A/N: A very pleasant Tuesday morning to you all from the Lone Star State. 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, things get really nasty for our heroes. Both Jayden's friends and Jayden himself are in for a whole lot of torture starting in this chapter. Also, some of the other battles not touched on in 16 are touched on here.

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: Hope this chapter goes well. There was a bit of an issue posting it then I didn't get the email alert. So I took this chapter down and put it back up. Usual disclaimer. Power Rangers doesn't belong to me.

Chapter 17: Tortured

Wednesday, October 3

4:45 p.m. local time

The Rangers Chamber of Command

Angel Grove, CA

Unlike a month ago, when Jayden's return from his quest had sparked unbridled celebration, if one could look inside the Rangers' Chamber of Command, he could have sworn a funeral was taking place.

Nobody dared speak, lest he or she say something that could tear this group of Rangers apart, and there were enough tears flowing from the eyes of the inhabitants to give life to the desert outside.

They all tried to muster that same rah-rah speech that every team had been through when a team of Rangers was down in the dumps, but they all knew that it was a load of crap. Without the leader of this mission, they were screwed.

They cried, they all did. But the teams who had bookended the legacy of Rangers, to this point, were taking it the hardest, as expected.

As hard as it hit the Morphin, Zeo and first Turbo teams, the Samurai Rangers were hurt the worst...and they weren't even there when Jayden was captured, but Cole, again thanks to his lingering abilities from his Deker days, had shown them what happened.

They had not only lost their spiritual leader, but had been stabbed in the heart by their current leader. Now, one was captured, and one was going to be on a mission to rip their hearts out.

The early teams all cried their eyes out too; Tommy was obviously hurt the worst, but they were all taking it really hard. They'd all barely gotten to know Jayden, but he was a resilient son of a gun who had been through a lot just to get to this point.

He was a likable kid, too, who was fighting an uphill battle in a seemingly impossible quest, and now they all knew he was never going to be the same when he got back. They all knew that wherever he was taken, and none of them doubted it was the dreaded Moon Palace, he was going to get the crap beaten out of him just because of who he was.

Someone who dared defy a great conqueror in the never ending quest to keep his people safe.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Justin were furiously working at the controls with Rhiannon, furiously trying to get a lock on Jayden's signal.

"Any luck?" Billy said as he left the somber, heartbroken group of Rangers congregated close together and joined his fellow Blues (and now Black Dino Thunder Ranger).

"It's no use. The barrier around the Lunar Palace is just as strong as ever," Ethan sadly said. "It would take me days to even think about a way to break through that barrier."

"If the Falcon and Crane were together, and Jayden were captured, then they could both use their powers to track him. Unfortunately, that is not the case," Justin added.

"Man, I wish there was something we could do!" Rocky said as he pounded his fist into his hand. He knew he was going to have it terrible the next indefinite number of days with Mia as one of his students; he was going to have to keep her from going off the rails, and looking at her now, that was going to be a huge challenge.

"Unfortunately, the best we can do is regroup and prepare for the next battle," Mentor Ji said, and Rhiannon nodded. "Jayden is now facing his greatest challenge yet. Only one thing can save him now."

"What's that?" Jen asked, although she knew what the answer was.

"His faith in himself," Mentor Ji said. All of them looked at each other and knew it was true. Jayden had come through the Island of Illusions, which was no picnic.

Now, in real time, his faith would be tested to its limits. And he'd need just a little bit of help from a most unexpected source...

"In the meantime, I'd suggest we all get some rest," Conner said. "We're all going to need it because the next fight, when it comes, is going to be ugly. Really ugly."

"Before everyone leaves, I want to check on all of you, just to make sure everyone doesn't have any issues after the battles out there," Dana Mitchell-Grayson said. "Everyone report to the med bay for checkup immediately. And I mean everyone. Oh and that goes double for Jayden if and when he returns."

Later that night

The Moon Palace, lower dungeon

Though the fire of the Phoenix continued to protect him, Jayden's teeth were chattering like crazy. This place was one of the coldest places he'd ever been in.

Not only that, his body hurt all over. The torture he'd endured on the way to the dungeon was akin to something out of a horror movie.

He still couldn't get the visions out of his mind. It was already bad enough hours in, and it was going to get a hell of a lot worse.

Flashback, earlier in the evening

He tried to stay on his feet, but the torture he'd already endured was making it very difficult to do anything correctly physically.

And every time he stumbled, he'd get either lashed (hard) thanks to a whip that Lauren carried, smacked across the face by the Fire Smasher, or hurt again by Scorpina's stinger.

And all the methods hurt.

Just then, he went down on one knee again. Sure enough, the whip came down on him again, causing his back to become even more bruised.

"Get up punk!" Scorpina shouted as she shoved him forward. "Not so tough now, are you? Not so tough now that you're without your powers, right?"

It was true, not only had they captured Jayden, Flammia had taken his morpher too. Where she'd put it he knew not, but he knew when it came time to finding his morpher, if he made it that far, it was going to be in a place that was very difficult to get to.

That had been the entire journey for however many levels it was down to the dungeon, Jayden lost count after about the 20th time he'd been whipped. He'd also had every one of his clothes ripped off, and his naked body continued to be tortured after that.

As hard as it was to be shackled, he guessed he'd have preferred it over the abuse he'd taken on the way to the dungeon. He still hurt, but he knew he would be healed, good as new. Unfortunately, he knew that was also going to be his curse during the dark time ahead.

End Flashback

Even though the visions finally ended, the nightmares were far from over, as he heard the sound of the door being unlocked.

Jayden gulped as the door swung open, and he saw his sister walk out of the shadows. Worse yet, his sister's swagger was evident. She was up to something, too.

"Hello, dear brother," she said saucily. The contempt in her voice, though the voice was sweet, was evident.

"Didn't you get enough of torturing me today?" Jayden said; he was surprised she was back so quick. "At least, wait until tomorrow?"

"Unfortunately for you, my darling brother, once I got a little taste of what being evil is like, it's like...what do you say, a drug?" Lauren said.

"By the way, how do you like having your girlfriend's parents and her entire team turn against you? Against us?" Lauren added. "Admit it, you're the cause of all the dissension within the Samurai team and it's only going to get worse."

"You know as much as I do that I don't always follow the rules, Lauren," Jayden said. "You know that I've always been a little bit of a maverick and I got that from Daddy Doctor Oliver. I don't take too kindly to things I'm supposed to do and not do. I do things my way."

"You are truly like Dr. Oliver, defiant to the end. Well then, if that's so, you can have it your way...and I'll have it mine," Lauren said.

Jayden could only wonder, what did that mean? He was about to find out.

"Now, Jayden, we can do things the easy way or we can do them the hard way," Lauren said.

"Before you even ask the question, I'll tell you what the easy way is," Lauren said. "You are going to give me and my boss the coordinates to that new base of yours."

Jayden gasped. He knew without doubt that he couldn't do that. If he did that, he and the Rangers were doomed.

"I think you know the answer to that, Lauren," Jayden said. "You and that new boss of yours are not getting jack. Even if I knew the coordinates which I don't, I would never give them to you."

"Hard way it is then," Lauren said, smirking as she did so.

"And the hard way?" Jayden asked. He knew he wasn't going to like this answer either.

"More of the same. We're going to have so much fun with you. How do you like the sound of facing at least 100 monsters in an arena here on the Moon?" Lauren said. "You against at least 100 of Rita, Zedd and Mondo's creations, all hungry for Ranger blood."

Jayden's head dropped. At any less than 100 percent, without his Morpher, he knew he didn't stand a chance against those odds, no matter how powerful the Phoenix powers were.

"Or, if you don't like that, maybe I'll just take you for my own. I could use a play toy," Lauren suggested. "Don't think I can't do it."

"You wouldn't," Jayden challenged. "Not even while evil, you wouldn't stoop that low. Besides, you know I love Mia."

"Oh, your Samurai Pink teammate?" Lauren said. "I can certainly shapeshift to make myself more appealing to you. It's part of symbol power, after all."

She turned to leave, but spared him a look back.

"Oh and one more thing, Jayden, if you have even one funny thought to try to escape that cell, don't. You won't like the result. Have fun," Lauren said, before walking off.

Neither Lauren nor Jayden had any idea that a lone figure was watching them from the shadows.

As he watched the threats Lauren had made, the entity knew without doubt he was going to have to move the time table for his plan up. The thought that an evil Lauren would even think to do that to Jayden made him cringe. He knew Lauren wasn't acting of her own accord, but it didn't make things any more right.

The thought of Jayden facing about 100 monsters out for blood, many of whom the entity knew from back in the day, didn't appeal to him either.

After he quickly used his nearby Synthetron to get Jayden some food (because heaven knows he'd need it, at least one night of food would be huge) and writing him a note, without anyone noticing, he ducked into a secret passage that only he knew by heart. That would at least start to take him to where he needed to go.

And he'd need to move quickly. He'd also need to make sure no one saw him. If anyone saw him and found out who he was all that he hoped to accomplish would be lost.

Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012, very early in the morning

The Rangers Chamber of Command

Angel Grove, CA

It might have been 24 hours later, but the Rangers' moods weren't a whole lot better, and they knew they wouldn't be unless Jayden somehow got himself free.

That said, they had to go on with their lives. So, after breakfast in the mess hall, they were all going to congregate in the main room for debriefing on the various battles that were held the previous day. Dr. Oliver was holding several CDs provided to him, which included footage of the various battles that took place.

Most of the Rangers had yet to come in, in fact the only two in the room right now were Tommy and Mia. And the silence between the two was really, really awkward.

None of them really knew what to say at the moment, fearful of it lighting a fuse and an argument. That was not something the team needed right now...it needed to stay together, even without its heart and soul...and leader.

Finally, the ice was broken when Tommy, at least surprisingly enough to Mia, went up to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

To be frank about it, both were surprised for different reasons.

"I'm sorry," Tommy told Mia bluntly, "I made a mistake yesterday. You should have been able to fight alongside Jayden."

"No, I understand why we had to do what we had to do, as much as it hurts. If they didn't spread our forces out so much, I'd be a lot angrier with you," Mia said. "Jayden is still my boyfriend, but he's Ninjetti now and I'm not. That does matter."

"Yes it does, sadly, yes it does," Tommy said. "And just because Jayden holds the Great Power now doesn't mean he isn't part of your team. You guys helped make him into who he is today and I am forever grateful."

"Yeah and now I fear that when he comes back he'll never be the same. If he does come back at all," Mia said as a tear escaped her eye.

"He's resilient, but I'd be a liar if I didn't say I was concerned too. He's going to get the crap beat out of him for sure," Tommy said. "Kim's not herself right now, not even close, and Maligore's power burns pretty bright right now. She's going to unleash the hounds of hell on him most likely."

"Getting on past that though, I have to apologize to you too," Mia said, and Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"For what? You've got nothing to apologize for," Tommy said.

"I should have consulted you as Jayden's dad before I said I loved him," Mia said. Tommy only laughed at this.

"Water under the bridge, Mia, you forget Kim and I were in love as teens and that's how Jayden was born," Tommy said. "At least the both of you are thoughtful about your actions. That's why the Samuraizers picked your families; the Power doesn't pick its holders by accident."

"And to boot, your uncle is Sensei Kanoi, who mentored a team of Rangers himself," Rhiannon added. "I trust anyone related to Kanoi to make correct decisions."

"When we get him back, I expect a tearful moment from you two though," Tommy said.

"If we get him back," Mia said, amending his statement. Tommy wished Mia hadn't said it like that but it was true; it was a dicey proposition that Jayden would come back at all.

"I can tell you that through our connection, I've talked to him. His spirit is willing, but his body has already taken a beating. It's not totally hopeless, but I'd say that without a minor miracle things do not look good," Tommy said. "He definitely will be a changed man when he gets back. Whether that's good or not, I don't know."

Just then, everyone else came in the room, right as Mia and Tommy were embracing. In a way, even though the situation was dire, that lifted the tension somewhat. Everyone in the room knew Jayden loved Mia to death, but no one knew what Tommy thought of Mia being in love with his son, and his son loving her back.

The thought that the three would at least be united if they got Jayden back warmed their hearts, even for a minute, right before Tommy got into the grim news.

"Thank you all for coming in, at least briefly. I know we all have jobs, but before we go to them, I think we at least need to meet as a team in this situation," Tommy said.

"As we know, our leader of this mission is not here with us this morning," Jason added. "The last thing Kat, Tommy or I want to hear is anybody blaming anybody right now. We are a team and we stick together as one. That is our greatest strength. Without our unity we will fall."

"Jase is right," Kat added. "United, we have a chance. But if we turn on each other now, that's exactly what they'd want. And as a unit, Jayden needs all of us right now."

"We do have potentially one advantage, one that could be our only hope. Jayden actually got fed last night from what he told me through our connection. Apparently we have someone who is looking out for us, someone who swore Jayden to secrecy," Tommy said. "Jayden said that this entity left him a note because this entity had to go do something important."

"So what you're saying is, we have a chance," Andros said.

"Not a great one, but still a chance," Jen added.

"That's exactly right," Tommy said. "At this point, we cannot risk ourselves going up into the mouth of the lion's den, even for Jayden. We have to keep our heads up and go about our business."

"That said, I have a handful of CDs that detail some of the battles. I'll go one by one, saving the older teams for last," Tommy said, as he worked backwards, starting with the Samurai team.

The highlights of that battle were then shown to all. It was obvious the Samurai team had improved. They'd trained with Jayden over the last number of weeks since he'd come back, and the improvement was obvious. They were more crisp, a lot quicker, a lot smarter in their tactics and didn't look like they were outclassed unlike the first time. They were facing Draco again too, as well as others, and held their own.

"Good job, guys," Tommy said. "One thing I want you guys to remember though is, don't feel like there's any added pressure with Jayden gone for the moment. Your toughest challenge is going to be doing what you're expected to do while your, and our, leader is gone."

"You're not the overall leader?" Mike said. "I mean, you're Dr. Thomas Oliver for heaven's sake."

"I appreciate the compliment, but I'm not THE leader for this mission. I'll play a role of mentor, but Jayden is the overall leader. And he's your overall leader too," Tommy reminded them.

Tommy then stopped the film, removed it, and inserted film of Jungle Fury's battle.

Those who watched his facial expressions knew he was impressed with how Jungle Fury handled their fight. His comments reflected that.

"Good job as usual guys. Doing what you guys always do. As usual, the most centered team of the recent teams because of your powers. There are several other teams that could take a cue," Tommy said.

He then popped in the tape of the Mystic Force and Operation Overdrive, who had fought together, and frowned. Unlike some of the other recent teams, they weren't as crisp, they had a difficult time holding their own against their adversaries, and looked slow and sluggish at times.

"You guys are trying too hard for differing reasons," Tommy said. "Overdrives, I know the Sentinel Knight's death was hard on you guys. It was hard on all of us. But you guys need to find a way to channel your energy a bit better."

"Mack was the best of you guys, although that's probably because he's an android. You guys need to get a lot better. Watch Jungle Fury's fights. They can help you a lot."

He then turned to Mystic Force, and his gaze squarely fell on Nick, in particular.

"You look pressured too, Nick," Tommy said.

"I just feel sad that someone else has to go through what I went through when the Master was around. I was the target every day because of who I was, and I would wish it on no one," Nick said.

"You'd trade places with Jayden in a heartbeat, for his safety," Tommy said.

"Any day," Nick said, as he felt Maddy squeeze his shoulder. "I used to think I had it bad."

"Bowen, we can't think like that," Udonna stepped in. "It is affecting not just you, but the rest of the team. The team takes its cues from you, remember? The thought is nice, but we need to be concerned about our own house before looking at others."

"Udonna is correct, Nick. Focus on your own team. The issues with Jayden will take care of themselves," Tommy said, although even he wasn't sure he believed what he was saying.

He next put on the tape of Dino Thunder and Ninja Storm, who had also fought together; unlike some of the previous teams, he knew that Dino Thunder would understand what was expected of them and act accordingly. As he watched the tape, he was not disappointed.

"Good job, guys," Tommy said. "Justin, you're doing a great job with that team as you've finally gotten the opportunity you've long waited for. Keep doing what you guys are doing."

Justin and the rest of the Dino Thunders nodded their thanks as Tommy moved to Ninja Storm.

"Good job you guys," Tommy said as he watched the tape. "Your continued training has continually made you sharp. Tori, Hunter, you should probably get ready to take Michaela to school."

"Yes sir," Tori said as she and Hunter walked off to do just that.

Tommy then put on the tape of Wild Force, and nodded at them too, but looked at Cole in particular.

"I'm impressed with what you guys have been doing out there, Cole," Tommy said. "Of all those who are coming into this battle fighting demons, you have done the best job of all handling them. Just keep it going and don't make yourself feel any pressure."

"Admittedly, Alyssa's to thank for that," Cole said. "She won't let me slip into one of those guilt complexes. And it's one of those things that just happens anyways."

"Before you go to Wes, Jen, and Eric, I do have something I'd like to share," Cole said. "Some information if you will."

Tommy arched an eyebrow and said, "Go ahead."

"I can vouch for what Jayden said. We do have certain...allies out there, including in the Palace itself who you may not expect that are watching out for us. I met one of them not long after Jayden defeated Xandred. I suspect that certain one of them is watching over Jayden right now."

"Who is it?" Tommy said.

"If only I could tell you. He wishes to stay off the radar as long as he can and swore me to secrecy on his identity. He will reveal his identity to us at the right time. But he can absolutely be trusted and has our best interests at heart," Cole said as he sat down.

"Thank you for the information, Cole," Tommy said; admittedly, what "The Rookie" had said had put Tommy's mind at ease a bit.

He next put on the video of Wes, Jen and Eric, who had fought with Lightspeed to even the numbers a bit. Otherwise, Wes, Jen and Eric would have been hopelessly outnumbered.

"Time Force, good job as usual despite Eric's always terrible antics," Tommy said, which earned him a glare from Eric himself. "Lightspeed, good job as well. Sometimes, with as long as some of the teams have been off, there's some rust to knock off but you guys have done a good job keeping in shape. Keep it up."

"Thanks, Tommy," Carter Grayson said, as Tommy then turned to his closest band of brothers.

Zordon's Rangers.

Before he addressed the rest of the Ninjetti, now down to ten, he put the tape on of the Space Rangers' fight.

"I know what's on your mind, Andros, the safety of your sister. Take care not to worry about that too much. Flammia's pretty preoccupied with Jayden so I doubt she'll come after Karone. As long as you guys are together and Mike the Magna Defender is here," he said nodding to Mike, "she should be OK."

"Yes, but I don't want history to repeat itself, as you Earthlings say," Andros said. "I can't help but have that on my mind. If we had the Galaxy Rangers back here, I'd feel a lot better."

"We'll get them back," Tommy said, finally turning to the rest of the Ninjetti and Ninjor.

"I don't think any tape needs to be put on of what happened out there today. We got humbled today," Tommy said. "We were all there, we saw it. Unfortunately, we all knew this was going to happen at some point. Flammia didn't conquer so many planets for no reason."

"Our success now depends on how we rally as one in light of this dark day. Let's face it, there is no substitute for the Phoenix and its awesome powers. But we have a job to do, no matter how awful the odds are right now."

"Even if the odds do get worse, and they likely will as long as Jayden is not here, we need to hold on to the belief that everything will work out. It always has."

"Kat, I know that of all people in this room, you have it the worst as far as demons to slay," Tommy said, looking sympathetically at his second ex-girlfriend. "I think you and I both know that things are going to be very rough over the next number of days and maybe even weeks."

It was true. Another added bonus for Flammia was that with the Phoenix captured, she had free license to take her revenge on Kat; it would in turn help Maligore regain full control, which had begun to crack.

"Just do your best, OK? No one's expecting you to go toe to toe with that monster, but do the best you can. Know that we'll always be here to support you," Tommy said.

"That's it. You're all dismissed. Go on with your day, I have a school day to get ready for," Tommy said as everyone dispersed from the room and he prepared to teleport back to Reefside and prepare for the school day.

They all hoped they could get through the day without their leader. But they all, including Tommy most of all, knew that it wouldn't be the same.

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