A/N: A very pleasant Tuesday to all of you 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, Jayden attempts to earn his freedom, and tries to rescue some others.

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 20: Jayden in the Lion's Den Pt II

Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012, mid-morning

The Rangers Chamber of Command

Angel Grove, CA

They had all gathered in the main room of the Chamber of Command, and not simply for an attack. So far, there was none.

They'd all gathered because, whether Ninjetti or not, they could all feel it.

A surge in power. They all hoped, but they dared not hope.

Rocky spoke for everyone when he said, "It can't be, could it? Could he have his Morpher back?"

"It's the only reason I can think of for the fact that we have a spike in power in all of us," Justin said.

"And if you need any confirmation, I've picked up a visual. I managed to break through the Palace's force field finally," Ethan said. "Look!"

They saw Jayden, fully morphed, standing across from Lauren again. They appeared to be near or in an arena, an arena that seemed very hostile.

"He's got his powers again," Tanya said. "The question is, how much does he have left in the tank?"

"When Xandred was here, he tried to go fight a Nighlok known as Yamiror who poisoned the Samurai team, including Jayden, with his stench," Ji answered. "I thought he could barely walk but he actually got out of bed and went to fight him at far less than 100 percent. No doubt in my mind in retrospect that his dormant powers kept him able to walk. I think he's got enough in the tank to at least give himself a chance."

Everyone in the Command Center said a silent prayer that he indeed would have enough left in the tank.

Just then, the alarm sounded.

They had been told that an attack wouldn't come for a long time after the last one, but Flammia obviously knew Jayden had escaped and was desperate to destroy the Rangers before he could enter the game again.

"We're short handed, but for those of us that can fight, we know what we need to do," Tommy said. "Let's do it."

The Lunar Palace, near an exit from the arena, same time

"You know, I'm actually glad your little friend came for your rescue from the arena, Jayden," Lauren said. "Because it gives me the opportunity to humiliate you one more time. When I'm through with you this time, you will belong to me."

"You 'humiliated' me twice before because you got lucky," Jayden said. "I'm not taking anything away from your abilities, you are very good at what you do. But you and your boss have thrown everything at me, yet I'm still here."

Lauren hissed to herself in frustration. It was true, no matter what she'd done to try to break him hadn't worked. It was almost as if it didn't matter.

"Well, when I get through with you this time, I will have broken you both mentally and physically. Admit it, dear brother, you don't have much left."

Instantly, Lauren readied her Spin Sword, while Jayden just shrugged.

"Whatever I have left, I'm going to give it to keep my world safe," Jayden said. "Zeo V Power Sword."

Instantly, in a red flash, the weapon held by Tommy in his early days as a Red Ranger appeared, and Jayden prepared for what might well be his last stand.

As Lauren lashed out at Jayden, Jayden successfully managed to draw Lauren back into the halls away from the arena. There, the two expertly crossed blades, with neither giving an inch.

"Spin Sword, Blazing Strike," Lauren called, and she released her fiery attack. But she'd forgotten that Jayden's Phoenix element was fire as well, and as the attack neared Jayden a fiery shield appeared around him, the blast careening off the shield and blasting through the wall, leaving a smoking hole behind.

Before Lauren could even think what to do next, she saw a blast coming toward her from the Zeo Power Sword. But by the time she realized it, it was too late as the blast struck her head on and sent her flying back into the wall.

Jayden then saw someone come and pat him on the shoulder, and smiled when he saw it was Rito.

"You took care of them?" Jayden said.

"For the time being. I put a spell on the arena that froze them in place but we only have a few minutes."

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Jayden saw Lauren coming to, and preparing a sneak attack. When he turned around, he saw the Spin Sword coming for his head. Instinctively, he grabbed Lauren's right wrist, forcing her to let go of her weapon. The weapon flew out of her hand and skittered along the floor.

"Hold her," Rito ordered. "I need one good shot."

Jayden didn't miss the position Rito was in too, as Rito held a small laser gun, and he was down on one knee. With his free arm, Jayden wrapped it around Lauren's waist, to make sure she couldn't escape.

"Let go of me, Jayden," Lauren hissed.

"Sorry, Lauren, but this is for your...and our, own good," Jayden said, right as Rito fired his laser pistol, not at Lauren, but at the Samuraizer that was resting on Lauren's belt. The blast hit the Samuraizer head on, and there was an intensely bright flash of white light and a devastating screech filled the air.

Jayden could have sworn he heard a voice too as the white light forced him to cover his eyes.

'You may have freed your sister, Crimson Ranger, but your victory will be short lived! Maligore spawn of destruction WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!'

Even as the white light died down, Jayden felt a little creeped out by what had just happened.

"If you feel creeped out, that blast was equipped with a special antidote that cancels out Maligore's mind control hold over Lauren. No doubt, the demon that held that power over Lauren wanted to intimidate us. Give her a little while and she'll be fine," Rito said. "Now let's go. We have to book it. They'll be coming through those doors any second!"

Rito picked Lauren up and began running down the various hallways, with Jayden following close behind. Jayden found it a little odd that the hallways were deserted. Which could only mean one thing. And if that was the case...

Sure enough, about two minutes later, the two heard voices from back near the arena. They really had to motor now.

Soon enough, they came to a set of double doors near one of the exits from the Palace to the Moon's surface. Rito tossed Jayden a key. Jayden could see what was outside. They only needed to go a little farther...

"Lock that sumbitch up when we go through," Rito ordered.

"Will that hold them?" Jayden asked.

"Not forever, but long enough," Rito said.

They all went through the double doors, with Jayden making sure to lock it as tight as he could.

They then rushed out the last Palace door. Before them stood what Rito was looking for all along.

"Is that..."

"Yes. The Dark Fortress Mark II," Rito said. "In there are the Lost Galaxy Rangers, the Masked Rider and Dimitria and the former Divatox. They all need to be rescued."

"Do you know where they are?" Jayden said.

"If this Dark Fortress is anything like the first one, then yes I have a pretty good idea," Rito said. "But just in case, I have this."

Rito whipped out a tracking scanner which had formerly been in Finster's lab during his days in the Palace.

"This can pick up any traces of magical energy," Rito said. "Now let's go."

But before they could move an inch further, they saw a laser beam coming right at their heads, and they just ducked down and avoided being hit head on.

Jayden's eyes narrowed under his helmet. A warrior stepped out into view that was Scorpina's spitting image, but wasn't her. This had to be her daughter he'd heard about.

"Well, Crimson Ranger, at last we meet," Scorpina's daughter Nepa sneered. "It's a shame this meeting will be our last."

"Your mother couldn't defeat me, so why do you think you can?" Jayden responded.

"You would be a fool to think I am not as powerful as my mother is," Nepa said.

"And as for you," she said as she looked at Rito, "my mother would be very disappointed in you Rito. You turned your back on us and you've been spying on all of us, I'm sure."

"Yeah and she can keep that opinion to herself," Rito said. "I was never one of you. And yeah I have been spying on you. So what?"

"Fine," Nepa said as she spread her arms out, At her command, about 20 Tenga Warriors appeared.

"Attack!" Nepa said.

"I'll take the bird brains. You need to summon the Phoenix Zord and then go inside and get our friends. Hurry. Nepa's backup's gonna be here real soon," Rito said, as he slipped his tracking device to Jayden when Nepa wasn't looking. Jayden nodded as Rito engaged the purple colored birds.

"Phoenix Ninjazord, activate," Jayden said. Immediately, a portal opened near where the battle was going on, revealing the Phoenix Ninjazord.

Checking to make sure the coast was clear, Jayden carefully slipped inside the massive ship. Pressing some buttons, Jayden signaled the scanner to scan for any magical life forms on the ship, specifically ones that were grouped together.

Jayden nodded when the scan finished. The lower level. Of course. He found a stairwell nearby that started heading down towards the dungeon.

Carefully, he made his way down the levels of the ship, and he knew he was going the right way because the signal was getting bigger and bigger. But he also could see another, and much darker, signal in the room. So the ship hadn't been unguarded, after all.

He knew it was a trap, but he had no choice but to spring it.

He had to hurry too. He couldn't waste any more time.

A few minutes later, he finally reached the door. He didn't know what was behind it except a dungeon and people that needed to be rescued, but there was only one way to find out.

Channeling his fiery powers, he transformed himself into a fireball, passed right through the doors, and a shocked Stilio, who was guarding the room, didn't know what hit him until the fireball passed through him, sending him flying into the wall.

The prisoners stood to attention too, briefly drawn out of their catatonic state. The Galaxy Rangers and Masked Rider looked confused, but a smile formed on Dimitria and Diana's faces.

Help had finally arrived.

Stilio, meanwhile, glared at the intruder.

"You," he hissed. "I've been waiting to get my hands on you, young Phoenix."

"Yeah, that's what you've all said," Jayden retorted. "Meanwhile, you've got some folks here that aren't yours. Those prisoners you have are coming with me."

"We'll see about that," Stilio said as a battalion of deadly spiders appeared before their master.

"Arachnids, get him," Stilio ordered.

Though the number of Arachnids reached about 20 or 30, they stood no chance. Using a mix of his Phoenix Fire Sword, his ability to turn into a fireball and his fighting skills, he quickly disposed of the spider beasts within about five minutes. Stilio then tried to shoot a foamy web to catch him, but Jayden released two fireballs which incinerated the attack instantly.

In the next moment, he chopped his Phoenix Fire Sword down on Stilio's wrist forcing him to drop his sword, then super kicked him in the face which sent him flying into the wall.

"He's amazing," Maya from Mirinoi gasped. "Who in the hell is that?"

"Exactly," Masked Rider said. "I've never seen that guy before!"

Dimitria of Inquiris wanted to save her breath because of her weakened state, but simply said, "The prophecy of the Phoenix Ninjetti is finally coming to pass. Maligore's days are numbered."

"We'll fill you in later," Diana added. "Suffice to say, that boy right there is bad news for the forces of evil."

In the next few seconds, they saw the Phoenix Ninjetti casually walk over to the cell, form a small fireball in his hand and fry the lock that held the prisoners.

"Grab on to me," Jayden said. "We've got to get out of here and now."

As they all held on to each other, Jayden concentrated really hard, and just as Stilio arrived near the prisoners and tried to decapitate Jayden, he and the prisoners teleported out right as the sword came down.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he shouted.

Arriving back on the surface of the Moon, just outside the ship, Jayden and the former prisoners landed on the surface right as Rito disarmed Nepa and kicked her right into the side of the ship.

Jayden's face fell though. He looked inside and saw the horde of arena monsters, with Scorpina leading them, kick down the door that Jayden had locked.

"Grab Lauren, get to your ship and let's go!" Jayden said to Rito as they both took off for the ship. Mustering the strength, the weakened prisoners grabbed onto each other and followed right behind Jayden, Rito and Lauren. They reached the Phoenix Ninjazord and Rito's ship fine, but they knew the crowd was gaining on them.

"Everyone, get inside!" Jayden said as he beckoned all of the former prisoners inside, while Rito got into his small ship with Lauren.

"Hang on. This is going to be a bumpy ride," Jayden said as he started the Phoenix Zord.

The monsters, as one, unleashed a devastating blast of firepower that would have obliterated anything it touched. The problem for them was, they were a split moment too late as Jayden and Rito flew out of range with their cargo.

Scorpina groaned, knowing she and her compatriots had blown it bigtime. There was one hope left. It was on Earth. If the Rangers won today, she knew she may not live to see another day even though she was Flammia's most trusted warrior.

Meanwhile, after a few minutes, Jayden relaxed a bit and put the Phoenix Ninjazord in autopilot as it zoomed towards Earth. He looked towards the back, and saw the prisoners. In particular, he took notice of the Lost Galaxy Rangers. They were in terrible shape, their formerly youthful looks ruined from years of captivity. Prince Dex looked pretty awful too and his Electro Saber had been shattered.

Carefully, Jayden looked at the long since broken, charred Quasar Sabers and Dex's Electro Saber, all of which he'd managed to grab when he'd freed the prisoners, and concentrated.

"Power of the Phoenix, grant these warriors the means to fight again," Jayden murmured.

Immediately the Sabers lit up, a bright light enveloped the Zord, and before anyone knew what happened, the Lost Galaxy Rangers and Masked Rider sat there, more energized than they'd been in years.

Not only that, they were fully morphed, their powers once again in tact.

"You have to be kidding me," Kendrix Morgan-Corbett said. "He just did THAT? We're back in the game?"

"Who the hell is this guy?" Kai Chen asked.

"You are back in the game," Diana said. "There are many things he can do that you don't know about."

Meanwhile, Jayden put his communicator to his lips.

"Dad, can you hear me?"

"Jayden, is that you? In the flesh?"

The Lost Galaxy Rangers and Masked Rider looked at one another in surprise. Was that Tommy, and did he just call Tommy 'dad?'

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, not only did I and my friend escape but I have a whole cargo of prisoners. The Lost Galaxy Rangers, Dimitria, Diana and the Masked Rider. My friend has Lauren and she's free. I granted them their powers back but I don't want to put them back in a fight just yet."

"I'll call Rhiannon and have her teleport them in," Tommy said. "In the meantime, please hurry. Another attack was launched and we're getting killed out here!"

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Jayden said. "Jayden out."

The Masked Rider and Lost Galaxy Rangers looked at each other again. Rhiannon, this guy had said.

If that was true, then that meant...

"Oh no..." Leo gasped.

"You guys are going to safety," Jayden said, looking at the backseat. "Get ready, you'll probably be teleported in a few minutes."

"Thank you so much for doing this for us...whoever you are," Maya said.

"Thanks. My name is Jayden, by the way, and before this is over, I am going to free your planet and every other planet held by this monster," Jayden said, a statement which confirmed all their fears, yet gave them hope.

In a few moments, bright lights filled the Phoenix Zord and all the former captives were teleported out.

A few moments later, Jayden pressed some buttons which would send out a coded message back to the Chamber. When that was done, he made contact with Rito's ship.

"Rito, dock your ship in the Phoenix Zord and it will take Lauren back to the Chamber. Go ahead and keep her there. Make sure she gets scanned for no traces of evil. Rhiannon is expecting your arrival," Jayden said. "Dad needs me back in Angel Grove. They launched an attack again."

"You got it dude," Rito responded. "As for the attack, how predictable. Go kick their butts, and kick them good."

Downtown Angel Grove

Meanwhile, Tommy hadn't been lying to his son.

The Rangers were taking a beating.

In desperation, Flammia had launched another attack. This had been the worst battle by far for the various Ranger teams. More Rangers had been injured in various places, and unfortunately for Kat, Flammia had come back down, so enraged by her defeat of sorts the other day that she wanted immediate revenge.

Now, the Ninja and Shogun Megazords were fighting Pistrix, who was still angry about the death of his boss, Squalus. And it wasn't going well.

The Shogun Megazord's occupants (the Shogun Zords had been revived when Jayden obtained the Phoenix Morpher) screamed when Pistrix clamped his sharp jaws on the Megazord's wrist, causing the Zord to explode in a shower of sparks.

None of the combatants saw the figure that landed in Angel Grove amidst the burning flames of carnage that littered downtown. And no one heard him play a familiar six note tune that would soon change the course of this battle.

Meanwhile, the Shogun Megazord's occupants were trying to get it back on its feet, but it was no use. It had taken so bad a beating that it didn't have the leverage.

"How bad is it, Billy?" Tommy asked.

"Shields are just about kaput," Billy groaned. "If he hits us again...you don't want to know. Worse yet, Jayden isn't here so we can't call the first Ninjazords."

Worse yet, Pistrix was standing over the Rangers triumphantly, about to deliver the deciding blow. And Flammia herself was keeping the other Ninjazords occupied far enough away they couldn't help.

"Brace for impact!" Rocky called as he saw Pistrix raise his sword. The Rangers all huddled, wondering if they really should say goodbyes.

Except the final blow never came, as a flurry of missiles came in from out of nowhere and struck the two villains head on, sending them crashing to the street.

Flammia gasped as she and Pistrix got back to their feet.

The Dragonzord.

It couldn't be...

Rangers and villains one and all turned to the massive machine once controlled by Tommy, now standing and roaring proudly over the two fallen villains.

"Jayden!" Tommy shouted. "Just in time, too!"

"That's right, I'm back," Jayden said. "Flammia, your fun is now over."

"How could you have POSSIBLY escaped my grasp, Crimson Ranger?" Flammia roared in disbelief. Inside of her though, the growing-ever-more-confident Kimberly Hart smiled.

"No matter how hard you try, you can't kill the Phoenix," Jayden said.

"Dad, guys, take those Zords back to the Command Center. You especially, Dad. The Shogun Zords are in no shape to fight."

"You heard him, Rangers, retreat," Tommy said. "Jayden, they're all yours."

The Rangers teleported out, leaving Jayden alone with Flammia and Pistrix. He knew he needed to end this fight quick though. He was running on empty and needed rest.

"I am going to ANNIHILATE you for defying me!" Flammia screamed as she and Pistrix charged Jayden without thinking. Bad mistake.

The moment they got close, Jayden had the Dragonzord levitate off the ground, and kick Flammia right to the ground. In the next instance, the Zord landed on the ground and via command from Jayden, the Zord's sharp drill tail began spinning. The tail whipped around and slammed right into Pistrix, and before Pistrix knew it, he had a gaping hole in his chest.

Pistrix knew he was finished, but wasn't one to go down without a fight. He recklessly charged the Zord again, which was his final mistake. Immediately, more missiles ignited, these missiles tinged with Phoenix fire thanks to a new command from Jayden that the Dragonzord never had.

"This can't be...NOOOOOO..." Pistrix wailed.

"Just like your Master, and your Mistress soon, you're dead. Goodbye Pistrix," Jayden said.

"My Mistress will destroy you all and make you WISH YOU NEVER HEARD OF ME!" Pistrix shouted. Those were his last words, before he was burnt to ash.

Flammia looked in disbelief at one of her most powerful warriors...destroyed like that.

"Crimson Ranger, you win this day, but some day I will destroy you," Flammia vowed. "All warriors, RETREAT, NOW. This fight is over."

With that command, not only Flammia, but all of her warriors, in various places, retreated to the Palace in defeat. With that, Jayden put his communicator to his lips.

"Power Rangers, victory is ours."

"Jayden, is that..." Mia said. Jayden chuckled, but was glad to hear her voice too. Of course it was Mia who had to speak first.

"Yes, it's me, Mia. I'm back although not 100 percent. Report back to the Chamber of Command immediately. Mystic Force, is Udonna with you?"

"I'm here, Jayden," Udonna said. "What do you need?"

"I need you to ask Rita to come to the Command Chamber. There's something she needs to see."

"I will summon her at once," Udonna said. "We will see you there."

The Lunar Palace

To say that Flammia was exhausted, stressed out and flustered all at the same time was an understatement.

How could victory, once so sure, have escaped her grasp once again? Just a little while ago victory was in her hand.

And yet, here she was, having somehow lost again to that Crimson Ranger. At less than 100 percent too.

Worse than that, she no longer had her trump cards, and Lauren had been rescued too. She was plan on using her prisoners from Mirinoi, Edenoi and Inquiris as trump cards down the line, but that was now out of the question.

She had the most devastating army in the universe, and yet her confidence was slipping.

If she couldn't beat a battered, bruised Crimson Ranger who had to fight his sister, honestly, what hope did she really have?

Her army had wisely stayed away from her too. Any contact with her and anyone might be destroyed on the spot.

The only one brave enough to stand next to her in this time was Scorpina, Flammia's best friend, and even then Scorpina had tears in her eyes. She had the same forlorn look her boss, and friend, had.

And who's to say that Crimson Ranger didn't have more unsuspecting allies, either?

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Scorpina," Flammia said as they both cried into each other's arms. Surprisingly a bit to Scorpina, Flammia hadn't punished her; then again, Scorpina thought, she was Flammia's best friend.

"That was my best shot at it. We had him, yet he slipped through our fingers," Flammia said. "I feel so hopeless!"

"More than anything, you need to rest, Mistress, and so do I," Scorpina said.

"Yes, but if we rest then those bastard Rangers get healthy too!" Flammia said.

"It's the only way. We'll have to meet them at full strength. We can't beat them like this, we're too frazzled," Scorpina said.

Flammia had to admit, she was right about that. Flammia was in no condition to even think straight.

"I made a machine years ago designed after Zedd's regenerative device," Scorpina said. "The one he was going to use before Rita woke him up."

"Will it work?" Flammia said.

"Yes, Mistress. It will work for anyone. You need to rest to make sure the Flame takes pure hold once again," Scorpina said. "And to give us time to think of a plan to combat the Phoenix Ranger."

Flammia was sold.

She hated it, but knew it had to happen.

"Take me to the machine now, Scorpina," Flammia said.

"Crimson Ranger," Flammia said before she left to no one in particular as she faced Earth, "you win this day, but when I am fully healed and rested, I will be back and will wreak havoc on you like you have never seen before."

Review box is at the bottom. Please review/follow/favorite if you don't mind. Thanks. In the next chapter, the reunions commence!