Chapter Five: "A Chance for Hope?"

Present Day:

Jen slowly slipped back into consciousness. Through her half-awakened state managing to open her eyes, taking in the dark musty cavern that lay before her. Her face felt battered and bruised, blood slowly seeping from a large wound on her head and her lips. Her body felt completely weak, almost unusable, as she slowly realised that she was shackled, standing up, to the wall. The air felt hard and heavy against her skin, as if gravity was distorted somehow, just raising her head a task within itself.

Her mind struggled, fighting hard to recollect the correct sequence of events, the memories and feelings rushing to the fore all at once. She remembered the scouting mission, as Lucas, Trip and herself attempted to gather what intelligence they could on Djiwu's next plan of attack on Silver Hills. They had been discovered, quickly surrounded by countless demons, and fighting hard for their lives. The next thing she remembered was being brought down to her feet, a strange shimmering portal echoing around her, as the demon's pulled her towards it.

Jen slowly turned her head to the side, a flash of pain and worry crossing her bruised features, as she saw Lucas and Trip, in the same state and condition as she was. There was no other presence in the cavern, and everything was deadly silent, only a faint sound coming from somewhere far off. Lucas looked unconscious, his head hanging low against his chest, but Trip seemed somewhat awake.

"T-Tr-Trip?"

Trip lifted up his head, a small smile appearing on his lips as he saw her. "J-Jen!" His voice was dry, his throat coarse. "Y-Your awa-awake."

"L-Lucas?"

"O-k. He was awake - some time ago."

Jen fell silent for a while, waiting for the preceding dizziness to stop, her mind retreating back into her memories. It had been a complete shock, receiving Wes's communication from the past, outlining the dark situation that was facing the rangers. Jen had reacted instantly, bringing the recorded communication to the attention of Captain Logan, but not before attempting to scan through the time logs of that period.

But she found nothing, access to the relevant files secured to Alpha-Omega level clearance only, not being able to find out the fate of the rangers - and of Wes. The team had confronted Logan, but all she was told, was that information concerning those dates were highly classified. Jen resigned from Time Force right then and there, stealing a time ship, but not before her friends had vowed to come along with her.

Now - Now she was confused, the thoughts rushing through her mind, wandering if their going back into the past once more to help could have already been part of the original timeline. Why else would Logan, and the rest of Time Force, have those specific files locked up? Lying there, chained up, she could not help but wonder - did they - will they make a difference? Or were they to die in the past, at the hands of a vast demon army?

"W-where - where are we?" She paused, gathering her thoughts. "I remember - we were brought t-through some kind of portal."

Trip nodded. "I-I managed to see." He closed his eyes. "All the darkness, the destruction - it's not time, or another w-world - not exactly anyway."

"Trip, what do you mean?"

He shook his head. "I d - I don't know how to explain it. It's like, were in some k-kind of parallel world, existing on an alternate plain to ours."

Jen tried to comprehend what he was saying. "So you mean this isn't another world. It's Earth - b-but just another version of it, another dimension?"

"Y-yes."

Jen turned to look straight ahead, her neck beginning to ache, trying to formulate some means of escape. Her Chrono morpher was still on her wrists, but she had no way to activate it, the chains binding her tightly. She suddenly looked up, footsteps coming to her hearing, dark shadows coming closer from an intersecting tunnel. Her gaze took in a mal-nutritioned oriental woman who was carrying a pale of water in between her chained hands, her body thin, face bruised and cut, a Shadow Demon directly behind her.

The demon waited for her to head into the room before turning, speaking through thoughts to another that had just arrived. Jen watched the woman, her shaking hands lifting up a large spoon full of water, Jen drinking it gratefully. She could only guess why the demons were keeping them alive - for information - once they got what they needed, she had no doubts that they would be killed. The woman scooped up another spoon full to give to Jen, before her gaze suddenly landed on the Chrono morpher, and she almost dropped the pale.

She turned to check on the guards, seeing if they had noticed her startled form. "Y-your-" She struggled to get the words out. "Y-You're a p-p-power ranger?!"

Jen slowly nodded. "W-who are you?" She whispered.

Her voice was weak. "M-my name is - T-Trini."

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Three Weeks Before:

The dark clouds opened up in the heavens, unleashing their full fury, the heavy rain hitting the damaged earth, and the dark forms of those who stood around the newly carved headstone. They ignored the rain, letting it wash all over them, allowing it to hide their constant tears. Further away stood a single form, Tommy, leaning with his back against an old worn tree, eyes as red as blood, wiping the tears away with his sleeve. The service had been short, outlining both her time as a ranger, a friend, and a loved one. They couldn't afford to say a long goodbye, as Enrazu was growing stronger, his attacks on the city becoming more frequent.

Tommy slowly looked up, looking over at the saddened faces of Jason, Zack, Kat, Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and Justin, feeling an overwhelming sense of grief, each feeling in some way that they had failed her, had let her die. Justin had joined them a few days before, having escaped the sudden attack on the south western sector of the city, aiding the team with his talents in the Underground Resistance Base. Though he did not know her personally, he knew how special she was to them all.

"T-Tommy."

Tommy turned suddenly, his hands forming into fists, dropping them as he gazed into the red eyes of an old friend. A look of surprise and relief came over him through his pain and grief, and he stepped forward, embracing his friend in a tight hug, both guys unable to hide their tears.

"I - I came as soon as I could." Billy pulled away, blinking through the tears, looking over to the others who had assembled there.

Tommy did not speak for a long time. "I should have been there. S-should have been there to protect her."

"You tried." He slowly placed his hand on Tommy's shoulder. "I know you, you did all in your power to get to her."

Tommy turned his gaze to the ground, unable to contain his emotions, feeling as if he was going to explode. Billy stayed by his side, the two taking comfort from just the presence of one another, soon gaining the courage to walk closer to the grave, and joining the others. Kat stood to one side, the tears falling from her eyes; a sorrow filled smile appearing as she saw Billy. She embraced her friend, before turning to Tommy, and they held each other in a tight embrace.

Justin slowly walked over to them, torn inside from what he was about to say. "G-guys." They all turned to him. "I've just received a communication from the base, the Wild Force rangers have been attacked by Riaku. Danny has been hurt really badly, they don't know if he will make it through the day." He paused. "T-there's more - Enrazu is gathering his forces, preparing for another attack on the city."

Zack stepped forward, shivering in the cold rain. "W-we have to fight on . for Kimberly."

Jason nodded. "For Kimberly."

One by one the group slowly left the grave, rushing off towards the approaching battle, vowing to use the last of their strength to get revenge. The rain continued to fall, washing away the pools of blood that appeared more and more over the advancing weeks. The rangers fought hard, doing all that they could to protect the city and keep the people safe, in the process losing another close and valued friend: Zack.

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Present Day:

The three figures ran at a dead on speed, their forms quickly slipping through the dark alleyway, heading towards the chilling screams that echoed through the air. They were dressed all in black, except for a line that ran down their training gear, each line a different colour: red, yellow, and blue. They continued to locate the source of the sound, encountering no signs of life.

"Dude, this place gives me the creeps." Muttered Dustin.

"I know." Answered Shane. "I'm afraid to find out what's causing those screams."

"Guys!" Tori called. "Ssh. Listen."

Shane and Dustin nodded, remaining silent, listening to the faint sounds that were carried by the light breeze. They nodded as one, changing direction slightly, their senses telling them to follow the street to their right. They kept low; ducking as the alley opened up into a street, frozen in shock as they witnessed the demon draining the life out of Tanya. They watched as the demon released her body, and Tanya fell to the ground, landing in a heap, blood flowing from out of her ear.

"Noo!" Justin screamed.

"T-Tanya!" Kat cried out.

Adam tried to get back on onto his feet, unable to cry out as the demons around him soon turned to both him and Rocky, sharp claws gleeming in the dim light. His body ached, knowing that he could not sustain his Zeo power for much longer, preparing himself for one final strike. Suddenly a loud noise caused the demons to turn to one side, and they were met with a flurry of quick kicks by the three mysterious strangers, their attacks taking them by surprise.

Shane, Dustin, and Tori quickly jumped out of the way of the counterattack that the demons sent them, rolling back onto their feet, and turning as one.

"Let's do it guys!" Called Shane.

"Right!" They rose their right arm into the air, forming a ninja symbol, before bringing them down to activate their morphers. "Ninja Storm - Ranger Form!"

A bright flash of light surrounded them.

"Power of Air!" Cried Shane, transforming into the red Ninja Storm ranger.

"Power of Earth!" Called Dustin, powering up into the yellow Ninja Storm ranger.

"Power of Water!" Echoed Tori, her features disappearing as her suit appeared, becoming the blue Ninja Storm ranger.

The three nodded, rushing forward with their ninja sabers, slicing through the hordes of demons. Rocky and Kat used this chance to make their way over to Adam, fighting with all the strength that they had, as Rocky lashed out with a fierce combo attack at a demon and Kat swept the next clean off of its feet. Rocky finishing it off with a series of blows to the stomach, hearing another cry out in pain, as Kat lashed out with a viscous drop kick.

Together they managed to finish off those around them, making their way over to Adam, as an opening appeared, all three then rushing over to the fallen form of Tanya and Justin. Justin was motionless, having powered down a moment before, staring at the silent form of Tanya before him. Kat moved over to the body, using her hands to close Tanya's eyelids, letting her rest in peace.

After a long time had passed she finally turned, looking over at the three strange rangers who were fighting back the demons. "W-who are they?"

"They're the Ninja Storm rangers." Answered Justin, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "They've only recently received their powers so have been training hard until they felt ready to join us." He fell silent.

"W-we've got to help them." Panted Rocky, fatigued.

Kat shook her head. "Their new powers are giving them an advantage against the demons, they seem to be holding their own." She watched as Shane let off an air assault attack: flying through the air to land a devastating fly kick at one of the demons. "But ours." She shook her head once more.

"They may have the power, but they're inexperienced." Cautioned Adam. "The three of them won't last long."

Kat nodded. "W-we've got to get out of here." She turned back to the body of Tanya. "J-Justin?"

It took Justin a while to gain his composure, getting back onto his feet, and activating his comm. "There isn't a lot of power but . I-I'm going to try and initiate an emergency transport."

"Right." Adam turned. "Ninja Storm rangers!"

Tori turned, crying out as a demon struck her on her side, raising her left arm to block the oncoming attack, and using her right to unleash a stream of water that pushed the demon back from her. She rolled onto her feet, hearing the call of the other rangers, and called out to Shane and Dustin. The others fought for a moment longer, before converging with Tori, and all three rushed over to Adam.

"Here goes." Justin's voice trailed off.

A pulse of static electricity flowed through all of them, before their bodies began to dematerialize, and they vanished into thin air, teleporting to the Underground Resistance Base.

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"T-Trini?" The name sounded so familiar, knowing that she had heard it somewhere before, maybe somewhere in the time logs. "You w-were a ranger?" Trini slowly nodded. Jen kept a voice to a tight whisper: "C-can you get us o-out of here?"

Trini lowered her gaze to the ground. "I-I can't."

"You - can." Jen urged her. "Just free t-the chains. Working t-together we can try and get out of h-here."

She shook her head. "You know where here I-is?"

"Yes." She watched as Trini looked up at her in shock. "I d-do know."

Trini hesitated, torn for a moment. She quickly checked back on the demon guard before giving Jen another sip of water. As she did she silently whispered into her ear: "O-Ok. I'll undo one of your shackles. The slave c- camps are near - nearby. T-try your best to meet there. If not." She fell silent. "T-then just esca-escape."

Jen nodded her understanding. Trini quickly took out the bolt to the shackle that bound Jen's right wrist, keeping it in place enough so that she could break free when no one was around. She then made her way over to Lucas, and then to Trip, providing them only with water under the watchful gaze of the Shadow Demon, before being led out of the cavern.

Jen waited until their footsteps faded out of her hearing and then tugged hard on her right arm, loosening the shackles, and breaking free. She quickly turned; taking out the bolt to the shackle that held her other arm, flexing her aching shoulders as she freed herself. It took only moments to free both Trip and Lucas.

"L-Lucas-" Jen hit his face softly. "Lucas, wake up!"

"Ugh." Lucas groaned, slowly coming around.

"Come on, we h-have to get out of here!" She turned to make sure that no one was around.

"We b-better morph." Trip suggested. "It will re-energize us - for the moment at least."

Jen nodded. "Ok, come on Lucas, y-you can do I-it."

"Time for Time Force!"

A bright pulse of light surrounded the three as they activated their Chrono morphers and transformed into the Time Force power rangers. The energy flowed through them, revitalizing them gradually, before they reached for their weapons, and raced for the exit. Their feet lightly touched across the dust filled ground, providing little sound for them to be spotted by, following the light breeze that they knew would lead them to the open. The cavern slowly began to open up, and they came to a stop, gazing at the scene before them.

The sky was a dark black, filled with clouds that were thick with ash and rain, the ground a desert red and brown, littered with outcrops of rock and void of all signs of life. From further ahead they could see a light ripple that seemed to shimmer through the air, and they saw a vast number of Shadow Demons making their way towards it, slipping through the dimensional fabric between the two realities. Not far from where they were, they could just make out the slave camps, countless human slaves bound and chained, working hard on building the makeshift camp around the portal.

"This is bad." Jen shook her head. "We've got to help them!"

"We can't." Trip turned to her. "We wouldn't stand a chance against that vast army! There's no way that we can get to the portal undetected, let alone free all of the slaves!"

"T-Trip's right, Jen." Said Lucas. "We've g-got to go! Do what we can back on our E-Earth."

"Maybe." She thought for a long time. "But there's one person that we have to save first. A former ranger who helped us to escape."

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Trini entered the small enclosure, the smell of urine, sweat, rotten flesh, and death not affecting her, having become accustomed to it's stench. She slowly made her way through the rows of sleepless bodies, who struggled to get what sleep they could, their shifts starting in a matter of hours. She coughed uncontrollably, her whole body shaking from the effort, before finding the person that she was searching for.

She kneeled down to where he lay, gently shaking him awake. "D-David, David- "

David slowly came around, his body not responding right away due to the lack of sleep. "T-Trini."

She moved closer to him. "I-I've found a way - a way out of here."

With her help David managed to push himself up into a sitting position, not quite believing the words that came out of her lips. "We . can escape?"

Trini slowly nodded. "J-Just get ready. I won't leave you behind."

David slowly nodded, resting back onto the hospitable hard ground, his hand going for his half of the arrowhead that he held around his neck.

"Tommy - hold on."