Paradise Lost

Authors note- Well, here we are chapter four. Hope you enjoy this one everyone. Keep the reviews coming please! They are fantastic!

Conner froze as she stepped towards him, holding her sword over her head.

"Any last words ranger?"

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh…this is it! I'm gonna be killed by some dino freak, with nothing but Dino drones as company. There was so much I wanted to do with my life, and I'm gonna miss out on all of it…

Conner kept his mouth shut defiantly, refusing to give her the satisfaction of him begging for his life.

If I am going to die, I'll die like a ranger.

He straightened as much as he could in the Tyrannadrones grip.

She swung the sword back and began to move it towards him. Conner, in a desperate last ditch attempt to save himself struggled against the drones, but to no effect.

He closed his eyes, hoping that it would be over quickly.

"ELSA!" Zeltrax's voice echoed around the tiny room. "Mesagog wants him alive. That's the way he needs to stay."

Hardly daring to believe it Conner opened an eye. Elsa was frozen with her sword about 30cm from him.

He let out a breath he had been holding with an explosive sigh.

Elsa didn't speak to Zeltrax to argue, she was clearly weighing the options in her mind. Indescribable anger flashed in her eyes as she dropped her sword and stalked to the door.

"Once those friends of yours turn over their gems you will be mine red ranger. And nothing will save you then." With a farewell glare at Zeltrax she left the room, her footsteps echoing down the hall.

Zeltrax looked slightly relieved that she had gone. He turned to face Conner, who was breathing hard, struggling to believe that he was still alive.

"I wouldn't try that again. No one is worth defending if it means you anger Elsa." Zeltrax turned to the drones holding Conner. "You may take him back to his cell; the boy has much to think about."

I sure do! Thought Conner as he was dragged rather unceremoniously from the room, the two minions dumped him on the floor in his cell and left him there.

If possible it seemed colder in the cell then it had been when he had first awoken. The headache that had receded slightly was back full force after the whack he had received when the drones pulled him off Elsa.

It didn't matter how much pain he felt or how cold he was though. HE WAS ALIVE.

"I don't care how I do it." Conner said determinedly to himself, "but I am getting out of here. And I am going to tell Kira how I feel about her."

Because as he had been in the horrible place, the one where you know you are about to die and can do nothing to prevent it, he had realised that while most of his regrets centred around his family, and not seeing enough of the world his main one was that he had not yet told Kira just how much he cared for her.

And right now he didn't care if she ran a mile after he told her, just so long as she knew.

He smiled in spite of the situation. His timing had never really been that spot on, it would be just like him to make enormous romantic decisions while in a prison cell.

It felt good though. To have made that decision. He had known for a while that he had some strong feelings for Kira, but had been trying to pass them off as him being tired, or stressed, or desperate. Or all three.

But now he knew. If when he died that last thing he thought of before getting to Heaven was Kira he wanted her to know that.

Even if it meant she never spoke to him again.

Because Kira would never ever like him in that way…would she?

Ethan and Hayley had been working for almost two hours when Kira arrived back at the lab.

"I can't rest when I know he's in danger Hayley, you've gotta give me something to do or I'm gonna go crazy! PLEASE!"

Hayley smiled, Ethan had filled her in on what was happening as they tried to copy the portal that had captured Conner.

"I understand Kira why don't you just…"

The sound of the door to Dr O's house opening stopped her in mid sentence.

"Dr O's back!" Exclaimed Kira, racing upstairs. Dr Oliver was the most level headed of the group, having the most experience rangering, and he would be able to reassure them all.

He had obviously been on his way to rush to the lab because they all bumped into each other on the stairs.

Hayley gave him a quick fill in on what was happening as he grabbed a drink and took a seat.

"Dr O what are we gonna do about them wanting the gems for Conner?" asked Ethan as soon as he had sat down.

"How are we going replicating that portal Hayley?" Tommy asked her, trying to take in all the information.

She sounded dubious, like she didn't think going through the portal was a good idea. "At the moment we think we may have it almost perfect, but we won't be able to keep it open for long. We'd have to arrange a time to open another one, and hope that you could all get to the right place at the right time to jump back here. It's very risky. The people who go after Conner could be trapped there indefinitely if they miss that portal, we would have no idea what was happening because the communicators won't work in Mesagog's hideout."

"Hmmm. Let me think." Dr O said, closing his eyes and leaning back in the chair. True, he was a good leader, he had been since he was 16yrs old, but he had never liked putting other people's lives in danger.

"I think that it is safer to go in through the portal then handing over our gems."

He held up a hand to silence Hayley's objection and let him finish.

"But instead of just having one time for it to open the portal would be scheduled to open for one minute every half an hour. That way we can't get trapped."

"I don't like it Tommy." Hayley said, her tone suggesting she didn't just not like it, but hated it completely.

"It's the lesser of two evils" he reasoned. "We can't willingly give away our gems, its puts to many people in danger. And even if we did, it might not even help Conner. You can't trust evil. We at least have to try to save him before we consider a trade."

"I'm with Dr O, Hayley" Kira agreed. Although, it wasn't for the same reasons. If they waited until the specified for the trade and did nothing she would go crazy. She had to do something to save him, and even though it was dangerous this was the only way.

"Well, get ready then, I'll get ready to work the portal." She sighed rather dramatically and sat down at the computer, her fingers typing away.

The three rangers morphed, and prepared to enter the portal.

Ethan fought down the nerves he was feeling. They were going to go and save Conner, knock Elsa around a bit, and then leave. That was that. Simple and easy. He hoped.

Hayley opened the portal and Kira leapt through, closely followed by Ethan.

"We'll see you in half an hour." Dr Oliver said to Hayley, he smiled reassuringly, "we'll bring him back safe and sound." And with that he stepped through the portal into the unknown, his blaster held at the ready.

A/N- Review please! More should be here within a week or two.

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