Disclaimer: Power Rangers belongs to Disney and the like, which I am not affliated with.
Conner's parents were back in the hospital room when the two teens returned. His mother descended on him, and Kira only just barely stepped out of the line of fire. "How dare you just walk out of here like that, absolutely no regard for my feelings whatsoever, do you have any idea what I've been going through out there, trying to keep them from coming in here and bothering you?"
"Thanks, Mom," he said faintly, hugging her.
"My poor baby," she said, softening instantly as she squeezed him. "I was so worried, I'm so glad you're okay...oh, Conner, I can't believe you kept it a secret from us..."
"I had to. You understand."
"Of course, sweetie. I'm so proud of you, honey, everything you've done, it's just incredible."
"Son, we're all so proud of you..." Mr. McKnight said, coming over and clapping Conner on the shoulder with a wide grin.
"Hey, Dad. Thanks." Conner smiled at his father, whom he hadn't seen in a few months, at least. But he was soon blindsided by Eric coming over and punching him on the arm. "Dude, you are so the man of the hour."
"When am I not?" Conner said with a grin. He executed a complicated handshake with his twin. "Everything cool?"
"Always. How about you and the blond?"
Conner glanced over his shoulder at Kira, who was saying something to Ethan, but watching the twins with interest. "Things are looking up," he said with a small shrug.
"Dude, Mom totally invited her over for dinner or some junk. I think--"
"This family reunion is oh-so-touching," interrupted Trent, "but I believe that we made a deal, Rangers."
"Did you get dropped on your head or something?" Ethan demanded, stepping over to the White Ranger. "No 'deal' was made, Trent."
"Ethan, hold up," Conner said. He looked at Trent, who was glaring at him the way that Conner had come to expect. "What deal?"
"Did you think I'd actually help you because I felt all charitable? I want you at full strength, 'cause I want to end this."
"Trent, now is not the time--" Dr. O. tried, but Conner was already stepping closer to the White Ranger, resolve written all over his face.
"What's going on?" asked Mrs. McKnight.
"Conner, don't you dare," Kira said. "You're still too weak, you're both too weak."
But Conner, in typical Conner fashion, was no longer listening. "Ready," he said, and his bracelet flashed as it changed into his morpher. His eyes never left Trent's, nor did Trent's eyes leave Conner's.
"Dino Thunder, power up!"
"White Ranger, dino power."
There was a gigantic popping sound, as both teenagers reeled backwards. Trent stumbled over the metal bed frame and onto the bed, and Conner fell back, Eric and Ethan both darting out to catch him, just in time. "What happened?" Mr. McKnight demanded.
Conner, however, was looking down at his morpher, and punching the button with his finger. Nothing happened. With a flash, the morpher shifted back into bracelet mode, and the dull Dino Gem popped out. Alarmed, he looked up at the Black Ranger. "Dr. O., the gem...it's fried."
Dr. O. looked down at his bracelet, and gave the ready command. The gem glowed faintly, then with a fizzling sound, popped out. Kira and Ethan both attempted to morph, and got the same result.
"What's going on?" Conner said.
"The transfer," Dr. O. said. "It must have fried the gems."
"It was pretty strong," Kira confessed. "We lost our morphs--"
"Conner needed a lot of power, so a lot was drained from you," Hayley said. "He was repaired by the Triassic powers, but they were way too much for his body to take."
"Are you saying that Conner rejected the power?" Ethan said.
"I don't think that's the case," Dr. O. said. "His body took what it could, and the excess power went into awakening the Triassic powers. But he couldn't maintain them."
"Right, we knew all of that," Kira said. "But if he couldn't keep the power, wouldn't it have to go back to where it came from?"
"Not necessarily. It was a voluntary donation. It did what it was supposed to do, but there was nothing for it to cling on to, so it just fizzled out."
Conner was rolling the dull red rock through his fingers with an intense stare. "So what does this mean?" he asked quietly. "The gems don't work anymore? None of us can morph?"
"It's looking that way," Dr. O. said, studying his own gem.
"Someone please explain to the civilians what the hell is going on?" Mr. McKnight said.
Conner flashed his family a wan smile. "Mom, Dad, Eric...I was a Power Ranger."
"Was?"
"That's it," he said, his gaze falling back to the gem in his hand. "No more. There are no powers left."
"It's just as well," Hayley said. "With Mesogog and his cronies dead, there's no reason for you guys to even have powers. Now you won't have to worry about the media's demands when it comes to using them. It's for the best."
"The best," Ethan echoed, squeezing his own gem tightly, as though trying to absorb anything the rock might have had left.
"Elsa's not dead, though," Mrs. McKnight offered. They glanced at her. "Elsa? Principal Randall? She's in the ICU. If she wakes up, they're going to put her through rehabilitation."
"Hopefully in isolation," Kira muttered.
"Still," Conner said softly. "Just because Mesogog and company are dead doesn't mean we don't still have enemies." He looked over at Trent, sitting at the edge of the bed. But the malice in his eyes faded slowly as he realized that Trent was looking incredibly pale and exhausted, and was fixated upon his gem just as badly as the others were.
Kira followed Conner's gaze to the boy in white. "Trent..?"
The artist looked up slowly, with haunted eyes. "I'm me again," he said.
"Heard that one before," Ethan said, but Conner nudged his shoulder, asking for silence.
"The rock," Trent said. "It's dead. There's nothing-- ...There's nothing. No evil, no power, nothing. It's just...it's just me."
Hayley crossed the room to him and lay a hand on his shoulder. "It's good to have you back, Trent," she said warmly.
In a sudden burst of anger that had everyone in the room jumping, and Hayley falling back a step, Trent reared back his arm and hurled the useless gem across the room. It hit the wall and shattered, shards clattering to the floor. A tiny cloud of white rose into the air, as dust settled over the fragments.
Trent's shoulders slumped and his head dropped forward. He suddenly looked very young and vulnerable, in addition to tired. Hayley sat next to him and wrapped her arm around him in a gentle hug. Dr. O. stood and patted Trent's back, as the two acted as the support system the Ranger had been lacking for so long. His father dead, his powers gone, Trent had nothing left. Except those who might offer themselves to him.
They began to clean themselves up, Ethan taking care of the remnants of the white Dino Gem, the three McKnights talking quietly amongst themselves about the things they'd witnessed, while Trent, Hayley, and Dr. O. retreated to a corner of the room to sit in a quiet tableau, a surrogate family to each other. Dr. Walsh returned to begin Conner's examination, and Kira stood at Conner's side, watching over him protectively. It was over. It was finally, finally over.