slow down," Sage said soothingly.

"Jeirmi... The love of my life... He was with me when we saw Zell kill a prophet. He hadn't realized we were on to him until then. Anyway, Jeirmi and I had been trying to stop him. We knew what the future held, here in Angel Grove... There were hardly any survivors... We traveled there by accident. You were there, along with Laby, Lady Eleanor, and a few others... The last of those willing and able to fight. Everyone else was dead, evil, or missing."

Sage stared at her. "What?" She asked softly.

"Zell won. Some guy helped him become unstoppable... Logan, I think you guys called him."

Sage felt like her heart stopped for a second. "Logan... Pierce's brother Logan?"

"I guess so. Zell convinced him to turn evil, and they destroyed Angel Grove. Probably the rest of the world, too. We didn't have much time to explore." She paused. "Do you have any food? I'm starving. Being stuck outside of the timeline bleeding to death without dying for several millennia makes a girl hungry!"

Sage was overwhelmed, but she couldn't deny there was something charming about this hyper girl who'd been suffering for millennia and somehow seemed fairly unscathed by the entire ordeal.

"I'll bring you somewhere safe," she promised.

"But Jeirmi... I need to find him," Eloise said.

"There are Eltarians here. Some of them are pretty ancient. They might have answers about Jeirmi."

"Oh! Is Laby around? Or Lady Eleanor? They both survived the apocalypse when we were in the future. Maybe they can help me!" She merrily skipped ahead, so Sage began leading her in the right direction.

"Both of them are in town. Lady Eleanor stays with her team of Power Rangers, the Ranger Guard."

"The Ranger Guard?" Eloise paused. "That's impossible. By this point, I think only Stone is still alive... If I remember our travels correctly."

"Zordon gave the morphers to a team in this time. He found them after the Stone Warriors had their big battle... Zell had hidden them."

Eloise visibly paled. "Oh, no..." She said softly. "This is bad, Sage. Very, very bad. Those morphers were meant to stay lost." She shook her head. "We have to warn them... They're in horrible danger."

"Explain what you mean, please," Sage said. "I'm pretty attached to that team. In fact, my son's girlfriend is their leader."

"You have a son who's old enough to date a Power Ranger... Time travel?" Eloise guessed.

"Exactly. What danger are they in, Eloise?"

"There were prophecies about them. The first predicted who they would be. The details probably match up with the current team, or they wouldn't be able to use the morphers... But after that prophecy was discovered, Zell made sure they could never be whole. He killed poor Crissy, who was the gentlest thing... He literally stole all of her life force so she could never reincarnate. She used to make tulpas. Her boyfriend apparently stopped speaking after she died, not that he spoke much before that..."

"Allie and Freddy..." Sage said softly as an impossible thought came to her. "The whole team might not be reincarnations of the originals, but... Freddy and Allie were the most surprising people Zordon chose. Freddy's an ordinary guy... He's a hell of a bass player, but as far as we know, he's not Eltarian and has no powers. It was his strong heart and willingness to do anything to protect the others that earned him his spot... But Allie..." Sage shook her head. "I had wondered how a tulpa could become real. Her sister, who made her, gave all of her power to Allie so she could become real, but it started happening before that. Allie started changing after she met Freddy. What if Freddy somehow connected to Crissy's boyfriend and Crissy attached a slither of herself to her boyfriend? And then, when Allie met Freddy, maybe Crissy was able to latch on to the supposedly empty vessel so she could come back?" She shook her head.

"Whoa... That's intense, but I'm following. Who else is on the team?"

"Mena, Zordon's cousin, is the Blue Ranger. She's the reincarnation of Ash's girlfriend from Eltar."

"Medira... Who was the Blue Ranger on that team." Eloise nodded. "Great. She's actually meant to have that morpher, so she's probably the strongest and safest one on the team. Stone's alive, so whoever got his morpher probably wasn't meant to. Stone is powerful enough to rival Zell... If his little brother Talon had survived, Zell probably would have been destroyed by them."

Sage sighed. "I have a feeling that's Logan's morpher. He's from the current set of brothers from the prophecy about Zell and Elgan. He's also the older one. He has fire powers like Zell."

"Fire was Talon's thing. Stone has water magic. I'm surprised Logan's morpher even works for him."

"His younger brother is the one with the water magic. He's actually pretty gifted. He's a Shaman, too... A baby Shaman for now, but he's pulled off some pretty impressive things, and he's only going to get stronger."

They arrived at the house Lady Eleanor was set up in. It was attached to the house where they'd set up the Stone Warriors so Greg and his grandmother weren't too far apart.

The door opened and Lady Eleanor stepped out onto the porch. She nodded at Sage before her eyes went wide.

"Eloise?" She asked.

"It's me," Eloise confirmed.

"Eloise Loren Parker, where have you been? Eltar declared you legally dead millennia ago!"

"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated," Eloise said with a straight face. "Ah, Paul McCartney... The best thing about the 1960s was definitely the music!"

Lady Eleanor began to examine Eloise closely. "You have been healed," she observed.

"A certain not-so-Great Wizard slashed my throat and stuck me outside of the timeline. I only just found my way through," Eloise explained. "It was like there was this massive hiccough in that realm, and then suddenly, I fell through. Unfortunately, as soon as I did, I almost died. Thank God I ran into Sage!"

"Zell was critically wounded by dragons," Sage explained. "That must have been what freed you."

"Lady Eleanor... Where's Jeirmi?" Eloise asked nervously.

"I'm sorry, Eloise," Lady Eleanor replied. "Jeirmi also vanished that day. I do not know what became of him."

"I need to find him... He could be hurt," Eloise said softly. Sage knew she was worried it was more than that.

"First, you need food," Sage reminded her.

"Right. I forgot about that..."

"Come inside, dear," Lady Eleanor said. "I'll make you something to eat." Lady Eleanor might be the scariest woman on Earth or Eltar at times, but she was still a grandmother.

"Thanks," Eloise replied as she and Sage followed Lady Eleanor into the house. "We need to talk anyway... About your Rangers."

"The children? What is it?" Lady Eleanor asked.

"They're in danger. Those morphers are cursed. You have to warn them. They could die, or worse! Especially since one of them turns evil in the future and helps Zell destroy the world and-"

"Cursed? Evil? Eloise, slow down and explain."

Eloise told Lady Eleanor what she'd told Sage. Lady Eleanor cooked as she listened in silence. Finally, she said, "I was worried Logan would become a problem for us."

"You were?" Sage asked in surprise.

"Logan likes to pretend he was never Neptune, and for Mena's sake as well as Nessa's, I allow it... But I am well aware of what the Rebels trained him to be."

"And what was that?" Eloise asked.

"An assassin," Lady Eleanor replied. "A very talented one who never missed a mark. On their order, he even killed the Prime Minister... Mena's father. It is difficult, but I have given him the benefit of the doubt. I see his intentions are good and he feels remorse for the things he did while under their control... However, it would not be difficult for Zell to use the turmoil Logan refuses to face against him." She sighed. "Please understand, I trust Logan is worthy of being a Power Ranger, and he wants to atone for his past actions, but that doesn't mean Zell wouldn't be able to send him back to that dark place."

"Logan has Pierce and Chelsea to keep him from turning evil," Sage said. "He's not as vulnerable as Zell might think."

"Sure, but... He turns evil in one version of the future, Sage. Something must happen to the people keeping him from losing himself to the darkness," Eloise said. After a pause, she added, "Stone struggled against his dark side, too. I'm sure he can help Logan. Do you know how to reach him?"

"Stone is an elder on Eltar," Lady Eleanor said. "He still lives in seclusion in the mountains, coming out only when the people of Eltar are in dire need of his assistance. I suppose I can ask Anise to contact him."

Suddenly, a bit of knowledge flashed through Sage's mind. He's part of the Rebellion and no one who's not suspects him, she realized. That was pretty impressive. She didn't get the sense that he was evil, and Sage was slowly realizing that most of the Rebels weren't. They were simply fed-up with a corrupt government who slaughtered them if they tried to speak up. She couldn't blame them. If she had been Eltarian, she probably would have joined, too. As horrible as some of their actions were, it seemed like they were understandable at times.

"I know what became of the intended Guardians," Lady Eleanor said after a minute. "Cristalia's energy was completely destroyed. Zell claimed she tried to create a tulpa that was too powerful for her and had destroyed her own energy. I believe Allie and Cristalia are the same person. As a tulpa, Allie made the perfect vessel for Cristalia's energy to find a way back. Freddy, bless him, reminds me deeply of Zerry. I believed he was his reincarnation, or at least a descendant. Now, however, I think it's more that Zerry is attached to him somehow. I have not told the boy. I believed that a destiny too tragic to bear. No one knows what became of Zerry, but I suspect he may have taken his own life in his grief. I could not doom Freddy to such a burden. Mena is Medira reincarnated. That much has been confirmed. She died in her sleep from a rather suspicious illness. Van is much like Ley. Watching him with Scott is like watching Ley and Mahk back from the dead. I believe their spirits attached themselves to the boys. They must be protecting them. Both of them were part of the Rebellion, and were killed in the protest..." Lady Eleanor looked a bit pale. She didn't elaborate.

"Protest? Like the hippies would hold? Or union workers? Oooh, what happened?" Eloise asked excitedly.

"A young woman was executed for High Treason. The earliest incarnation of the Rebellion of Eltar took issue with it. They staged what was meant to be a peaceful protest. I was not present, but they turned violent and the Guard was forced to take action. Over a hundred lives were lost. It was a horrible waste, and for what? It was a senseless slaughter, and the Rebels only turned more violent after that," Lady Eleanor explained.

Sage had a feeling that the official version of events was not the full story. She could feel the souls of those Rebels. They'd died horrifically, in a storm of bullets. None of them had been armed, and the protest had truly been peaceful. That event had cost Laby his parents. It had taken the lives of innocent men, women, and children, and it had been the event which sparked the Rebellion becoming violent.

"Lady Eleanor... The Guard lied," Sage said.

Lady Eleanor, to her shock, did not attack her for that comment. "The events of that day never sat right with me," she admitted. "Matthew and I would never have followed that order. I believe that is why Mayor Freyst kept us occupied elsewhere that day."

"This is better than a Shakespearian drama," Eloise said, eating up the story.

"Back to the Ranger Guard... The final one to perish was Eltara," Lady Eleanor said. Now, she looked even more haunted. Sage could feel millennia of grief coming off of her.

"Who was she?" Sage asked.

"Eltara of Eltar was the fiercest, most passionate young woman I have ever met. She was raised by the Guard after being abandoned on the steps of the Counsel building. I was never given the opportunity to train her, but I knew what a brave warrior she was. She did fight at my side in a few battles, and I was quite impressed with her. In some ways, B'Danna reminded me of her when she was a young girl on Eltar. I think that is part of why I got so involved in her training. That, and I knew something was wrong at home, but the girl refused to let me help her..." She shook her head. "Eltara, unknown to the Guard, joined the Rebellion. I do not know what caused her to do that, but she was involved in a horrible slaughter. She killed many that day... She assassinated several members of the Guard, the very people who had raised her... Until she had to face me. I demanded to know why she had done such a thing, and she told me the ones she'd killed had been corrupt people who hurt her as a child, and likely others. I believed her... Something in her eyes was too honest for me to doubt. I convinced her to lower her weapons so I could help her be cleared of the charges, but someone saw her beside me and the fool killed her. I tried to save her, but there was nothing I could do."

Sage had never seen Lady Eleanor look so haunted. There's more to this, she thought. For whatever reason, Eltara was important to Lady Eleanor. Sage filed that information away for later, deciding it might benefit her to track Eltara's spirit down and ask her why.

"Who is she connected to on your young team?" Eloise asked.

"Nessa," Lady Eleanor replied. "And sometimes, that girl reminds me of Eltara so strongly, I nearly forget they are not the same person."

"Is she her reincarnation?" Eloise asked.

"I do not believe so... Nessa shares many traits with Eltara, but as with Van, I think it is because Eltara's spirit latched on to the girl."

"What about Stone? How is he?"

"As I said, Stone is alive and well on Eltar. He shows himself as needed, but often remains alone. He was never the most sociable, and after he lost his brother, he seemed to decide to remain in seclusion whenever possible." Lady Eleanor shook her head. "Logan fears his darkness just as Stone, like you said. He is also a loving older brother who would do anything to protect the younger one."

"If they are not all the same souls as the original Ranger Guard members, they weren't meant for those morphers, Lady Eleanor. They're in terrible danger."

"I believe the children are meant to be a team of Power Rangers. Zordon is not wrong about that. They function best as a unit."

"I never said they weren't supposed to be a team... But maybe Zell made sure they were given the wrong morphers. Maybe their real powers remain hidden somewhere."

Sage felt the truth in Eloise's insane claim. "I'll talk to Mena. She has the power to find things. If anyone can find the morphers they're meant to have, it's Mena," she said.

"Lady Eleanor... Call your team," Eloise said. "They need to know this before it's too late."

"Very well," Lady Eleanor agreed as she set food down in front of both Eloise and Sage. "Eat. I'll tell the children to come here at once." She walked away.

"I have a bad feeling..." Sage admitted aloud. She knew everything was about to come to a head. "I've got to handle something, but I'll be back later." With that, she left to head home, meditate, and try to figure out what was going on.

NESSA
The members of the Ranger Guard were on their way to their mentor when someone appeared in their path. "How lovely... Someone to kill," she taunted them.

"Who the hell are you?" Nessa demanded.

"I am Neighbelle, Great Sorceress of Eltar!" The woman declared.

"I find that Eltarians who refer to themselves as great are typically the opposite," Nessa replied casually. "What is it you want from us?"

"Oh, nothing much. You simply have something which belongs to us."

"Nessa, step back," Van advised softly.

"Why?" Nessa asked.

"Neighbelle's one of the traitors from New Jersey. Raff told me the story of what happened to Captain Smith's family. Neighbelle played a huge part in it. She's powerful. Her magic rivals Kizzie's at times."

"Kizzie is weak," Neighbelle said. "I'll destroy her soon."

"That's unlikely," Logan said.

Neighbelle smiled at him. "Look at you! Such a lovely specimen," she said. She reached toward him.

Nessa grabbed Neighbelle's arm before she could touch Logan's face. "Hands to yourself, bitch," she said. She snapped Neighbelle's hand at the wrist, breaking it cleanly and causing Neighbelle to scream in pain. She clutched it before beginning to heal herself.

Two others showed themselves then. "Hello, Children," one said. "Just give us what we want and no one will get hurt."

"Micah and Estos..." Van realized aloud. "Where Neighbelle goes, so do they. They're the other two traitors."

"Yes, I am Micah," the one who'd already spoken said. "It is nice to know my reputation proceeds me. If you know our tale, you know how dangerous we are. Surrender the boy and survive."

"What boy?" Mena asked softly.

"The only one of you our Great Wizard would have any interest in... The Assassin."

Logan tensed. "I don't do that anymore," he said firmly.

"You're not getting anywhere near Logan," Nessa said. "You'll have to go through all of us."

"Oh, goody," Neighbelle said. "I was hoping you'd say that." She cast a spell and sent it straight at Nessa. Allie jumped in front of her, absorbing the blow and taking no damage from it.

"It's not going to be that easy," Allie said sweetly.

"How did you do that?" Neighbelle demanded.

"I'm a superhero. I can do anything," Allie replied, smiling at Freddy. He smiled back at her. That was when Estos stabbed Freddy through his back. The sword came out of his chest.

"Freddy!" Allie shrieked. She immediately summoned one of her healing tulpas. Kneeling by Freddy's side, Allie sobbed as she held his hand.

"Are you okay, Big Man?" Nessa asked as the tulpa started healing Freddy. He gave her a weak thumbs up in response.

"Guys... I think we'd better morph," Van said.

"I concur," Mena replied. They quickly began to morph. Allie morphed but stayed by Freddy's side. He was still too injured to morph.

"Your pretty suits won't save you," Neighbelle taunted them. She began flinging magical attacks at them in quick succession. Nessa deflected as many as she could.

"Van, cover Freddy and Allie," she instructed.

"On it!" Van said, hurrying to their side. As Estos got too close, an army of tulps surrounded them and began to fight with Van. Allie didn't so much as look up or break a sweat.

"Amazing," Nessa mumbled with a grin.

Micah went straight for Mena. He hit her with a savage attack, doing obvious damage, but Mena fought back and stood her ground. Micah went in for what would surely be a fatal blow. Logan jumped in front of Mena, knocking her to safety before Micah's sword could impale her. She hit the ground hard and her morph dropped, but she didn't appear to be overly injured. She clutched her ankle in obvious pain and Nessa knew it was either sprained or broken. Logan's suit absorbed the hit from Micah's sword, sparking slightly, but his morph held.

"Careful, Logan," Nessa said as she helped Mena back to her feet. "I don't think that's a good sign." Mena leaned on Nessa, unable to put weight on her right foot.

"I'm okay," Logan promised, moving closer to them.

"Not for long," Micah said as he moved in for another kill strike.

Nessa met his sword with her own after quickly shifting Mena's weight to Logan. "Get Mena out of the line of fire," she told him. "I've got this."

Logan followed her orders and began quickly and carefully moving away with Mena. When he seemed to realize this was slowing him down, he scooped Mena up in his arms and carried her to safety.

"Stay here," he said loudly as he set her down beside Freddy, who'd finally recovered enough to morph. Even as she battled Micah, Nessa noticed that the healing tulpa had used up all of its energy and faded, but the warriors were still there. "Allie's tulpas and the others will keep you safe."

"We've got her," Van promised. "Go help Nessa."

Nessa was meeting every one of Micah's swings with one of her own. He never managed to get a hit in. If Estos and Neighbelle weren't still a threat, Nessa might have told Logan to just stay safe with the others, but she knew she needed backup.

Logan went straight for Estos before Estos could lunge at Nessa. He battled him impressively well. Estos was clearly a tactical expert in the Rebellion, but Logan had been trained as the fiercest assassin of the group. Nessa might not like to think about that, but it did come in handy in a fight. Logan easily kept Estos from getting the upper hand.

Nessa finally knocked Micah to the ground. He was seriously injured as her sword pierced his shoulder. He looked at her in shock before fleeing to safer ground.

Logan was about to make Estos flee, too, when a bolt of lightning struck at his feet. Neighbelle laughed as she summoned a storm. A second bolt hit Logan's morpher. His morph failed and Nessa watched in horror as he was electrocuted.

"Logan!" She cried. She ran to his side. So did Van, leaving Freddy to protect Allie and Mena.

Logan stared at her with cold, dead eyes. His facial expression was blank. "Logan? Are you hurt?" Nessa asked.

Logan responded tonelessly. "Who is Logan?" He asked.

Van tensed. "Nessa... Step away," he said softly, clearly trying to sound calm.

"Van, what the hell is going on?" Nessa asked.

"That's not Logan," Van replied. "It's Neptune."

"What?"

"They used to electrocute him to keep him under their control. The shock from the lightning hitting the morpher must have triggered the programming."

"But Doctor Hope broke his programming!"

"She did, but she didn't erase the trauma. His PTSD probably kicked in. Just... Don't get too close to him." Van dropped his morph. "Neptune, it's Van. Do you remember me?" He asked gently.

Logan... or Neptune... Looked at Van. "Vancello. I am ready for instructions," he said tonelessly. "Where is Raffitty?"

Nessa stared at him in shock. "Well, shit... This is bad," she mumbled.

"Neptune, listen to me... Raff in't here to provide any orders," Van said.

"Felina then."

"She's otherwise occupied."

"Your father?"

Van looked crushed. Nessa's heart broke for him. "He's not here either," he finally replied. "Captain Smith is in town. Let me bring you to him."

"Captain Smith is a traitor, Neptune," Micah said, causing Neptune to look at him.

"Captain Smith would never betray the Rebellion," Neptune replied firmly.

"Don't listen to him, Neptune. This man is a traitor and so are his friends," Van said.

Neptune looked a bit twitchy, like he wasn't sure who to believe. "I need Raff," he said. "Get me Raff."

Micah gave what Nessa recognized as the Rebellion salute before saying, "Bizzeh mada alebastes!" He looked deep into Neptune's eyes and said, "Raffitty is dead, Neptune. Captain Smith betrayed him. These people are lying to you. They helped him do the horrible deed."

"No. Raffitty cannot die."

"Captain Smith knew the way... Feel out for him, Neptune. You'll know he is dead."

Suddenly, Neptune paled. "Traitor!" He shouted, attacking Van before Van could react. He flung him against a tree and began to choke him.

"Stop!" Allie cried, running toward them. "Logan, don't!"

Neptune ignored her. Allie dropped her morph. "Neptune... It's me... It's Allie. Don't hurt Van!" She said as she tried to force her way between them.

Neptune tossed Allie aside like a rag doll. He didn't seem to even register what he'd done.

"Allie!" Freddy cried. He ran to her and helped her to her feet, ready to join the fight. Mena was still being protected by Allie's tulpas, so Nessa knew Allie hadn't been seriously injured. It was nearly impossible to do real harm to Allie in general, but it was still reassuring to see.

Nessa pulled out her sword. She put it to Neptune's throat. "Back. Off," she said harshly as Van looked like he was going to collapse.

Neptune released Van to round on Nessa. She'd been expecting that, and she did everything she could to avoid his attacks.

"Look, I don't want to hurt you," Nessa said firmly, "but if I have to, I will."

Neptune responded by manifesting a gun out of thin air. He aimed it at her steadily, sizing her up.

Nessa refused to so much as flinch. She held her sword just as steady, ready to strike if needed and trying to figure out how to disarm him. "Guys... Call Captain Smith. Right now," she said, not taking her eyes off of Neptune.

Neptune moved so swiftly, no one saw it coming. He fired the gun at Van, hitting him in his side. Van bit back a scream as he sank to the ground. "I don't miss," Neptune said harshly, making it clear he had intentionally spared Van from an instant death. "Don't come after me." He began to walk away.

Nessa wanted to stop him, but she needed to stop Van from bleeding out. She focused on putting pressure on his wound.

"Neptune, don't," Allie begged him. "Don't leave us. I know you're confused. We can help you."

He hesitated for just a moment. In that time, Neighbelle made her move, sending more lightning his way. His morpher sparked again, and this time, the shock of it was worse. Neptune was left trembling and whimpering.

"How dare you traitors attack him?" Estos demanded of Freddy, ironically the only member of the team with no magic. Nessa realized too late what his tactical mind had come up with. He watched with satisfaction as Neptune fired a shot at Freddy.

In a terrifying instant, Freddy fell to the ground for the second time that day. The shot had hit his chest. There was too much blood and Nessa knew that, this time, Freddy was going to die.

"Freddy... Oh my God, Freddy..." Allie whispered in shock.

"You bastards are going to pay for that!" Nessa shouted. After making sure Van was able to keep pressure on his wound, she stood with her sword at the ready.

"Neptune, come with us. We can bring you to Garron. He'll protect you and heal you," Estos promised.

"Don't listen to them, Neptune! They're the ones who killed Captain Smith's family!" Allie cried, heartbroken as she held onto Freddy and tried to save him, but also determined to save Logan. "They're working for Zell! You know Raff didn't want any part of that. And Garron's dead."

"Garron cannot be killed. You are liars... You are an impostor," Neptune told Allie.

"I'm me, I swear."

"Allie calls him Uncle Raff."

Allie shook her head. "He lost that right when he attacked me... But I promise, I'm Allie." She used her coat to try to stop the bleeding from Freddy's chest. He looked at her sadly, clearly knowing how seriously he'd been injured.

Mena had somehow managed to limp over to them on her damaged ankle. She stared at Neptune now. "Logan... Listen to me," she said. "You are not Neptune anymore. Neptune is dead. You are Logan, formerly Frankie, Pierce's brother."

"Pierce..." Neptune whispered. For just a second, Nessa thought Mena had gotten through to him.

A final jolt of electricity shot out of the morpher and straight into Neptune. His face returned to its vacant expression. "I await instructions," he said.

Micah showed him the Rebellion salute again. Then, he said, "You are to come with us. I am Micah, Captain of one of the Chapters of the Rebellion of Eltar. I will bring you to Raffitty."

Neighbelle opened a portal before anyone could react. Nessa rushed after them. She managed to knock Estos to the ground, but Neighbelle, Micah, and Neptune vanished into the portal. Estos pulled out a gun and aimed it at Nessa, but before he could even attempt to pull the trigger, she impaled him with her sword. She pulled it out swiftly, leaving him dead in seconds.

"Oh, God..." Mena whispered in horror as she seemed to realize they'd just lost Logan.

"Well, that went horribly..." Nessa mumbled. "Van, are you doing okay?"

"I... I think..." Van mumbled weakly. "Freddy..."

Mena sat beside Freddy as Allie held him tightly. Nessa knelt in front of him. The coat was soaked through with his blood. "Freddy..." She whispered. She had no words. Finally, she looked to Mena. "Call Greg. Have him teleport Andie and Pierce here. Maybe they can still save him." She was determined not to lose Freddy.

Mena immediately contacted him. Thirty seconds later, he arrived looking panicked. "Oh my God..." Andie whispered in horror. She and Pierce rushed to Freddy's side.

"What happened?" Pierce asked.

"After," Nessa said firmly.

Working together, they tried to heal Freddy. As his eyes started to become unfocused, Pierce said, "Don't you dare."

Freddy stopped breathing. Allie let out a cry of despair. Mena tried to comfort her, but it was impossible.

"Andie... Heal Van," Pierce said.

"Pierce-" Andie began to protest.

"He's dead. But he didn't cross because he heard me say not to... You can't heal death, Andie... But I can heal his spirit until that heals his body. Hope's not lost yet, but Van's bleeding out, too. Go."

Andie nodded. She knelt beside Van and began to heal him. Thankfully, his wound was easier to repair. "He wasn't trying to kill me," he said softly, clearly still in shock. "He's still in there."

"Who is?" Andie asked gently as she finished patching him up.

"Van, not yet," Nessa said as she examined him to make sure he was okay. "Let Pierce try to fix Freddy first."

Van nodded, seeming to understand. If Pierce realized what was going on with Logan, he'd be distracted, and Pierce was Freddy's only hope now.

"He's alive... He's alive," Allie insisted. When she'd saved Insu from dying, that tactic had worked for her, but it didn't seem to be fixing Freddy now.

"He'll be okay, Allie," Mena said soothingly. "Pierce is good at what he does."

"Mena... How bad is it?" Greg asked. He seemed to be looking around for someone. Softly, he added, "Where's Logan?"

Mena shook her head. "It's very bad," was all she said in response.

Too many tense moments later, Freddy inhaled sharply and tried to sit up. "Easy, Buddy," Pierce said soothingly. "Don't move too quickly just yet."

"Freddy! Oh my God, are you okay? Are you... Are you really back? Say something!" Allie begged him as she wept.

"Ouch..." Was all Freddy offered in response. Allie flung her arms around his neck, sobbing harder before frantically checking his chest to reassure herself he was no longer injured.

Nessa released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Thank God..." She mumbled.

"Okay, now someone tell us what the fuck is going on," Pierce said. He paused before he added, "Where's my brother?"

"Pierce..." Mena said softly.

"Answer me, damnit! Where is Logan?"

"Logan isn't home right now," Nessa said, seeing no way to handle this besides being blunt. "His morpher got struck by lightning and electrocuted him right back into thinking he's Neptune."

Pierce stared at her in shock. "Where is he? What happened?" He demanded.

"He's alive," Nessa said. "That's what matters. As far as where he is... The Rebel traitors, Micah, Neighbelle, and Estos, kidnapped him. Well, Estos tried, but I managed to stop him." She motioned toward his corpse. "Unfortunately, Van was seriously injured, Mena's ankle is broken or something, and you saw what happened to Freddy, so with Allie trying to help him, that pretty much left me... The other two got away with him. They convinced him they'd take him to see Raffitty."

"Raffitty's dead," Andie said softly.

"He is, but they told Logan that before we could, and they claimed Van helped Captain Smith do it. He shot Van, not to kill him, but to stop him from being able to follow him. That's why his wound wasn't as serious as Freddy's."

"He used to see me and Allie as surrogate younger siblings," Van explained. "Especially me. On some level, even without his memories, he missed having a little brother to look after." He looked at Pierce apologetically. "That's probably why he didn't just outright kill me. I know he could have."

"We have to go after him," Pierce said.

"We don't know where they went. That portal could have led anywhere," Nessa pointed out.

"We'll find him. I just got him back. I'm not losing him again," Pierce said firmly.

"I never said we'd just give up," Nessa replied. "He's a part of my team. There's no way I'm abandoning him."

"Even if he's Neptune now?" Greg asked.

"Especially then... He needs us more than ever. And he needs you, Pierce... And Chelsea. When no one else gets through to him, Chelsea always does, and he still feels your connection. Mena brought your name up and nearly snapped him out of it, until he got shocked again. If anyone can save Logan from becoming Neptune again, it's you and Chelsea."

"We should call my Gram," Greg said. "She needs to know."

"We were headed to her when this happened. She said she needed to speak to us urgently. Even money says it has something to do with what just happened."

"Someone should call Captain Smith," Van said. "He can decide what to do with Estos. I think if anyone deserves to make that call, it's him and his Chapter."

Lady Eleanor suddenly came running toward them. She looked them over before her face turned unreadable. "Children... Where is Logan?" She asked.

"Two of the evil Rebels took him and fled. The third is over there," Nessa said, pointing to Estos. Lady Eleanor saw the shape he was in and nodded at Nessa with approval.

"I was worried with how long you were taking to reach me," Lady Eleanor explained. "Children... Rangers... We must talk."

"You don't seem surprised that we lost Logan," Mena said quietly.

"I am not... I simply wish it hadn't happened. Come back to the house. I will explain everything." She paused, noticing that Mena was putting her weight on Greg. "Are you injured, Mena?"

"It's just my ankle," Mena said quickly. "Nothing life-threatening."

Andie turned toward her. "Let me heal you," she said.

"You poured a lot of energy into Freddy before you healed Van. You're going to burn yourself out. This is nothing. I'll be fine."

"Mena, please. An injured ankle is easy to heal. It will take very little effort, and the reward of having you be okay is worth it."

Mena sighed before nodding. "Very well," she said. "Thank you, Andie."

Andie nodded. A minute later, Mena was able to put all of her weight on her previously injured foot. "Thanks, Andie," Greg said softly.

"Anytime," Andie replied.

They followed Lady Eleanor back to their current base of operations. No one was entirely sure what to expect, but the perky redhead who greeted them was not anywhere on the list of educated guesses.

"Hi! I'm Eloise! It's nice to meet you all," she said pleasantly.

"Um... Gram?" Greg asked.

"Eloise is Eltarian," Lady Eleanor explained. "She has a unique gift to travel through the timeline at will. For a very long time, Zell had her stuck outside of it, but she returned to us today. She is the one who explained this dire set of circumstances to me. Please, sit down."

Lady Eleanor explained what had happened. "So, you're saying we're not Power Rangers?" Allie asked sadly after she was finished.

"You are Power Rangers," Lady Eleanor said firmly. "However, we believe you were meant to be part of a different team. The fate of the original Ranger Guard changed, and those morphers were not meant to ever be used. That is why Logan's morpher failed him tonight, when he needed it the most. You children were lucky you weren't all killed."

"So, then, where are our morphers?" Nessa asked.

"I was hoping that Mena could help us figure that out."

Mena paused thoughtfully. "I suppose I can try," she said. "My power should help me find them fairly easily, as long as they're on Earth... If I don't find them, I can also check Eltar."

"Until they are located, please do not morph," Lady Eleanor said. "I am very concerned that the other Guard morphers will betray your team as well."

"What happens if we get attacked?" Allie asked nervously.

"We fight," Nessa said with a shrug. "We don't need powers to be Power Rangers, guys. We're still a team, and we're still fierce. We've got this."

"I promise I'll find the new morphers as soon as possible," Mena said.

"Nessa's right. We can still do this," Van said. "All of us know how to fight. We'll be fine."

"But Freddy... Without a suit to protect him, he's vulnerable. He's human," Allie said.

"Zordon always says my superpower is that I have a strong heart," Freddy reminded her softly. "That's still here, beating strong, thanks to Pierce." He nodded at Pierce appreciatively as Nessa laughed to herself about the fact that he'd probably just used his word quota for the week to reassure Allie.

"I couldn't let you die. Chelsea would have slaughtered me, and Scott wouldn't have stopped whining until I found a way to fix you," Pierce said with a shrug. It was clear how upset he was, but he didn't say anything else.

"What do we do about Logan?" Greg asked gently, looking at Pierce.

"Right now, nothing," Lady Eleanor replied. "We can't run in blind. We do not know where the traitors took him, nor do we know what their intentions are, but if he is with Zell..." She sighed.

"We're screwed?" Eloise suggested helpfully. "I mean, I saw the future where Zell gets his hooks into Logan, and it's not good. Jeirmi and I spent a lot of time trying to prevent it from happening."

"My brother isn't evil. He won't help Zell," Pierce said firmly.

"Okay, sure, but right now, it seems like he's not your brother. He's Neptune."

"We brought him back from that before. We can do it again."

"I get that he's your brother, but he might help destroy the world, Pierce. You need to accept that if we can't save him, we'll have to stop him."

Pierce glared at her. "You don't know anything about my brother, so shut the fuck up!" He slammed his fist on the table so hard that it shook.

Eloise let out a squeak of surprise. "Sorry," she said. "I should be more sensitive."

"Whatever. You guys can sit here and obsess about this, but I'm going to do something about it," Pierce said before storming off.

"Pierce!" Greg called, about to run after him.

"Let him go, Gregory," Lady Eleanor said. "He needs to process this in his own way."

"But if he goes after Logan, he could be killed. I can't just let him leave, Gram."

"Call Darcy. I'm sure she can talk some sense into the boy."

"I'll call her," Andie offered. She stepped away to do it.

"I didn't mean to upset him," Eloise said. "It's obvious how close they are."

"The Rebels stole Logan from Pierce for six years, and during that time, both of those boys endured hell. Logan was brainwashed and turned into a killer. Pierce was severely abused and neglected. He is quick to anger because of his past, but he's a good boy. I wish I could have spared him from this," Lady Eleanor said.

"Greg... Come with me. I want to search for the morphers right now. The sooner I begin, the sooner I'll find them," Mena said.

"Alright," Greg agreed. "Gram, are you guys okay here?"

"We are safe in this house. I will protect my Rangers from harm," Lady Eleanor promised. "Be careful, and do not stay out past your curfew, Gregory."

"Gram!" Greg blushed with obvious embarrassment, causing Nessa to laugh and Mena to smile at him sweetly.

"I promise we shall return in a timely manner, Lady Eleanor," Mena said kindly. "Come on, Greg. Let's go."

As they left, Nessa looked at the rest of her team. "We'll get through this," she promised them confidently. "And when we get our true morphers, we'll be even stronger than before." She wished she believed everything would work out fine, but Logan was missing and thought he was the assassin he'd been on the worst day of Nessa's life. She wasn't sure what that meant, or how Logan would cope if he came to his senses and realized what he'd done to his team. It will be fine, she told herself. Things will be back to normal in no time. She desperately clung to the comforting words even though she wasn't sure she believed them.

PIERCE

He had no plan. He simply knew he needed to find his brother and save him. "I'm coming, Logan," he said softly.

"Little Fish..." Amos said from behind him.

"You're not stopping me, Amos," Pierce said, not turning around.

"I was not planning to try," Amos said, surprising him.

"Aren't you supposed to talk me out of doing stupid things?"

"Why, when it is so entertaining to watch?" Amos teased him. He moved beside him, walking with him. Turning serious, he said, "I know what has happened, Little Fish... I had hoped we would be able to avoid this fate."

"You knew this was coming?" Pierce demanded.

"No. I knew it was possible. I also know that not all hope is lost. Your brother is still in there, Pierce. Do not give up on him yet." It was rare Amos used his real name, so he knew that this message was an important one.

"I won't ever give up on Logan," Pierce said firmly. "He's my brother... And I fought too damn hard to get him back to lose him now."

"Good. It is your bond which may save him... However, not yet."

"Not yet?" Pierce repeated.

"You must prepare, Little Fish. When you see your brother, he may be in Zell's clutches. This will be the most difficult battle of your life."

"I've faced that fucker before. If he thinks I won't find a way to destroy him, he's mistaken."

"I know what you are capable of... More than you do, Little Fish. I also know you still need help to reach your full potential. You are young."

"Everyone is young to you, Amos. You're ancient."

"This is true. However, it is irrelevant." Amos paused, turning Pierce to face him. "Listen carefully, Little Fish... Zell needs Logan on his side. He wants the power he can never unlock... And if he gets Logan, he will try to have Logan recruit you so he can finally control it all. He does not yet know that the final slither of Elgan's energy lives now within you."

"You noticed that?"

Amos gave him a very sarcastic look. "I will not entertain that ridiculous question with an answer, Little Fish. It is not as if we have just met." He shook his head. "The point is, Zell will see that eventually, and if he cannot control you, he will destroy you."

"He can try."

"He can succeed. Do not be too confident, Little Fish. You are surely powerful, but Zell has many ways to destroy a person. They are not all physical. Emotional death is just as bad."

"He can't do that," Pierce said softly. "My father already did."

"You are not dead inside, Pierce. You have been damaged by your past, but it does not define you. You've proven that again and again as I've watched you grow, especially since becoming a Power Ranger."

"You have to encourage me because you're my mentor."

"Not true! I could simply whack you with a stick and tell you to stop being so foolish! However, I am quite fond of you, my Little Fish... And I hate to see you in such pain." He put a comforting hand on Pierce's shoulder. "I am proud of the man you are becoming, Little Fish. I always will be."

"Amos... What if I really lose him this time?" Pierce asked, allowing himself to be vulnerable for just a moment. He suddenly felt like the same traumatized ten-year-old who woke up to find out that his big brother was dead.

Amos pulled Pierce into his arms. It was comforting and safe in a way he'd never experienced with his father. He felt tears threatening to fall, but he didn't let them.

"I won't let that happen, Little Fish," Amos promised. "No matter what, I'll find a way to bring your brother back to you."

When Pierce was calmer, Amos released him. "Now... Your fiery love is close. Go to her. It will help," Amos told him. With that, he walked away, cheerfully humming to himself.

Pierce turned around and spotted Darcy. "Pierce... I heard. Are you okay?" She asked, hurrying to him.

"No," Pierce admitted softly. "But I have to be... He needs me."

"He does. But you don't have to do this alone, Pierce. I'm here. The team is here."

He nodded. "I know... Did anyone call Chelsea?"

"Not yet. Andie called me, and I came after you. Scott doesn't know either."

"You should call them, Darce. Besides, until we find him and fix this, Chelsea's in danger."

"Do you think he'd hurt her?"

"Logan? No. Not ever. But Neptune might."

"He fell in love with her as Neptune, not Logan."

"She made him Logan, Darcy. She gave him a reason to become a better person than Neptune was. Without those memories..." He let the sentence trail off.

"Chelsea's still Chelsea. She's stubborn. She'll get through to him if she gets near him, just like she did before."

"Darcy... I'm scared," Pierce admitted in a whisper. He rarely said things like that out loud.

"I know," Darcy said soothingly. She kissed him to reassure him. "We'll get him back," she promised. "Come on. Let me take you back home. I know you fixed Freddy, and I know your energy's probably non-existent right now because you need rest."

He didn't try to argue. He was starting to feel the weight of his efforts and was too weak to protest. Together, they headed back to where they were staying. Darcy brought Pierce to his room and curled up beside him, stroking his back soothingly until he finally passed out from exhaustion.

DARCY

She finally made her way outside after Pierce was safely resting. She sent a message to Laby, asking him to come over. She figured Captain Smith should know what was going on. She waited on the porch for him to come.

Suddenly, Darcy sensed something in the air. She couldn't explain what it was, but she felt overwhelming power approaching her. Worried it might be Zell, Darcy tensed and prepared for a fight. She quickly realized, however, that Zell was not the source of the energy.

"Hello?" She called into the shadows. Someone was lurking nearby, but she couldn't figure out who it was. That was when she spotted someone in the distance. "Who's there? Show yourself," she said firmly.

He turned around slowly. The first thing Darcy realized was how familiar he looked, although she couldn't be sure why. He was incredibly handsome, but had an intense stare that was highly intimidating.

No, Serafine whispered in her mind. You're not ready...

Unexpectedly, the flashes of memory hit her like a freight train. Darcy gasped as she found herself staring at a man who had once been incredibly dear to Serafine's heart. She saw everything quickly and was overwhelmed by the emotions that raced through her with each image.

Serafine was learning magic... She was working with an equally handsome and exceptionally charming guy who turned into a dragon before her eyes. She saw herself kissing him, and doing more with him. Then, suddenly, she left him for Zell, with no idea why she suddenly couldn't stop thinking about the Great Wizard... The guy continued to mentor her and be there for her, insisting he only wanted her to be happy, even if it meant she wasn't dating him anymore. Zell tried to push them apart, but part of Serafine held onto him for dear life... Then, there was fire... A horrible, huge fire that brought a building down on his head. "Talon!" Serafine screamed, desperately trying to run to him. The man who stood in front of Darcy now wrapped strong arms around Serafine and prevented her from reaching Talon, protecting her from harm and telling her that his beloved little brother Talon was dead. Her heart broke and a part of her shattered that would never be repaired.

"Stone?" Darcy whispered in surprise before all of the emotions overwhelmed her and she fainted.

LABY

He arrived just in time to see Darcy hit the ground. Laby ran toward her. "Darcy!" He cried in alarm. He pulled her into his arms and checked to see if she was injured, but she seemed to be fine. Then, he looked up and realized what had happened. "Oh, shit... Hey, Stone," he greeted his old friend casually.

"It appears I made an error in coming this way," Stone said. "My apologies."

"It's not your fault... This is Darcy." Laby paused. "She's Serafine's reincarnation."

Stone suddenly seemed to understand. "Oh dear... Poor Sera," he said softly. "Let's bring her inside and see if I can help her come around."

Laby carried Darcy into the house. Stone followed him. Laby sat on the couch holding Darcy. "It's okay, Darcy," he said soothingly. "Come on... Wake up, honey." As he did this, he felt Stone send some healing energy Darcy's way to try to soothe her emotions.

Darcy's eyes fluttered open. She looked at Laby in confusion. "Laby? What happened?" She asked.

"If I had to guess, Sera overwhelmed you," Laby replied. "Are you okay?"

"I think so... I..." She shook her head as tears formed in her eyes. "I remember..." She whispered.

"What do you remember exactly?"

"Everything... Stone, Talon..." Her voice cracked. "My God, her grief was so powerful... It broke Zell's hold on her and woke her up to everything else." She looked at Stone and added, "She loved him... She loved him so much. She hated herself for leaving him."

"I know," Stone said reassuringly. "It wasn't your... Her fault... Darcy."

"She loved you, too, you know... You were family to her," Darcy continued.

Stone actually looked moved by this statement. "She was my kin as well," he replied. "I believe that my brother would have married her if he'd had the chance... And, if you remember him, you know he never believed in settling down."

"What are you doing here?" Darcy finally asked.

"Good question," Laby chimed in.

"Vitella has asked me to take up Garron's old position," Stone said awkwardly.

"Vegas? Sweet deal!" Laby replied.

"Wait... You're part of the Rebellion?" Darcy asked.

Stone nodded. "Try not to judge me too harshly, Ser- Darcy. It was the only path I could walk at that point. They were formed to combat the corruption on Eltar, and given what that monster did to my brother and everyone else, fighting corruption seemed like a good purpose for me."

"I understand," Darcy promised him. "Besides, I've gotten to know a bunch of the Rebels. They're actually pretty awesome."

"So, Vitti wants you to form a new Vegas Chapter from scratch?" Laby asked.

"Not exactly. The twins have renounced Zell and asked to be forgiven. They stand with Vitella and the Rebellion. Vitti doesn't want them left unsupervised."

"Good call. Those two are fun, but boy are they trouble when no one's around to tell them to stop blowing shit up." Laby laughed to himself. "Who else will be in the Chapter?"

"Are you looking for a new home?" Stone asked.

"Never," Laby replied firmly. "I'll stand and fight with the Rebels, but I'm never settling down with a Chapter again."

Stone nodded. "I understand. I was very sorry to hear about what happened to them, Laby. It was truly horrific what Jaybert did."

Laby felt himself starting to shake slightly. "Yeah, well, he's b-back now, so..." He began. "It... It doesn't matter. I-I'll handle him. It's m... M-My job."

"Laby..." Darcy said gently.

"I-It's fine. I've got t-this..."

"Laby, you're stuttering."

"N-nervous habit," he said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"It only happens when you're upset. You used to do it as a little kid, but Sera helped you get control over it..." She hesitated. "It started coming out sometimes again after she died, didn't it?"

"Only once in a while," Laby said, forcing himself to breathe and speak carefully. She knew him entirely too well. He couldn't lie to her, even if he wanted to. Laby had begun stuttering again when he was overwhelmed after Serafine and Ash died, and it had gotten worse after Daphne's death. By the time Celestia had died, he'd basically stopped speaking. When he tried to speak again, he found ways to do it without stuttering as long as he wasn't talking about the things that hurt him. The stutter had returned briefly after the Rebels had been slaughtered during the protest, and again, he'd had to overcome it. He'd been okay for the most part until his Chapter had imploded. Losing Tiffani, Amareese, Flekt, and even Jaybert had broken him severely, and for the most part, he still couldn't talk about them without the stutter returning.

"It's okay," Darcy said soothingly. "Sera always found the stutter kind of endearing. Maybe I can help you get control over it again. You'll be smooth-talking your way out of trouble again in no time." She squeezed his hand encouragingly.

Laby almost started to cry, because that was just such a Sera-like thing to do and say, but he managed to control his emotions. "Thanks," he said softly. He turned to Stone, breathing and speaking steadily. "So, you didn't answer me. Who else is coming to the party?"

"Ace and Wynter, at Vitella's request," Stone replied. "And the Sisterhood at mine."

Laby's face lit up with excitement. "The girls? Are they here? I haven't seen them in ages!"

Darcy seemed to realize who they were talking about. "How are they?" She asked. "Are they alright? Sera was so worried about them..."

"Sera adopted those girls... They were devastated when she died, and they were still so young," Stone replied. "They had a few rough years... Aylane, especially... But they're doing much better now. After the Brothers of Legend realized how dangerous Zell had become, they sent the girls to me so I could hide and protect them. They remained safe in the mountains with me until the Rebellion began. They joined as well."

Darcy smiled. "I'm glad they're okay," she said. "The Brothers were always smart about things like that."

"Yes... Bartello and Zee are still around. Bartello runs Barcelona. Zee is his Lieutenant."

"The others..." Darcy sighed. "They didn't make it?"

"Zell systematically wiped them out with a series of 'freak accidents.' He shoved gardening sheers through D'Dodi's eyes and told everyone it was a gardening accident... D'Dodi was inside of his house, yet people accepted it."

"Yeah, that was pretty impressive," Laby said with a shake of his head. He'd been close to the Brothers of Legend. "Eltarians believed anything that asshole told them."

"They believed my brother, who was essentially fireproof, died in a fire," Stone said. "So yes, Laby, you're correct about that." He took a deep breath before moving on. "He claimed Tante fell victim to the spirits he communicated with. All of his life force was stolen from him. When they found him, a look of horror was frozen on his face, and he was..." He paused.

"Was what?" Darcy asked softly. Serafine had always had a soft spot for Tante, who was one of the gentlest people on all of Eltar.

"He was clutching the talisman Sera gave him for protection," Laby provided, since Stone didn't seem to want to say it to her.

Darcy looked like she might cry. "Poor Tante..." She whispered.

"The twins battled to the end. The house was half frozen and half engulfed in flames... There was nothing left of them physically. Zell claimed that Zydo took his own life, and Mydo died trying to save him."

"My God... That son of a bitch..." Darcy said.

"He tried to kill Barty," Laby said. "He didn't realize how hard it is to kill an incubus. He brought his house down on him, but Barty escaped. He healed, took Zee, and went into hiding until long after Zell was destroyed." He paused as Darcy took all of that in. Then, he asked, "So, Darcy, why did you have me come by, anyway?"

"Oh! I forgot with all of this," Darcy said. "I need you to tell Captain Smith there's a problem. Logan's been captured... Technically, he went willingly, but the ones who betrayed Captain Smith's Chapter have him."

"Back up. What happened?"

"He got electrocuted and they think it triggered a PTSD episode... He turned back into Neptune. He doesn't seem to remember being Logan."

"Super. Well, if I can get to him, I can clear his mind and help him."

"The problem is, we have no idea where he went. Captain Smith needs to know."

"I'll talk to Cap, no problem. How's your boyfriend handling this?"

"Pierce is having a hard time. He's asleep right now. He burned himself out because Logan killed Freddy and Pierce brought him back."

"Never a dull moment around here. Welcome to the fun, Stone," Laby quipped.

"Indeed," Stone replied.

"Call the girls. I want to see them," Laby continued. "I'm going to go talk to Cap, but I'll be free in a bit."

"Of course. They're in Las Vegas setting up the house. I'll have them take a portal here. Would you like me to bring Wynter and Ace as well?"

"Sure. The more the merrier. I haven't seen them in a damn long time, either." Laby figured now that everyone knew he was back, he might as well see his oldest friends. He might not want to get attached to anyone anymore, but that didn't mean he didn't still enjoy a good party.

KAI

He had been surprised when he received Kira's message. The voicemail hadn't been clear, but the text she sent had been a bit alarming. Still, when given a direct order to get to Angel Grove or "face the consequences," he hadn't ignored her. He arrived after dark and headed toward the address he'd been given.

"Well, look who finally showed up!" A voice said cheerfully.

Kai spun around and spotted Damon. "Hey! How have you been?" He asked. He hadn't seen Damon or the others in ages.

"I'm great," Damon replied. "So's Maya. Girl, get over here and see who I found!"

Maya emerged from the shadows. She looked nervous as she watched Kai. "Hey," she said. "It's been a long time, Kai."

Kai hugged her. Maya tensed, which confused him. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"We've been through a lot," Damon said.

"I figured, if Kira was calling us all to Angel Grove with no option to say no, that something major was going on. Where's Karone? I'm worried she's going to kill me when she sees me, considering none of us were here when Leo..." He sighed. It bothered him terribly that Leo had been killed in the last big fight and he hadn't been there to try to help.

"Karone's busy," Damon replied. "Come on, Kai. We'll take you to where we're staying." He led the way. Kai and Maya followed him. That was when they arrived at a building that looked like an abandoned warehouse.

"What is this place?" Kai asked.

"Your prison," Maya said with a smirk. She shoved him through the door. Suddenly, Kai was transported into a small cell. Maya and Damon appeared outside of it a minute later. They were both laughing. "I can't believe you fell for that! You'd think Kira would have warned him!"

"I guess he doesn't matter enough," Damon said.

"Guys... What the heck is going on?" Kai asked.

"Oh, we're evil now," Maya explained. "Great Zell freed us from the burden of being good with his flames. Maybe he'll do that for you, too. Either way, we noticed your arrival and figured he'd want us to intervene and keep you from reaching the other Power Rangers."

Kai's eyes went wide with shock. "Are you serious?" He demanded.

"Very," Damon said. "So, sorry, Buddy, but Karone's not the one you need to be afraid of." He laughed again before walking away with Maya, turning out the only light and leaving Kai in darkness.

NEPTUNE

He looked at his new surroundings. The hotel didn't seem to be open for business, but it was quite large and rather nice. Neighbelle pointed to a comfortable-looking couch in the lobby. "Have a seat, Neptune," she said.

"Where is Raff?" Neptune asked nervously. Something felt off about this place.

"He'll be along eventually," Micah said quickly. "This is our current safe house. We were hunted, you see. The property we were staying on was destroyed by dragons."

"Dragons?" Neptune repeated.

"Yes. This is comfortable, however. We rather enjoy hotels." He smiled wickedly, and Neptune wondered what that was about.

Neighbelle choked on her own laughter, trying to hold it back. "We used to run a hotel," she explained. "We have many wonderful memories there."

Neptune knew they were keeping something from him, but he didn't have the energy to find out what it might be. He was exhausted. "I need to recharge," he mumbled.

"Neigh, feed the boy and then set him up in the nicest room," Micah said. "You need to rest, Neptune. You have been through an ordeal."

"I have?" Neptune asked. He couldn't really remember much.

"Don't worry. You're safe here. Everything will make sense soon," Neighbelle said soothingly. She hurried off, presumably to find him some food.

"I want Raff... Please call him," Neptune said nervously. He felt incredibly frightened suddenly, although he wasn't sure why.

"Shhh... He's a busy man, Neptune. He'll come when he's ready." Micah waved off his request. "You can enjoy yourself here. The rooms are luxurious, and there are a lot of great perks... Look," he said, motioning for Neptune to follow him. "Through here is the gym. It's got some great equipment." He opened the door to show him before moving down the hall. "This is the office. It's got computers and internet access, which I find is quite useful." Again, he showed him the room. Finally, he led him to the last room in the hallway. He opened the door. "And this is-"

Neptune froze as Micah tried to pull him inside. "No," he said softly.

"Neptune? What's wrong?" Micah asked.

Neptune stared at the enormous, fancy pool. It was filled with water, and panic threatened to completely consume him. Neptune stepped back away from the pool, tempted to slam the door shut.

"I... I dislike water," Neptune replied nervously.

"You're afraid of it," Micah said in surprise.

"I nearly drowned as a teenager. Raff saved me. That is my first memory."

Micah nodded sympathetically. "That's horrible. I'm sorry, my friend. Don't worry, I'll keep you away from the pool now that I know."

"Thank you," Neptune said softly.

They arrived back at the couch as Neighbelle appeared with food. Realizing he was starving, Neptune began to eat. He paused as a random and unexpected craving hit him. "Do you have any cheese fries?" He asked.

Neighbelle looked at him with disgust. "We don't keep things like that here," she said.

He nodded, disappointed for reasons he didn't understand. "This is fine. Thank you," he said quickly.

Micah excused himself to talk to Neighbelle. Neptune listened to them talk while pretending to be absorbed in his meal.

"He's perfect," Neighbelle said. "Great Zell will be pleased with us."

"If we find him," Micah mumbled.

"He's obviously busy recovering, but we'll find him. I'm going to try to track Felina soon and see if she can lead us to him."

"Do you think he can turn the boy?"

"I'm certain of it."

Realizing his new allies weren't allies after all, Neptune took a couple more bites of food before slipping out of the hotel and into the night. Neither one seemed to notice. "I need to find Raff," he said aloud. He walked toward a gas station. Inside were maps, and he grabbed one and looked up his location before studying the map to figure out where he should go. "Home," he decided. "I'll go back to Stone Hollow and find Raff. He will explain all of this to me." Determined, Neptune began to head toward Stone Hollow on foot. It was a bit of a journey, but he had no idea where his car was. It didn't matter. He would go home and everything would make sense again. Still, he couldn't shake the sense that he was in horrible danger.