A/N: Welcome to the main event of the Project Phoenix series. As a disclaimer, this series is inspired by Kctimes2's The Adoption (one of the best stories I've ever read here). Before reading this, you should read The Crane's Destructive Path and its accompanying one shot, Granted Wishes.
A/N 2: This is the story of when Jayden leads Rangers old and new into a fight for Earth's survival...with his corrupted mother. This chapter includes the aftermath of the first battle. And, somebody celebrates a 17th birthday, which will be detailed more in the next chapter.
A/N 3: Couples featured are Jayden/Mia, Memily, Lantonio, Jason/Kat, Adam/Tanya and a slew of other old-school pairings. You'll have to read on to see if there is Tommy/Kim at the end...hehe.
A/N 4: Usual disclaimer. Power Rangers doesn't belong to me.
Chapter 13: Reflections, Spectacular 17th
August 30, 2012
The Rangers Chamber of Command, early evening
Angel Grove, CA
20 minutes after Round One against Flammia and her massive army, and the building was in complete bedlam.
The good kind of bedlam, that is. The celebratory mood was off the charts.
The second he landed back in the new Ranger chamber of command, Jayden was mobbed in a sea of congratulations. The first ones to congratulate him and thank him were the newer teams. Of those teams, the Overdrives felt the most grateful.
Just mere days ago, their powerful ally the Sentinel Knight had died on his home world of Tarmac 3. They weren't there for Jayden's fight with Scorpina and Draco because they had to deal with their own invasion in San Angeles, but they felt themselves getting stronger as the fight went on.
They also felt Jayden had delivered them some sort of justice in a way too; Scorpina had been the one to kill the Sentinel Knight which had devastated the team. To them, Scorpina's defeat was a tiny bit of payback, and Andrew Hartford was especially grateful.
"From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of my team, thank you so much," Mr. Hartford said as he hugged Jayden tightly. "It's been a dark few days in our family. That win provided us some hope that maybe the Knight's death will not go in vain."
"His death will not go in vain," Jayden said. "I and my family, all of these guys, we're going to avenge every wrong that Flammia's army has done. Is your team OK?"
"They got battered and beat pretty good at first but I think when you arrived they caught their second wind," Mr. Hartford said. "With some rest they should be OK."
The early to mid 2000s teams were the teams to greet him next. The first of those was the Dino Thunder team, the team his father mentored nearly 10 years ago.
"You guys OK?" Jayden said.
"Yeah, with some rest we'll be fine. Those guys are incredibly strong though. That Finch guy that led their army, he tossed us on our asses," Conner said.
"Thanks to you though, we're OK," Kira added.
"Yeah I get it. Draco and Scorpina threw me into a building. Hurt like crazy," Jayden said. "They are incredibly strong, but it's going to take a lot to break all of us."
Before he could do anything else, an older man stepped forward and embraced him as he stood next to the Dino Thunder Rangers...one of which was his son.
"Like Mr. Hartford with his team, on behalf of my team, I thank you, Jayden. I am Dr. Anton Mercer, head of Mercer Industries and I am proud to be a mentor to your father," he said. "With your arrival I now have hope for this world. As great as your father is, I have never seen him do the things you did today."
As soon as he found himself free, then he found himself being swallowed up by Wes and Jen. They too were overjoyed to see Jayden back from his quest, full powers in hand. Three weeks ago, they'd been with him at the amusement park in Silver Hills when Jayden was trying to climb the ladder of success to reach his powers.
With Jayden in possession of his powers in full, the married couple for the first time in a while felt hope.
"I thought for a while you'd never make it back," Jen said. "All we were told was that your quest was in progress."
"Believe me it wasn't easy," Jayden said. "Feel good that you never have to go through the Island of Illusions. It's a nasty place."
Jayden didn't noticed that Tommy heard that little piece and shivered.
"Man how much can you stack the deck against the guy, Dulcea," he muttered.
"Seriously are you feeling OK?" Wes asked.
"Yeah, I'm OK. Very tired, but I'm OK," Jayden said.
The next team to greet him was the Wild Force team. Jayden looked at their team with a tiny bit of worry; he had history with two of those team members. It was Princess Shayla that stepped forward first though.
"You've heard it a couple times by now, but on behalf Merrick, myself and our entire team, thank you for running those monsters off," Shayla said.
"It's like after you showed up, we got a second wind," Alyssa Emrile-Evans said. "Cole still has some lingering abilities thanks to his days as Deker, and he showed us what happened. It was because of you that we were able to fight them off."
"You're giving me too much credit, as much as I like the thanks," Jayden said. "That ability was always inside of you. Otherwise, Master Org would rule and I wouldn't be alive."
"Yeah but those guys were worse than Org. Way worse," Danny Delgado responded.
To Jayden's surprise, Taylor Earhardt-Meyers stepped forward next and nearly crushed him with a big bear hug.
"My mind is still reeling from what you just did, and how wrong I really was," Taylor said. "You didn't deserve it and I was out of line. I admit, I did not see you in the light I should have. Nothing was worse than when your father read me the riot act. Alyssa and Cole over there didn't speak to me for days."
"I really, and truly am, sorry," Taylor finished.
"I forgive you. If I didn't I'd be no better than the assholes I just fought," Jayden said. Everyone heard that which got a laugh out of everyone.
And then, they came face to face again.
Nearly four months ago, they fought in a classic duel.
The duel that began the acceleration of Jayden's powers.
Cole Evans, "The Rookie" had never been so happy to lose a fight in his life.
"I am like Taylor, I have much to apologize to you for," Cole said. "If I had remembered that you were to be the Phoenix, I maybe would have fought Serrator's control a little better than I did. You didn't have to go through that. That first duel should have been the end of it."
"Eh, don't sweat it," Jayden said. "In hindsight, Atsila was right. The duel had to happen, mainly for me to take that step forward. Perhaps if it hadn't been for you, maybe I wouldn't be where I am today."
"I'm going to need you if we're going to win. Stay strong, and don't get down on yourself."
After speaking with the Ninja Storm team briefly and then speaking with Dana Mitchell-Grayson (who informed him she wanted to check up on him before he went to rest), he fixed his eyes on the group he'd grown closest to.
Zordon's legacy.
The first group was the Space Rangers, including Andros, who embraced his nephew and fellow Red with tears in his eyes. With them was Mike the Magna Defender, the only one of the Lost Galaxy Rangers to escape Flammia's wrath.
"You don't know how much this means to me...to us," Andros said, trying his best to hold back the tears. "Those damned monsters overran my planet. They control it now. This one battle has made you their only hope for freedom."
"I'm from Mirinoi, they overran us too. My brother and his team are still prisoners to those assholes," Mike said. "I got choked up watching that. Until today, I wasn't aware of just how powerful the Falcon and Crane used to be. You are the living, breathing spirit of those two. Never lose it."
"I'm going to free your planet, Andros, and I'm going to free your teammates and your brother, Mike. I just need one shot and I guarantee it will happen," Jayden said. "I just need to them to give me that one opportunity to get them freed. We'll need them too."
A few moments later, he turned to see his aunts, uncles and father give him a standing ovation.
"What, I'm going to get a standing ovation now?" Jayden said.
"After what you just did. I think it's earned," Tanya said.
"You went through the Island of Illusions, did whatever else you had to do, picked off a number of Flammia's soldiers in space, and then made Scorpina and Draco look mortal," Kat said. "And you kept Flammia away from me, which is one less avenue she has to reinforce her anger."
"That's the whole idea. Half her anger is at you," Jayden said. "If I'm not there with you, I'm going to make sure you're protected."
It was a surprise to him when Adam pulled him into a huge hug. He expected that from his father, but not from the mild, meek Frog Ninjetti.
"Maybe you wonder why I'm so emotional about this. It has nothing to do with what you just did, and how you have given us hope, although that's great enough," Adam said. "But there's something more."
"Eighteen years ago, right as I became a Ranger, Scorpina hurt me. Almost destroyed me emotionally. It still hurts to talk about. I don't hold many grudges, because that's not part of my nature, but I'll probably always hold a grudge against her. Thank you for kicking her ass," Adam said.
"I will absolutely be happy to give her one for you the next time I see her. That said, I can't say too much more because like it or not, she and her child are an inexorable part of Mom's history," Jayden said.
Adam seemed to accept that, as Jayden waded through the congrats from the rest of his aunts and uncles, until he finally came face to face with his father.
"Words do not express...how proud I am right now. In all my years I never made that sort of an impact. Maybe when I was under Rita's control, but I don't think even then I did what you did. You made trained warriors seem like mere mortals which I have begun to doubt that anyone could do," Tommy said.
"Yeah, but you know they'll be back, Dad," Jayden said.
"Of course they will be but I guarantee you they won't be as confident as they were today. They thought they were going to just walk in here and rule the roost," Tommy said.
"Yeah, they got their faces bloodied today. Someone finally had the guts to stand up and punch the bully in the face," Jayden said. "I guarantee you the next time we see them it's gonna be bad. They're going to have a plan."
"Yeah, but let's just enjoy the moment. Even if it is for just a moment, it's best to enjoy it for what it is," Tommy said.
"Remember also that every time you destroy one of her goons, the control Maligore has over her cracks even more. Can't you feel it?" Aisha said. "The first cracks are starting to show. With every goon you destroy, Maligore's control weakens and Kim gets stronger."
"I can feel it cracking a bit, but Maligore still has the upper hand," Jayden said. "We cannot be overconfident. I had to go through hell and back just to be able to do this."
"I'm sad that the test included the Island of Illusions," Jason said. "I've been there. That's one nasty place."
"You don't know the half of it. I was also forced to watch you and Mom's history, Dad, and do nothing about it. The Evil Green Ranger, losing your powers twice, the cute things like the float ordeal, Mom fainting when she found out you were the White Ranger..." Jayden said.
A lot of the Rangers who weren't there that day (which was 99 percent of the room) would have paid good money to be a fly on the wall that day.
"...Mom finding out she was pregnant with me, the run-up to my birth and what happened on that fateful day, Mom getting her power coin stolen, the accident on the beam, everything that happened in Florida, the letter, her becoming what she is now, all of her conquests, why she didn't come back to us at the Countdown," Jayden said.
"And in addition after all that, I had to fight the Evil Green Ranger and win," Jayden said.
"Good God!" Rocky exclaimed.
"How can they stack the deck against one guy so much?" Marah said. "I don't want to sound like a whiner, I just don't think that's very fair. Dustin taught me a lot and I'm a trained ninja now, but I never had to do anything like what you did."
"That's what I'm still wondering but I'm here today," Jayden said.
"The guy the Samurai Rangers once knew, they'd hardly know him today. That quest changed me forever."
They all nodded mutely. Jayden may be considered a rookie by spandex standards, but he was acting like a seasoned Ranger veteran.
"Nonetheless, of all the people in this room, I feel maybe the most thankful," a woman said as she stepped in front of Jayden, with two battered, beaten and bruised men flanking her. "I was the ruler of your father's mentor's planet, and they ran me off like I was nothing."
"You are Rhiannon," Jayden said. "Uncle Billy and Dulcea told me about you. I'm going to avenge you too. When this thing is over, you're going to have your throne back and your people freed."
"You must be Trey, and you must be Phantom Ranger," Jayden said. "I want to know what happened and how you got here."
"As far as what happened, we've been sequestered in our Palace, prisoner of Flammia's forces for a few years since she overran us," Trey said. "We hardly get anything to eat or drink, so you can imagine how awful it is."
"As to how we got here, we have no idea. We were just...transported here somehow."
"We were hoping you could ask Dulcea somehow," Billy said.
'There is no need,' a ghostly voice said as suddenly the room lit up crimson. 'I know the answer.'
"Atsila, my spirit animal," Jayden murmured. "What do you know?"
'Another side effect of you claiming your powers, when you claimed your morpher, it set free some of those who have been set captive, including Trey and Phantom Ranger,' Atsila said. 'However, there are a few issues still. The Dark Fortress Mark II still has powerful shielding on it which means the Lost Galaxy Rangers and Masked Rider are still Flammia's prisoners.'
"And what else?" Jayden said.
'When you claimed your powers Dimitria and the former Divatox were set free from their prison on Inquiris, where they were since their planet was taken over,' Atsila said. 'The problem is, that prison had such high magical barriers around it that they couldn't be directly teleported onto Earth. The backlash of power only teleported them as far as the Dark Fortress Mark II which is on Earth's moon.'
'I understand that they decided to come aboard the Fortress, which I might add is for the most part unguarded as most of her soldiers moved into the Palace on the Moon,' Atsila said. 'At some point very soon you will need to organize a rescue mission for all of these individuals.'
"I've got an idea, but it will have to wait. I'm dead tired right now," Jayden said. "When the time is right, I will organize that rescue mission."
'Yes, you need to rest,' Atsila said. 'You have been through enough.'
With that the room stopped glowing crimson. The battle had been won today, but clearly there was much more work to be done.
Meanwhile, with a nod from his father, Jayden teleported back to Reefside. The second he hit his room, he plopped down on the bed, closed his eyes, and began some much needed rest.
The Shiba House
Panorama City, CA
Their bodies, already tired from the near death experience today, were in complete shock.
Their minds...couldn't accept what they had just been told by Lauren and Mentor Ji.
All this time, Jayden, their undisputed leader, was never one of them.
As it turned out, his real family was in a crisis mode. It was no wonder he'd left town to help his family, or what was left of it. Granted, he'd taken Scorpina and Draco with him which kept Panorama City safe, but still.
Worse yet, he was now living with them. Well, one of them anyways, and if all went well, they all could be together again.
The Samurai Rangers who had proudly served Jayden felt like they'd been betrayed.
Worse yet, they were facing Jayden's own mother's evil half. How the hell were they even supposed to destroy her when she finally made her appearance?
They all looked ready to rebel, to walk out of the Shiba house for good. Except one person. And surprisingly, it wasn't Mia.
That was when Mike stood up at the front of a room that was in absolute chaos and looked 100 percent ready to revolt.
"Enough," Mike snapped. They all turned to him and looked at him like they were all in a Twilight Zone. What was going on here?
Emily looked at him like he'd grown a second head.
"Good. You're listening," Mike said. "You all look ready to revolt. I understand that, but I disagree. I stand with my leader and all of you should too. And I'm going to tell you why."
Kevin, Mia and Emily looked at him in shock, but kept their attention on him.
"I admit, you see the world a little differently when your brother is in a life and death situation. I mean, your real brother, which is what mine is in," Mike said. "As you may remember, my brother is in the Army, fighting in the Middle East for our freedoms, to do what we do."
Immediately, the room fell deathly silent. It was indeed different when a Ranger had a family member fighting for his life and all their lives too.
"As such, one of his favorite books is Sun Tzu's The Art of War. He urged me to pick up a copy while I was staying with Emily over the summer, so I did," Mike said. "I think the plan for Jayden, while it may not have worked out like they wanted, yet, is brilliant. There is a quote from The Art of War that I want everyone to remember."
He then began reading the quote.
"All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make them believe we are near," Mike said.
"Look, I'm sorry for us that we had to know this way, but it's worked so far, hasn't it?" Mike said.
Mia, Kevin and Emily nodded mutely. It had worked so far; it beat Xandred and had dealt Flammia a devastating blow and ruined her coronation plans, at least for now.
"I don't know Dr. Oliver and Ms. Hart as she once was, but I think they and the others around them have done a brilliant job. Everyone thought Jayden was just a Samurai Ranger, when they kept his true destiny hidden all along," Mike said. "Admit it, no one knew that was coming. Not even us. That was the whole point, to attack in a way they wouldn't expect at just the right time."
"To add to the point Mike is making, let me just say that we need to remember Xandred was still around even a few months ago," Lauren said. "Jayden had his duties to fulfill then and he did it. Xandred was first priority always. If we hadn't beat him, we wouldn't be here today. If we had told you his true destiny while Xandred was still around that would have messed him up and would have messed us up completely."
"And remember this, he's accepted his true destiny," Mike said. "Don't you think that's enough reason to stand behind him in this time? He's going to need all of us."
"Especially you," Mike said, looking pointedly at Mia. "You may be the tipping point in this war because let's face it, you are his weakness. He will do anything for you."
"Besides, who was the team he went to go help, first and foremost?" Lauren said.
That did it for everyone. The mood changed drastically with that question.
They were still his friends. He'd come to help them first.
They couldn't turn their back on him now.
Five minutes ago, some of the Rangers were ready to walk out. Now, though tired, they were ready to fight at a moment's notice.
"Here's the bottom line," Antonio said. "I'm the happy go lucky guy and I'm not one for rah-rah speeches, except now. You have to be more committed and put more into this cause than you have ever put anything else."
"Fact is, our legacies are at stake in this war. If we lose, we lose everything and Jayden loses everything. His dreams, his family, and very possibly his life," Antonio said.
Everyone fell silent. They all knew Antonio was right. It was no wonder when they saw him just hours ago, he wasn't quite the same guy they remembered.
"Man, we're gonna have to get a lot better though," Emily said. "We looked like minor leaguers out there."
"You're right, they got us good today," Lauren said. "But you need to keep your heads up. Belief, through good times and bad, is half the battle."
"None of us gave up hope when things looked hopeless," Antonio said. "We always found a way. We will get better, and when they attack again, they won't walk all over us again. They're tough but when we meet them again, we won't be so out of our league."
The Moon Palace
Not far from where Flammia rested, Scorpina climbed into her bed to rest. Battered and bruised, she needed the rest probably more than any of Flammia's warriors.
Scorpina grunted at the notion of that Crimson Ranger being called a "rookie." Yeah, he may have been the latest Red, but anyone related to the Lord and Lady of the Skies, much less their son, was no ordinary rookie.
She'd felt that today. That kid had made her look like an idiot out there, and he was only going to get better.
There were still a lot of questions that needed to be answered though.
First of all, how the hell did they not find him sooner? All this time, the real Phoenix was right under their noses, and he had been fighting Master Xandred and his group of dangerous Nighloks.
Clearly they hadn't been paying enough attention. If they had been they would have snuffed this threat out before it even began.
Which raised a few more important questions in her mind. First of all, how in the hell had what was left of Kimberly Hart doggedly kept this from her evil half? Certainly knowledge of a secret such as this could have tipped the scales in their favor. Clearly, what was left of the Crane still remained otherwise they could have destroyed that Jayden kid by now.
An even better question: Why had she acquiesced to this sort of life all those years ago if she had a son? If there was a chance Scorpina could have to fight her daughter, there was no way she was going down that path.
And another question: Why in the world had she stayed in this life?
'You want the answers to why the Crane has done everything she did,' a familiar voice said in her mind. 'Watch and see.'
Not long after she dropped off to sleep, she felt her mind take a trip to the past.
She recognized this place instantly. This was Maligore's temple, in the Nemesis Triangle. Kimberly had already been converted to evil, and was tossing the Rangers around like rag dolls. She even scowled when Maligore tried his cheap trick act on Jason and it worked.
But as Kimberly prepared to fight for her freedom, which there was a chance she could have attained, she was stunned as she heard Dulcea order Kimberly to surrender, for one reason and one reason only.
Because of that child.
That wretched witch Dulcea just had to tell Kimberly that if Maligore took her soul he could know about that child and destroy him. And of course, being the good mother that she was, Kimberly was only too happy to obey.
Kimberly's former rival and now friend, as she tossed in her sleep, couldn't blame Kimberly for protecting her child. If her own child Nepa were in that situation, she would have sought everything to protect her too.
The scene then changed again.
She knew this scene all too well.
The Dark Fortress, 1998. Dark Specter had ordered the invasion of the entire universe.
But Scorpina knew what could happen if the Grand Monarch went through with this.
She felt now as she did then, watching the scene play out all over again. Flammia, herself, and a very young Nepa.
If she had stayed on the ship, Kimberly would be free right now, and none of this would be happening. Why had Kimberly chosen to stay a prisoner in this life?
'Perhaps some otherwise innocent scenes could answer this question...' the voice said again.
She then watched as her mind flashed back to various scenes. Flammia changing Nepa's diapers. Flammia feeding Nepa as a young, young child. Watching failed conquests with her as if the world meant nothing at all.
She didn't miss the way Flammia looked at Nepa either, like a child was the most cherished thing in the universe.
As she recalled back to those times, she didn't remember ever seeing Flammia so peaceful. She was a great conqueror, but in the back of her mind, knew Kimberly was always there. Just the way Flammia looked at Scorpina's prized child, Nepa, was something to cherish.
And then it suddenly dawned on Scorpina as the scenes ended.
Perhaps, Kimberly looked at Nepa, and whether she was evil or not, she saw her own child in Scorpina's daughter. To her, good or evil didn't matter.
It was a good thing Scorpina's eyes were closed. Otherwise, tears would have rained out in buckets.
'Oh, Kim,' she thought. Any sort of hatred she may have had for the former Kimberly Ann Hart dissipated right then and there. Evil or good, it really didn't matter anymore. Kimberly knew right from wrong.
'Now you know,' the voice said in her mind. 'And at some point, you will have to make a decision.'
'Master Vile,' she thought, happy to hear the voice even if in her mind; she and Vile were close friends from way back. 'Are you alive?'
'No, Scorpina. But I've seen everything that's happened. From hell, for sure, but I've seen it. If you truly value Kimberly Ann Hart then you know what you must do if it comes to that. Remember what I said. Not everything is about good and evil, black and white, Scorpina. This is about love and family.'
'She sacrificed fifteen Earth years of her life because in your daughter, she saw a child, her child. When she was the Pink Ranger, that mother of hers could have aborted her child. I would have never aborted Rito or any of my other family members.'
To her, that was worth saving. Now, at some point you will have to make a major decision, even if unpopular. Good luck.'
The voice faded away in her mind, and for the first time, a thought crossed Scorpina's mind that she believed until now, never would.
'Kimberly Ann Hart, you will always be my friend, good or evil. Never forget it. And some day, I'll repay you.'
September 9, 2012
1:45 p.m. local time
Somewhere between Reefside and Panorama City
For a 17th birthday, the day had been, thus far, been uneventful.
Jayden, blindfolded in the back seat, wondered where the hell he was going.
Tommy had only said, "they were taking him to his birthday present." Wherever the hell that was.
And Week One of the National Football League season wasn't it, although that was reason to celebrate enough.
Even better, Tommy's Jeep Patriot had satellite radio installed in it, so they could listen to football on the way to wherever the surprise was.
The last week or so had been uneventful. There was, surprisingly, no sign of Flammia's attacks. By now, Jayden thought, they would have attacked again. Which meant next time they showed their faces it was going to be real bad.
In the meanwhile, he was making great progress on his GED, and Tommy was allegedly real close on finalizing the papers that would legally change Jayden's last name from Shiba to Oliver.
About an hour later, the Jeep finally stopped, and Tommy helped Jayden out of the car. Leading him by the hand, the two listened as some sort of wooden gate creaked open.
Jayden had a pretty good idea of where he was now, although he couldn't be 100 percent sure.
He felt himself going through a couple of doors, and then a few minutes later, felt his Dad reach up and take off his blindfold.
"Take a look at your surroundings," Tommy said. Jayden knew this place instantly; he was right all along.
He was in the Shiba House. It seemed empty but Jayden knew better.
Someone had been here obviously, because all the trappings for a birthday celebration were set. Cake, decorations, presents, the whole bit. Someone probably was here.
That thought barely escaped him when a number of voices shouted "SURPRISE!" simultaneously.
Jayden noticed not only his teammates and his adopted sister, but pretty much every single Ranger who had donned the spandex.
At his party.
A moment later, he was pulled into an embrace. A familiar embrace.
"Happy birthday, little brother," Lauren Shiba said as she embraced Jayden, pulling back so her, and his, teammates could do the same. This moment wasn't insignificant; it was the first time Jayden had seen his Samurai teammates since he'd rescued them 10 days ago.
It was going to be a 17th birthday party to remember.
"Remember this day and all your birthdays forever, Jayden," Mentor Ji said. "No one can spoil this day."
The Moon Palace
The Rangers were completely unaware they were being watched.
It had taken about a week, but Flammia's army had finally licked its wounds and was chomping at the bit to get back at the man who had interrupted what otherwise would have been a sure victory.
"So, that Crimson Ranger's birthday is today. And that old man doesn't think I can spoil his day, huh? We'll see about that," Flammia said. "Nepa, come here. Here is what we will do..."
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