Power Rangers Elementalists: TTEOTY Chapter 14: Count to Destruction: Elementalist Remix, a power rangers fanfic

Summary: A change of scenery is supposed to do Justin some good, but not when the Power won't leave him alone. Time changes people; war does it more quickly. Not even Justin's former teammates will be able to help what awaits.

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, Justin and the others that you recognize belong to whoever owns legal ownership of them now. It's just everyone that you don't recognize that are mine. Oh, on Jessica, she's a one-shot girl from Mighty Morphin' from the episode "Rocky Just Wants to Have Fun" and I couldn't remember her name, but she's a character that popped out among the children of Power Rangers. Lina's fighting skills specialize in Ryu and his attacks, which are not mine either. Jace's ninja skills are variations of those of Naruto, which I do not own. I also do not own the brief mention of Stargate Command, which is another TV series in itself.

References: None.

Notes: A bunch of the second paragraph is about teenage horniness that I felt I had to put in for the sake of keeping teenagers in puberty in character. You can ignore it if you wish by heading straight to the phrase "dirty mental link party".

Dark Specter gazed at the planet on the view screen. The small planet mockingly flashed back with its bright oceans and continents. So far, Rito, Lord Zedd, the Machine Empire, and even Divatox could not keep the planet down. Admittedly, the last was his own fault, claiming the planet as his own before he had sufficient resources to weed out any potential Rangers. Rita's blunder could be forgiven - the entrapment she had been captured by had left her severely malnourished, out of energy, and out of practice. Zedd had also suffered, sleeping long and falling into the same trap Rita had of thinking Earth's Rangers would be simple to destroy. The Machine Empire was fighting insubordination, Earth, Triforia, and the joint workings of Rita and Zedd.

And now the Dark Avatars could be added to that list. His spy network was small, but effective. The fact that the six Dark Avatar Powers had been shipped out to elemental planets had not escaped his notice. They were lost causes at the moment, too weak to do much and unwilling to take over another host just yet. In a couple decades, they would be no more.

But Dark Specter also knew Earth's defense were weak. Astronema's defection would not matter in the long run. They would all learn. Earth and the Galaxy would be his. Upon the torture and death of the Elementalist Rangers, he would have his revenge for Larena's death and more. But how would he do it, Dark Specter mused. Ten squadrons of Quatrons led by one of his more powerful generals had lost. Ten!

Then suddenly a fierce grin came over Dark Specter's visage as he laughed. That will do. It will do well.

Let Countdown to Destruction begin.

-This is lame.- Alex commented.

-Hell yeah.- added in Lina.

A small grimace found its way onto Justin's mouth as he acknowledged the all too true comments. Riding on a bus with his classmates and a teacher treating them like seven-year-olds was NOT how he envisioned spending a day two weeks after killing the Dark Fire Avatar. He had had enough babying in the Turbo Rangers to last him a lifetime. Which didn't seem long at this rate.

Adriana was fast asleep on his shoulder, having conked out not long after the trip began. The two had an unofficial boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, having not actually gone on a date yet. But they were close! Alex and Jace sat at the front of the bus, the later snuggling in his sleep. Lina and Cassy were in the middle, pretending to be reading (being immune to car sickness), but were actually conversing with the rest of the Elementalists through their mental link. Fred and the two new transfers, Nico and Jessica, were dispersed along with the former Elementalists among the bus.

Justin let his mind wander. The Dark Avatars were gone, yes, but the scars and aftershocks were still there. Zordon was still missing and he was holding back every fiber of his being that demanded that he go out into space to search with the Astro Rangers for his mentor, his second father. He knew that, in his current state, he'd be useless.

-Cookies...- Justin stifled a giggle at Jace's sleep thoughts. -Cream... Cream covered Lan and Cassy... Mmm...- The Fire Ranger immediately choked at the mental images that accompanied the resulting statement, flashing through the mental link to the rest of the Elementalists. A blush spread across his face and down his neck like wildfire in an instant.

-You go Jace!- Lina wolf-whistled in their heads. -Damn, that was hot AND kinky! I love it!-

-I did not just see that... I did not see that!- Alex chanted mentally. -I did not hear my little brother having sexual dreams with others. I didn't hear it, I didn't see it. I didn't see it despite the utter hotness of the scene. Ick! No! I didn't see it.- Their Earth Ranger flushed brightly, whimpering slightly.

-...- Cassy didn't know what to say, but her eyes glazed over when Jace shifted and let out a tiny moan both verbally and mentally. -Damn, I don't think I'll ever look that hot covered in whipped cream. Still...- Her pale visage colored with red as images of both Lan and herself kissing a whip creamed Jace at the same time was sent through the link. Each one of their blushes steadily grew worse.

Justin distantly heard Adriana and Lina choke, desperately trying to fight off his own arousal. -What is it with you people?- demanded Adriana. -You forgot the chocolate!- With that, she reprojected the image, this time with the six of them covered in whipped cream and chocolate. None of them spoke at all, savoring the image in their minds.

-That... is too hot for words!- Alex groaned, blushing a fierce red.

-Definitely.- agreed Lina readily. -Gah! I can't get it out of my head!-

-Oh... my. We're really dirty for our age.- But Cassy's blush hadn't withdrawn a bit.

Adriana's face remained red. -I overdid it, didn't I?-

-God, if we weren't teens...- Justin gave a strangled gasp and grinned sheepishly. -Sorry, just thinking things of the future with my hormones instead of sense.-

-Can we take a photo anyway?- Jace butted in impishly. -I mean, it'd make a great present for the others.- Seeing that no one was going to reply, the Water Ranger sighed slightly. -Okay, yeah, I'm awake, but in time for Adriana's doozy. But I have something less kinky.-

And the one shy, innocent Jace sent them blew their minds away. Each one of them had clothing, but they accentuated what they had gained as Rangers, making them look sexier than any fourteen-year-old should.

Justin immediately shut down, forcing back a desperate moan. -We're only fourteen! Stop torturing our hormones!-

"Justin?" Their dirty mental link party was interrupted as Fred poked Justin's back.

"Huh?" asked the boy intelligently.

"You all right? Your face is red." He looked very concerned.

There was no way in hell that he would tell what was really going on. "I'm fine, really." Justin offered a smile.

"Um, Tommy said he wanted to meet you." The teenage Magi Ranger bit his lip and Justin sensed with his eyes more than his powers that the other boy was unsure of how to go on. He silently encouraged him. "I said to him that you weren't accepting any visitors like you told me to. He blew up at me." Fred looked apologetic for a second. "I had to kick him in the solar plexus to make him let go. I hope it didn't hurt him too much."

If anything, only his pride. Justin winced. Tommy was mad, but he really didn't want to meet them, not just yet. The events that had transpired in the last month were too fresh, too harsh. It would be painfully to reveal anything until he himself had dealt with it on his own time.

"..." Justin couldn't reply.

Luckily, Fred proved to be perceptive. "Adam and Rocky are looking too, y'know." He sat back down with that parting statement.

Justin merely sighed.

And he would have continued to brood on the subject, if not for the blast that shook the bus. They crashed into the wall with a lot of screaming. The bus driver was knocked out and the teacher was trying to calm everyone down, but she collapsed in the middle, which made the students scream louder.

"Adriana." Justin hissed. The Wind Ranger nodded, using her molecular magic to phase through the bus and into the street. For two long minutes full of anticipation, Justin awaited some kind of information.

-Quatrons and Velocifighters!- Adriana reported. -Morph! Three battalions of Quatrons and two squads of Velocifighters!-

-Move!- Justin ordered with his leader tone. Justin shimmed through the open bus window after blasting it out with chi powers, Fred following him.

"Element Morph, Orange Fire Power!" Justin called out as he ran, flames changing him into a suit he had hoped he would never had to don again.

"Magi Sparkles, Gold Magi Power!" A golden light encompassed Fred as he followed, coating him in the Gold Magi Ranger uniform that he had only used once before.

"Jake, Lan, Kyle, Amanda, Lisa, Christina - protect the bus!" He called backwards. The rest still had magic, but not that strong and they would best be regulated to backline. They nodded as they took a hexagon defense around the bus.

Justin drew his sword, heading for the main force of the enemies. He looked up into the sky. "Five for the sky, four the ground."

"Earth and the Magi for the ground." Adriana replied back just as quickly. "Earth's best on his natural and Magi can't fly."

"Right." At once five Rangers spread their wings and flew into the air. Justin dodged several lasers, launching a blast of white flames from his palm. Immediately he knew the folly of taxing himself with Ranger magic as his vision blurred, though it righted itself in time to dodge several lasers. "Secondary and Tertiary skills!" Justin carefully focused and coated him body with chi. It was similar to Lina's fighting skills, but not exactly the same. This wouldn't tax him as much as Ranger magic would. He kicked one of the Velocifighters and it exploded. He crushed another using telekinesis and used it again to force a third and fourth to crash into each other. The scraps rained down below, felling several Quatrons. As he weaved past another laser strike, Justin saw Jace flash away in a puff of chakra smoke only to appear elsewhere, forming seals with a scroll that ended with a thunder dragon that coiled around many Velocifighters, making them explode. Lina was spamming Ryu's Senpuukyaku and Tatsumakisenpuukyaku attacks like mad. Occasionally, she used Shouryuuken, but the tornado kicks were her favorite as opposed to the uppercut. Cassy was letting out alternate blasts of icefire and pyrothunder, destroying several Velocifighters as she went. She was still too weak to use Ranger magic, her weapons were gone, and her acupuncture skills were useless in this situation. Adriana was using molecular magic to rip apart the Velocifighters and alternating with her bow, though she preferred her magic. She did not have her spear and only a few wind arrows managed to make it past the air shielding the Velocifighters had. They were machines as well, meaning her mental plain abilities were moot. Nico and Jessica were cutting down the Quatrons, having a good pair strength together. They were easily decimated the foot soldiers. Fred stayed behind to protect Alex, using his Bastard Sword to knocking them away from the dancer. The Earth Ranger was dancing, preparing invigoration movements and other surprises.

"Toss me your discs if you aren't going to use them!" Cassy finally snapped and yelled at Jace. The Water Ranger quickly summoned them and passed them over to the Ice Ranger. She immediately started to do more damage as Jace returned to focusing on hand seals.

Adriana growled frustratingly. "I hate machines! No connection to the mental plain at all!" A vicious movement with her hands had a chain reaction of ten Velocifighters blowing up at the same time. More swarmed to replace them though.

An hour into the fight, Justin felt weariness settle into his limbs. The Velocifighters were too fast now, too used to their abilities to harm. The Quatrons were also beginning to get the better of those on the ground. Shields against telekinesis, chi, chakra, and magic soon appeared on the Velocifighters, forcing them to reply on what weapons they had left. Jace summoned a normal katana as Lina pulled Earthy Thunder out. Adriana called upon Fiery Wind to get more done as Cassy made do with Jace's Liquid Discs. Justin fought desperately with his sword, but they were losing. The Ranger leader then made an executive decision based on what was going on. "Fall back!"

The order hadn't been used in months and it showed in how they reluctantly moved. The Rangers began retreating, holding off pursuers as best they could. Adriana gave a cry as a particularly nasty shot hit her, forcing her to demorph. She used molecular magic to phase through attacks, but not must else as she forcibly retreated faster. Jace was the second to fall, flashing to the ground and beyond in a puff of chakra smoke. They were the only ones to forcibly demorph - the rest did so out of pure exhaustion.

"Go!" yelled Nico out to the retreating Elementalists. "We'll hold them off for you!"

"Thanks!" Justin knew he was extremely grateful for the Magi Rangers right then as the oncoming Velocifighters and Quatrons were held off by the three teens.

It was this battered and tired group that limped back to the bus, clutching various aches and pains with weariness tugging at their limbs. What they came upon when they returned to the bus made them stiffen.

The former Elementalists were desperately fending off a squad of Velocifighters and Quatrons.

"Pincer strike." Justin hissed in realization.

"They're not doing too well." Alex noted, half in a daze.

"Alex, start augmenting Jace's chakra. Cassy, do the same. Adriana, feed Lina with energy from the mental plain. I'll give chi. Lina, Shinkuuhadoken their asses. Jace, do the widest attack possible." The fourteen-year-old leader gave a small sigh. "We have to do this."

Jace started performing rapid hand seals with four scrolls as Alex started a weary dance and Cassy fed energy. Lina charged up a special as Adriana and Justin gave her the strength to do so.

"Yon Shikigami no Hijutsu! Seiryuu! Byakko! Suzaku! Genbu/High Art of the Four Summoned Beasts! Blue Dragon! White Tiger! Phoenix! Turtle!" The Water Ranger and chuunin ninja gritted out painfully.

"Shinkuuhadoken!" Lina let loose a beam of powerful energy that obliterated many Quatrons and Velocifighters.

Four beasts appeared in the sky and on the ground. An ancient dragon and phoenix started eliminating many Velocifighters as a tiger and a turtle did the same to Quatrons. A wide berth of emptiness soon ensured as the Elementalists supported their comrades into it before it refilled.

They were so close to their life forces. Justin realized this as he slumped against the bus. They weren't going to make it at this rate.

"What's wrong?" Jake was over there in an instant, taking a break as Jace's Hijutsu did its work.

"Too many." Justin heaved, chest rising and falling painfully. "Almost at life-force to make it back. Out of Ranger magic and shielding on chakra, psychic powers, magic, and chi." He shook his head, fighting the ringing that threatened to overcome him. "We could break through it, but we're so tired. The Magi Rangers are still out there. They're covering our escape." The Orange Ranger coughed suddenly, blood appearing on his lips.

We're at the later stages of magical exhaustions. Justin thought grimly as he coughed up more blood. Their bodies were starting to reject it and it wouldn't be long before unconsciousness, coma, or even death came. But it was a battle they had to fight.

The Fire Ranger reached into subspace and pulled out a pill, a soldier's pill used to augment waning things such as chi and chakra. He downed the last-resort drug, feeling it invigorate him with its dangerous effects.

He flicked his hand and the bus teleported away. Justin motioned for Jake to step back as he breathed deeply, flames appearing on the asphalt below him, creating a magic circle. The road blackened where his burning flame touched, an intricate pattern emerging. The other Elementalists followed, their circles creating a web of lines and runes that created an even larger circle.

"We banish thee for thy presence offends us."

Lights overlapped upon each other, lifting up into the air.

"Upon our strength, thou shalt rue the day we came upon thee attacking our world."

The circle spun around them, sparkles of light flashing off the edges and forcing the former Elementalists back. Faster and faster the disc rotated until the lines were unable to be seen. With a primal scream that echoed in the air, an even larger portion of the attacking forces were destroyed, stretching all the way to where Magi Rangers fought. This allowed the three Magi Rangers to retreat back to the Elementalists and form a defensive barrier.

In spite of their spell, more forces came as the attack seemed endless.

The Elementalists looked ready to go again, but the former ones stopped them.

"Let us fight. This is our destiny." And sparkles appeared around them, unlike the Magi Sparkles of Fred, Nico, and Jessica, but with a similar purpose.

"Planet that guides us of the land at dawn, the Morning Star, Venus, hear my plea." Kyle spoke, entwining his fingers in front of him.

"Planet that incites within us the flames of passion, the Glorious Battlefield, Mars, hear my plea." Jake called, adopting a similar position as Kyle.

"Planet that enraptures with its bright eye, the Gazing Storm, Jupiter, hear my plea." Lisa cried with every fiber of her being.

"Planet that catches us as its spin with the currents, the Moving Wind, Uranus, hear my plea." Amanda whispered, calling out with her mind.

"Planet that tells us of the stories of the waves, the Endless Blue, Neptune, hear my plea." Lan looked fierce with a strong passion within him.

"Planet that taunts us beyond our reach in the darkness, the Icy Illusion, Pluto, hear my plea." Christina finished the six with her own cry.

"We call upon your unfathomable might to protect our world, our land, and our people from invaders. The energy at the cores of your beings, we ask to let us channel, to send us your strength!"

Kyle was swathed in yellow, a manacle of gold appearing on his left arm as a diamond stone appeared on his right finger. With a wave of his hand, light and ground met as a column of yellow energy smashed into the Velocifighters and the earth itself rose to meet them. Jake raised his left arm, cloaked in a blue bracer and crossed it with the red coral ring on his right. Flames started melting the Velocifighters and they became meteors that crashed into heavily-populated Quatron areas. A yellow sapphire ring on one hand and a white bracer on the other, Lina called down lightning upon her foes, reducing many to scraps and leaving burning ozone in her wake. Amanda reached out with her new power, stirring up the winds as her amethyst ring flashed brightly, reflecting light off her orange manacle. A tornado formed of swirling winds, catching many in its dangerous pull. Lan raised one hand and, with the aquamarine ring shining with its own glow, called columns of turbulent water to follow. His green-encased arm was clutched tightly to his chest. Christina spread her arms wide, black onyx going one way and gray the other. Frost encased the metal Quatrons, making the metal brittle and easy to crack.

With their new powers, the six planetary warriors destroyed the rest of the attacking force, doing more damage than six tired Elementalists on last-resort energy-increasing drugs ever could.

"What just happened?" Fred asked, looking at the six teens, still morphed.

"The planets answered our calls." A smile twitched on Kyle's lips as he raised his ring. "I normally think diamonds on a guy are tacky, but this somehow fits."

Justin took command almost immediately though. "We're heading to the Control Base. This isn't the end." His eyes seemed to blank for a moment, but it was quickly shoved off. "There's more on the horizon."

With his mild premonition power as a bargaining chip, the other Elementalists were quickly able to convince the others to follow.

Their communicators beeped to life as Zeta's voice broke over the connection. "Full-scale invasion. We needed you here five minutes ago. Teleport in."

The Fire Ranger turned to the fourteen assembled and nodded. "Ready?" He tapped the orange bracelet twice and fifteen streams of energy rose into the air.

Kamion raised an eyebrow at the streams. "What are they doing here?"

"They obtained powers from the other planets in our Solar System." Justin shook his head and looked up at the Grid Master. "Full-scale invasion?" He cut right to the chase, not wanting small talk.

"Large fleets are attacking Angel Grove and Boston, Boston having the larger attack load. There are also six minor hot spots all over the world that need attending to." reported Zeta, bringing up a map.

"We have fifteen fighters." Adriana added in quietly.

"We'll spread an Elementalist to each minor hot spot." Justin quickly decided, his tone cold. "The Magi Rangers and a Planetary Avatar would go to Angel Grove. The other Planetary Avatars would stay at Boston." His eyes looked dark as he explained the decisions. "We, as tired Elementalists, cannot handle a large portion at all. We'd be best suited to the minor areas. The Magi Rangers know Angel Grove's terrain. Three isn't enough, so I'm sending a Planetary Avatar with them. Boston gets five well-rested Planetary Avatars." His eyes looked up into Kamion's dark ones. "Does this meet your approval?"

The Grid Master was about to give his assent when the communication panel beeped.

"What is it?" Zeta asked.

"Teleport for seven." Andros's voice was a relief to the Elementalists as seven columns of energy followed.

They materialized into the six Astro Rangers and one extra, a girl that had a striking resemblance to Andros.

"Earth is being attacked." The Kerovan Red Ranger started bluntly.

"We fended off the first wave at Boston." Justin answered rapidly. "But there are attacks all over the place. Dark Specter knows we're here and we're weak. We're going to spread our forces too thin at this rate."

"We'll help." The Astro Rangers were in agreement. "Watch over Karone."

The girl's eyes widened and she made to protest, but Andros's raised hand quieted her.

"Elementalist and Planetary Avatar per minor." Justin spoke quietly, handing out the assignments. "Magi Rangers and Astros Red and Silver at Boston with the largest force. Remaining Astros at Angel Grove." His eyes darkened further. "Tally count on the enemies Zeta."

"Five and four aren't going to cut it, I'm afraid." Zeta's voice was quiet, subdued. "You're going to need more for Boston and Angel Grove."

"I know, I know!" Justin roared suddenly, his temper coming out into play. "I know that! But we simply do not have the forces for that. Leaving one person at a minor spot is simply out of the question! That's the only good way to split up the teams!"

"Call in the reserves." Fred's calm, rational voice broke through the red haze of his anger. Justin was stunned by the fact that he hadn't thought of it before, but the reason why was voiced by Carlos.

"Their powers are even more dangerous than exhausted Elementalists." The Black Astro Ranger shook his head. "Even twenty minutes morphed would heavily tax their life-force beyond repair."

"Crystals." Jace snapped his fingers as his eyes light up in realization, bringing all attention to him. "The storage in the Power Chamber had the Zeo Crystal. That's enough for five. There are eleven formers, right? Six of them still have morphers. We'll use the spirit crystals to provide a link to the Morphing Grid and then use them as a secondary source."

"Of course." Justin suddenly smiled. "That'll leave us with enough fighters for each area."

-Burn Jace's candles.- In an immediate contrast to the relieved and yet still somewhat fiery Justin on the outside, his inner voice was tired and subdued.

Five flashes of panic answered him.

-What?- Adriana cried out, shocked.

-Are we that desperate?- Lina and Alex asked at the same time.

Jace's voice was just as quiet as Justin's. -I made those for the ultimate last resort, even more so than the soldier's pills. We never had a need for them till now. You do realize what we're going to be risking.-

-We'll burn the rest of our life-force anyway!- replied Justin savagely. -This way, we'll help more people!-

The Water Ranger was silent, though his assent soon came.

-Unus sumus.- Cassy murmured into the silence.

-Unus sumus.- The rest echoed.

Justin moved toward the communication panel as the five other Rangers, a torrent of emotions whirling inside of him. As he encoded a familiar frequency, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. If he had to risk it all like this. But his doubts melted away as he thought about what would happen if he didn't. Everything rested on what was about to occur. And so Justin locked away his emotions as best he could, turning to the inner Ranger to pull him through. "If you wish to fend of an invasion that determines the fate of the Earth, even more so than the other battles, then please be ready for teleport in five minutes. Reply with a negative if you will not join. If you have any doubts, do not come. You have to want to fight, otherwise you're a liability."

In the meantime, Justin inputted the coordinates of the former Rangers. He was surprised to find them already entered

When the five minutes elapsed and no one had replied, he slammed the teleport button with his fist. Eleven teleport streams appeared in the large central control room of the Control Base.

"Justin!" Rocky's voice burst out as he materialized, the Hispanic man stepping forward.

"Stop." Justin's voice sounded deathly cold and everyone shivered in spite of themselves, battle-hardened Rangers or not. "There isn't the time for it right now. Do you want to fight or not?"

Quiet and subdued affirmatives answered him as they recognized a Ranger leader in action. A fresh wave of strength appeared in Justin's body, but he knowing where it came from only served to make his stomach clench in pain.

"Element Morph, Orange Fire Power." He whispered, holding out his left hand. The morpher shined its orange blaze as flame encased him from head to toe. He immediately grew as tall as the adults as the energy died down, leaving him clad in his Ranger suit.

The five other Elementalists stepped out as well, already morphed, and took positions behind their leader.

"Hold your morphers out." Justin ordered as he pulled the crystals and Sword of Light with his mind out of storage.

The Sword of Light flashed once as rays shot into the blade from the Zeo Crystal, becoming more defined before shooting into each of the former Zeo Rangers, making them once again into Rangers. Tommy had the Red Star, Adam, the Green Rectangle, Rocky, the Blue Triangle, Tanya, the Yellow Bars, and Kat, the Pink Oval. Zeonizers appeared on their wrists. The Fire Ranger then carefully touched each morpher with its corresponding crystal and watched as their cracked coins came back to life. He raised the Sword of Light and let the morphers transfer themselves back to their original morphers. The Red Tyrannosaurus went back to the muscular Jason, the Yellow Saber-Tooth to the still lithe and dangerous yet affable Trini, the Blue Triceratops to the smart and still sorrowful Billy, the Pink Pterodactyl to the passionate Kim, and the Black Mastodon to the still somewhat happy-go-lucky Zack, even if it was tempered by a sense of maturity. He gave the White Tiger to the caring Aisha, who had no powers for herself.

"I want to fight too!" Karone spoke up, a flare of passion within her.

Justin was in a hurry and in doing so, broke one of the first rules of telepaths. He dived into Karone's mind without permission and basically learned about her in a split-second. She would be a good fighter.

The Fire Ranger then gave a quick scan of Tommy, searching for one bit of information. "Hold out the Green Dragon morpher."

The former leader winced as he summoned the last remaining Ranger coin, saved from his clone/ancestor over many years. He touched the remaining spirit crystal and revitalized the tired coin. He then raised the Sword once more, transferring the Green Dragon to Aisha, where it would fit better, and the White Tiger to Karone, who had a desire for redemption and needed the sword-fighting advice that Saba, the talking tiger sword, would need. The Ranger banished the Sword back into storage, placing the crystals back where it would serve like the Zords.

"New formations." Justin's voice carried loudly over the room. "Pink Zeo and Pink Pterodactyl into Hot Spot One. Green Zeo and Blue Zeo in number two. Red Zeo and Blue Triceratops into three. Red Tyrannosaurus and Green Dragon at number four. White Tiger and Yellow Zeo will be at number five. Yellow Saber-Tooth Tiger and Black Mastodon will be at the sixth Hot Spot. Astro and Magi Rangers will be at Angel Grove. Elementalists and Planetary Avatars will be here in Boston." Justin looked up at Kamion. "Does this meet your approval?"

"May the Power, Magi Sparkles, and Planets protect you." The Grid Master merely returned, blessing them.

"We'll talk later." Rocky's fingers traveled up Justin's arm as they teleported out.

No one noticed the tears streaking down Kamion's eyes as he watched his Rangers leave, knowing in his heart that they weren't coming back.

The twelve fighters in Boston immediately split up upon arrival, deciding that it would be best.

The elements danced their own dances through the land, sea, and air as twelve teens fought tooth and nail to protect what they loved.

The Planetary Avatars didn't know what was coming when Justin and his group circled themselves around the center of the city. If there had been a building there, it was no more any longer.

"I am the Fire." Justin intoned carefully. "I give my strength for this land. My blaze shall burn the enemies."

"I am the Water." Jace announced. "I give my strength for this land. My liquid shall down the enemies."

"I am the Wind." chanted Adriana. "I give my strength for this land. My gusts shall smite the enemies."

"I am the Thunder." Lina's voice rang true. "I give my strength for this land. My electricity shall shock the enemies."

"I am the Earth." called Alex. "I give my strength for this land. My rocks shall crush the enemies."

"I am the Ice." Cassy finished with total confidence. "I give my strength for this land. My frost shall freeze the enemies."

Amanda finally noticed what was happening and using her newfound wind powers, launched forward. "What are you doing?"

"What remains of our life-force, we offer to you. What we have left, we give to you. What physical attachments we still retain, we use to plead with you. Rid this world of our enemies. Give them the pain that they have earned. Release the final seal!" chanted they as one.

"Dammit, they're going to sacrifice!" Amanda yelled out. Two minutes later, the Planetary Avatars appeared around the circle. Columns of energy had lifted each Ranger into the air, burning any Quatrons and Velocifighters that came close.

"What are we supposed to do?" asked Kyle, his voice tinged with worry.

Lan gave a gasp as a letter materialized in his hands. His eyes scanned over it quickly, widening at the end.

"They used Jace's last resort." The Neptune Avatar looked up, his eyes tearing suddenly. "Life-force candles."

At once, the rest cursed.

"We should do something!" Christina was frantic.

Jake stared at the columns of energy. "It's too late." He whispered. "It's too late."

At those words, a pulse of white light blinded them.

Back in the Control Base, Kamion watched sadly as the life-force candles flared brightly, burning to the end. He wept quietly as the flames went out, signaling the death of his second Ranger team.

Their auras appeared around him.

Free. They spoke, one voice from many.

Kamion gasped as energy took hold of him, pulling him out of the entrapment in which he was bound. He came out to be a Caucasian human looking to be about thirty Earth years old. This lithe man fell to the ground, wishing that his freedom hadn't come at such a great price.

"Justin." Tommy fell to his knees as the pulse reached him, tears falling out of his eyes.

"No!" Rocky and Adam cried in unison as Justin's aura briefly touched them in the white energy that spread across the Earth.

"Why?" Tanya screamed out in denial when she felt the death of the small boy she knew.

Kat had nothing but yells for the universe as the enemies were vaporized around her, at the expense of the boy she had mentored in her time as the Pink Turbo Ranger.

The four former Turbo Rangers turned Astro Rangers fell to the ground amidst the fighting with the Angel Grove citizens against the enemies. When Andros asked what was wrong, Ashley could only managed two words. "Justin's dead."

Dean Stewart stared out the window at the bright light, suddenly more afraid than he was before. He watched as Justin's favorite mug fell over, shattering on the ground. And then the sorrow hit, knowing in his heart that his little boy was gone.

One Grid Master, a woman clothed in white, stared up into the sky once she had left her broken ship, finally able to move. No! She gripped the tree she was leaning against tighter, tears appearing in her normally impassive eyes. I'm too late! The Inquirian woman cried unashamedly, feeling the death of six Rangers. One of those especially hurt, as he was her own.

Once the Earth was free of Quatrons and Velocifighters, the light spread over past the planet. It struck Triforia first, Rita and Zedd being the only formerly evil beings remaining. Trey stared in confusion as the two seemed to twist, until they were seemingly reborn anew.

"Zeeden..." The woman spoke, her eyes with tears in them.

"Reena..." The handsome man replied, his own eyes filled.

"Pray for the Rangers lost." The pair spoke in unison, closing their eyes. Trey did the same.

In Aquitar, the Rangers were surprised when the white light hit them. The only one that remained was Divatox, now a twin of one of the four Grid Masters to visit Earth.

"Blue boy..." The former evil pirate whispered, lowering her head.

The Aquitarian Rangers lowered theirs as well.

The Blue Senturion and Phantom Ranger looked at each other amidst a field of sand, understanding what was being said. They both mourned for the loss of a boy they knew.

The pulse continued on, infused with the life and auras of six Rangers, destroying the all-out assault on the galaxy by Dark Specter. That same pulse plowed through the dark being, obliterating him in an instant.

They came upon Zordon, trapped in the time warp. A pull had no effect on the intricate web of spells that had made what had contained Kamion child's play.

An orange glow seemed to circle around the others, as if in a plea.

Zordon looked at the light stopped before him, recognizing one of the auras. "Justin, my child?"

The orange color stopped and floated up to the glass. Briefly, it materialized into the fourteen-year-old Ranger, like a ghost.

"Hey Zordon! We'll have you out in just a moment!"

Before the aged Grid Master could reply, the body faded back into the orange light. With a slam, the spell that had contained Zordon for decades shattered, freeing the old man from the lock. His body warped away as the pulse continued onward and beyond, doing its best to wipe out Dark Specter's forces.

As this went on, it was a sullen group that materialized in the Control Base. Not even the joy of defeating Dark Specter and his group could overcome the grief of the six Rangers that were lost.

Kamion stepped out into the open, much to the surprise of the Rangers.

"You're out!" Fred gaped, remembering the huge floating head that had represented Kamion.

"Yes, at such a price." The Grid Master lowered his head.

Fred's reaction was nothing compared to Kamion's when Zordon himself appeared in the Control Base, in the flesh.

"Zordon!" The Grid Master yelped.

Shocked yells were added as the Rangers swarmed their mentor, the Planetary Avatars, Magi Rangers, Astro Rangers, and Karone falling back slightly to let the adults through.

"You trained good Rangers." Zordon spoke, from Grid Master to Grid Master.

"And I lost all twelve." Kamion whispered, looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry for losing Justin."

"It was a loss none could prevent." Nico said softly. "They were simply too tired."

"When they killed the Dark Avatars, they exhausted themselves completely, as it was a New Moon at the final battle." Amanda explained. "Then, only a few weeks later, which isn't nearly enough time with their magical reserves, they were thrust into this. They had to retreat against the first way. Before we gained Planetary Avatar status, they downed a soldier's pill each." Her eyes pierced all with their sadness. "They were coughing up blood before that."

"Magical exhaustion's final stages." Andros murmured, seemingly enlightened. The non-Earth attendees all nodded as one.

A white flash suddenly appeared in the middle of the group. It revealed itself to be a woman in white, familiar to a portion of them.

"Dimitria!" cried several voices.

"I just escaped healing stasis." The Inquirian woman's eyes were filled with pain and she didn't even speak in questions. "I did not know what was going on until Justin's aura touched me. My ship crash landed on Earth not long ago, but I was too heavily hurt to do anything about it."

"We have the bodies." Lan was the first to announce that of the group. With a wave of his hand, the bodies of the Elementalists appeared. Each one seemed peaceful, though blood stained their lips.

"Can you recall what they did?" Zordon asked, gazing into the Planetary Avatars' eyes with his gaze that humbled many a Ranger before.

"I only got there in time for these lines: 'What remains of our life-force, we offer to you. What we have left, we give to you. What physical attachments we still retain, we use to plead with you. Rid this world of our enemies. Give them the pain that they have earned. Release the final seal!' And then the white light." whispered Amanda, pain on her face.

Kamion's eyes widened. "That's a translation of the most power sacrificial spell I kept away in my oldest spell tomes!"

"But how did they cast it?" Zordon murmured to himself.

"Life-force candles." Kyle declared. Two of the three Grid Masters and the Kerovans stiffened.

"Life-force candles?" Andros repeated, shocked.

"Yes." Kamion nodded, a pained look spreading over his face. "I had to watch the candles burn to the very end."

"What are life-force candles?" Jessica asked timidly, unsure of herself.

"Life-force candles are dangerous creations that represent a person's remaining life-force. Once lit, they fill a person with incredible power, at the cost of the energy which keeps living things alive. And the six Rangers used them to cast that spell." Dimitria snapped her fingers. "And we can still revive them. If enough people wish it, the life-force can be regenerated. Do you have the candles?"

Kamion clenched his hand and the six lightless stubs appeared next to whom they represented.

The three Grid Masters knelt before the candles, in homage to the sacrifice of the six teens before them.

If you wish to help those who saved us, defeating the Dark Specter's invasion, please pray. The combined voice of the Grid Masters spread over the galaxy, entering the minds of everyone who were touched by the Elementalists. If you wish to save their lives, pray for their survival. For all they've done, if you want them to live, please pray. We, the Grid Masters, Kamion, Dimitria, and Zordon, ask of you. Pray for those who helped us, who prevented our fall. Please.

All those within the Control Base lowered their heads. The citizens that had been protected in the invasion also did so. Heads remained bowed all over the galaxy as they wished with all their might for the lives of those that saved them.

A few sparkles appeared around the life-force candles, but it wasn't enough.

Please. The whispers of Rangers added into the plea, coming from many planets, all of whom were helped by the Elementalist team.

The white sparkles grew brighter and brighter with each moment until the life-force candles could be seen no more. At the climax, the life-force candles gave a loud crack, shattering into dust.

In that same moment, twelve lungs drew breath for the first time in a while.

The coughing that followed brought tears to almost everyone's eyes, signaling that the Elementalists were alive.

"Justin!" And instantly the Fire Ranger was swarmed by adults.

"Guys?" His orange and brown eyes were soft. "What?"

Rocky came up and placed a finger on his lips. "Don't."

Justin reluctantly nodded and allowed himself to be poked and prodded and cried over.

It wasn't like there was anything else he could do.

It was several months later when Justin felt he was up to do something other than go to school and sleep. Without the threats of Dark Specter and the Dark Avatars, he'd had the best non-magically induced sleep he had had in a long time. His friends were the same. Dying could do that to you.

The first thing he did was set up a meeting between the regenerated evil beings.

"Reena?" Justin questioned the red-headed Asian woman that was there, former Rita Repulsa.

"Yes?" She looked happier than she had in all the years of evil.

Cassy looked hesitant as she stood. "Reena... Your brother, Reeno, asked me to give this to you when he died." She handed over a star necklace, one which made Reena gasp and choke desperately.

"Reeno..." Her eyes filled with tears as she clasped the necklace around her neck. "Thank you." She whispered sadly.

"Divatox?" Jace looked into the woman's eyes and felt hesitant.

"Yes?" The former pirate had chosen to keep her name, stating that she had known no other life.

"Divaradio asked me to return this when I killed her." He carefully put a gold necklace onto her.

"Mama." Divatox looked so sad at that moment that Jace reached out a hand, but retracted it at the last moment. Her eyes spoke her thanks.

"Ivanis said that he never forgot you, Zeeden." Lina repeated the words quietly. "He wanted to give this to you."

The man who was Lord Zedd looked brokenly at the star charm that was handed to him. The whispered thanks were enough.

The three teleported away as Justin steeled himself for the next round.

Tommy and Adam were called in. It was the first time they talked ever since Justin had spilled the reason why he didn't want to talk. Everyone had given him space since then.

"Justin?" Adam asked tentatively.

Alex was the one who stood this time. He slowly handed over a golden necklace, one which Adam recognized. "Scorpina... I mean Sabrina said that, in the end, she really did love you after all."

The Green Zeo Ranger didn't respond, only putting the necklace on.

Adriana turned to Tommy, holding out two feathers. "Goldar's real name was Jing. He said that you'd know what to do with these."

"Of course. Can you teleport Jason in, Justin?" asked the man dressed in red.

"Sure." After asking and being given an affirmative, Justin brought Earth's first Red Ranger in.

"Tommy?" The adult seemed confused, a weird look on his face.

"From Goldar, real name Jing. Dead." Tommy held up a feather. Jason's eyes widened as he remembered one of the fiercer enemies that he had fought.

He took the small feather, nodding. He slowly turned, deep in thought. Once his eyes met those of the Elementalists however, Jason led out a small squeak uncharacteristic for him. "Adriana?"

The fourteen-year-old girl turned confused. "Huh?"

"You're Adriana Budinski, aren't you?" Now everyone was confused as Jason gaped.

"Yeah? So..." Adriana's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Jace Hana, Alexander 'Alex' Mai, Cassandra 'Cassy' Chen, Lina Rana." He ticked off his fingers, naming each Elementalist.

Alex stood slightly. "It's Jace Hana-Mai now. My dad married his mom. Who are you?"

The adult turned pleading eyes to Jace. "When you were seven, Jace, you played with your mom's throwing stars and got huge cuts over your back. I helped patch it up and no one was the wiser."

All eyes riveted on the rapidly paling Aqua Ranger. He did move for a few minutes, his breathing coming in rapid burst. The boy's fingers clenched the table they were sitting at painfully, rendering the knuckles white.

All of a sudden the boy launched himself through the air, landing in Jason's waiting arms. "Jason!"

"I missed you Jace." The adult usually wasn't one for public displays of affection, but this was an exception.

"Jace?" Alex asked tentatively, confused.

"It's Jason, guys! It's Jason!" Jace's voice was muffled as he was busy crying into Jason's chest. The normally somewhat childish boy reverted further in his childish mannerisms. "Remember Jason? He's the only one who knew about that!"

The rest of the Elementalists were shocked, save Justin. He didn't know the back-story at all.

"But..." Lina waved a hand helplessly. "You're an adult! If you're Jason, you should be our age"

"My family fell through a time warp when I was eight." The Red Ranger said quietly, hugging Jace closer. "We got sent back to the past and built a life in Angel Grove as not to cause a time paradox. My parents were very scared, but we had to start over."

"The time portal could have heralded the awakening of the Dark Avatar Powers." Justin said slowly. "Then from then on they found hosts."

"You're not the Jason from our memories." Adriana said stiffly, running out of the room.

Alex looked up, pain in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but she's right. You're years older than us now." He walked out of the room, breaking into an all out dash once he cleared the door.

Cassy shook her head, mouthing a sorry as she left.

Jason looked with barely disguised hurt at the remaining Ranger.

"They just need time. You were our leader." Lina shrugged helplessly. "We all looked up to you and we were hurt when you 'moved away' without saying a thing." She laid a hand on Jason's arm, trying for a comforting gesture. "They... We... We don't know you anymore." She breathed softly, a few tears falling down her cheek. "But we can get to, right?"

Jason offered a wavering smile as he hugged Jace closer, marveling at how small he seemed to be in his arms.

Justin, Tommy, and Adam left, closing the door behind them.

Justin stared out into the sky one evening. The sun was setting, casting its orange rays over the land.

It would take a long time for Jason to get accepted again. Jace, Lina, Kyle, and Christina were the only ones could stay around the man who they used to know. The rest were avoiding him.

He supposed he could understand.

Justin lowered his mixed gaze to the bracelets on his wrists. For a second, they seemed like shackles. He shook his head lightly, dispelling the notion.

Justin rubbed his fingers together, summoning a small flame. He didn't know what to do anymore. The last two years of his life were dictated by battle. Countless battles were fought in that slim time space, seeming like a never-ending journey.

There were times when he could have gone insane from what he had seen. He had dreams that he couldn't tell the others of. The adult figures he'd had in his life in the Turbos had pretty much left him out to dry. He could talk to Kamion - Zordon was the only Grid Master he had ever let fully into his heart.

When his telepathy had started up, Justin nearly went insane from all the words flying around. It was a struggle to keep the ability under control and the ones who had promised to help him weren't there. Logically, Justin knew that they were busy, but the child that was still within him was hurt.

And now he was lost. He felt like he didn't have a sense of purpose anymore. He still had a life here to live out: he couldn't head to space. Not without dragging his team with him and then it'd be really bad.

So he was going to try his own way here.

Storm Blaster was gone, helping out other teams. They still kept their bond though. Zordon, Dimitria, and Kamion had left as well, heading over to help the Eltar rebuilding effort as well as deal with any power vacuums, taking Zeta with them. The Control Base lay dormant in a magical line. Officially, it was Justin's now, as the leader of the Ranger team that had last used it. He wasn't sure of what to do though.

All the fighters on Earth were disorganized. Zhane, Andros, and Karone had already gone for their own rebuilding effort. The Astro Rangers were finishing up school. The rest were trying to live normal lives.

The Power wouldn't let them though.

And that clarity of thought made Justin frown. Fighting would be never-ending. It would be that way forever - light and darkness struggling to beat the other down until neither existed anymore. The Elementalists' act had tipped the scales in their favor and hopefully power struggles would cripple the United Alliance of Evil for a good long time.

But something had to be done to protect Earth from glory-seeking, rampaging maniacs, and other things vying for the planet of Balance.

"Justin?"

The Fire Ranger turned, cocking his head to the side at the familiar voice.

"Tommy." He acknowledged, turning completely.

"What are you doing out so late?" The older man leaned against a tree, eyes carefully calculating.

"What are you doing out so late?" Justin turned the question around, a hint of steel in his voice. Tommy winced, recognizing the barb.

Silence reigned as Justin watched the sunset with searching eyes.

"You're lost, aren't you?" The current Red Zeo Ranger spoke quietly, his tone soft.

Justin didn't move his eyes from the blaze in the sky, but his mouth moved. "Yes. In the early part of this, I didn't trust anyone with my problems. They were too new, too different. I just wanted to have the comfort of you guys again." A small tear trailed down his eye, though Justin made no movement to stop it. "I wanted it back when the new Turbos came and didn't trust me at all. I wanted it when the Power Chamber was overrun and destroyed. I wanted it when my telepathic powers first developed and I was nearly driven insane by it. But then, I realized that you guys moved on." Justin's lowered his head, not meeting Tommy's gaze. "I realized that I couldn't depend on you anymore, now that we weren't teammates. No calls, no messages, just the occasional conversation with Rocky. Then everything converged near the end, but it was too late."

He turned to Tommy, his eyes filled with tears that wouldn't fall. "I don't know when the wounds will heal, but I'll endure for now. And I'll wander, tethered to my friends that held me through this, but still wandering."

"It doesn't have to be this way." Tommy's voice sounded rough, as if he wasn't sure of his words.

"Maybe, maybe not." Justin wiped his hands on his jeans as the sun finally set, the orange fading from view. "But it will have to do." He started walking away, but stopped a few yard from where he stood.

"How would you feel about being a freelance Ranger group?"

Tommy blinked, no words forthcoming.

"We've got thirty-one defenders with nothing to do. That's not good. In a few months, when we're all rested up, what do you say about using the Control Base, as Kamion had left it and is mine as a leading Ranger, to organize a group that could lend help to those that need it?" Justin's voice was soft and lulling, passion flickering slightly in his words. "We, as Elementalists, have long-standing relationships with many planets and you, as Earth Rangers, have many more with your prestige. I was wondering if we could go around and help places that need help, as a Council."

"We'll need to think about it." Tommy voiced his thoughts. "But that isn't a bad idea. I don't have any objections, but the others need some time to think about it."

Justin nodded once, walking away.

Two months later, the Council of Earth's Defenders was created. It consisted of the defenders of Earth form the Planetary Avatars to the Astro Rangers (who still had their power, as a sort of trade-off for giving the White Tiger Power to Karone) and was a freelance group, free from any currently existing places of Good. It had been blessed by Zordon, Dimitria, and Kamion at its birth.

Tommy was the Head, as he was the longest Ranger there. The Main Council consisted of Zack (who was filling in for Trini, at a side project), representing the Powers Rangers from Angel Grove, Adam, as the Zeo Rangers', Lisa, from the Planetary Avatars, and Adriana, from the Magi Rangers-Elementalist Rangers coalition. Justin was named Replacement Head whenever Tommy was gone.

With the Control Base's strength, the hackers of the group were quickly able to keep tabs on special projects within Earth's government. Lightspeed Rescue already had plants in the forms of Billy and Trini, already high up the food chain. Billy had a personal hand in the design of the energy source, while Trini made sure the equipment was up to snuff. When the project was over, Billy would fade back into the Council and Trini would resume her duties as Council head once more. If necessary, a formal treaty would be made to that subdivision, but not before.

The Stargate Command program was also kept in their files. No plants were there yet, but there was talk of having some of the Rangers enlist in the Air Force to enter or even go on as a linguist.

It was all they could do for now. They'd probably have transfers sooner or later once they were established, but it was looking good for now.

A month after the birth of the Council of Earth's Defenders, Justin looked out into the sunrise. I don't think I'm that lost anymore.

And he smiled.

Next up: Special Chapter 2: Ninja Storm, Elementalist Form, Ha!

Expect some low-key slash.