'TIL I COLLAPSE - PART FOUR: DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME (PG-13)
SEQUEL TO: ORDINARY WORLD
SUMMARY: Anton Mercer has gone missing. The team raids the city to find him, but run into a spot of trouble. Can they find him before it's too late?
DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers is not mine, but these adventures are. Thank you for your stay. Please come again soon.
A/N: So, these new threats aren't gonna go away anytime soon, and they won't. I can't really say much except, read on and hope you like the tension and suspense.
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"I know I have not been one of most trustworthy people, but I hope you understand that I know the risks I am about to face. But I am only doing it for the betterment of mankind and for the sake of the team. Please, do not worry about me, I know what I am doing." -Eclyptyk Neo
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The team looked at each other briefly as Trent slumped over to catch his breath. It was clear that he had ran the whole way there and was exhausted. They had just found out that Anton had gone missing. But was it really true?
"Trent, are you sure?" Tommy asked as he helped the teen over to a chair.
Trent collapsed on the chair as he shook his head. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't have found my dad's phone sitting on the front step at my house."
"Maybe he just was in a rush and must have dropped it," Conner shrugged.
"Or he could have went out for a walk," Ethan made another suggestion.
"He never leaves home without it," Trent protested.
Kim had returned with a bottle of water for the teen as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find him, Trent." She turned to her former leader and husband waiting for his command.
Tommy let out a breath and nodded. "All right. The best thing I got is to retrace his steps. Figure out where Anton might have gone to and ask around. Conner and Ethan, check out the warehouse district. Kira and Trent, check out the house and the workplace. Kim and I'll check out the parks. He might just be hanging out for once."
"We'll keep a look out from here, Tommy," Hayley nodded. "Maybe we can pinpoint his location on the computer."
"And I could get a little more familiar with this computer work," Billy said with a light smile.
"Thanks, Hayley. Billy." Tommy nodded as the team filed out the forest entrance. "Keep us informed if you guys find anything."
The two rocket scientists confirmed they would and wished the team good luck on their search.
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Conner and Ethan were the first ones out of there as they raced toward the warehouse district. If there was strange activity, it was usually located in that area. Conner had floored the pedal hoping there could be answers there that could provide what they were looking for.
They came to a halt as Ethan jumped out of the car and raced into the abandoned district.
"I never really liked this place," Ethan shuddered as he recalled their many battles there. "It always gave me the creeps."
"Yeah, no kidding. All I gotta say is I hope we find something," Conner nodded as his eyes averted to the sky and rooftops.
They raced through the alleyway, keeping their eyes peeled on anything suspicious.
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Tommy had put the jeep in park and jumped out of it at the school. He figured the first and best place would be at school. Kim raced to his side as they stopped for a moment to catch their breath.
"Do you think Elsa would know anything?" Kim asked.
"I don't know," Tommy shrugged. "But anything is worth a try."
They headed into the building and toward the main office. Tommy didn't hesitate to knock on the door of Principal Santos' office. The door swung open moments later as the principal stood there.
"Tommy? Kim?" Elsa looked at them with confusion. "What are you doing here?"
"Have you seen Anton at all today?" Tommy asked with no hesitation.
Elsa shook her head as her face grew with concern. "No. What happened? Did something happen to him?"
Tommy and Kim exchanged a look before looking back at the authorative figure of Reefside High.
Tommy sighed and dropped his head for a moment. "We think he might have been abducted."
"What!" Elsa breathed. "You don't think it was those spiked- freaks that bombarded us earlier today?"
"It could have been. We're looking into it," Kim nodded knowing that was what Elsa wanted to know.
"Well, it's clear we got a neww threat on our hands. And w were hoping maybe you knew something about it," Tommy had replied.
Elsa shook her head in sadness. "I'm sorry, Tommy. I got nothing. What do you think they would want with him if they really did kidnap him?"
"Well, he was in fact, the most current evil being we had to deal with. It could be for the purpose of smuggling informationfrom him in hopes to be successful. But I know that Anton wouldn't do that," Tommy said hoping it would lighten the worried look on Anton's girlfriend's face.
"We'll find him. We got a lot of good people out there searching for him," Kim reassured her.
"I'm sorry I'm not much help to you guys at all," Elsa apologized with some sadness. Since her drain of power as an evil henchman, she had been left weak. She was no real good for the team considering she had been monitored by the school board. If she screwed up or hinted anything toward a threat she could kiss her position good-bye. It was clear they didn't want to risk losing another principal. She was merely getting used to life as a normal person, moving on from a painful past.
"No. Of course not," Tommy shook his head. "You have been more than enough help to us. We'll let you know if we find anything."
"Thank you, Tommy," she said quietly. "May the Power Protect You All."
Kim smiled lightly and reassured the young principal they would find Anton. Tommy had done the same as they said their goodbyes and headed out the door.
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Trent and Kira raced over to the Mercer homestead hoping to find any sign of Anton's disappearance. The first place they went to was his office, where most of his work had been done.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Kira asked as she began to scan the glass display of the scientist's achievements.
Trent was pulling desk drawers open hoping to find something hidden there. "Anything out of the ordinary."
Trent had tossed Kira a set of keys that would open the glass display as she carefully moved things aside hoping to find anything that could give them answers to where the scientist could have gone. Trent continued to dig through the drawers, finding piles of paper centered around the business and museum Anton was running. Nothing out of the ordinary.
"There's gotta be something here," Trent protested, getting more frustrated.
Kira tapped him on the shoulder bringing him back into reality. She looked into his eyes, seeing the worry, fear and anger running through them. "We've already torn this place apart. Maybe there could be something at the museum."
Trent sighed and nodded. "Yeah. C'mon, let's go."
Trent raced out the door with Kira following close behind. They had gotten into a white Mazada-6, a gift Anton had given to Trent, and drove off toward the museum.
Time passed. And they knew the longer they were without answers, the more time would be slipping away to find Anton.
Each of the teams had checked in with one another and found nothing that could help them in their search. They had to keep trying, but they were all almost out of options. They didn't knew where else to go.
Trent and Kira had arrived at the museum, racing over to the main desk. Jerome, one of the security guards, sat at the desk. He greeted the two with a gentle smile.
"Hey, Trent. What's up? What are you doing here?" Jerome asked.
"Did my dad ever stop by here at all today?" Trent asked as he caught his breath from the run.
"Um...lemme see," Jerome turned to the computer. He pushed a few keys, his face in deep thought. "Well, it appears he stopped in for a good 30 minutes to an hour."
"Did he say where he was going after that?" Trent asked.
"No. Sorry, Trent. Why? What's up?" Jerome asked with some concern.
"Well, I've been trying to reach him, and I have no means of it. He left his cell phone and pager at home, and I've already stopped by home," the teen in white replied.
"Well, that doesn't sound like him. Maybe for once he took my advise about turning everything off to just have a day to himself," the security guard shrugged.
"Do you think we could check out his office?" Kira asked cautiously.
"Sure. Why not?" Jerome shrugged as he handed over a key card.
The two teens thanked the security guard and raced for the elevator that would take them to Anton's office.
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Conner and Ethan were getting far too discouraged to even continue on with the search. But they knew they couldn't give up now.
"Maybe we should try on foot downtown," Ethan suggested. "I mean, Dr. O and Coach are checking out the business. Trent and Kira are over at the museum."
Conner sighed. "Let's just hope we find something there."
The car zoomed forward toward downtown Reefside. They got out of the car and began their search on foot. Time had passed slow, but when they heard screaming and people running in a nervous panic they knew something was up. They raced around the corner to find those cyborg-like soldiers terrorizing innocent civilians with their pistols.
"You know, about you saying you were hoping to find something, did it really have to be this?" Ethan sighed as they pushed themselves against the wall.
"Well, it's something, right?" Conner shrugged. "Ready?" He pulled up his wrist to watch his DT communicator change to his DT morpher.
"Ready!" Ethan followed suit.
But then a rain of debris fell over them as they dodged it. Two cyborgs had caught them, firing their laser pistols their way. Ethan went right, Conner went left.
And knowing they could not morph at that second, they had to defend themselves with just the luck of the draw. And it wouldn't be easy.
Ethan sprung into the air, flipping as he jumped over two cyborgs, side swiping one and pulling back to avoid the swing of the sharp spike of the other. He went into a backflip using the wall as a spring board to push the other down. Then another cyborg fired his pistol as Ethan pulled away seconds before it hit him. He felt the heat of the blasts trailing as he caught his breath for a second.
Conner had his own hands full as he blocked the shots from two of his aggressors. He had to pull back several times to avoid a blow from the sharp spikes protruding from his aggressors' elbows and knees. He pushed off the ground to send him flying over them as he sent a series of kicks and punches toward them. But it was not easy. These guys had armor-plated bodies that had much of his punching and kicks do little damage.
Then a new line of lasers rained down on the area as cyborgs hit the ground in pain. The two teens turned to see the black ATV racing their way, with a certain pink ninja and Black DT ranger aboard.
Tommy had used his brachio staff to clear the way while Kim manned the controls of the vehicle and lasers. They came to a halt beside the two exhausted teens as Tommy jumped off to join them.
"Looks like you guys could use a little help," Tommy said with a nod.
"Yeah, we could," Ethan said.
"These guys are tough," Conner nodded.
"Well, suit up. I'll see you on the other side," the black ranger instructed as he raced toward the army of cyborgs.
Kim nodded as she revved up the ATV and followed the black ranger into battle.
Conner pulled up his morpher as Ethan did the same.
"Dino thunder! Power up! Ha!" they said in unison.
And their respective color covered them and when it cleared they stood there in their ranger suits, weapons draw and ready for battle.
"Tyranno Power," Conner breathed as he felt the surge of energy and protection cover his body.
"Tricera Power," Ethan stated as he felt a new line of energy run through him.
They turned and joined their comrades in battle, hoping the fight would go over much easier.
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Trent and Kira didn't hesitate once they got into the office. They knew they had to work quickly. Trent began to pull down pictures, knocking on the wall hoping to find a secret vault there. Kira raced over to the desk, pulling drawers open. All she could find was more paper work that couldn't possibly give them what they were looking for.
Trent found nothing on the walls as he jumped into the executive chair and fired up the computer. "Maybe there is something on the computer."
"You can get access?" Kira leaned over to look at the screen.
"I have as much right to get into these files as he does. I am after all, the guy who will be running all this when he decides to retire," Trent breathed as he pushed a few keys.
"Access granted. Welcome back, Trent," the computer chimed.
Trent began to push a few more keys as it began to bring up sales made by Anton Mercer Industries. He knew his father had sold multiple items that were well beyond technology most people knew about. They could be used for multiple reasons, and he hoped maybe a big sale could indicate something.
Then the familiar chime of their DT communicators came on. They looked at each other as Kira pulled hers up.
"Yeah, go ahead," she replied.
"There's an attack downtown, guys. The others need your help," Hayley instructed.
"We're on it, Hayley," Trent confirmed.
"Ready!" Kira pulled her morpher into position. "Dino Thunder! Power Up! Ha!"
"White Ranger! Dino Power!" Trent announced as he followed suit.
Then their own respective color covered them and when it cleared they stood there in their ranger suits, prepared and ready to go.
"It's been awhile," Trent sighed as he flexed his arms. He knew as much as the other DT Rangers that being in suit hadn't come to them for nearly two months now, and it was hard to imagine they were in it again.
"Yeah, but we should have known it would come up soon," Kira said.
They turned and raced out of there to help their friends.
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Tommy had released an energy orb from his brachio staff as the team fell behind him to catch their breaths. He knew they were growing tired, and especially Kim. She was limited not only by the powers she had, but she was two months pregnant. And even that could do wonders.
A few of the cyborgs hit the ground as others fell back slowly. But they weren't ready to retreat as much as they appeared.
"Don't these guys ever know when to quit?" Conner growled as he grabbed his arm. He had received an aching attack from one of the spikes.
"Hang in there, guys," Tommy instructed. "They may be tough, but they're still at a disadvantage."
"Which is?" Ethan said.
"Like Kira said. They move slower. They aren't as agile as us. Those armored suits slow them down," Kim said as she leaned onto the handlebars of the ATV.
It fell silent as each side waited for the other to make a move. But no one could tell where it would lead to and which would advance against the other. It was evident no facial expressions could be seen by anyone.
Then they heard two more engines roar to life as a white ATV and a yellow raptor cycle came into view, laser fire sprinkled out on their enemies as they fell back. The two vehicles came to a halt beside their comrades as they jumped off to meet the DT rangers lined up for action.
"I was wondering when the two of you would get here," Conner said.
"Better late then never," Trent replied.
"Did you guys find anything?" Tommy turned to look at his young teammates.
"Sorry, Dr. O," Kira shook her head. "We didn't."
"So, why don't we send these guys back to where they belong?" Ethan asked as he fell into a defensive stance.
"I'm down for it. Just like old times," Kira nodded.
They raced forward getting ready for another battle.
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Hours ago.
Anton Mercer had just finished some work at the museum and at the corporate building before turning it in and calling it a day. As early as it was in the afternoon, 2:00 p.m., he needed a break. He had been working hours upon hours on his research and maintaining good numbers for his business.
He got out of the car and headed for the door, fiddling with his keys as he searched for the one he needed to get into the house. He stuck the key into the holder, when he had felt a cool breeze run down his back. He shuddered as he peered over his shoulder.
A line of cyborg soldiers stood there, pistols drawn and pointed toward him from several directions. If he thought about bailing, he wouldn't be getting anywhere. And it wouldn't do much good to race into the house when they'd just go after him. He caught his breath as he turned to face them.
One of the soldiers barked out orders in a dialect of a robot, but not understood. Two soldiers moved toward the scientist as he raced to pull out his phone, in hopes to contact someone. But he didn't get far as they jumped him, pushing him against the wall.
Anton tried to push them back, but their armor had given them the added push they needed to keep him against the wall. He was pinned in place as he tried to fight his way out of it.
"What do you want with me?" Anton growled.
The lead soldier barked out a new set of commands as another soldier stepped toward the scientist. He pulled up his gun and fired a stun blast toward the unarmed civilian.
Anton felt his world shut around him. His grip on the phone loosened as his eyes grew heavy and dark. His body fell limp and he closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber and he hit the ground.
When he had awoken, he found himself strapped to a chair in a dimmed room. He could smell the musky metal in the air making his head spin.
"Where am I? What's going on?" he asked himself quietly.
Then a screen in front of him appeared, revealing the recent battle with the DT rangers and the same cyborgs that had captured him. He heard footsteps from beyond the shadows of the room. He let out a breath as he watched the rangers, his friends and son, do battle with the cyborgs. They were growing tired and it was showing in the way they were fighting. They wouldn't last any longer.
Then another cold chill ran down his back as the footsteps grew louder and a figure with a short-snout approached him. He couldn't really make out the figure, but it could just as easily pass as a dinosaur in a robotic suit.
Anton knew he had to be strong as he fidgeted through the chair trying to break free. But he wasn't going anywhere.
"He is the one, my master," the dino-cyborg announced.
Another figure emerged from the shadows. The Vader-like figure approached the man strapped to the chair, bowing slowly.
"So good for you to join us, Anton," the spiked-Vader-like figure announced.
"You know who I am," Anton breathed slightly shaken.
"But of course. I am Mindshatter, and there are many allies we can rely on. And many we would like to question for their place in this battle," the figure replied as he circled around the scientist strapped to the chair. "You were once Mesogog, a dino-faced menace who wanted to bring Earth back into the era of the dinosaurs?"
Anton let out a frightened breath. He could not believe this guy knew about his painful past and they had only met in a matter of minutes. But, he felt like a needle was driven into his brain, prying him of information. He shook his head trying to think of something to say. "What do you want from me?"
Mindshatter turned to the screen as he watched the colored warriors battle his army of cyborg soldiers. "They will be a bother to me. There is a weakness in them, and you have it in that mind of yours. But I can't seem to find it."
Anton shook his head. "You won't win against them. They'll destroy you just as they did to Mesogog."
"You are still Mesogog, are you not? Somewhere in that mind of yours he still remains. And if I can pry it out, I will find their weakness," Mindshatter growled as he glared at the scientist.
"I'd rather die before you ever get what information you need to destroy the rangers," Anton said firmly.
"A contender. I credit you, Anton," Mindshatter bowed. "But you have no idea what you're about to face."
"And neither are you. The Power Rangers have never lost the war against evil," Anton said simply.
Mindshatter chuckled, if it was a chuckle, and turned away. He turned to his trustee evil henchman and signaled him to go into battle. "Dinoshade, see to it the Rangers will know exactly what they are going up against. I will deal with him." He looked back at the scientist.
Anton fought to loosen the straps, but they didn't budge.
The dinosaur-like cyborg bowed low. "Yes, Master." He turned and left the room.
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The DT Rangers were continuing to do battle with the army of cyborgs. They were growing tired, and with the limited power they had felt run through them, they wouldn't last any longer.
Tommy had forced Kim to take cover, not wanting to risk her life as much as the others. But, she was the only one whose powers couldn't do much if she were to take up any huge damage. She had stayed hidden beyond the corner of one of the buildings, watching helpless as her friends and husband did battle with the army.
Trent came crashing to the ground as his ATV zoomed out of control. He groaned as he slowly got to his feet. But Ethan wasn't too far behind as he came crashing down on him.
"Don't these guys ever know when to quit?" Ethan breathed as he ran his gloved hand over the damage on his suit.
"Hang in there, Ethan," Trent helped him to his feet. "We may have not been in battle for a few months, but we gotta send them on their way."
Kira had found a weakness in sending them to malfunction with her ptera scream. But even she was running out of energy to keep it up. It made her moves much slower and less effective, and if she had used up anymore, it would force her to de-morph.
Conner had raced into the army, using his super speed to do as much damage as possible with his tyranno staff. He swung with might sending many to the ground, but two more opened fire on him and fired. He cried out in pain as he fell to the ground.
"Conner!" Tommy called out as he pushed a cyborg to the ground. He raced forward, staff drawn and ready for battle, but then another figure appeared in front of him like a shadow. He halted for a moment to meet the glaring red eyes of the dino-like being he had seen earlier in the day.
The team assembled behind the black ranger, weapons drawn and waiting.
"I am Dinoshade," the huge cyborg announced. "And Power Rangers of Earth, you have met your match."
"I don't think so," Tommy growled as he called on an energy orb and launched it toward the cyborg.
Dinoshade let out a growl as he caught the blow, absorbed the energy and used it almost like a fuel to turn on a set of hidden laser guns in his arms. He aimed and fired at the rangers. They took a step back slightly confused. And then each of them took the blast dead on as they groaned in pain and hit the ground hard.
The power of the blow had them drained, and they could no longer control their ranger powers. They demorphed, glued to the ground in pain.
The cyborgs assembled behind Dinoshade as he looked down on the weakened humans. He sneered with delight.
"You have been warned, Rangers," Dinoshade announced. "Step down or you'll be destroyed. For good!"
He turned and melted into the shadow below him. The army of cyborgs pulled their pistols into the upright position and extended their hands to the sky as a bright blue light shined over them and they were gone.
The rangers groaned quietly as they slowly peeled themselves off the ground. Kim raced from her hiding spot to pull her husband close as he let out a painful breath as their lips locked. She questioned if he was okay, and he reassured her he was fine with a kiss to her forehead.
"I'm okay, Kim. I swear. I'm a tough guy," Tommy breathed quietly.
"Deja vu all over again, Dr. O," Ethan sighed.
"Man, those guys are tough," Conner growled, not liking that fact their first battle in so long had been a loss.
"You guys okay?" Kim looked at the teens.
Their heads were hung low, evident that they didn't like their first battle being handed to them on a silver plate. They nodded slowly.
"This could be our biggest battle yet," Tommy nodded toward the teens. "Be strong."
"I don't know, Dr. Oliver," Kira shook her head. "If they took Dr. Mercer, who knows what they could do."
The team had looked over at Trent, who seemed the most hurt, both physically and mentally by the battle. He took a step back, trying to push back his anger and tears for the failure. The science teacher walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll find him, Trent," Tommy said quietly. "Whatever it takes, we'll find him." Then their dino communicators chimed as Tommy pulled it up. "What's up, Hayley?"
"You guys better get back here. We got something to show you," Hayley said.
The team looked at each other and raced back toward the lab.
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The team had raced through the caves back to the underground lab out of breath and curious as they came to a halt in the center of the lab.
Tommy raced over to the main computer where the two rocket scientists were analyzing something. "What did you find?"
"A message from Anton," Hayley said simply.
Trent pushed his way toward the computer out of breath eager to see what it was. "What'd he say?"
Billy pushed a button to play back a message. The rest of the team assembled behind the others waiting to see what the message was.
It was a dark room. Anton had stood there, sweat running down his face, his suit was torn. Something was wrapped around his head like a headband, a set of metal bracelets were wrapped on his wrists. "Rangers, if you get this message, please, don't look for me," he said slowly between the pain running through his body. "Mindshatter is searching for a weakness in you. I will do whatever I can to stop him, but don't come after me.
I am taking a huge risk, and I know what I'm about to face.
Please, don't worry about me, especially you, Trent..."
Then the message took on static and the screen went blank. Trent felt the pain and rage run through his body as the room fell silent.
"That's all we got. The signal was lost and we can't seem to find where it came from," Billy said simply.
"Thanks, Billy," Tommy patted the original blue ranger's shoulder. He looked back at the teen in white, seeing the hurt in his eyes.
Kira had nudged Trent bringing him back into reality. "We'll get him back."
Trent dropped his head for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I hope you're right. But I need to be alone for awhile."
The teen in white turned and headed for the exit. The team watched him leave as they looked toward their mentor for advise.
"Is he gonna be okay, Dr. O?" Kira asked.
"Trent is tough," Tommy said quietly. "He just needs to keep his head high. You all need to. I know this battle took a lot out of you guys, but hang in there. A ranger never gives up, remember that."
"Man, that Mindshatter guy has really pushed my buttons," Conner sighed. "And we haven't even gone through a whole day since we met him."
"No kidding," Ethan shook his head. "Especially those guys with the huge pistols."
"Well, I think we should all call it in. Sleep is the best thing any of us could be rewarded after all that's happened," Tommy instructed as Kim walked over to him.
The teens knew he was right. They were exhausted and they had to get home to avoid being confronted about being late for dinner. They said good-bye and headed for the exit.
"What about the two of you?" Tommy asked as moved toward the stairs.
"Tommy, let them work," Kim pulled him up the stairs. "You know they're too determined to find a solution to this to call it a day."
"Yeah, what she said," Billy said simply, not looking up from his work.
"Just give us a few more hours, Tommy. I'm sure we'll find something," Hayley nodded.
Tommy sighed and nodded slowly. "All right. But just a few hours. I don't want you guys to run yourself down. We need you guys to be just as rested up as the rest of us. We'll be upstairs if you find anything."
"Thanks, Tom," Billy saluted.
The couple moved up the stairs to leave the two rocket scientists alone to their work. Despite, the recent loss of the team, a lighter side had Tommy and Kim ponder what kind of relationship Hayley and Billy would be forming. As long as Billy was stuck on Earth, he would be a great asset to the team.
to be continued...
A/N: Whoo. That was long. I know, I'm sorry. But a lot has happened. Fair warning, the teens will be referring to Kim as 'Coach' more and more. The romance between Anton and Elsa will be put on hold. I am hoping to aim this story more toward the teens. Anyways, Anton is now captured by Mindshatter and you'll be surprise to see how that turns out. Trent is feeling the loss of his father and the team as a whole lost their first battle after two months of not being in suit. Have they met their match? And what does everyone think about a little romance going on with Billy and Hayley? It could be a little outdated, but may not happen. Only the future will tell. And how does everyone feel about an epic battle with rangers from the past joining the DT Rangers in the future? Hit me up with suggestions and I'll see you next chapter. May the Powers Always Protect You.