Disclaimer: 'Power Rangers' (all incarnations) are property of 'Saban', who are in some strange way related to Disney, who run the show on ABC. No infringement is intended.

ROARING ON THE WIND

By Etcetera Kit

Chapter Sixteen: Strength of the Soul

There were footsteps outside the room. For a fleeting moment, Andros thought that it was that cyborg coming back sooner than she had said. But his fears were alleviated the moment the door opened and Cole and Eric walked into the room. He noticed that Eric was openly wearing his morpher. 'As are we all,' he thought dryly to himself.

"Morning!" Eric said with forced cheerfulness. "We're here to add to the guard stationed around our fair maiden."

Cole gave Eric a look that clearly said he thought Eric had been sniffing glue. Andros felt a smile crack his face. He looked back to Ashley and baby Karone. Something had to be done about this. He was not going to let any reptile freak have his child. These dinosaur enthusiasts were forgetting one key thing about the Power Rangers—rangers were willing to die for one another, for their families and for each other's families. If they thought they were getting Karone without a fight, then they were seriously mistaken.

"What's wrong?" Cole asked them. "You guys look like you've seen a ghost."

"Or the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man," Eric added flippantly. Cole punched his upper arm and Eric gave him a look that clearly asked, 'what?'

"Actually, your second guess was probably closer," Andros replied.

All humor immediately left the face of Eric. "What happened?" the Quantum Ranger asked with a note of urgency in his voice. Andros wondered if Eric told jokes and made fun of things to cope with his own anxiety and fear.

He quickly relayed what had happened between them and the cyborg and, more importantly, what the cyborg had wanted. Eric and Cole both had stunned looks on their faces, as if neither had imagined that the bad guys were going to go so far as to come after their families and friends in addition to the other rangers. Cole especially looked torn between pressing Andros for more details or going straight to his cell phone and warning everyone who was remotely close to him.

Eric cleared his throat. "Damn," he muttered.

Cole was biting his lower lip and looking slightly like a lost child.

"How are they tracking us?"

All three of them turned around to hear Ashley's soft question. "I would assume by our power sources," Andros replied. "I mean that is how we track each other."

"Does someone not have a power source?" she continued.

Andros thought for a moment, but Cole was the one who spoke. "I don't." He paused. "We gave our powers completely back to Princess Shayla once Master Org and Toxica and that bunch were defeated. We can't even tap into our powers anymore."

Ashley was looking at Cole like he was a messenger from God. "Is anyone else here in that same situation?" she asked.

Cole shook his head. "No."

"Then they can't track you?" Eric asked him.

"Or with much difficulty," Andros added. "I'm under the impression that Mesogog's technology is much the same as ours. We cannot track people without power sources, so it would stand to reason that Mesogog cannot track you."

He glanced to Ashley and suddenly realized what she was thinking. If Cole could not be tracked by Mesogog, then he would be harder to find. If they gave Karone to Cole and the pair went into hiding, it would delay moment when Mesogog found them and the baby. It would keep the baby safer longer. And if Cole got far enough away, then the baby might be taken completely out of harm's way. The only question was, would Cole be willing to do it?

Ashley was holding the baby out to Cole. "Take her," she was saying. "Take her and get as far away from here as you can!"

A pained look crossed Cole's face. "I don't know anything about taking care of a baby," he was protesting. "What if she gets sick or something?"

Andros shook his head. "She's got the genes and blood from KO 35 in her. It's highly unlikely that anything you get will be transferred to her. For some reason, KO 35 humans are more resilient to the things that affect Earth humans."

"Brian never got any of the normal baby bugs when he was little," Ashley expounded on that. "There is little reason for Karone to get them too." She paused. "Please Cole. It's the only way to keep her away from Mesogog."

Cole sighed. "I guess so." He paused. "But where would I go?"

"Away from here," Eric said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Ashley gently kissed Karone's forehead and whispered something to the baby. She then handed her to Andros. He looked at his daughter's tiny face. He could hardly believe that he was going to give her to a young man who knew nothing about children. But it was the only way, the only way to protect her. He gently kissed. "Bye Karone," he whispered. "Be good for Cole. I hope we'll see you soon." The words sounded inadequate, but it was all he could think of. He gently handed the baby to Cole. She didn't make a fuss, just continued to sleep as she settled herself into Cole's arms.

"You better get going," Eric told Cole.

Andros handed Cole the keys to his car. "There's a car seat and carrier in there along with diapers and formula and stuff." He shrugged. "It all got brought along just in case. You'll need it."

Cole looked terrified. Andros couldn't blame him. Being asked to run for it with a two-day old baby was enough to scare any of them. Andros felt a heavy burden settle over him. He had never thought he would have to hand one of his children to another man and see him take her away. He swallowed the lump in the back of his throat. He didn't want to do this, but it was the only way. He wanted his daughter to live, to see the things that all girls got—school dances, Barbie dolls…. He looked to Ashley. The tears were streaming down his wife's face.

"I'll try to take good care of her," Cole whispered.

Andros knew the only reason he had added the qualifier was because he was unsure of his own ability. Cole would take care of her to the best of his ability. "Just go," Andros said hoarsely, not trusting his own emotions.

The Wild Force ranger glanced to each of them and then turned with the precious burden out of the room, disappearing into the sterile white hallway. For the first time ever, Andros thought Eric looked scared. And they all were. This battle was going too far.

There was a familiar crack and sounds of shuffling upstairs. Carter looked up at the ceiling. The Tyranno-drones were in Tommy's house. He then glanced quickly to Hayley, Mary Anne and Susie. TJ had been sitting on the steps leading up to the house and jumped up as if someone had shocked him. A fierce pounding came on the trapdoor leading to the lab.

"Get them in the vault!" Jason hissed indicating Hayley, the Cranston girls and Kendrix.

"No way!" Kendrix protested. "I can fight!"

"No!" Leo countered, giving her a look that clearly indicated that the pair of them had something they had not yet divulged to the group. Carter looked quickly back and forth from each one of the couple and it dawned on him. Kendrix was pregnant. And she had been morphed and fighting earlier this morning?

"Are you pregnant?" he asked her, cutting to the chase.

Kendrix gave him a wide-eyed look. "How did you-"

"I have two children," he cut her off. "I know the signs." He looked to Leo and saw the desperation in his eyes. The last thing the Red Galaxy ranger wanted was for his wife to be fighting while she was pregnant.

"You're not fighting if you're pregnant," Jason said with an air of finality. In Tommy's absence, Jason, for reasons of seniority in regards to experience, had become the leader of the group left in the lab.

Hayley just shook her head, picking up Susie with one arm from where she had been curled in one of the captain's chairs and grabbing Mary Anne's wrist with the other and hurrying them into the vault. The pounding on the trapdoor got louder and sounds of tearing wood and plaster could be heard. Carter's heart pounded wildly in his chest.

"Kendrix, please!" Leo cried.

The Pink Galaxy ranger gave him a pained look and hurried to the vault, just as Hayley locked down the vault from the inside. The Tyranno-drones could not get into there if they tried. The only thing that would make them come out was food.

Jason looked up at the pounding. "You guys ready?" he asked. They all replied in the affirmative. Carter was even more aware of the face that his heart was beating an unstrained, irregular rhythm. "It's morphin' time!" Jason called. "Tyrannosaurus!"

"Shift into Turbo!" TJ followed.

"Go galactic!"

"Lightspeed rescue!"

"Time for Time Force!"

Five former red rangers appeared morphed. Carter pulled his blaster from his belt and aimed it, ready to take out at least the first wave of Tyranno-drones. He glanced down the line of rangers and saw weapons ready paired with defensive stances. A final crunching sound came from above and the first line of reptile creatures came bumbling down the stairs to the lab.

Carter aimed and fired. One of the drones went down. He felt a sense of fleeting victory, there were more of them coming. He heard a distant call of 'Quasar launcher!' and then a blast of red light throwing several of the drones back against the stairs and impeding the progress of the ones that were coming. He fired again. Then the flood gates broke loose.

Tryanno-drones flooded down the stairs in numbers that no one could imagine. Several blasts came from several different weapons, but it did no good in stopping the creatures. They swarmed over them and soon everyone was being held by the creatures. A female cyborg came down the stairs with an unpleasant grin on her face.

"Hold them there," she said to the drones. "I want to ask them a few questions." She strode purposely in front of them and then stopped. "Where is the other one?"

Carter felt a sense of confusion settle over him. What other one? Surely she hadn't gone to the hospital already and attacked the rangers there? Who was she talking about? It could be anyone—Eric, Cole, Andros, Ashley… even Kendrix or Hayley. He hoped to God that these reptile lovers had not found out about Mary Anne and Susie.

"What other one?" Leo asked, struggling against the drones that held him.

"You know which one I'm talking about!" the thing snapped, before pulling out a sword and using the blunt end of it to jab Leo in the side. He went down to his knees, gasping for breath. The blow also caused him to power down, revealing several bruises and cuts.

"No we don't," Jason countered.

"You are hiding him!" the thing shrieked. "I want to know where he is!"

Carter stared at her. Who was she talking about? "Who are you talking about?" Wes yelled, his voice sounding desperate.

"The one who can't morph!"

She was talking about Cole. Carter was sure of it. He was the only male ranger here who no longer had the ability to morph. And none of them knew where Cole was. He had left for the hospital with Eric. Who knows if they made it there or it something untoward had happened on the way? Maybe they had gone with Andros and Ashley out of Reefside? Whatever the case, none of them were going to know where he was now. He couldn't be tracked.

"We don't know!" he spoke up.

"Where did he go?" the creature screeched. She advanced on him with the sword held high. "You know where he went! Tell me!"

He gave her an even stare. "No."

She let out an unearthly howl and struck him between the shoulders with the sword. He gritted his teeth, blocking out any noise, and let gravity pull him to the ground. He felt himself power down at the blow and lay prone on the ground. In the background, behind the roaring in his ears, he could hear someone yell 'no!' and another voice call 'Carter!'

"Let's get them back to the island," the cyborg was telling the drones. "They'll change their tune after some time in the dungeon." He felt himself hauled painfully to his feet and then there was a crack of green lightening as the world went black.

Eric was out in the lobby getting a cup of coffee to keep him awake after the fairly sleepless night when he saw a green crack of lightening out of the corner of his eye. He dropped the partially filled cup of coffee hearing a slight thud and sounds of spilling liquid as he raced down the corridor to Ashley's room. Andros was still sitting on the bed with her.

"We've got trouble," Eric said.

Andros jumped up and placed a quick kiss on Ashley's forehead. "Lock the door once we leave," he told her quickly. He then followed Eric out into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him.

"What is going on here?" a nurse demanded, running in at the loud noise. She then caught sight of the approaching Tyranno-drones and fled down the hallway.

Eric exchanged a glance with Andros. They needed to morph.

"Let's rocket!"

"Quantum power!"

The two of them appeared morphed and launched into a defensive stance just as the first drones swarmed onto them. Perhaps that cyborg had been right—all of them would join the Dino Thunder rangers in captivity. He briefly wondered where they were, what they were doing, if they had any plans for escaping, but that thought soon left him. He quickly lashed out at the first drone and it went down. But it was much the same as the battle with the Tyranno-drones this morning. For every one that went down, at least two more came up to take his place. In the background, Eric could hear screams of nurses, doctors and patients and soon the security officers arrived at the scene, leaving quickly.

All too soon, the battle was over and the drones were holding both he and Andros down. The cyborg from this morning, who had most probably been the one to threaten Andros and Ashley came to the front of the reptile-creatures. She was smiling her unpleasant smile.

"So?" she said in the direction of Andros. "Have you given any thought to my… offer?"

Andros growled at her. "No," he said through clenched teeth. "You will not have my daughter for whatever reason."

"Too bad," she said. "You will have to share the fate of your friends." She glanced to the door to Ashley's room. "We'll come for the females later," she told the drones.

"Leave her alone!" Andros yelled.

The cyborg gave him a bored look. "I'll leave her if you tell me where to find the baby." She paused and waved her hand as if brushing something away. "Don't bother to lie to me and say that the baby is in there with its mother. You gave it to someone to hide. Just tell me who has the baby and your little wife will live. Of course, if you don't tell us, we can find the baby anyways." She shrugged. "Either way, it's your loss."

Eric just stared at her. He had been accused of being heartless in his life and of not caring about people, but how could this woman just collect an innocent baby as if it were something she would pick up that the grocery store? He might be willing to fight, but he drew the line at women and children and he despised people who hurt women and children. And this creature was slowly making her way onto the top of his hit list.

"You will not get my daughter," Andros repeated.

"Pity."

She signaled to the drones and they found themselves being held tighter by the creatures. A green flash of lightening came and soon there were standing in a predominantly stone room that was nowhere they had ever imagined they would be.

"I can't do this!"

Cole gripped the steering wheel of the Kia so hard that his knuckles had turned white. Karone was asleep in the car seat in the back and, so far, had not caused any trouble at all. In fact, she was the best baby he had ever come across in his life. Perhaps it was just because she had Andros and Ashley for parents. They were good people and probably even better parents. It seemed like any child of theirs would automatically be good. Then again… all of the children of Power Rangers seemed to be like good kids. Maybe it was fate. Maybe all the kids were just genetically prone to being really good. He didn't know. It didn't look like he was going to have any kids any time soon.

Alyssa was going to break up with him and he knew it. He supposed that at the end of every relationship, one thought about what might have been if it had lasted longer. One thought of potential marriage, of children that might have been… even vacations or moments that were never shared because something caused the relationship to end. They cared about each other, he knew that, but it didn't seem like enough to carry a full-fledged relationship on.

Freeway traffic was stopped. He glanced in the back seat to make sure that Karone was all right—she was still sleeping peacefully. Friday afternoon rush hour was not the time to try to get out of town. He hoped that he could remain hidden long enough—or that Mesogog would not connect Andros' car with him. He fumbled in his pocket for his cell phone and hit the speed dial button for Alyssa's apartment.

The phone rang four times and the answering machine came on. He sighed inwardly. He had been hoping to talk to her directly. She didn't have a cell phone nowadays. "Hey, this is Alyssa," came the recorded message. "I'm not in right now, so leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

The machine beeped, indicating he could start talking.

"Hey," he said into the machine. "It's Cole. You'll probably get this well after the fact, but I just want you to know that whatever happens in the next few days, I love you. I always have and I always will. I don't know what's going to happen to me or to the others here. I hope I'll see you again, but whatever happens with our relationship, just…" he trailed off, not knowing how to end what he had just told her. "I love you," he whispered and disconnected the call.

Traffic slowly began to creep forward again. Now he remembered why he quit driving in the first place—it had nothing to do with pollution. He didn't like fighting crowds of other cars like right now. He steered the car off the first exit outside of Reefside. They probably had bought themselves a few hours while the drones were scouring the city looking for them. He could take some back roads for a while before finding another freeway. He just hoped that he didn't get pulled over by a cop—his driver's license had expired a while ago and he hadn't bothered to renew it.

"Have you found the one without a morpher yet?"

Elsa shuddered at the acid in Mesogog's voice. She hated telling him that they had failed to find him and they had failed to get the baby that he had wanted for experiments on converting human DNA. He wanted a baby because he had theorized that a baby would be more likely to adapt to the mutation rather than reject it. That baby had been convenient.

"No, my Lord," she replied. "But, we have retrieved all of the other rangers on schedule and are leaving in a few moments to get the rest of the females."

"Good." He paused. "We must find him. The baby is not as important. Babies can be found anywhere. If he escapes and gets help, then that could be the end of our dream. You know what to do if that happens?"

She nodded, knowing that it meant destroying all of the rangers in captivity and then their island fortress. It would be easy to destroy the rangers on their island, once they had been briefed in regards to the… rules.

"Now, go," Mesogog hissed.

She turned on her heel and stepped out into the hallway where the squad of Tryanno-drones were waiting for their signal to move out. "You know who our next target is," she said to them. "The three females you have studied." She paused. "Let's move out."

With a flash of green lightening, they were gone.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews guys! :) I was going to do some reviewer responses for this chapter, but lately several things have attacked me at once. (Updating my Who fan fiction site, school work and a million papers on pointless subjects that need to be written coupled with pointless books that need to be read. And this is Academia at its finest?) I'll try to do reviewer responses with the next update (which should be some time this weekend.) Until then, I appreciate all the feedback and support, along with the interesting ideas. Keep it coming! --EK