Disclaimer: Power Rangers belongs to Disney and the like, which I am not affliated with.
"What'd you come back for?" Conner said darkly.
The White Ranger shrugged. "What makes you think I ever left?"
"Okay, fine, why are you here," Conner said.
"I have what you're looking for," he said simply. "A portal."
"Oh, and we're just supposed to trust you?" Kira said angrily.
"You're Rangers," Trent said loftily. "Aren't you all big on the whole trust issue?"
"When it comes to anyone except you," she spat.
Conner got to the point of things: "Why would you want to help us?"
"Easy. The only way you Rangers have ever been able to be a match for me is working together. You know it, I know it, Mesogog knows it. Once he figures out how to work your powers, he's going to use them for himself, combine them with his powers, and then I'm history. Simple self-preservation is what I'm going for here."
"So what's your plan," Conner asked reluctantly, still on guard.
"I've found two portals of use--one that goes back into the fortress, just outside Mesogog's main chamber, and one that takes you to the middle of the warehouse district. We three go in together. I provide a significant enough distraction that you two are able to go in and rescue your morphers. You get out. I'll be fine on my own."
Conner shared a glance with Kira. "How do we know this isn't a trap?" Kira said cautiously. "Mesogog wants us back in there, too. How do we know you're not just lining us up for the slaughter?"
"So I guess the trust thing only goes so far," Trent said.
"Yeah, something like that," Conner said with biting sarcasm. "How about a little bit of collateral, Trent?"
"What do you have in mind?" Trent said, and apprehension was in his tone. Apparently he was as hesitant about this plan as they were. Whether it was because he didn't want to face Mesogog and Zeltrax alone, or because he was working for them and didn't want to screw up the lizard's plan, Conner couldn't be sure. But he wasn't taking any chances.
What he wanted to ask for was Trent's Drago Saber, which would put Trent at a disadvantage if this was a plot, but which would put Trent at a disadvantage if it wasn't. Conner had to choose his battles, and if Trent's role was to play a distraction, then Conner wanted his distraction armed to the teeth.
"Your Zord," Conner decided on.
"My Zord?" asked Trent, sounding like he was about to laugh. "Are you serious?"
"Why not?" Conner said. "You already have about eighty of ours, can't you make do without?"
"Conner--" Kira started.
"Don't like it? Fine. Then when Mesogog captures us --and he's getting to it-- we'll just tell him how to get rid of you. Fine as far as I'm concerned. Neither of us likes you much. In fact, no one does, really. No skin off my nose if Mesogog just obliterates you."
Conner wished he was talking to Trent in human guise, rather than in Ranger form. But it wouldn't have mattered, because human Trent had two expressions: lazy, sadistic joy, the pride of being evil; and fury. Conner wouldn't have been able to judge how Trent felt about this whole situation.
He decided to try one more time: "I just want the Dragozord. On loan. We're the good guys--you'll get it back. I just want proof that you're not going to double-cross us." Trent wouldn't have the authority to man the three stolen Zords without the Dragozord in his arsenal.
"You're out of your mind," Trent declared. "To get my Zord, we'd have to go back to Reefside so you could hand it over to your geeky little friends. Wasting valuable time."
"Mesogog knows you're still on this island, I can almost guarantee it," Conner said calmly. "He's probably expecting a siege from you at any moment, especially since Elsa's out of commission, and he thinks that we're incapable of battle without our morphers. He's waiting for you, and if you come with us, you'll have more time to catch him by surprise."
"I don't like it," Trent said.
"You don't have to like it," Conner answered. "You just have to do it. Take us to the warehouse district, give us your Zord, and then we'll go along with your little part of the plan."
"This is ludicrous," Trent muttered to himself, and his sigh was audible. "Okay, fine, let's do your crazy plan, and we'll all get killed."
Just as Ethan had known she would, Hayley had located in record time an invisoportal that would land them on the island fortress. Of course, he hadn't had doubts that they could have created their own. While she'd been studying the area for telltale signatures, he'd been studying all of the readings that they had on portals, and was in the process of writing out a code. It was lucky that Hayley had found a working portal, because the base simply didn't have the technological capabilities to create a portal from scratch in enough time. Trent had trashed the hell out of the system, that was for sure.
It was located in the warehouse district, so Ethan morphed, and he and Dr. O. took the Cycles out for a spin. Dr. O., having been unable to finish repairs on his ATV, borrowed the red Raptor Cycle. Hayley stayed back at the base, monitoring on the two remaining screens and talking to them via the com system.
They parked the Cycles, and Hayley instructed them that the portal was inside the storage facility immediately to their left. Ethan took one end of the large metal door, Dr. O. taking the other, and they heaved it upwards. It was unlocked, presumably so that whomever was using the portal could come and go without fear of being trapped inside an ugly, large, metal prison.
"Hey, Hayley?" asked Ethan curiously as he and Dr. O. stepped inside. "Who owns this space?"
"Let me check." Over his communicator, Ethan heard the sounds of Hayley tapping away at the keyboard. He could just picture her squint as she looked over the records. "That's odd, it's registered under Dr. Anton Mercer."
"Why would--" Dr. O. began, but Ethan had seen the shimmer of green in the corner.
"There it is!" he said, pointing.
"Be careful!" Hayley barked over the line. Ethan and Dr. O. darted around the various dusty boxes, approaching the portal slowly. Dr. O. lifted his hand.
Then the portal roared to life, and a flurry of bodies fell through, just barely avoiding the two Rangers standing there. Assuming naturally that they were Elsa, Zeltrax, and a few Tyrannodrones, Black and Blue Rangers fell back immediately into ready stances.
"Ethan?" asked a male voice.
"Dr. O.?" said a female voice.
It was Conner and Kira. Jubilant, Ethan forgot who he was for a moment and threw an arm around the each of them, drawing them to him in a hug.
"Isn't this charming," said a third voice, "a Ranger reunion."
Ethan stiffened. That voice could only belong to Trent.
He saw the White Ranger looming over Conner's shoulder, looking like he was thinking of kicking their butts in a major league way. Ethan released his friends, and demanded of them, "Why is he here?"
"Why does Mesogog have your bracelets?" Dr. O. said.
"How did you know Mesogog had our bracelets?" Conner asked, frowning at the teacher.
"Because he contacted us through them," Dr. O. said.
"That's all nice, but evil White Ranger, standing right next to us. Would someone please explain what's going on here?" Ethan said, powering down.
Kira took a seat on one of the nearby boxes. Conner hovered near her protectively, and Trent kept his distance from the other four. Conner filled his teammates in on the situation as briefly as possible.
"Wait, he's defected to our side now?" Hayley asked over Ethan's bracelet.
"You wish," Trent snarled.
Ethan's eyes widened slightly. "Whoa, guess not so much."
"So where's the Dragozord?" Conner asked. "Not that I'm not glad to see you guys again," he said to Ethan and Dr. O., "but we're not exactly here to chitchat."
"I'd like to make this fast, myself," Trent said. He lifted up his morpher, prepared to call his Zord, but two hands emerged from the portal, and pulled Ethan and Dr. O. in.