Vanessa Castor stood a safe distance away from the excavation site and watched as the final preparations were made. Her arrival an hour ago had been completely unexpected, and she hadn't moved from the front of her black Mercedes. She simply stood and watched, her dark eyes impassive.

"You are sure that this won't collapse the tunnel," she said without looking at the man next to her. She assumed that he was some kind of foreman. He had introduced himself to her when she first arrived, but she would be hard-pressed to say what his name was. Her attention had been completely devoted elsewhere.

"Yes, of course, Archon."

She didn't acknowledge him after that, just nibbled on the inside of her right cheek. She had been planning for this day for the last three years. And now that it was here, her skin tingled with a slowly spreading numbness. This surreal feeling only increased when the rest of the workers moved away from the mountain and yelled for everyone to clear the blast zone.

Vanessa barely had time to put in her ear protection before there was a powerful boom in her chest and a shower of rock and dirt exploded out of a light, grey mass of dust. Her breath caught as she waited for the haze to settle.

And then there it was.

A tunnel, one more than large enough for a group of people to comfortably walk through, dark except for the gentle, guiding glow further in.

The tunnel.

Vanessa smiled. Finally.

She strode forward, navigating the rocky ground in her heels with the ease of a model on the catwalk. The buzz and havoc as scientists and researchers rushed to gather their equipment faded away to silence as soon as she entered the tunnel. Later, that would become an area of intense study, but Vanessa didn't notice it.

The tunnel gently sloped downwards for a few minutes before opening up to the main chamber. Purple smoke clung to the far wall. Vanessa approached it, sidestepping the crystal console for the moment, and stopped a cautious distance away. She bowed her head.

"Remember this," she whispered.

Vanessa lifted her head at the sound of footsteps echoing down the tunnel. The others had arrived. That was far quicker than she had anticipated. She smothered her sigh and straightened her posture.

"Start with the barrier. That is your top priority," the foreman barked, before looking to Vanessa to see if she would assert her authority. She stayed silent. For now.

Instead, she made her way to the console in the middle of the room. Its clear, crystal face was marred with streaks of dried blood. She slowly traced their path, her fingers hovering just above surface. These were the Fox's last, desperate moments. These were the last remnants of Bifrons, undisturbed for fifty years.

Vanessa placed her hand in the palm-shaped indentation.

Open.

Open.

Release all and open.

Nothing.

Silence. Stillness. Even with the frantic storm of activity around her.

There was just… nothing. How could there simply be nothing? She finally made it to the prison, but it remained locked to her. The eight, dead gems before her were almost mocking. With a frown bordering on a scowl, she reached out to pluck the Fox's gem out of its place, only to immediately snatch her hand back with a gasp.

The moment that she had made contact with the gem, heat shot through it. Large, white blisters were already rising on her fingertips. Her ribs squeezed against her ribs, making it nearly impossible to breathe. She looked up at the barrier, at how some kind of force made it impossible to touch, at how a small pebble ricocheted off and hit the woman who had tossed it, drawing a line of blood just above her eyebrow.

And then something clicked.

"We clearly cannot force it open," Vanessa finally said, and even though her voice was quiet, it brought everyone to a stop. "We'll need a key."

"Where?"

Vanessa wasn't sure who asked it, only recognizing the annoyance and exhaustion in their voice. She sent a disappointed look in that general direction. "Simple. We need to find a warden." All she got were confused stares, even from the foreman, who she expected better from. Very well, then. That would be something to take care of once she returned to the office. But first, she had to issue one, last command.

"Bring me a Power Ranger."

A small update to remind you that you have about 10 days until the deadline closes! I'm really excited about the characters that I've received so far, and I can't wait to see what people are still working on.

In terms of submissions, I've gotten a fairly even number of males and females, which I appreciate. However, there are a lot of people who put blue, black, or both as a preferred Ranger color. Other colors would be very much appreciated.

I also have received a lot of loner and/or abrasive characters. I'm missing friendly, social characters, as well as people who are natural leaders. If you've already sent in a character or are partway through creating a jerk, then please don't feel like you need to change your entire concept. This is more of a suggestion for people who are looking for inspiration.

Until next time!