A/N: A very pleasant Wednesday from the Great State of Texas. Welcome to the main event of the Project Phoenix series. As a disclaimer, this series is inspired by Kctimes2's The Adoption. Before reading this, you should read The Crane's Destructive Path and its accompanying one shot, Granted Wishes. Hope everyone is staying safe in the middle of the coronavirus. I got my first vaccine recently and will get my second dose in May.

A/N 2: The kids may not like it, but now understand it is their destiny. The quest to save the Phoenix (again) begins. Rangers reflect on past actions. And Mia unexpectedly gets to visit her boyfriend to give some comfort to the situation. This one has a significant Jayden/Mia flavor.

A/N 3: Couples featured are Jayden/Mia, Memily, Jason/Kat, Adam/Tanya and a slew of other old-school pairings.

A/N 4: Usual disclaimer. Power Rangers doesn't belong to me. Used to be Saban, then Disney, then Saban, now Hasbro owns them.

Chapter 44 - Save the Phoenix II

December 5, 2012, wee hours of the morning

Chamber of Command

Angel Grove, CA

All night, Kimberly Ann Hart was tossing and turning under her pillows, trying to figure out a way she could be helpful on the battlefield.

She'd never lacked for confidence, whether she was good or evil. But she had to admit that since she'd returned to the team, the team had not gotten the job done.

Since she'd reunified with Tommy and joined the team, first Mia had gotten captured and then, even though she got free, now her own son was in a pickle and it looked like he was getting beat up pretty badly.

Kimberly wasn't a me-first person, needless to say. She never was, especially when she was a Ranger. Even when she was on the other team, she treated her own like family. Family mattered to her. So what was the deal?

To her the buck stopped with her and Tommy - always had. It did when they were teenagers, and it certainly did today in her mind. The first two outings back together as Rangers they hadn't got the job done, and the team paid a steep price.

As if someone could hear her thoughts, she suddenly heard a voice in her head.

'Perhaps a flashback can provide the answers you seek,' a voice intoned in her head. The voice was very familiar to her. It sounded like Zordon, but she couldn't know.

Then, she took a trip down memory lane. The images were familiar, but what she found surprised her...

By the time her trip ended, she didn't necessarily agree with all of what she found, but she had a better understanding of who she actually was and how she could help the team now and in the future. If they ever got out of this, that is...

7 a.m., that morning

Mia's bedroom

Being a Samurai Power Ranger once, and being the niece of Sensei Kanoi Watanabe, she was used to being up at the ass-crack of dawn. Cam and Kanoi had worked her hard as a youth, and then there was Mentor Ji who had pushed her to limits she never thought she could go to.

And then there were the Ninjetti powers she now had. Those were incredible to have, but daunting to fully master, especially since she was one of the newer ones.

Fortunately for her, she'd learned how to meditate at a young age, so that part of it was nothing new for her. So it was no surprise she found herself inside her mind again, at the very same place she was yesterday when she saw the Phoenix, still badly wounded. Its eyes sadly looked her way, acknowledging and respecting her presence.

Deeply, she dug into the well of her powers, actually channeling herself into the Dove spirit animal.

The power inside her continued to build and build and build until a swirling turquoise vortex came screaming towards the Phoenix, but instead of devouring it whole, it infused the Phoenix with its power.

Soon, the Phoenix's head began to perk up, and the awful gashes and marks on its body began to heal very quickly.

What happened next was a big surprise. She was no longer at that scene where it was just her and the Dove.

This time, she was in a dark, dank dungeon. She could guess it was on the Moon.

She fancied herself in trouble until she saw...

"Jayden!" she squeaked excitedly. He was still chained to the wall.

"Mia...it was you..." he breathed in awe as he realized just what the Dove's powers had done to him. "That was incredible..."

"I never thought it was possible to wrap yourself up so deep in your spirit animal that you could actually channel it..." Jayden said. "I've changed into my bird form before to save you, but never thought anyone could go that deep. Even you..."

"Our love will always survive Jayden, but I better get back. I've already probably triggered all the alarms..." Mia rambled, but she listened closely and didn't hear alarm bells going off.

"You're lucky. The bastards just left last night to go to Murianthias. Without me. The creeps have to actually enter the Nemesis triangle and prepare for the ceremony before they bring me..."

"You mean this place is dead-ass empty right now?" Mia asked in wonderment.

"Pretty much. I'm sure there are a few guards, but the presence here in the Palace is significantly reduced..." Jayden said.

"Then let's go home, both of us," Mia said.

"Unfortunately it's not that simple," Jayden said. "First of all, my injuries are still healing. Second of all, they have me shackled even worse than the last time I was here as you can see. Thirdly, I almost wanted them to capture me. They can't turn me."

"I want to see the looks on their faces when they realize they overplayed their hand," Jayden finished. "I highly suspect that I still have not used the full extent of my powers. They cannot beat me when I use every bit of power in my weaponry. You are right, our love will always survive and I know you will be there for me all the way."

"How long do you think we have till they get back?" Mia asked.

"I'd say 48 hours, tops. What day is now, Wednesday morning?" Jayden responded.

"Yes. I was up at the ass crack of dawn as usual, going through my morning meditation and then this happened," Mia answered. "I still can't believe I did all the things I did there..."

"It's tough, yeah. You guys tried to do that yesterday but Mom is out of practice with that. She'll get better as she trains again with that, and she'll have to be. Dad is much better at it because he's been in the game on this side longer," Jayden said.

"I'd say by late Thursday night or Friday morning, everyone needs to be ready to go. Keep sending me positive energy. That's how we're going to get through this, all of us," Jayden added.

Then, in a flash of light, Mia suddenly found herself back in her room.

48 hours ago, she was crushed as two Rangers including one of her teammates was killed and Jayden captured.

For the first time since then, she felt hope.

Right at that moment, she heard a knock at the door and opened it.

She opened it to find Tommy and Mentor Ji standing on the other end.

"Mia, finally," Mentor Ji said. "We looked for you two or three times in your room and you weren't there. We were worried sick!"

"You didn't see me because I was doing meditation and I found some amazing things," Mia said. "Today was one of the few times I unlocked part of my full potential. It's like nothing I've ever felt. I've got news about Jayden too. What time is it?"

"7:45. Can you join us in the mess hall for breakfast?" Tommy asked. "Kim has plenty to say about what happened last night in her sleep too. She woke up in a cold sweat a couple times."

"Yeah, give me 15 minutes to shower and recompose myself after that," Mia said.

20 minutes later

The Mess Hall

When Mia walked into the mess hall for breakfast, all eyes fell on her.

She felt a little overwhelmed, but she was a Samurai at heart, so she managed to keep her composure.

"You all want answers and were worried about me. I am fine. I simply did things I did not know I could do," Mia said.

"Tommy said you have news about Jayden," Kim said pointedly, looking at her (what she hoped) future daughter in law.

"Yes, well first of all, during meditation, I reached deep into my powers and somehow healed him greatly. I also saw him in person."

"You went up to the Palace itself? Mia, do you even know what you're doing?" Kat asked pointedly. "That's a dangerous place!"

"It is, and you'd have a right to be more concerned, but the fact is barely anybody is there right now. They're all at Murianthias but left Jayden behind," Mia said.

"My God, have they gone mad?" Aisha asked.

"No, from what Jayden told me, they have to go there to prepare for the ceremony where they're going to try to turn him," Mia said.

"That's right," Kim said, looking at Mia. "I remember when Divatox's crew went through that whole rigamarole. They had to prepare and everything. It's not just something you can do at the drop of a hat."

"Jayden is very confident they will not turn him though. He hasn't even used his full powers yet, he says," she added.

"I just still can't believe they'd leave Jayden unguarded considering what he's done to them," Emily said.

"He knows he has to go through this...we all know we were gonna have to go through this at some point," Mia said.

"Not to diminish Jayden's plight or anything, but I had some things happen last night. I was made to realize some things I never hoped would be true," Kim said.

"The truth is, I love all you guys. My allegiance is to the side of good from here on," Kim said. "The truth of the matter is though, after seeing what I saw last night in my dreams, I've come to the conclusion that because I was evil for so long, that it's always going to be a small part of me."

"Even if...WHEN...we win this thing, I'm still going to have remnants of Maligore's power in me," Kim said. "I guess I can finally say I know what it felt like to be Tommy Oliver when Rita had him under her control. He never got away from that stigma."

"Yep and sometimes that nasty side comes out," Tommy said. "To be honest, it's better that we're talking about all these things now."

"The truth is, the more I accept it, the better off I will be on the battle field where I feel like I'm trying too hard and being a detriment to the team," Kim said

Ninjor, who happened to be in the room, looked at his Crane with pride.

She had gone through a lot in her life, and yet she still found a way for it to have meaning.

"It can be used for good, you know," Ninjor said. "It doesn't HAVE to be used for evil. I know you can manage to harness that power, and if you can, you'll achieve a significant milestone in your continued growth."

"Rita and I, I am sure, could teach you how to use those powers for good," Diana said. "We are intimately familiar with how those powers work."

"Not to change the subject, but Mia, did Jayden give an estimate of when they might take him to the Nemesis Triangle?" Tommy asked Mia.

"He estimated late Thursday night or Friday morning," Mia said. "He estimates it's about a 48 hour trip there and back, maybe a little less."

"Wow. That's not much time," Rocky said.

"We'll do what we can. We always do," Emily said.

"Will we need to use a ship this time like we did last?" Justin asked.

"Nah, I don't think so. I think the Brachiozord Mark I should be able to pierce through to the Nemesis Triangle and should do so faster than the Galleon did," Tommy said.

The Rangers nodded as they eventually finished their breakfasts and went about their day.

The rest of that day went about uneventfully, and most of Thursday, too. That was, until...

Thursday, December 6, early evening

The Chamber of Command

After leaving the mess hall following dinner, Mia had once again gone into meditation mode, practicing as much as she possibly could.

She was back in that same place, her and the Phoenix. Only this time, the situation was a lot more urgent.

She could see the vultures circling him, so she couldn't really get close. Then, she saw the five animals from the other day...the newer ones. The Falcon and Crane were there also. They too saw that they really couldn't penetrate that circle these vultures had around the Phoenix.

Then, she saw him being carried away and her vision ended.

That could mean only one thing, as she hurried up to the main room.

"Mia!" Rhiannon exclaimed when Mia hurried into the room. "You look like you've been through the wringer. Is it about..."

"Yes. They left with him. Get everyone in here. We need to move," Mia said.

"On it," Rhiannon said. It didn't take long for the room to fill up once the news started to filter through the rest of the teams.

"We saw the same vision Mia did. We need to go now," Kim said.

"And so did we," a young, but distinctly male voice added.

From the shadows, five very young 10 or 11 year olds stepped forward. Instantly, Jason and Kat, Rocky and Aisha and Adam and Tanya raced forward to greet their kids.

"You saw the same thing too?" Jason asked his son.

"We did. It's now or never. It's too bad that it has to happen like this, but our cousin won't survive unless we do this now," Derek said solemnly.

Kat would have said something about 'do you know what you're getting yourself into,' but from the tone on Derek's voice and given everything Sensei Galaxia had taught him, he knew the gravity of the situation.

"Then we need to go now," Rocky said. "Rhiannon, transport all of our necessary hygiene and clothes to the Brachiozord Mark I. We're leaving now."

"Wait for me, Rangers," Ninjor said. "I'll come to help keep an eye on the young ones."

"A good idea," Tommy said. "Now let's go save my son."

"And my boyfriend, lest you forget," Mia said. Kim rolled her eyes as if to say, "yes, we know."

They were all about to enter the mouth of hell.

Review box is at the bottom. Please review/follow/favorite if you don't mind. The next chapter is the fight on Murianthias.