Chosen Legacy

by PinkAtHart

The final installation in the Chosen/Legacy Rangers trilogy, as well as an indirect sequel to Stone Warriors. The new generation of the Chosen must fight in a final battle against Zordon's evil father Zell. With the Legacy Rangers by their side, will the new Chosen be able to do what the previous generation could not?

23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CAPTAIN SMITH
He stood over Estos with an urn in his hands. Staring at the face of the man he'd once considered a friend, Captain Smith was overwhelmed with memories.

"Sir..." Kizzie said softly.

Taking a deep breath, Captain Smith recited the burning spell that turned remains to ash. The ashes were quickly swept into the urn.

"What happens now?" B'Danna asked.

"We bring the remains to Sage. She has agreed to keep them on the Reservation, as she did with her cousin, so that Zell may never attempt to resurrect him again," Captain Smith replied.

"What about Neptune?"

"We must do everything in our power to help bring Logan back to his senses. That boy was practically Raff's son. I will protect him with all that I possess."

"I spoke with Allie earlier. The poor dear is terribly traumatized by all of this, but it seems their team is recovering well enough," Kizzie said. "Disturbingly, it appears that the morphers they use are not truly theirs, so Mena has gone in search of the real set."

"It is a miracle they survived," Tedius said softly. He stared at the urn. "The threat they faced was significant."

"I don't think anyone warned them about Marinessa," B'Danna said with a small grin. "The girl took out half of the attacking Rebels at the Counsel Building on her own."

"Nessa is certainly impressive," Captain Smith agreed. "And I am quite appreciative that she eliminated Estos for us."

"He was great at the tactical side of things, but Micah and Neighbelle are the true threats," Tedius said.

"Give me five minutes alone with Neigh and she won't be a problem anymore," Kizzie vowed.

"I'd buy tickets to that show," B'Danna said with a laugh.

Captain Smith's mind wandered once again as the others talked. He saw Carolena's face is his mind. He recalled her beautiful, reassuring smile and how it gave him strength. He remembered the way she'd call him Capitan. He missed her terribly, even after all this time. Then, his mind turned to Marie. He could not allow that. It hurt too much to remember what had become of his daughter.

He took a deep breath to compose himself. "Sir, how are we to find Logan?" Kizzie asked softly, drawing his focus back.

"I suppose we can try a tracking spell, although I fear it shall not be so simple," Captain Smith replied.

"B'Danna, Tedius return to the house," Kizzie said. "We shall join you in a bit."

"Of course," B'Danna replied, quickly leading Tedius away.

"Sir... I realize how difficult all of this must be for you," Kizzie said gently. "Tell me, how can I help?"

Captain Smith gently touched her cheek. "The fact that you are able to stand by my side helps immensely, Kizzie," he told her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sir," she vowed. Softer, she added, "You can talk to me, Sir."

He nodded. "I know." He sighed. "I suppose all of this has reopened old wounds. I miss them, Kizzie... It still hurts to know how I failed them."

"You didn't fail them, Sir... Just as you reminded me I didn't. You couldn't have known what was coming. None of us ever suspected they would betray us. We trusted them. They were our friends."

"Part of me hopes to find them again... Every day, I see proof of reincarnation before my eyes with the Stone Warriors, and I wonder if part of Carolena's soul has returned."

"It's quite possible, Sir... And if she has, I am certain she'll find her way back to you eventually."

"As lovely as that would be, it terrifies me," he admitted softly. "I do not think I could survive losing either of them again." He looked away from her, worried she'd see the tears that desperately wanted to escape from his eyes.

"If we find them, Sir, I promise to keep them safe this time... No matter what." Kizzie put a gentle hand on his back. "As I wish I could have done before."

Captain Smith pulled her into a tight hug. "I am thankful every day that you survived, my dearest Kizzie," he told her. "Do not ever regret that you were the one to remain. You all shared my heart, and your survival kept it beating."

"Thank you, Sir," she said softly.

They took a moment to grieve together before both composing themselves. "Now... Let's get this to Sage," Captain Smith said, holding the urn a bit tighter in his hands. Estos was dead. Ensuring this remained the case was of the utmost importance.

ZEKE
Being the team leader was pretty awesome. Zeke was great at the basic stuff. Helping the team focus at training when they were having issues, keeping everyone's spirits up, and making sure they were all doing okay were things that mostly came naturally to him. He had yet to have an opportunity to lead them in battle, however. That was about to change.

He was walking through the park with Lilly, his sister/daughter. Zeke tried not to focus on how that had happened, just like he tried not to think about their mother. She had been evil, but not in the super villain way. Instead, his mother had been a different sort of monster who'd never paid any attention to her son unless she was using him for things no little boy should know about. She was dead now because, in his fear and pain, Zeke had accepted Katie's offer to kill her. He didn't know if that made him a bad person, but he couldn't change the past. Instead, he focused on the present.

"What's that?" Lilly asked, pointing at something in the distance.

Zeke followed her finger and saw three people dressed in black body suits and blue masks moving closer to them. Behind them were impressive machines that looked like they were ready to open fire any minute on the innocent people in the park.

"Shit!" Zeke cursed. Lilly giggled, but thankfully didn't repeat the word.

"What's wrong?" Lilly asked as she realized something serious was happening.

"Lilly... I need you to close your eyes, okay? And just trust me," Zeke said. He kept his tone calm to avoid scaring her.

"Okay," Lilly agreed. She closed her eyes.

Zeke used his communicator to say, "Alphas, something's about to go down in the park. I need backup, and I need you to teleport Lilly to my dad. He's at his Dojo."

"Ay-yi-yi! We're on it, Zeke," Alpha Twenty-Six replied. Moments later, Lilly was sent to safety.

Josh and Thorn arrived first. "What's the situation?" Josh asked.

"Eltarian Rebels," Zeke said, motioning toward them. "And I have a feeling they're not friendly."

"Should we morph?" Liza asked as she and Micky joined them.

"There's only three of them," Micky said. "We can take them, right?"

"Did I miss anything?" Tommy asked as he arrived.

"Their machines look pretty dangerous. I think it's Morphin' Time," Zeke said.

Micky shrugged. "White Tigerzord!" He cried.

"Allosaurus!" Tommy said.

"Mastodon!" Thorn added.

"Pterodactyl..." Kenny called a little shyly as he appeared just in time. He morphed, so Zeke knew he was ready even if he seemed nervous.

"Welcome back, Bro!" Zeke said. "Does this mean you're in charge again?"

"Nope. It's still you, Zeke," Kenny replied. "As it should be. I just stepped up to help while you needed time."

"It's good to have you back," Josh said with a smile. Then, he added, "Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!" Liza chimed in.

Zeke finished it up by shouting, "Tyrannosaurus!"

The Rangers ran into battle. The three Rebels proved to be more dangerous than they appeared. The one who seemed to be the leader kept barking orders in a language Zeke almost understood, but not quite.

"It's not Spanish, but..." Zeke mumbled.

"They're speaking Italian," Josh provided helpfully.

"Which means they're an Earth-based Chapter," Liza said.

"If I remember my notes correctly, Rome has a Chapter of Rebels," Josh said. "I suppose they chose to work for Zell."

"Not all of us," the leader said. She laughed. "And we speak English, too." She paused. "Allow me to make introductions. I am Arabella, former Lieutenant of the Rebellion of Eltar. Tutty, the Captain of the Rome Chapter, did not agree with my decision to go where the power was. Luckily, Katrice and Gabritto are tactical experts and saw the logic to my argument."

"You'd think tactical experts would realize Zell likes to kill his minions for sport," Zeke said casually.

"Only the ones who fail him," Arabella argued. She was arrogant, but Zeke detected a slight moment of nervousness at his words.

They had no time to debate this as the one Zeke assumed was Katrice fired upon them with a massive gun she pulled out of thin air. Zeke dove in front of Liza, knocking her to the ground and taking the hit. Thankfully, his morph held and deflected the bullets.

"Zeke! Are you okay?" Liza asked.

"I'm good," Zeke promised, allowing her to help him back to his feet.

Annoyed, Katrice removed her mask. Her long, platinum-blonde hair looked odd against her overly tanned skin. Her eyes were black. Like her soul, Zeke quipped to himself. She scowled at him and he wondered if she was telepathic or if she just had a serious case of Resting Bitch Face.

Gabritto removed his mask as well. He was kind of enormous and looked like the sort of guy who worked as an enforcer for the Mafia. His dark features probably fit in well in Italy. Zeke wondered if they were actually blue-skinned like many Eltarians or if they had the paler skin that was only tinged slightly.

Stop going all ADHD, Zeke scolded himself. The amount of blue in their natural skin tone is beyond unimportant right now.

"Do not worry, Katrice. I will handle the pest," Gabritto said in a deep, overly masculine voice.

He even sounds like a Mafia guy, Zeke thought with a laugh. Did Eltar have its own Mafia, or had this guy just researched Italian customs by watching The Godfather one too many times?

Gabritto pulled out a very impressive-looking weapon. Zeke didn't wait to find out if it was the morph-breaking kind. Instead, using his natural speed and agility, he began moving in an unpredictable manner. His ADHD-induced impulsiveness might be a problem in school, but in battle, it was kind of like his own personal superpower.

Gabritto cursed as he failed several times to hit Zeke. He was so focused on trying to catch him, he didn't see the blur of green coming at him until it was too late. Sage teleported in right on his shoulders and used her momentum to pull him down by his neck with her legs.

"Hurricanrana. Nice," Zeke said with a laugh, thinking it looked an awful lot like the wrestling move. "Great timing, Sage."

"Sorry I'm late," she replied. "I was in a ritual taking care of something for Captain Smith and I didn't get the call right away."

"You know you just wanted to make a cool entrance," Zeke teased her.

Gabritto was slowly recovering from his shock. In the meantime, Arabella had rounded on Micky and Thorn. She began attempting to cast a spell, making Zeke realize her official role in her Chapter was probably as a Sorceress.

"I don't think so, Bitch!" Sage declared, rushing forward to protect her brother and cousin. She kicked Arabella in the chest, knocking her back several feet and breaking her concentration on the spell.

Kenny, Josh, and Tommy tried to battle against Katrice, but she hit them with a powerful grenade before Zeke could reach them. Tommy shielded the teenagers with his body the best he could as he seemed to realize they had no time to escape. The explosion was huge, and for a horrifying second, Zeke couldn't see his teammates. Then, he spotted Kenny, unmorphed and moving slowly.

"Kenny, what's your status?" Zeke asked through his communicator.

"I'm okay. Just scratched up. Tommy's unconscious, but he's alive. The injuries don't look fatal, but they're really bad," Kenny said. "Josh is in a full-blown panic attack. I need to get them both out of here."

"Alphas, get Josh and Tommy to the Command Center," Zeke said.

"Yo, yo, yo," Alpha Six replied. "We've got this, Zeke. Teleporting in three... Two... One..."

He reached Kenny as Josh and Tommy vanished. "Are you good to stay?" Zeke asked him.

"Yeah... I just need another minute before I can morph again," Kenny replied.

"Sage, call in Noah. We need the Zords and Josh and Tommy are both down for the count," Zeke said. They needed the Triceratops to form the Megazord, but they could just use the original formation if Tommy's Allosaurus wasn't available.

"On it!" Sage promised.

About a minute later, Noah arrived already morphed. "Hey, Guys," he said pleasantly before ducking out of the way of an attack from Gabritto.

"We need Dinozord power, now!" Zeke called. The team summoned their Zords. Kenny finally morphed again as they jumped into them.

The Zords immediately targeted the machines. Most of the weapons attached did little to no harm to the massive Zords until Katrice shouted, "Uniciti!" The twin machines joined together into one gigantic killing machine.

"Megazord time!" Zeke decided aloud.

The team merged their Zords together. "So, I'm late to the party," Noah said quickly. "Who are these guys?"

"A bunch of assholes," Zeke said as an explanation.

"They're Eltarian Rebels from Rome who defected to the Alliance," Liza replied more thoroughly.

"Rebels have Zords now?" Noah asked.

"They're not Zords. They're just meticulously-built machines that were weaponized," Sage explained from the Dragonzord.

A cannon attack shook the Megazord severely. "Hang on, Guys!" Zeke shouted.

"Is everyone okay?" Micky asked from the White Tigerzord.

"We're good, but the Megazord's sparking," Zeke observed. An idea flashed into his mind. "Hold on to your butts, everybody!" He proclaimed before taking full control of the Megazord. He steered it until it was directly in front of the enemy's machine. "On my count, jump out! One... Two... Three!" He watched the others start to leave the Megazord. Then, he turned it until it was nearly on its side and let it drop.

The twin machines broke apart and were damaged beyond repair from the weight of the Megazord.

Zeke was ejected from the Megazord. His morph failed instantly.

He could hear the Rebels cursing before Arabella motioned for them to leave. She opened up a portal and they fled.

"What the hell was that?" Liza demanded as she tried to help Zeke to his feet.

"An elbow drop," Zeke replied. He rubbed his shoulder, which was sore but not as injured as it could have been with all things considered. "You know, like in wrestling."

"Are you okay?" Sage asked as she began healing his injuries.

"I'm good. Is everyone else?"

"We're fine," Noah confirmed.

"Only you would try a wrestling move in the Megazord, Zeke," Thorn said with a laugh.

"It was kind of awesome," Micky added.

"You did great," Kenny said. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks, guys... Let's go to the Command Center," Zeke said. "I want to check on Tommy and Josh."

No one argued. When they arrived, Tommy was still unconscious on the healing bed. Josh was calmer. Billy stood nearby, looking over Tommy's vitals, and Zeke assumed that seeing his father had calmed Josh down.

"Sorry, Guys," Josh said softly as he looked at Noah. "Seeing Tommy get hit by the explosion just... Sent me back there."

"It's okay, Josh," Zeke reassured him. "We get it."

"How's Uncle Tommy?" Sage asked Billy.

"He'll be okay. He had a pretty severe injury to his chest and lost a lot of blood, and he took a serious blow to his head, but the healing bed is working. He's stable," Billy promised. "There shouldn't be any long-term damage."

Micky looked pretty upset as he watched Tommy from a distance. Zeke took his hand and guided him closer to the healing bed. "See this?" He asked, motioning toward a holographic display on the side of the bed. "That's his heartbeat. It's steady and strong."

Micky nodded. "I'm fine," he said softly.

"You're worried. And that's normal. But I promise, Tommy's going to be fine."

Micky nodded. "Thanks. I know things are weird with me and Tommy, but..."

"But he's still your dad. I get it."

Tommy groaned, slowly regaining consciousness. "The kids..." He mumbled.

"Easy, Tommy," Billy said firmly as Tommy tried to sit up.

"The kids. Where are they?" Tommy asked.

"We're here, Tommy," Kenny said quickly. "We're okay."

"Did we win?"

Zeke was vaguely reminded of Katie, whose reaction would have been identical. He smiled sadly, trying to separate the person he'd loved so much from the monster she'd become. "Yeah, Tommy," he said. "We won."

Tommy managed to smile at that. "Good. How long am I stuck here?"

"The damage was serious, but you're recovering well," Billy replied. "A few more hours of intensive healing and a good night's sleep should have you back to yourself."

"Right. Thanks, Billy."

"You took that hit to save my sons, Tommy. No thanks are required," Billy said.

Zeke noticed Kenny smile in surprise as Billy claimed him so casually. Impressively, Josh didn't seem to mind. He squeezed Kenny's shoulder supportively.

"Nice leadership today, Zeke," Billy said. "From what I saw on the viewing globe, you did an excellent job."

"Thanks, Billy," Zeke replied with a grin. Nothing had ever felt quite so right before. His dad had never led a team, but it seemed like Zeke had been born for the role after all.

CHELSEA
She knew something was wrong. She could feel it in her core. The second she saw Pierce's face as she arrived at the house, she knew she was right.

"What happened to Logan?" She asked without preamble.

"That bitch Sleigh Belle or whatever the fuck her name is struck his morpher with lightning," Pierce replied. "It misfired and kept electrocuting him, and he thinks he's Neptune again. I have no idea where he is."

"I'll fix him," Chelsea said. "I got through to him before. I'll do it again. I'll go search for him."

She was about to take off running when she noticed someone staring at her. "Take a picture. It'll last longer, Asshole," she said sharply.

"Forgive me..." The man said softly. "You... You remind me of someone."

"Who is this guy?" Chelsea asked Pierce.

"No clue. I just woke up," Pierce replied.

"His name is Stone," Laby provided as he and Darcy came into the living room. "And you look a lot like Avona. You act like her, too, actually... Just with that New York edge added in."

"And Avona would be...?" Chelsea asked.

"Someone who perished several millennia ago. Excuse me. I must go meet the Sisterhood," Stone said. He hurried off.

"Was it something I said?" Chelsea asked.

"Zell murdered Avona shortly after Talon died," Darcy said numbly. Chelsea could tell she was trying to hold Serafine back. "She was the love of his life."

"Super. I look like his dead love. Fun times," Chelsea said.

"Her parents had another kid eventually. You probably descend from her sister. I'd bet money on it," Laby said. "She was just as spirited as Avona, and she looked just like you."

"Wait... You think I'm part Eltarian?" Chelsea asked in disbelief.

"Barely. The sister ran off to Earth as a teenager. No one ever saw her again. I'm sure the Eltarian genes are massively diluted by several generations of people reproducing with people from Earth. But yeah, Chelsea... I think you have a little bit of Eltarian blood in you."

Chelsea shrugged. "Whatever. That's cool, I guess."

Laby laughed. "The fact that you reacted so casually to that bombshell makes you seem even more like Avona... Which is good."

"Why's it good?"

"Stone struggled with darkness. He still does sometimes. Avona was his off-switch. When nothing else got through to him, she did. The Sisterhood keeps him in check now. No one can resist Annabrooke's smile, and Aylane's a super powerful telepath, so when he's really over the edge, she can help stop his rage. Since he basically helped raise the Sisterhood, he's got a soft spot for them."

"The Sisterhood? What are they, nuns?"

"They had no families. Well, Aylane had parents, but they were in prison. They met in an orphanage, and they were ostracized because they had rare and strong magic. They became sisters without blood, hence the name," Laby explained patiently. "Sera sort of adopted them, at least as far as their magical training. Talon helped... He was Stone's little brother. And, well... Much like your boys Logan and Pierce, Stone and Talon possessed powerful magic that could rival Zell and Elgan. People were sort of afraid of them, but Talon's charming personality won them over. Stone mostly kept to himself. He still does, in fact... But he's part of the Rebellion."

"You're saying they were like me and Logan?" Pierce asked.

"Yeah, except they were sort of the opposite. Talon was younger, but he had the Fire magic, like Zell and like Logan. Stone's element is Water, like Elgan and like you."

"Logan's nothing like Zell," Pierce said harshly.

"Hey, chill out, Pierce," Chelsea said. "Laby wasn't comparing their personalities. He just pointed out they have the same primary power."

Pierce took a deep breath. "Right. Sorry."

"I get it," Laby reassured him. "Being compared to that asshole is a major insult. But Chelsea's right. I was referring to his powers. I hardly know Logan, but he's probably more like Stone than any of the others. He seems to keep to himself."

"He's been through a lot," Pierce said softly. "And right now, he has no idea who he is..."

"We'll find him," Chelsea said firmly. "Don't worry. I'll get through to him."

"He needs you, Chelsea," Laby said. "Just like Stone needed Avona. I can tell he has to fight against his dark side... Be his light."

"Always," Chelsea vowed. She paused. "Pierce... Is this going to be a legal problem for you? I mean... He's your guardian."

"For now, we're all here under the cover story of the bullshit exchange program Allie and Insu came up with. As long as I'm staying in this house, I should be fine... But if social services has reason to think Logan's an unfit guardian, I'll have to stay with Amos. They can't touch me on Reservation land."

"You can't go back to Stone Hollow, Pierce. You need to be here, with the team, where it's sort of safe," Chelsea said. She tried not to think about what had happened the last time they'd all been in Stone Hollow. Then, suddenly, an idea flashed through her head. "Wait, Stone Hollow!" She shouted.

"What about it?" Darcy asked in confusion.

"Logan thinks he's Neptune. Neptune is trained to return to the Rebels. He's probably headed for their base!"

"I feel so stupid for not thinking of that..." Pierce mumbled.

"Don't feel bad, Pierce. We can't all be geniuses," Chelsea teased him. "I'll go after him-"

"You will not," Darcy said firmly.

"But, Darcy-"

"It's too dangerous. We'll tell Captain Smith. Neptune trusted him."

"He trusted me, too. Before he was really Logan."

"He did, but right now, he doesn't remember that. Do you still have Dr. Hope's number?"

"Yeah," Chelsea replied.

"You call her. Ask her to be on standby in case we need her help. Laby, please ask Captain Smith to help us with this."

"He agreed to help earlier. After his Chapter collected that asshole's remains, they started the search. I'll update him," Laby promised.

"Good. Hopefully Chelsea's right and they can find him and bring him back to us."

Chelsea wanted to protest, but she knew Darcy was right. Running straight into a trap was probably a pretty bad idea. They had no idea whether or not Logan was still with the Eltarians who'd kidnapped him. Laby might think Chelsea descended from an Eltarian, but that didn't mean she could take on a Sorceress with homicidal tendencies. Sure, she'd taken Felina in fights before, but she suspected this bitch would be different.

She's just from New Jersey. You can totally take a Jersey bitch, Chelsea thought. Still, she resisted the urge to test that theory. For now, her team needed her to stay in Angel Grove. She had to believe that Logan would find his way back to her.

NEPTUNE
He was starving. He'd been traveling for hours without stopping to rest. He reached in his jacket pocket and discovered cash. He knew he should head straight to the base, but the promise of one restaurant in particular was too much to resist.

"Toddy's..." Neptune read the name aloud. Everything in him was screaming to go inside, but he was pretty sure he'd never been there before. Still, he walked into the restaurant and sat down to order food.

"Cheese fries," he mumbled. "Finally... Why can't I stop craving these things?"

"What'll it be, hun?" The waitress asked cheerfully.

"Cheese fries," he replied. "And... A Toddy's Double with all the fixings."

"And to drink?"

"A chocolate milkshake."

"You've got it." She smiled.

A young woman slipped into the booth. "I'll have two of what he's having," she said.

Neptune stared at her in confusion. "My treat," she added. "I'm starving, and I'm about to work up even more of an appetite."

The waitress left to get their order. "Who the hell are you?" Neptune demanded. The girl made him nervous for reasons he couldn't understand.

"I'm Sophie Rogers. We met before, but I'm guessing you don't remember that," she said.

A slight flash of memory hit, but the strange device in his pocket electrocuted him and it was gone.

"Easy there, Sparky," Sophie said. "First thing's first... Hand over the morpher, or that's going to keep happening."

"Morpher?" Neptune asked in confusion.

"Yeah, the thing in your pocket. It's misfiring and attacking you."

"How do you know me?" He asked skeptically. He took out the morpher, but did not hand it to her.

"I tried to help you before. The Bitch Witch, Felina, was trying to electrocute you because you were starting to remember your brother, Pierce."

"Pierce..." The morpher zapped him worse this time.

"Oh, for fuck's sake..." Sophie mumbled. She grabbed the misfiring morpher, flipped it over, and disabled it impressively fast. "Let's try this again. I'm a friend, Neptune. I have powers... And I'm going to pull the excess electricity out of you."

"I have to return to the base. I must find Raff..."

Sophie sighed. "Neptune... I'm sorry, but Raffitty is dead. I know you can feel that... But I can help you. I promise. I tried to before, but when you asked to leave, I had to let you go."

His chest ached, but on some level, he'd already known. Something simply didn't feel right. Still, he couldn't quite understand it.

"There is only one way for Raff to die," he said softly.

"Yes, Neptune," Sophie told him gently. "When Raffitty got involved with Zell out of desperation, Zell revealed he intended to drain him continuously to fuel himself. Raff's power to absorb the gifts of others was extremely useful to Zell because he could steal those powers from him. He realized Zell would become unstoppable, so he betrayed him and found you."

"Me..." Neptune wanted to scream. "I wouldn't kill Raff... I... I couldn't."

"You had to. It was the only way to protect everyone else." She paused, watching him as the truth sank in.

"Raff... What did you make me do?" He whispered in horror. No. No, no, no, I can't have killed him... I have to stop this... He thought.

Suddenly, Neptune felt himself falling. He saw someone standing with him. "Hello, my dear boy," the man greeted him. "I am so pleased to see you here."

There was nothing physical around them. Electrical lines seemed to flow everywhere, but none of them touched them. It was somehow simultaneously blindingly light and completely dark in this place. Nothing made sense and nothing remained stable for more than a moment at a time.

"Where are we?" Neptune asked.

"This place is not a place," the man replied patiently. "It exists outside of time and space. Most cannot find it, and even fewer can navigate it properly."

"How am I here?"

"You and I share the gift to navigate this realm as we desire. I can feel you have been here before, yet you have kept it a secret from everyone. Not even your brother knows you figured out how to do this. It is good you protected that secret, my dear boy. If they knew you had unlocked this power, they would try to stop you." He paused. "You are quite distressed. What has happened?"

His concern seemed genuine, but there was something about the man Neptune did not trust. "Who are you?" He asked.

"I am Zell, Great Wizard of Eltar. I believe the better question is, who are you?"

For some reason, he couldn't lie to him. "I am Neptune, Assassin for the Rebellion of Eltar. I come from the Stone Hollow Chapter."

"Oh, my... What a gift this is..." Zell said softly. "What is it that troubles you so, my boy?"

"I was told that I..." He lowered his head in shame. "That I killed Raffitty, my Chapter's Captain. I wanted desperately to change that, and then, here I was."

Zell nodded sympathetically. "You did not recall your powers because of whatever set you back to Neptune... However, your desire to save Raffitty brought you to this place."

"You mean... I can stop it from happening?"

"You can, my dear boy... But you shouldn't." Zell paused before continuing. "Raffitty lied to you. Your name is not Neptune. He gave you that name after rescuing you from the sea. Prior to that, you were called Franklin. I believe you went by... Frankie. Yes, that was it. More recently, you began to use your middle name to identify yourself... Logan. That name gives you great power and has helped you truly find yourself. I believe it has become your true identity. Raffitty was using you, my dear boy. He knew you were meant to kill him, and he intended to end your life before the prophecy could come to pass, but when he saw the broken, abused boy you were, he saw himself in you. He decided to keep you brainwashed, away from your family, and turn you into a soldier."

Neptune frowned. "Raff rescued me. He did what he thought was best for me."

"He made you a murderer, my boy. He lied to you. I promise you this... If you agree to stand at my side, I will tell you the truth, and only the truth." Zell paused. Something about his words was soothing and deeply tempting.

"The truth..." Neptune repeated.

"I can help you become who you are meant to be, Logan. Everyone in your life is trying to hold you back, but I wish to help you reach your full potential." Zell looked into his eyes. "Allow them to fix your mind, my boy. You'll need to do this willingly, and you cannot make that choice with your memories clouded by electricity and brainwashing. When the time is right, come find me."

"If you're so powerful, why don't you fix me?" Neptune challenged him.

"That is an excellent question, my dear boy. The truth is, I am but an echo of myself, left in this place in case of an emergency. I am perhaps the weakest of the aspects hidden throughout time and space. With the fact that I sense my main self is gravely wounded, I currently possess no true power of my own."

"You admitted weakness... I could destroy you right now, couldn't I?"

"Yes, Logan. I have no doubt in my mind that you could easily kill this aspect of me where I stand."

"Yet you told me it was possible."

"I promised to tell you the truth."

Neptune nodded. "You did." He paused. "Raff really lied to me?"

"Yes. For six years."

"You're not one of the good guys. Eltar calls you a monster."

"I am not what I claimed to be, however, good and evil are illusions, Logan. I am simply not afraid to seek power. At least with me, you know what you are getting, my boy. There shall be no more lies or deceptions."

"You lied to the entire universe."

"Yes... But I shall not lie to you."

Suddenly, a portal opened, knocking Zell and Neptune both back. Sophie looked at Zell and said, "I doubt that, Zell."

"The soldier's wife..." Zell mumbled in annoyance.

"And the archer's daughter... But I prefer Sophie." She sent a huge, terrifying jolt of electricity through Zell. He screamed in pain, unable to absorb that much power at once, and vanished. Neptune was certain he hadn't escaped.

"You killed him," he said in horror.

"Only that itty, bitty piece of him. He was weak. I've done that to him before and it usually just wounds him and knocks him on his ass for a bit... Did he hurt you?"

"No," Neptune replied. Flashes of Sophie electrocuting him filled his mind. "That's why I was afraid of you..." He whispered. "You did that to me." He began backing away from her in terror.

"Okay, yes, I electrocuted you... But I was trying to help you," Sophie said. "You were so close to remembering being Frankie, but Felina was shocking you to make you forget and to activate the programming. I was trying to target the programming and short it out so they couldn't activate it anymore. It worked on Bucky."

"Bucky?"

"My best friend, the Winter Soldier."

"You're... You're talking about comic book characters," he realized.

"Actually, we're real. We just live in another realm... But you're familiar with us?"

"Van likes the movies... I've watched a few with him, but I don't like that one... The electrocution and programming scenes are difficult to watch."

"Considering that's what the Rebels did to you, that's understandable. Look, I'm Captain America's wife, and Hawkeye's daughter. I'm not in the movies."

"I'm so confused right now..." Neptune mumbled.

"I know you are... So let me help you."

Allow them to fix your mind, Zell's words echoed in his head.

"Okay," he said reluctantly. "You don't have to electrocute me, do you?"

"Not this time. My friend Doctor Hope broke the programming with magic. It's still broken. This is probably PTSD-induced. It happens to Bucky sometimes, too. I need to pull the excess electricity out of you," Sophie explained.

That sounded good. Neptune nodded. "Go ahead."

"Not here. There's too high a risk of us running into other Zells. This place is his domain."

"How did you find me?"

"My portals can send me through time thanks to some complications. It wasn't easy to get to this place, though. It doesn't exist in a traditional way. I pretty much had to focus on you and use that to get here." She offered him her hand. "Come on. Let's go back to Toddy's. The food should be getting to our table any minute now."

Neptune went with her. They arrived about twenty blocks away from the restaurant. "My portals short out electronics," Sophie explained. "We'll take that." She motioned toward a motorcycle.

"Why didn't that short out?" Neptune asked.

"I know how to protect my tech," Sophie replied. She handed him a helmet. "Get on."

"Don't you need a helmet?"

"I have enhanced healing. A head injury won't do much to me, but if it makes you feel better..." She pulled out a second helmet and put it on. "Steve insists I wear it, too, when he's with me." She revved the engine before Neptune climbed on the back of the motorcycle. Then, she took off speeding as he held onto her for dear life.

They made it to Toddy's in record time. The waitress brought their food over seconds later. As they sat down, Sophie took Neptune's hands in her own. He could feel the excess electricity leaving his body through his hands. Soon, he felt better.

"Eat," Sophie said. "I'm starving, and you need your strength."

In a flash, everything hit him at once. Logan... Because that was who he was, and he remembered that now... felt sick. "Oh God... I shot Van..." He whispered in shock. "And..." He covered his mouth in horror.

Freddy... Oh, God, please don't let Freddy be dead, he thought. He was pretty sure Van would have survived his wound, but he'd been aiming to kill when he shot Freddy.

"Neptune, breathe," Sophie said.

"Logan..." He said softly.

"Good. Breathe, Logan. You're going to be okay."

"But my team... I hurt them... I even hurt Allie."

"I'm sure Allie's fine. She can't get seriously hurt, remember?"

"But I hurt Van... And... And I think I killed Freddy..." He felt tears in his eyes. "I'm a monster... I'm still a threat to them..."

"No. You're not. Your trauma, coupled with this apparently cursed morpher, did those things. You'd never willingly hurt your team. Now, eat. Toddy's fixes everything, remember?"

"Not this." He shook his head. "I killed Raff... I killed the Prime Minister... I killed Freddy... Neptune isn't dead... He's just been sleeping."

"Logan... Stop. Neptune was brainwashed and tortured. Frankie was just a scared, abused kid who was trying to save himself and his baby brother. You're not either of those people anymore. You're Logan. You're Pierce's big brother. You're Chelsea's boyfriend. You're a Power Ranger. You're a good person." She paused. "Now, eat your cheese fries before they get cold."

Logan obediently began to eat. The food was comforting, but it didn't undo everything else he was feeling. He barely noticed when the door to the restaurant opened until he heard a voice say, "Sir! He's here!"

Logan looked up and spotted Kizzie and Captain Smith making their way toward his table. "Mrs. Rogers," Captain Smith said, nodding his head respectfully.

"Captain Smith," she replied. "You can just call me Sophie."

"Tell me... Neptune? Are you alright?" Captain Smith asked.

"Logan," Logan corrected him softly.

"Excellent news! Thank you for your assistance, Sophie."

She waved off his gratitude casually. "It was the least I could do," she replied. "Join us. The food's great, and I'm buying."

"We'll happily join you, but I insist on paying," Captain Smith said.

"I'm guessing arguing would be pointless here?"

"You are correct," Kizzie said with a smile.

Sophie shrugged. She flagged the waitress down so Captain Smith and Kizzie could order food.

"So, Luv... Do you want to talk about it?" Kizzie asked gently.

"Freddy..." Logan said. "Is he...? I killed him, right?"

"The boy lives," Captain Smith reassured him quickly. "Your brother was able to revive him."

Logan let out a sob of relief. "Oh God... Is he okay?"

"He's a strong lad," Kizzie said. "He's more worried about you than anything from what I understand."

"And Van? I hurt him..."

"Vancello is fine as well," Captain Smith replied. "Andie made certain he made a full recovery."

Logan nodded. "They're okay..." He whispered.

"Your morphers appear to have been tampered with, Logan. Lady Eleanor sent Mena in search of the true set. These belonged to another group, and it seems Zell has cursed them. It's a miracle none of you were killed."

"You mean this isn't supposed to be my morpher?"

"No. That morpher was meant to belong to an Eltarian named Stone. He possesses great power... He and his brother could have rivaled Zell had Talon survived... But his magic is based in Water. It is quite surprising this morpher ever worked for you."

"What happens now?"

"Now, we will return to Angel Grove. Mena's gift should enable her to find the true morphers, but for now, you must surrender this set. These morphers are a danger to your team."

Logan looked at the morpher that had caused all of this trouble to begin with. "Happily," he said. "I don't ever want to touch that thing again."

"I'll take it to Lady Eleanor," Sophie said. "It should be kept with the rest of the set so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

They finished eating as Logan pondered how the hell he was supposed to face his team after everything he'd done. He ignored the soft voice in the back of his head saying, when you're ready, come find me.

ZIZI
Greece really was beautiful. Zizi was almost tempted to stay and explore, but she knew they needed to find the Rebels. As soon as night began to fall, she headed toward their last known location.

Elysium was an absolutely stunning structure with classical Greek architecture. It looked like the Gods themselves would party there. "Whoa... Nice," Bax said as they walked through the archway at the entrance and took in the scene. "The Greeks have style."

"Thank you," a voice said, making them both jump.

"Dezzanna!" Zizi said as she spotted the Greek Chapter's top Sorceress. She quickly kissed each of her cheeks.

"How are you, Zizi? I see you brought a friend as well," Dezzanna replied.

"This is Bax," Zizi explained. "He's..."

"With the Alliance?" Dezzanna guessed. "Don't worry, Zizi. We were already informed of your loyalties. After all, they are the same as ours."

"You're working with Zell?" Bax asked in surprise.

"As a collective Chapter, we have decided to back the Great Wizard of Eltar," Dezzanna confirmed. "We have had dealings with Zell in the past and find working with him to be mutually beneficial. In fact, we recently procured a child for him."

So that's who brought A'Vah to him, Zizi realized. "So, this club is quite the hotspot, huh?" She asked.

"Elysium is wonderfully popular with locals and tourists alike, but it's nothing compared to Olympus... That's exclusively for the wealthiest and most elite members of Greek's high society. It's on the rooftop, in an enclosed glass dome. Everyone wants to be granted access, but only the best are allowed inside. And then, of course, there's our underground club, the Underworld. People only learn about it by word of mouth and, officially, it doesn't exist."

"Is it as illegal and fun as it sounds?" Bax asked.

"In the Underworld, all of your darkest fantasies are realized. No one is judged and they're welcome to feed any hunger they may have, be it alcohol, drugs, gambling, bondage games, or torturing the willing."

"Any fantasy?" Bax asked.

"We do enforce a strict policy of banning anyone under the age of twenty-one from attending that club," Dezzanna clarified. "The Rebellion does not endorse child abuse and neither do we. Other than that, we believe that trustworthy consenting adults should be free to do whatever they like and we offer them a sanctuary... For a price."

"Let me guess... That club makes the bulk of your money," Zizi said.

"Actually, Olympus does. The wealthy will pay any price to prove how easily they can throw money around. The Underworld provides an excellent cover for the Rebellion, however. We can conduct illicit affairs out in the open and are connected to a great number of willing informants. The number of corrupt politicians and businessmen who frequent our business is astonishing, and they have no idea that we are patiently hunting them."

"I'm kind of impressed," Zizi admitted. "I know a lot of Chapters run businesses as a front, but I've never seen one that literally created a business just to lure out their targets."

"It's quite efficient," Dezzanna agreed. "And they just keep lining up, begging to expose their nasty little secrets to us. Come. Let me show you." She led them down eight staircases, each growing darker until they were lit only by torches. Dezzanna knocked on a door in a very specific pattern. The door swung open.

"Hey, Dezz... New meat?" The man at the door asked before spotting Zizi. "I'll be damned... Zydia? I heard you were dead," he said in surprise. "And you're blonde now? Hot!"

"She is dead," Zizi replied. "I'm her daughter, Zizi."

"Little Zizanyah?" He asked in surprise. "Look at you, all grown up. I'm Kiddius, but you probably don't remember me. You were practically a toddler the last time I saw you. Anytime you've come through here undercover, I've been busy running tactical missions. Welcome... to... the Underworld," he finished dramatically.

"Hi. I'm Baxzon," Bax introduced himself. "Also part of both the Rebellion and the Alliance. You can call me Bax."

"Ah, yes, yes! Welcome! It's always nice to meet new friends," Kiddius said.

"I was hoping to find Niko or Phestian to discuss offering our friends sanctuary until we can join them with the Great Wizard," Dezzanna said.

"The Captain is busy entertaining a few lady guests, but Phestian's right over there." Kiddius pointed to a man who was tending the bar.

Dezzanna led Zizi and Bax to the Lieutenant of the Greek Chapter of the Rebellion. He looked up at them in surprise. "My Gods... It is like looking at a ghost," he whispered. "Zizanyah... If it is possible, you have grown even more beautiful than your mother was. I am truly sorry for your loss. She was a remarkable woman."

Zizi normally would have replied with sarcasm, but Phestian's grief was too genuine to insult. Few men had possessed the nerve to romantically pursue her mother, who'd declared love a weakness she would never allow herself to experience, but it was clear this man had developed feelings for her. As far as Zydia knew, he'd never acted on them. That was probably better for his sake.

"She was one of a kind," Zydia replied politely.

"And to lose poor Rupi as well... He was a good soldier, far more clever than anyone gave him credit for."

Zizi felt an unexpected wave of emotion wash over her. "Yes... My uncle was a genuinely good man. His loss still hurts," she admitted.

"Apologies... I might call you 'dear,' but if you're anything like your mother, you'd pull a knife on me if I dared to." He chuckled at the thought. Her mother had done that often, especially to Garron. "Instead, may I offer you a drink?"

"Now that sounds good," Zizi admitted.

"Hell yes," Bax agreed. "We need drinks after the last few days we've had."

Phestian began pouring drinks for them. Zizi downed hers in one straight shot. Phestian grinned as he refilled her glass. "You are like Zydia," he said.

"I don't know about that, but I can definitely drink like her," Zizi replied. She downed her second drink and allowed him to pour her another.

Bax grinned. "Now it's a party," he declared, downing his own drink.

"As you know, the Great Wizard's base was destroyed," Dezzanna told Phestian. "These two fortunately found their way to us. I was hoping to offer them sanctuary in our city until we are ready to join with him."

"Of course," Phestian said. "This girl is Zydia's daughter, Dezzanna. I would offer her sanctuary even if she was not working for the Great Wizard." He smiled at her kindly. "As for her friend, if he is on our side, he is welcome to stay. Niko and I agreed to help any Alliance member who should need it."

"Excellent. I'll prepare two rooms for you."

"We can share," Bax said cheerfully.

"No thanks. I've had enough of sharing a room with you," Zizi said. "Thanks, Dezzanna. I appreciate your help."

"Of course, Zizi," she replied. "Take good care of them, Phes." She walked away.

"Another round?" Phestian asked.

"Hit me," Bax said.

Zizi whacked the back of his head very hard. "Ouch!" Bax cried, putting his hand to his head before he looked at Zizi. He started laughing. "Okay... I walked into that."

"You did," Zizi confirmed with a grin. She had to admit, when Bax laughed in such a carefree way, he seemed a lot less evil. She wondered if he had some small shred of good trapped inside of him, desperate to escape.

Probably not, she decided. Bax had done too many evil things to be considered redeemable... Yet it was times like this when he seemed like a normal boy. He was a fool, to be certain, but was he truly pure evil? She couldn't be sure sometimes, but it hardly mattered. Bax would have to be put down just like Zell unless something drastic changed his choices.

THE NEXT DAY.
MISTRESS CHEETAH
The time had come. Mistress Cheetah and her minions had finished preparing. It was now or never.

"On my order," she instructed them. She raised her favorite sword before declaring, "Now!"

The army of minions rushed through the portal. They were massive in number and had a large variety of powers between them. Not only was all of Onyx behind Mistress Cheetah, but monsters had come from across the galaxy in the hopes of joining her ranks as word of her power spread. Some simply hoped to have a powerful new leader to serve. Others hoped she would protect them from Zell. She chose only those who proved worthy and loyal, slaughtering anyone who dared to take her tests and fail.

The people of Eltar were unprepared. They panicked at the onslaught of monsters. "Take as many of them alive as you can," Mistress Cheetah instructed her minions. "Some may join us. Others shall make excellent hostages when the time comes to negotiate."

"Negotiate, Mistress?" Minion Six-hundred-and-three, according to his name tag, asked.

"Yes, Six-oh-Three," she replied. "I wish to enslave the population of Eltar beneath my reign. If they have innocent people to protect, they are more likely to surrender."

"Ah! Of course! How clever!" He praised her.

"Run along now. I have work to do," she said, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. She turned toward the man who approached her now.

He was clearly a soldier. Everything about the way he carried himself screamed that fact. "State your demands," he said firmly.

"My demands?" Mistress Cheetah repeated. She laughed coldly. "What I demand is that the people of this planet kneel at my feet in surrender!"

"Eltar shall not give in to such ludicrous demands."

"Oh... Pity," she replied. "I suppose we'll just have to leave then." She turned around before snapping her fingers. Lightning struck the man straight through his heart. He fell at her feet, dead.

Gasps could be heard from the gathering crowd. Some screamed and began to run. Mistress Cheetah smiled to herself. "Time to play," she said cheerfully. Her minions began to chase after the terrified Eltarians. Mistress Cheetah headed straight toward the closest target. The building was large and she could feel the energy of many people inside. When she opened the front door, a terrified woman met her there.

"Please..." The woman whimpered.

"What is this place?" Mistress Cheetah asked.

"This is a school," the woman replied with tears in her eyes. "There are children here... Innocent little ones who have done nothing to you..."

Mistress Cheetah looked around. She realized there were rooms full of children nearby. "You appear to be telling the truth," she said. "Good. Continue to do that and we will not have a problem."

"Are you... Are you going to hurt us?"

"Not today." Mistress Cheetah called over Minion Seventy-Seven. "Your magic is powerful. Cast a charm upon this school so that no one may enter or leave the building."

"Are we going to blow it up?" She asked eagerly.

"No. My quarrel is not with the children or their teachers. Besides, when we take over this planet, they'll make excellent minions."

"Of course, Mistress." The minion began casting a spell.

Mistress Cheetah looked at the woman at the door. "Go tell everyone I have spared your lives in exchange for your loyalty. The spell will ultimately be broken so you can leave the building when it is safe."

Gratefully, the woman nodded. She ran to the nearest classroom. "Come, Seventy-Seven," Mistress Cheetah said when she had finished casting the spell. They moved on from the building.

Moving through town, Mistress Cheetah was met with two kinds of Eltarians. Some immediately ran in a blind panic or dropped to their knees begging for their lives to be spared. Those were the ones she left unharmed. Then, there were those who attempted to fight back. She slaughtered them as easily as she had slaughtered the disobedient monsters on Onyx. Corpses littered the ground. She was pleased by the bloodshed.

"When will our first assault end?" Xanti asked.

"After we breach and take control of the Counsel Building," Mistress Cheetah replied. "There's some distance between us and that building so far. Have as much fun as you like along the way." She laughed before slaughtering several members of the Eltarian Guard as they raced toward them. One after the other, they fell.

"Our intelligence says that Eltar's new Prime Minister is Anise, sister of Zordon and daughter of Zell. She will not be easy to defeat, and she is unlikely to surrender."

"Anise despises her father as much as I do. She may see things my way... And if she does not, then I look forward to facing a worthy opponent. Now... I need to find a way to feed my energy." She looked at one of the new Guards approaching. "Yes, he'll do," she decided. She grabbed the Guard by his face and kissed his lips hard. She despised kissing random victims, but it fed her succubus genes and gave her power. He was trembling as she sucked every ounce of his life force from his body. When his heart stopped, she tossed him aside casually.

"Are you sated?" Xanti asked.

"For now," she replied. She began moving through town again.

"You are glorious," he said as he followed her. "I am truly honored to call you my kin."

She smiled wickedly. "You'll feel that even more once we fully take this planet as our own." She was on an energy high from the life force she'd stolen. Everything was working out quite nicely. She struck down her next target as the woman dared to aim a sword at her. More terrified Eltarians fled at the sight of that, and she knew they would be easy to rule over so long as they understood how ruthless she could be.

ZORDON

The chorus of panicked Alphas shouting all at once got his attention. "Alphas? What is the problem?" Zordon asked in concern.

"Zordon! Aye-yi-yi! We are receiving multiple distress calls from Eltar. It seems the planet is under attack," Alpha Five explained.

Zordon turned toward the viewing globe. Sure enough, a massive attack was underway on his home planet. "Is it my father?" He asked in horror as he took in the scene.

"I don't believe that it is," Alpha Three replied politely. "The army comes from all over the galaxy, but I believe that the leader is a female... Behold the viewing globe!" She finished dramatically, pulling up an image of the one leading the slaughter.

Zordon's heart broke as he realized what was happening. "Lily..." He said softly.

"Zordon, the people of Eltar need immediate assistance," Alpha Twenty-Six said. "What shall we do?"

"We must send aid... My sister is powerful, but the people need help right away and she can only get to so many of them at once." He made a quick list of Power Rangers he trusted with the mission.

Moments later, the Alphas teleported them in. Andros, V, Zhane, Karone, Troy, and Gia had been natural choices, since they'd gone with him to Eltar the last time it was under attack. Although Nessa had not been on the list since she could no longer morph, she was also present. So were Cassie and Lucas.

"I hope you don't mind, but I asked Cassie to join us," Andros said. "After all, I consider her part of my team even if her current powers are from Turbo."

"Of course. I welcome your help, Cassie," Zordon said.

"Thanks, Zordon, Cassie replied.

"I would like to help as well," Lucas said. "This is too important for me to sit on the sidelines."

Zordon knew Lucas had volunteered not only to do what he felt was right but to ensure Cassie remained safe. "I have no issue with that. You and Cassie have proven you work well together," Zordon replied. "Thank you all for coming."

Gia was beaming as she asked, "When do I get to beat up some monsters?"

Zordon managed a small smile at that. "Rangers... Eltar is under attack from Mistress Cheetah and her army," he explained. "Please, use care. Mistress Cheetah may be evil, but Lily is not. If we can bring her back alive, I believe she can still be saved from my father's magic. Her will is incredibly strong. She is the only Ranger of the Flame who was able to resist him."

"We'll do everything we can to bring her home safely," Troy promised.

"Thank you," Zordon said. He turned to Nessa. "Nessa, it is admirable you have come, however, I cannot allow you to go on this mission when you cannot morph."

Nessa paused thoughtfully. "If that's your only issue, Zordon, I'd like to respectfully point out that I couldn't morph the last time Eltar was under attack, either. I wasn't even a Power Ranger... Yet I took down half of the attacking Rebels on my own. I don't need powers to help, Zordon... Eltar is my home. I should be there to defend it," Nessa said. "I am prepared to do whatever I must to assist, even if it risks my safety."

He sighed. He knew she was right. "Very well, Nessa. Your decision is courageous, but please be cautious. I do not want anything to happen to you on this journey."

"I'll be cautious for once in my life," Nessa promised. "I just want to help."

"We'll keep her safe," Troy vowed.

"Zordon... Might I make a suggestion?" Alpha Prime asked.

"Of course, Alpha. What is it?" Zordon asked.

"Call on some of the Rebels. That's the last thing Lily would expect for you to do, and they know the ins and outs of Eltar better than anyone."

"I am still uncertain which Rebels can be fully trusted," Zordon said after a moment.

"Captain Smith's people are trustworthy. I know that he and Kizzie went after Logan, but I believe the boy is safe now. Call on them, and I am certain they will assist us."

Zordon nodded. "You are correct, Alpha. No one would see that coming. Go ahead and bring them here."

To his surprise, Captain Smith's Chapter arrived with company. Lido and Laby stood together with a few people Zordon did not recognize and one he did. "Stone?" He asked, his eyes going wide.

Stone looked at him stoically. "Hello, Zordon," he greeted him respectfully.

"What are you doing here?"

"You are quite wise, Zordon. I know you don't need me to answer that question."

"You're one of the Rebels..." He shook his head. That was quite possibly the last thing he'd expected, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.

"We want to help, Great Sage," one of the women with Stone said sweetly. "I am Annabrooke, of Eltar, and these are my sisters, Leela, Aylane, and Jessa. We'd have brought Wynter and Ace as well, but someone needed to stay back and ensure the twins do not cause any trouble while we are away."

"Good call," Laby said with a laugh.

"We assumed you might need the extra help, Zordon," Captain Smith said. "It is clear you already know in your heart that Stone is a good man. The Sisterhood are part of his Chapter, and they were exceptionally close to your aunt, Serafine. You can trust them."

"I don't have time to doubt you," Zordon said with a sigh. "Eltar needs immediate aid." He hesitated, looking at Lido and Laby. "This is very dangerous... And she may target you both because of my father's connection to you."

"What's she gonna do? Kill me?" Laby joked lightly. "Don't worry, Zordon. I'll protect everyone else."

Lido looked at Zordon seriously. "I was not part of the previous attack on Eltar," he said. "It grieves me deeply that innocent children were slaughtered. Had I been there, I would have stopped Zydia and Garron from attacking the children. I could not help then. Allow me to make a difference now."

Zordon and Lido hadn't had many interactions since Lido had been saved from his father's spell. The man had been like an uncle to him when he was a boy. In truth, at times, Lido had been in his life more than his own father had. He missed him deeply, but he couldn't bring himself to be around him much because he reminded him of his mother. That pain was one Zordon still had difficulty facing. "Of course, Lido," he replied.

"Yo-yo-yo, are we gonna beam these guys up, or what?" Alpha Six asked impatiently.

"Yes... We must send help now. The portal is open outside of the Command Center. Please, assist the people of Eltar, and get to my sister as soon as possible," Zordon said. He desperately wanted to go with them, but he knew that wasn't going to be possible. He was needed on Earth, especially if his father was still on the planet.

ANDROS
It wasn't easy to look at the damage Lily had done on Eltar. Innocents had been slaughtered. Body parts littered the ground. The level of destruction was heartbreaking. Still, Andros knew the relief mission needed a leader, and that role naturally fell to him.

"Stay in groups," Andros instructed everyone. He was surprised when Captain Smith nodded at the Rebels.

"Andros of KO35 is in charge of this mission," the Captain informed them. "Heed his instructions." Respectfully, he added, "If that's alright with you, Stone?"

"Zordon trusts him, and his reputation is a powerful one. I believe Andros is more than competent to lead today," Stone replied.

Andros hadn't expected such respect from the Rebels. He recovered from his shock quickly. "Thank you, Captain Smith... Stone..." He said. He took a deep breath, realizing it was not only the Power Rangers he was leading. "Alright... Nessa, Troy, I want you guys to focus on search and rescue... Um... Captain Smith, are there any of your group best suited for that role?"

"Tedius is a healer, first and foremost. His skills are at your service," Captain Smith replied.

"Aylane's a telepath and an empath. She should be able to sense survivors," Stone added.

"Of course," the one Andros assumed was Aylane replied with a respectful nod of her head.

"I'm also about to call in more help," Stone said.

"More help? Who?" Andros asked.

"Some of the most trustworthy Rebels," Stone replied. "Plurri's one of the strongest healers I've ever met. Vagris and Rhanna are gifted warriors. They were once part of Zell's Elite Counsel, as was I. I would trust them with my life."

Andros hesitated. "Andros," V said softly. "Give them a chance. Look around. We are in no position to refuse help."

Andros sighed. "Alright. Is there anyone who's not part of the Rebellion that we can call? Why didn't Zordon send Lady Eleanor with us?"

"My team's in danger right now and they need her," Nessa replied. "If Logan attacks, she's their best defense besides Pierce, and no one wants to put that on his kid brother... Besides, Lady Eleanor might just kill Lily if she sees what she's done. I love and respect that woman to death, but she's deeply frustrating when she decides someone has to be punished. Justice is black and white to her. She doesn't often budge on that."

"That's an excellent point," Andros admitted. He and Lady Eleanor shared that trait in common, but he was trying to learn to give people second chances. After all, his own sister had been evil once.

Andros spared a look at Karone. She was taking in the carnage left in Lily's wake, but so far, she hadn't morphed into Astronema. He noticed her staring at a building that had been destroyed. She began digging through the rubble.

"That poor girl..." Karone said softly.

"What is it, Karone?" Andros asked.

"This building was destroyed very deliberately and thoroughly... It was personal for Lily, so I wanted to figure out why," Karone replied. She picked up the fragments of a destroyed sign. "It was a wedding chapel."

"So?" Zhane asked.

V whacked him on the back of his head. "Think, Brother," she said.

Suddenly, Zhane seemed to understand. "This was about Theo..."

"She's been turned evil, but Lily's still in there," Karone said sympathetically. "And even though she can't process it like she would have before she was turned, Lily is hurting. Badly." She traced the letters of the sign before sighing. "This could just as easily have been me... We need to help her, guys."

"We will," Andros promised. "Back to assignments... Um... Rebels, what are your specialties?" He asked awkwardly.

"I'm Leela, and I have air magic," one of the sisters said. "I'll focus on search and rescue. I'm good at things like that. Jessa should, too. Her visions may help us find people we'd otherwise miss."

"I'm happy to help," the one Andros assumed was Jessa replied.

"I'd like to fight... If you'll let me?" Annabrooke said to Stone.

"Annabrooke is telekinetic... And, more importantly, she's pyrokinetic. She's the youngest of the Sisterhood, but she packs a punch," Stone explained.

"Okay. We could use the firepower," Andros agreed.

"I work best in battle," B'Danna volunteered.

Andros knew that about her. "Having seen your skill with a sword, I agree," he said.

"My magic is at your service. I can battle with the best, and I can heal in an emergency," Kizzie said.

"Great. Captain Smith, I know you're a warrior," Andros said. "Lido is as well." He paused. "Um... Laby, I'm not sure how to classify you," he admitted.

Laby laughed. "I'm in a class of my own. Stick me in the heart of the fight. I have all sorts of tricks that can be useful. Besides, I'm no healer, and... I'm not big on search and rescue," he replied. The look in his eyes told Andros Laby had seen entirely too much death in his time.

"Alright. Gia, you're coming with the fighters," Andros said.

"Just point me at the monsters," Gia replied with a grin.

"Cassie, Lucas, I want you guys helping with search and rescue. Lead everyone you can to safety. Zhane, Karone, V... You guys are with me and the fighters."

"Team Asskicking. Got it," Zhane replied cheerfully.

Andros ignored him. "Let's move out," he said.

"Apologies... Am I late to the party?" A man Andros didn't know asked. He hadn't even sensed him coming. "Someone forgot to invite me."

"Trerry. Welcome," Stone said. A slight smile played at his lips. "I wasn't sure if you were on the planet."

"No matter... Now, let me see if I got everything... This crazy Mistress Cheetah woman is trying to take over Eltar, just like she took over Onyx, because she wants to destroy Zell, who turned her evil? Sounds like that backfired. It also seems like she'd make one hell of an ally, but she's bent on gaining power... Which makes her Zell, the Sequel. So, do we kill her, imprison her, or do I just force my way into her mind and shatter his hold?" Trerry asked casually, as if they were discussing the weather.

"It's not mind control," Laby said.

"Holy shit! Laby? Where in all of the universe have you been hiding, you crazy bastard?" Trerry asked. He pulled Laby into an embrace.

"I drank New Orleans dry for the last five years," Laby replied. "Before that, Texas... Vegas... Ireland... Scotland... Anywhere with a nice supply of booze, really."

"You're literally the only person who could hide from me," Trerry said with a laugh. "I know why you ran. Are you doing better now?"

"Nope, but it was time to stop drinking so I could fight."

"Laby... Who is this guy?" Andros finally asked.

"Oh, right, sorry," Laby said. "Trerry's one of the Rebels. He hates Zell about as much as I do, and he's never been one of the bad guys. You can trust him, I promise. He's best classified as a telepath, but his mind is a lot more complicated than that."

"Warrior, search and rescue, or what?" Zhane asked since Andros was still trying to process all of that.

"A little of both," Trerry replied cheerfully. "Don't worry. I'll go where I'm needed. Speaking of that... If Zell's on Earth, then that's where I'm heading next."

"I'm sure Vitti will be fine with that," Laby said. "For now, let's kick these bitches off the planet."

"Sounds great," a new voice said. Three people had arrived. "We're ready to fight, Stone."

"Good. Do what you will to the minions, but try not to hurt Mistress Cheetah. She's a Power Ranger trapped under Zell's control," Stone replied. "Everyone, that's Vagris. With him are Rhanna and Plurri."

An extremely cheerful-looking man waved at them. "I'm at your service. If anyone is wounded, send me to them," he said.

A much less-perky woman nodded at them. "Just tell me whose ass I should kick," she said. She paused when she spotted Laby. She proceeded to punch his shoulder extremely hard.

"Ouch!" Laby objected. "Hello to you, too, Rhan."

"Where were you? We were worried about you, you little shit!" Rhanna replied. Then, she pulled Laby into a tight hug. "I missed you."

"Sorry," Laby replied as he hugged her back. "I was off having a nervous breakdown. Call it a thirty year bender... But I'm back now."

Rebels are strange, Andros decided.

"Alright... Let's go," he said aloud. Everyone followed his lead. The fighters took out the attacking minions. Gia cheered enthusiastically every time she destroyed one.

"I like this one," Rhanna said with a laugh.

"Guys... There are survivors hiding in this building," Aylane said. "As well as some dead. They need healers."

"Search and rescue, head inside. I'll come along and assess if you need more help," Andros said. "Everyone else, keep going. We need to get to the Counsel Building to help Anise." He followed the rescue team into the building.

At the sight of a dozen or so dead members of the Eltarian Guard, Nessa visibly tensed. She wasn't ready for this, Andros realized.

"Marroz..." Nessa said softly as she looked at one of them. "He was part of the Guard since before I can remember... He was a friend of my father's... A good man."

"Nessa..." Troy said softly, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"And that's Trina... His wife..." She pointed to another Guard. Looking at the body next to them, she covered her mouth in obvious horror. That worried Andros because Nessa never showed emotion like that. "DJ..." She whispered, staring into his still-open eyes which were staring back at her blankly. After a moment, she gently closed his eyes and forced herself to look away.

"DJ?" Troy repeated, probably thinking that was an odd name for an Eltarian just like Andros was.

"D'Jarren... Their son... He was twenty-one. He joined the Guard shortly before the attack on the Counsel Building..." Nessa replied, her voice still nearly a whisper.

"Duck!" Jessa shouted, knocking Andros to the floor. A shot rang out seconds later.

"That would have hit me..." Andros realized. He reached for his weapon.

"Don't!" Aylane said quickly. "She's just a frightened child."

Sure enough, Andros saw a young girl peaking out from behind a wall. Her face was blank, possibly from shock, but she held the gun steadily on them.

"Leighzee?" Nessa asked. She walked slowly toward the girl.

"Nessa, don't," Troy said.

Nessa didn't get too close. "Leighzee, it's Nessa, sweetie. We're not going to hurt you. We came to stop the bad people," she said soothingly, as though she were approaching a wounded animal in the woods.

"Nessa, who is this girl?" Andros asked.

"Her name is Leighzee Vreg. She's barely thirteen. The first two Guards I pointed out were her parents. DJ..." She sighed. "DJ was her older brother."

"He was important to you," Troy guessed.

Nessa looked into his eyes and said, "He was my first boyfriend, years ago... It was an act of teenage rebellion on my part, because he was older than me and my father didn't approve... We broke up because I never really stayed in relationships for long... You're actually the longest one, so congrats, Champ... Anyway, DJ and I were still good friends. He grew up into such a great guy. This... It just shouldn't have happened. Not to them. They were good people."

"Leighzee," Andros said gently. "Can you lower that gun, sweetheart? You don't need it now. You're safe."

Leighzee gripped the gun tighter, aiming it at Andros. She fired off another shot. This time, it was Cassie who knocked Andros to safety.

"Thanks, Cassie," he said softly.

"No problem," Cassie replied casually. "You may want to work on those reflexes a bit, Team Leader," she teased him.

"I'm not used to dodging bullets from a kid," Andros pointed out.

"Okay, enough of this," Aylane mumbled. She stared at Leighzee. After a moment, Leighzee lowered the gun and placed it on the ground at her feet. She proceeded to kick it toward Lucas, who picked it up. "She's in shock. I can try to bring her out of it, but she's not going to be okay."

"Did you just make her do that?" Andros asked in surprise.

"Stone told you I'm a telepath. Why are you so surprised?" Aylane asked.

"Bring her back into awareness," Nessa said softly. "We can't leave her here, and she won't be safe if she's not aware. I'll try to calm her down."

"I can help," Troy offered.

"Save your strength, Troy," Nessa replied. "You'll need it to heal the others. She doesn't look injured. Her pain is emotional, and while a Shaman can help with that, so can a friend."

Aylane shrugged and after a minute, Leighzee snapped out of her trance-like state. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she started whimpering for her parents. Nessa immediately pulled the girl into her arms. "It's over now, Leighzee," she said soothingly, shielding the girl from the bodies of her family members.

"Nessa?" The girl asked in surprise.

"Yes. I came back to Eltar to help. I'm so sorry for what you're dealing with, Leighzee. I know this pain... Far better than I like to admit."

"They're gone... My parents... My brother... The woman and her army... They killed them..."

"I know, sweetie. And I know how hard that is to face... But you have to be brave now, Leighzee. It isn't safe out there. We need to send you and the other survivors where it is safe."

"Where will we go?" Leighzee asked softly.

"Earth," Andros said. "We're going to send you to Zordon. He'll make sure everyone is protected until it's safe to return here."

"There are others... In the room," Leighzee said, pointing toward a dark room.

Andros led the others toward it. About fifteen or so people were there. Some were very seriously wounded, but they were all alive. "They need healers," he called.

Tedius quickly set to work on healing the nearest injured person. Plurri ran forward, apparently taking that as his cue. "Oh, my..." He said softly as he looked at their injuries.

"You! It is the traitor from the Counsel! Someone, arrest him!" One of the survivors shouted.

Aylane rolled her eyes. "And here we go again... Alright, everyone, relax," she said firmly. All of the survivors suddenly seemed to fall into a dream-like state.

"Traitor?" Andros asked.

"He didn't do it," Leela said quickly. "The true traitor among the Elite Counsel was Zutan. He framed Plurri for his crimes, which included covering up all of the horrific things Zell did. Stone tried to fight to clear Plurri's name, but Zutan had planted very compelling evidence against him. After many years of appeals, Plurri was sentenced to death. The Rebellion rescued him."

"Technically, Vagris rescued him," Jessa clarified. "Rhanna, Stone, and the others showed up shortly after Vagris freed him from the prison."

"Regardless, Plurri is innocent. He'd never hurt a fly. He's the sweetest creature in the universe," Leela insisted.

As Andros watched Plurri healing others, he noticed the man literally radiated light. "There's no way he's evil," he decided aloud.

"Should we open a portal and send the survivors to Earth?" Jessa asked.

"Wait," Stone said as he appeared in the room. "I came back to see if you needed assistance," he explained.

"There's no danger here... Just a bunch of terrified, traumatized survivors," Andros replied.

"Send Marinessa with them."

"Nessa came here to help. She won't want to leave," Andros said.

"Andros... Respectfully, I ask that you listen to me," Stone said calmly. "Marinessa is quite powerful. She's impressive, and she's a true warrior. She reminds me very much of my fallen friend Eltara... However, she is still young. Whether she shows it or not, she is heavily traumatized by the events of the last attack on Eltar. She is a warrior, to be certain, but she is also a teenage girl. Even one as fierce as she has proven to be can only handle so much, and I see the state she is in now. She comforts the child, and it gives her a bit of peace, but her own grief is clear to me. Have her escort the survivors back to Earth. She can protect them in an emergency, and this will get her away from all of the carnage sooner. Spare her that pain before she does something foolish in her grief."

Andros looked back at Nessa. She still held Leighzee, but she was staring at DJ. It was clear she was fighting back tears, and while he was positive she'd win that fight until she was alone, he knew Stone was right. The girl shouldn't be there. He headed toward her. "Nessa... I need you to bring the survivors back to Earth. They need someone to protect them in case anyone tries to follow you," he said gently.

To his great shock, Nessa didn't even attempt to argue with him. "I shouldn't have come," she admitted softly after releasing Leighzee into Cassie's comforting arms and taking a couple of steps away from them. "I know I am needed here... And I do want to help... I thought I was ready, and that it was my duty, as the daughter of a former Senator, to offer my aid to those who needed it... However..."

"It's hard for you to see all of this," Andros said sympathetically. "I understand, Nessa. My own planet fell into a similar state. I've watched people I love die, and been powerless to stop it." He tried not to dwell on the images flashing through his mind.

"How do you face it at times like these? I mean, I was fine when the attack was happening... Because someone had to be, and Mena was still there, and she was in danger... There were innocent people to fight for, and that kept everything else at bay... But right now, it's... It's harder. I don't understand it."

"It's harder because you thought it was over. You survived something impossible, and now, you're facing something similar... That boy, DJ... You clearly loved him."

"Aside from Mena, he was my dearest friend on Eltar. He was too young... It's not fair, Andros."

Andros felt an incredible amount of sympathy for Nessa in that moment. "You're a lot like me, Nessa," he said. "When things get hard, you fight back, and you don't quit until it's safe to break down, when you're all alone... You're tough. You're a true Red Ranger. But sometimes, it does get to be too much. When I thought Zhane was going to die, I snapped so badly, I shut the whole world out. Sometimes, even in battles, I freeze up because of flashbacks. No one notices anymore, mostly because they're distracted by Karone's hair changing colors as she freaks out."

Nessa cracked a slight smile at that. "Well, it is an interesting party trick," she joked lightly.

"My point is that my PTSD doesn't come with magical changes to my appearance, but it's still there. I hide it the best I can, but it pops up at the worst times... And sometimes, I screw up, because I'm too stubborn to realize I need to get myself out of a situation. You actually realize now that you're in over your head, and you admitted it. That's really good."

"I've got a team to lead. Everything's going crazy with us right now. I can't afford to go getting myself killed when they need me the most just because I'm too stubborn to admit I'm not okay." Nessa sighed. "I'll protect them with all that I possess. Get me every survivor you can and I'll guide them back to Earth."

"There are about fifteen in that room, and I'm going to check in with the others and see if they found anyone else. We'll send you in a couple of minutes."

Nessa nodded. "Okay. I'll let Troy know I'm heading back with them. Thanks for not judging me."

"I'll never judge you, Nessa. And you didn't do anything wrong. Honestly, we should have realized it was a bad idea to bring you into the middle of all of this. You'll do much better leading the survivors to safety than you would do remaining here." He offered her a quick smile before returning to check on the survivors.

Within minutes, Zhane arrived with twenty more survivors. Some would need to be healed, but none looked like they were suffering from fatal wounds. "Are you ready, Nessa?" Andros asked.

"Totally," Nessa replied. "Go on and open the portal."

"This way," Leela said. She led them toward the exit. Then, she activated the portal.

"Impressive," Andros said as he watched it spring to life.

"We have portals scattered all throughout Eltar," Jessa explained. "The Rebellion set them up ages ago so we'd be able to come and go as needed. They're mostly unsanctioned ones that only we know about."

"Not true," Nessa said with a laugh. "Mena knows where a ton of them are. Finding things is sort of a hobby of hers, and she was very good at finding the portals she shouldn't know about. It came in handy during the last attack... She knew how to get everyone out quickly."

"Be safe," Troy said softly. He kissed Nessa quickly.

"You, too," Nessa replied seriously. "I'd better see that sexy ass of yours back on Earth soon."

Troy blushed, which made Nessa smile. Then, she led the survivors through the portal and vanished as it sealed shut.

"They'll be fine," Aylane said. "That's one of the safest portals we've got."

Andros nodded. "Come on. We've got to keep going," he said.

As they moved deeper, they began encountering more of Lily's minions. Some were easy to handle. Others were far more dangerous. Andros found himself cornered with V and Zhane. "We're toast," Zhane said. "There's too many of them."

"Don't be so quick to surrender," V scolded him. "We can still get out of this." She pulled out a couple of impressive new weapons and tossed one to each of them.

Andros fired his weapons at a repulsive monster that looked like a giant preying mantis. It exploded, making a very big mess as its guts sprayed everywhere.

"Yuck! Party foul!" Zhane objected. He shot a similar creatures, but ducked out of the way of the mess it made.

"Get down!" V shouted. Andros and Zhane both ducked out of the way as she shot an enormous toad. It croaked before turning to dust.

It seemed like they had won. V moved away from Andros and Zhane, heading toward the others. Andros was about to do the same. "Andros!" Karone suddenly screamed in horror. He looked up and saw a fireball headed straight toward him and Zhane, but there was no time for either of them to get out of the way.

He braced himself for the fireball to hit him. Instead, it hit a blur that dove in front of them. "B'Danna!" Kizzie cried in alarm. She ran toward the fallen Eltarian. "Luv... Just hold on..." She sent an attack toward the monster who'd sent the fireball. It screamed as it began to twitch violently. Moments later, it burst into flames and perished.

B'Danna lay motionless on the ground. There was blood everywhere, and she was severely burned. "Bee Dee..." Laby said softly. "Oh, shit... B'Danna of Eltar, don't you dare do this to me," he whispered as he looked at how severely she'd been injured.

"She's not dying today," Tedius said firmly. He set to work trying to heal what looked to be a fatal wound.

"Kizzie... Help him," Captain Smith said softly.

"Of course, Sir," Kizzie said, shifting her focus from attacking nearby threats to healing her wounded friend.

Andros was still in shock. He stared at B'Danna, shaking his head. "She... She saved us," he said.

"She totally did," Zhane agreed.

"But why would she? She doesn't even really know us... She's... She's an Eltarian Rebel..." He couldn't process it.

"B'Danna respects nothing as much as the Chain of Command," Captain Smith said sadly. "I told her that you were in charge here. If nothing else, that makes you a superior officer, and she will always do whatever must be done to protect those in charge."

"Is she...? I mean... Will she survive?" Andros finally managed to ask.

"Let me see if I can help," Plurri offered as he joined them.

"She doesn't easily trust men," Tedius said.

"At least she'll be alive to distrust me if I heal her. Please... Let me do what I can."

"Go on," Captain Smith said. "Please... She is quite dear to me."

Plurri joined Tedius and Kizzie in their efforts. Soon, B'Danna's flesh began to slowly heal. The burns were severe, but Plurri's power seemed to be doing the trick.

Laby looked like he was going to have a complete meltdown. "Don't d-die, Bee Dee," he said softly. "Please... P-please don't die..."

"Laby... Just breathe," Cassie said gently. She went as far as to rub his back soothingly, which Laby didn't seem to object to as he continued watching B'Danna with tears in his eyes. Cassie's actions surprised Andros, but then he remembered that Cassie had told him Laby tried to help all of them when they were in the past. Even though he'd trapped them and was technically fighting against them, in the end, he'd done everything he could to make things right. It was clear how bad Cassie felt for him now, seeing the pain in his eyes.

"Is he going to be okay to stay here and help us?" Lucas asked.

"Laby is stronger than you think," Stone replied. "Once B'Danna is recovered enough that he knows she's safe, he'll be able to continue fighting."

"I was wrong about you all," Andros said softly.

"What do you mean by that?" Captain Smith asked.

"Part of me couldn't accept that wanted criminals who were part of such a seemingly ruthless, violent movement could be good people... That you'd help us, and not betray us in the end," Andros admitted. "But B'Danna just sacrificed her safety to protect me and my best friend. She saved our lives with no ulterior motive... And you all clearly care for her deeply... Evil doesn't love, but it's obvious you do."

"I'm pleased you've come to accept us, Andros, but I understand why it was difficult for you," the Captain replied patiently.

B'Danna groaned as she started to regain awareness. "Bee Dee..." Laby whispered.

"She's going to be alright, Luv," Kizzie reassured him. "She's already regaining her strength. Give her a few more minutes and she'll be able to be moved."

"B'Danna..." Andros said softly. He looked into her eyes as she slowly sat up with help from Tedius.

"Are you alright?" B'Danna asked as she found her voice.

"We're fine, thanks to you..." Andros said. "You're incredibly brave. I can't begin to figure out how to thank you."

"It was the right thing to do," B'Danna said, shrugging his words off. She bit back a wince as the action visibly hurt. "I'm just pleased you're safe."

V looked at her with respect in her eyes. "You are quite the warrior, B'Danna of Eltar," she said with a kind smile. "Thank you for saving these two fools I love so much."

B'Danna nodded respectfully. "Now, Luv, you need to rest," Kizzie said.

"I suppose insisting I stay and fight would be futile?" B'Danna asked.

"Quite."

"Noted. I'm sorry I couldn't do more, Captain Smith."

"You have done more than you know, B'Danna. Without your intervention, the Red and Silver Space Rangers might have been lost to us forever, and that would have been a tragedy indeed. I am proud of your actions today. Go rest now. We shall need you strong for the next battle," Captain Smith replied.

Laby flung his arms around B'Danna and Andros realized just how deeply traumatized he actually was. "Thank you," he whispered.

"For what, exactly?" B'Danna asked.

"For not dying..." For just a moment, Andros noticed Laby was sobbing softly against B'Danna's shoulder, but he pulled himself together quickly.

"I'm sorry, Laby," B'Danna said gently, seemingly to understand how badly she'd frightened him. "I didn't mean to freak you out... I just acted on instinct. I promise I'm okay now."

"Stay that way. That's an order from a superior officer," he said firmly.

B'Danna rolled her eyes. "Yes, Sir," she said lightly.

"I'll bring her back to Earth," Cassie offered. "After all, she used to be my student. I guess I still feel responsible for her. Bring me back afterward if you need my help."

"Take care of her," Andros said softly. He gave Cassie a quick hug. "We'll send Lucas if we need you."

Kizzie tapped a seemingly random spot in the air. A portal sprang to life. "Jeez, those things are everywhere," Zhane said with a laugh.

Cassie helped the still-shaky B'Danna walk toward the portal. They vanished seconds later. Andros silently vowed to do whatever he could to protect the Rebels going forward.

Suddenly, a message came through to Stone. He looked at it before frowning. "Eloise... How unexpected," he mumbled.

"What was that?" Andros asked.

"A certain acquaintance of mine who enjoys traveling through time recently resurfaced, apparently in Angel Grove... And she just informed me that the woman causing all of this trouble is a young succubus who is only just coming into her power."

"Alright... What does that mean for us?"

"Eloise suggested I call in an old friend of mine..." Stone was already sending a message. "He's on Earth, in Barcelona."

"You don't mean...?" Laby asked. He was calmer now that B'Danna was safe, just as Stone had predicted.

"I do."

Laby laughed. "This should be fun," he said.

Andros was pretty lost, but considering B'Danna had just convinced him to trust the Rebels, he decided not to argue. He would force himself to sit back and see where this was heading.

ANISE

There was panic in the Counsel Building. Anise was evacuating people one corridor at a time, but some refused to leave. "We are loyal to you, Prime Minister," one of the Senators said.

"We will fight to the end to protect Eltar," Sabree, the current Mayor of Eltar, added. He'd taken over after Mayor Freyst was murdered by the Rebellion. Sabree was a good man who shared Anise's view on politics and wanted to make Eltar a better, more accepting place.

"I appreciate the loyalty," Anise said, "but you all need to go somewhere safe. Get to Earth. Zordon will protect you."

"We cannot leave," Sabree insisted.

"Guys... Some of you are survivors of the last attack on Eltar. I know you're traumatized. I can't leave you here, in the middle of this, knowing how hard it is for you. Please... Go. I can do this on my own. The person attacking us is under my father's spell. She needs help, and I'm hoping I can get through to her, but I won't risk your lives. Please go."

The Mayor sighed. "I respect your decision, Anise... However, if you need anything, please call me back here. I am prepared to do whatever I must."

"Thank you, Sabree," she replied. She sent Sabree and the Senator through the last portal that hadn't been used. With no one else left in the building, Anise began preparing for war.

She pulled out her best weapons. Anise had a rather large collection of swords, but she also had crossbows, daggers, guns, and every other weapon one could dream of. Over the millennia, she'd learned to work with all of them and was skilled in battle. She'd fought with countless Kings, politicians, and warriors to help the justified parties win. She was no stranger to a good fight, but that didn't mean she wanted to engage in this one.

"I can't kill her," she said aloud. "It's not her fault my father turned her into a monster. I have to save her... She's important to Zordon, and she's innocent in all of this."

As the door to the Counsel Building blew open, Anise knew she was out of time. She stood her ground, waiting for Lily to come to her.

The woman who walked into her office was surrounded by minions. Anise studied them, trying to figure out where they all came from. Some were surely from Onyx, but others didn't look like monsters. They could pass for ordinary people. Clearly, Lily had been busy.

"Hello, Anise," Lily said with venom in her voice. "Or should I say, Prime Minister?"

"Anise is fine," Anise replied casually. "How have you been, Lily?"

"I am Mistress Cheetah," Lily corrected her. "And I have come to take over this planet. Pledge your allegiance to me, or perish. Either one is fine by me."

Anise rolled her eyes. "Really? That's the best you've got?" She asked. She noticed one of the minions moving closer to her and swiftly took his head off with her sword, not even looking at him.

A couple of the minions squeaked in fear. "Calm yourselves," Lily said harshly.

"Look... I don't want to hurt you," Anise told her.

"I doubt that. Your father certainly wanted to."

"My father and I don't get along, remember? I hate him just as much as you do. Probably more, actually."

Lily seemed to consider this for a moment. "Then join me, Anise," she said grandly. "Together, we can destroy him, once and for all."

"I don't think that's going to work out," Anise replied. "Why are you trying to take over Eltar?"

"Zell once ruled Eltar," Lily explained. "He lost it, and he can never have it back... It will be fun to see how furious he becomes when he realizes that I possess what he cannot. Eltar will be mine to rule!"

Anise was mildly impressed by Lily's logic and determination. "Okay, I get that," she said. "The thing is, I can't let you take over Eltar, Lily. There are a lot of innocent people here who I have sworn to protect."

"Stop calling me that. Lily is dead. Your father took everything from her," Lily continued. "He killed her friends... He stole her light... And he is the reason that Lily lost the man she loved." She paused thoughtfully. "But that's alright. I am Mistress Cheetah, and I am going to take everything from him!" She laughed. "I can't exactly take away the person he loves, because he doesn't love anyone... But the closest thing to that would be to kill his precious Daphne. Imagine how that would break him!" She continued laughing.

Anise was not finding Lily's train of thought amusing. "Listen, Bitch... I'll put up with a lot from you because my father's magic made you bat-shit crazy," she said, "but don't you dare threaten my mother."

"Why do you care? Daphne's dead thanks to your dear old dad. I'd be going after her current incarnation, and why should she matter to you? You don't even know her. She's a Power Ranger now, right? One of the newer ones... She wasn't at the last battle, but she's one of Vida's baby Rangers from what I've heard. I bet I could kill her easily."

Anise felt her rage boiling toward the surface. She wanted to destroy Lily and be over with it, but she knew Lily was baiting her. She was trying to make her attack. For whatever reason, Lily wanted this fight to happen, and Anise couldn't give in to it.

Lily raised a sword in the air. Sighing, Anise raised her own. She knew she had no choice but to fight the girl, and she'd have to be careful not to kill her. They began to battle and Anise realized Lily was quite skilled. She also wasn't holding back.

Anise had been fighting with a sword a lot longer than Lily had. She quickly knocked Lily off of her feet. The minions surrounded her. Anise began taking them out one by one. She stabbed some, decapitated others, and used magic to blow a few of them up without so much as breaking a sweat. Soon enough, all of the minions Lily had brought into the building were dead. That left only the ones who were still running around Eltar causing trouble. Anise would deal with them later. Right now, she needed to handle Lily.

Rage filled Lily's face. "Now I have to replace them," she growled. "It's so hard to find good help these days." She lunged to Anise with her sword in front of her. Anise managed to dodge the attack, but she knew Lily wouldn't stop any time soon.

Using an enormous amount of energy, Anise took a risk. She summoned two people from Earth to the Counsel Building and prayed she'd made the right decision.

"Lily?" Casey asked softly.

Lily tensed at the sound of his voice. She tried to fall back into attack mode, but then RJ said, "Lily, sweetheart, what are you wearing?"

Lily turned around to face them. "Lily is dead," she said harshly. "I am Mistress Cheetah."

RJ shook his head. "Your evil villain name is the name of your animal spirit with Mistress in front of it," he pointed out. "You're still very much Lily."

"Lily... Talk to us. Please," Casey said gently.

Lily visibly softened for a split second. "Casey..." She said. Then, she turned cold again. "You both survived. How unexpected. Fran and I weren't sure. Get off this planet or you won't live much longer."

"Lily, what are you trying to do here?" RJ asked.

"That's simple. I'm taking over Eltar. Those who survive will join my army of minions. We're going to destroy Zell."

"A worthy goal," RJ said practically. "Unfortunately, your method isn't the best. Come home, Lily. We'll help you."

Lily moved so quickly, no one saw it coming. She slapped RJ across his jaw, knocking him back several feet with the force of the blow. "Stop. Calling. Me. Lily," she said firmly.

"That's your name, Honey," RJ pointed out as he rubbed his jaw.

"Lily is dead! She's gone! Get over it."

"Lily's standing in front of me."

She hit him again, this time making his head snap backward. "RJ, back off," Anise advised.

"I can't do that. See, I'm this girl's mentor, and when my students lose their damn minds, it's my job to bring them back from the brink of insanity." He looked into Lily's eyes and said, "I know you have better control of your emotions than most people, Lily. Your training makes you very good at resisting Zell's influence. Now, use that... Embrace your cheetah." He motioned toward her ensemble. "I mean, your wardrobe clearly has, but now it's time for you to connect back to your animal spirit."

Lily pulled her sword out and pressed it against RJ's throat. "Walk away, RJ... Before I spill your blood all over Anise's carpet," she said harshly.

"Lily, stop!" Casey cried in horror. "Think about what you're doing! What would Theo say?"

Lily suddenly turned all of her rage toward him. "Don't! Say! That! Name!" She snapped.

Casey realized he'd hit the right nerve. "I know it hurts, Lily. It's supposed to hurt."

"It doesn't hurt! It makes me angry!"

"You're allowed to be angry about what happened. It wasn't fair. You guys were on your honeymoon, and you left to join the fight because that was your duty as Power Rangers... And then, you lost him."

"Shut up! Shut up, you stupid asshole!" Lily shrieked. She turned her sword toward Casey, and for a terrifying moment, Anise was positive she was going to kill him. She got ready to interfere, but hesitated when Casey began to speak again.

"He loved you, Lily... He did what he did to save your life, and to save a lot of other people, too," Casey said gently. "Theo loved you with all he had. He was a hero... And he would want us to save you from this."

Lily pulled her sword back. "Get out of here," she said tonelessly.

"Lily-"

"I said go! Just leave."

"I'm not leaving you, Lily... Neither of us will do that."

"He's right," RJ said. "You're stuck with us."

"Then I'll leave!" Lily declared. She moved toward the exit. She nearly made it out of the office when she encountered a very firm set of abs in the doorway. Lily's eyes fell on them and seemed to get stuck there.

"Hello, Young Succubus," the owner of the abs said. "Pardon my intrusion, but you need to stay right here."

Lily couldn't seem to look away from his body. She didn't try to leave the room. The man entered and Anise realized how incredibly handsome he was. She also realized something else. "You're an incubus," she said. "A powerful one."

"Greetings, Prime Minister," the incubus said. "My name is Bartello. I'm here to help. This is my brother, Zee." He motioned toward the man who followed him into the office.

"Nice to meet you," Zee said. "I heard you're Zordon's twin we all thought was dead. I'm glad that wasn't the case." He smiled at her with a child-like glee that instantly put Anise at ease.

"You guys got here just in time. She was about to make a break for it," Anise said.

"Stone called us in. Well, really, he called me in, but where I go, Zee usually follows," Bartello said. "Stone was informed that Mistress Cheetah, or Lily, was a very newly awakened succubus and would most likely be unable to fight my energy."

Lily was still staring at his abs. She reached toward them to touch them. Zee started laughing. "Wow, she's hooked," he joked. "Like a junkie who's just discovered their new favorite way to get high."

"Can you break my father's spell on her by any chance?" Anise asked.

"Unfortunately, I can't break that sort of spell," Bartello replied. "However, I can keep her calm and distracted so that you can get her to people who can."

"If we can just call upon her cheetah spirit, she may be able to free herself," RJ said. "She needs to be in a sacred place where she can focus."

"If we try to move her, the minions will stop us, won't they?" Casey asked.

"Most of them are dead from what I saw," Bartello said. "The ones who aren't fled once they realized they were going to lose this battle. Minions like those are not the most loyal. Their fear always wins in the end."

"Hey, you... Mr. Six Pack... Can you keep her focused on those ridiculously toned abs of yours long enough for us to get her back to Earth?" RJ asked.

"I can ensure she's distracted until you reach Earth," Bartello replied. "Once she's there, you'll need to trap her so she can't escape. It will take work to bring her back from this, but the first step is definitely bringing her back to Earth."

"Great. So we're in agreement. Let's do this."

Bartello nodded. "Forgive me," he said softly. Then, he pulled Lily into a passionate, deep kiss. Lily didn't resist him. Anise knew it was wrong to let Bartello do that to her when Lily would not have kissed him were he not an incubus, but she could tell he didn't want to hurt her. It was simply the only way to keep her from trying to flee.

Soon enough, Lily was left in a trance-like state. "She'll be like this for a bit," Bartello said. "A new succubus needs time to adjust to her powers. The energy I just poured into her is too much for her to process quickly. Bring her wherever you need to go, but hurry."

"We should bring her to Sage," Casey suggested. "Between the two of us and her, we should be able to find a way to get through to Lily and restore her light."

RJ nodded. "That sounds like a plan," he said. "Anise... Do you need anything else?"

"No. Go on and bring Lily home. Take care of her... And let the survivors know they can come back when they're ready. I don't feel any threat here now," Anise replied.

RJ scooped Lily up in his arms. "Come on, Sweetheart," he said. "It's time to go home, because you are seriously grounded."

As RJ and Casey disappeared with Lily, Anise sighed. "Thanks for the help, guys," she said to Bartello and Zee. "I take it you're part of the Rebellion?"

"We are," Bartello admitted.

"Great. Well, if you were ever charged with anything, you're officially pardoned... You did good work today."

"There are no official charges against us, but thank you for the gesture. Come, Brother. We must return to Earth now."

"Alright," Zee agreed. In an instant, the brothers vanished.

Anise took a deep breath. "Alright... Time to clean up the mess Mistress Cheetah's army left behind," she mumbled. It was going to be a very long night. Anise hoped she wouldn't find too many dead Eltarians, but she knew there was a good chance that wouldn't be the case. She contacted Zordon.

"Are you alright?" He asked immediately.

"I'm fine," Anise said. "RJ and Casey have Lily. She's sort of in a daze right now, but that won't last forever. They're bringing her to Sage."

"Thank goodness she's alive... I was worried someone would kill her for what she's done."

"I almost did when she threatened our mother."

"What?" Zordon asked sharply.

"She's trying to destroy our father's life because he destroyed hers... And she realized going after Andie would do that."

"I must warn her-"

"She's not a threat right now, Zordon... And I'm sure she won't get away from Sage. Mom should be safe."

"She wasn't... Our father put her through hell, Anise... And she's trying to be brave, but I know she's traumatized."

"Mom's strong, Zordon... Especially this aspect of her. Andie is no pushover."

Zordon took a deep breath. "How much damage did Lily do on Eltar?" He asked.

"It's pretty bad... She and her minions killed a lot of people... Most were members of the Guard, or just people who dared to stand against her. Anyone who ran or surrendered, she left alive. I received word that she stumbled across a school and instead of killing the kids, she protected the property and trapped them inside. Lily's still in there... Casey was getting through to her. I believe she can be saved. As for Eltar... I'll do what I can to help the people recover. I wish no one had died, but they did... I have to accept that. My job now is to make sure the people of Eltar survive this and life goes on as best it can."

"If you need anything, please ask. I hate that we're apart from one another, but the least I can do is offer that much."

"I'm good for now, but I'll call you if I need anything. I love you, Zordon."

"I love you, too."

Anise disconnected the call. She took a minute to compose herself before heading out of the building to face the damage Lily and her army had done.