Disclaimer: Power Rangers belongs to Disney and the like, which I am not affliated with.
His healing powers, minimal though they were, had kicked in overnight. Combining that with some ibuprofen, Conner was feeling more or less normal by the time he got to school that morning. Trent was not in science, much to his relief. But to his alarm, neither was Kira. He exchanged worried looks with Ethan as the spot next to the Blue Ranger remained empty by the late bell.
Conner didn't have a chance to be terribly concerned by the two missing students, as Mercer was handing back yesterday's quizzes. Predictably, Conner had flunked. He was trying to figure out if his mom really needed to know about his poor grade, when the intercom crackled to life, demanding, "Conner McKnight and Ethan James, please report to the principal's office."
Mercer cocked an eyebrow, but merely nodded that they should go meet their destiny. Cassidy tried to intercept the two boys as they made their exit. "What did you two do?" she said.
"Nothing, Cassidy," Conner said, pushing past her gently.
"I want the exclusive!" she called after them, and they escaped to the sanctity of the hall.
"What do you suppose Randall wants with us?" Conner mused.
"Nothing good," was Ethan's guess.
When they got to the principal's office, however, the principal in question wasn't there. Instead, Trent was sitting in Randall's chair, wearing his usual smirk. "Mr. James, Mr. McKnight," he said grandly, obviously getting great amusement out of the whole situation, "I've called you in here because I'm afraid there have been issues with your performance as of late." Suddenly the smirk was gone, and he was glaring at Conner. "Like you were supposed to be dead, for example," he snarled.
"Did you really think you could defeat me?" Conner retorted, borrowing Trent's phrase from the previous day.
"Not that this isn't all just so entertaining, but what's really going on here," Ethan said coldly.
The smirk returned. "I have something of yours."
"Couple of Zords, the Raptor Riders...yeah, I'd say so."
It erupted into a full-blown grin, just oozing with attitude. There was nothing kind about Trent's smile, and if it was happy at all, it was the bitter happiness of being evil. "That, too. But I meant something that I'm sure you find a lot more valuable."
Cold panic seized at Conner's gut as he pieced everything together. Therefore, he wasn't surprised, just devastated, when Kira emerged, ragged, from the closet.
Though they had been aching for a battle upon laying eyes on Trent, Conner and Ethan both chose this moment to fall into ready stances. "Kira?" Conner said. He was wondering why Kira looked so glazed.
That mystery was solved in a matter of seconds, as Trent morphed instantly and was standing with his weapon in saber mode, the blade at Kira's throat. Whatever spell had been cast over her was broken, as confusion, and then terror seeped into her expression. She cast an alarmed look at her teammates. Conner had never in the tenure of his relationship with Kira seen her look as scared as she did now, save for perhaps their first encounter with Tyrannodrones on that day that they'd picked up the gems.
Kira's alarm made Conner's own fear grow, but it had the same effect with his determination. He would do anything to ensure Kira's safety.
"Why do you have her?" Conner demanded.
"I've brought her here to say goodbye."
"He's going to kill her!" Ethan said.
The White Ranger laughed. "Kill her? Don't be ridiculous. She's saying goodbye because she's coming with me."
"Like hell!" Kira spat.
"Let her go, Trent!" Conner said.
"Let her go?" Trent said. "Fat chance of that happening, Conner. You may have won our little spat, but don't for a second think that means that you won Kira."
"No one won me," Kira spat, and she struggled fiercely against her captor.
The blade sank into her skin, droplets of red welling to the surface. Immediately Kira paled and stilled. Conner's heart constricted as twin expressions of horror crossed the faces of both Red and Yellow Rangers.
"Don't do anything, man," Ethan said slowly, trying to placate Trent with 'calm down' motions. "Just let her go."
"You Rangers just aren't all that smart, are you," Trent sneered. "I'm not letting her go."
"Then how about an exchange?" Conner said, stepping forward slightly. "Me for her."
Ethan cast him a 'what the hell?' look, and Kira stared him down with penetrating, tear-filled eyes. Trent just laughed. "How stupid do you think I am, Conner?"
Conner wisely didn't answer that question. "Look, take me. Take my Zord. Whatever you want. Just let Kira go, and don't hurt her." He didn't dare meet Kira's eyes, instead just staring into the bottomless black of Trent's faceplate.
"Love is a weakness, Conner. I hope you realize that." Conner disagreed; had he not realized yesterday that he loved Kira, he wouldn't have had the strength to make it through his battle with Trent, nor his second one. Of course, it was that very love for Kira that was putting him in this position.
"Well, it's definitely putting you in a compromising position," Conner retorted.
"I'm the one with the girl and the sword. Seems to me that you're the one in the compromising position."
Conner did what only a rage-blinded, love-struck, idiot-slash-Ranger would do: he charged. Unmorphed, more or less defenseless save his training, he rushed the White Ranger, tackling him in a spectacular move that if Reefside's gym teacher had seen him, he would have recruited him for football on the spot.
He collided with Trent and Kira, and the three of them fell --them backwards, him forwards-- into the green invisoportal that opened up behind them.