A couple of hours later and Ris and Eva were sneaking out of her house. "Okay, how're we supposed to find this Dayton guy?" Ris asked as they walked down the street.

"I have no clue," Eva said. "This was your idea."

"If you wish to find me," said a familiar voice behind them. "Then all you have to do is call."

They whirled round, too see him standing in the light cast by a lamp post. Eva glared at him. "Can you not do that? It's way too creepy."

"Forgive me," he said, though he raised a brow. "What was it you wished to call me for?"

"We want answers, and the lowdown on that creep we're fighting and just why were fighting him." Eva replied.

"Not that the fact he knocked my parents isn't a good reason," Ris added.

"Lowdown?" Dayton said instead, looking puzzled.

"Oh. Um…it means, know about." Eva said, stumbling over her words. Just what kind of guy didn't know what 'lowdown' meant?"

"Ah yes. Of course. But first, we must call the others."

"Others?" Eva asked.

"Yes." He turned to Ris. "I believe you prefer to call them your 'honorary' cousins?"

Ris's eyes widened. "You mean that they're going to be Power Rangers as well?" When he nodded, a wide smile cut across her face. "Way out! I don't believe this!"

"Ris." Eva tried to get her back on track. "We have to call David and others. Who lives the nearest to you."

"Oh," she waved a hand. "We don't need to do that."

"We don't."

"Nah. We've got a system."

"This," Eva said, raising her eyebrows. "Is your system?"

"Yeah." Cheerfully, Ris continued crawling around the empty lot a few blocks from her house. "Jeanie and Trev set it up. It's actually quite simple, but it seemed mind boggling to the rest of us back then. Course, we were only eight…now, if I could just find it – ah-hah!" With a wide grin, she found whatever she was looking for and tugged it. Almost at one, Eva saw a string appear from where it was lodged in the ground. "That string's connected to more, and they're all spread out and go into our rooms. They pull little bells – quite, but annoying, according to Jeanie," Ris continued to explain the system to Eva as she pulled the string.

"How long're you going to keep doing that?" Eva asked, hands tucked in her front pockets.

"Until they all get here," she replied with a wide grin. "Sometimes I have to pull for half an hour – it takes forever to wake Jay."

Eva sat and waited while Ris, tirelessly it seemed, continued pulling the string until they heard running feet. Turning, they saw Trev, dressed in a green t-shirt and boxer shorts. "Hey Ris." He blinked in surprise. "Eva. Hi. What's up?"

"Not until everyone gets here," Eva said.

"Hi Trev," Ris said in a bright voice, as if it wasn't three in the morning and her arm wasn't aching from continually pulling on the string.

"This had better be good," Jay began as he jogged up, only to trail off as soon as he saw Eva. "Hi," he said awkwardly.

"Hi," she replied. The two boys looked nervously at each other before taking seats on the ground next to them.

A few minutes later, David arrived with Jeanie. "Sorry we took so long," he said, helping Jeanie sit down. "I had to help Jeanie."

"How're the scratches?" Trev asked worriedly as Ris tried to rub some life back into her arm.

David looked at Eva in sharp surprise. "Hi," he said, his voice short.

She nodded at him and stood up, brushing off her jeans. "Dayton," she called. "You can come out now!"

"What?" Trev looked around. "Who're you talking to?"

"Dayton," Ris said in a 'no duh' sort of voice.

"We got that," Jay said. "Who's Dayton and were is he."

"I am here."

Eva felt some sort of grim satisfaction when all but Ris jumped and looked around wildly. Dayton stepped in the light of the torchlight David had thought to bring. They stared at him with wide eyes. "Okay," Jeanie said. "I've just seen a Greek god. Now I can die happy."

He blinked. "I apologize for startling you. I am Dayton."

The guys sprang to their feet and took their place in front of the girls. "Who're you?" Jay demanded.

"Okay, idiots," Jeanie said in a sharp voice. "Think. Eva called him. Ris isn't freaking. They know him. Now get your testosterone under control and let me see!" She pushed the legs in front of her.

With a yelp, Trev fell into David, who fell in Jay, and, in doing so, they managed to end up in a tangle pile in front of the girls. Eva snorted, Jeanie smirked and Ris just out right laughed.

While they began the painfully slow process of separating limbs, Dayton watched with interest. "Okay, now that the boys have finished making fools of themselves, what're we here for?" Jeanie asked at length.

"I think all this will be easier if Eva and Marissa simply showed you."

Eva looked at Ris, who flipped to her feet. "Ready?"

"Ready."

They bent their arms across their chest, and lights flashed before their morphers appeared.

"Griffin Rider, Ranger Form!"

"Phoenix Rider, Ranger Form!"

Jeanie, Trev, Jay and David stared in amazement as their honorary cousin and their new friend transformed into the spandex like costumed heroes that had once protected their city – with major differences. Jeanie made a strangled noise deep within her throat, Trev's mouth simply dropped open, Jay's eyes widened until they bugged out of their sockets and David looked like he'd just been hit with lightening.

"Whoa…" that was let out by Jay, and was the most coherent statement any could make.

"How…?" Jeanie turned to look at Dayton.

"When…?" Trev asked.

"Take these." He held out his hands and in them appeared four bracelets, each lined with different colors. "Take the colors that most call you."

Without hesitation, David took the one lined with red. Jay took black, Trev took green and Jeanie took pink. Meanwhile, Ris and Eva powered down and Ris flashed them a trademark Brooks' isn't-this-so-way-cool grin. "Well? What d'you think."

"I cannot believe this is happening," Jay said, staring at the bracelet he'd just put on his wrist.

"You will harness the powers of the spirits of creatures they now call mythological. David, you are the Dragon, noble and fiercely protective of his friends. Eva, you are the Griffin, independent and strong. James, you are the Minotaur, quiet, but with a will of iron. Trevor, you are the Centaur, courageous and proud. Marissa, you are the Phoenix, wild and hope-bringer. And Jeanie, you are the Unicorn, patient and kind to all."

At that, Jay bit back a snort and even Eva felt her lips tug up. "Patient?" Trev repeated in a disbelieving voice. "Kind?"

"Hey! I am patient," Jeanie said, then winced. Her outburst had pulled at the scratches in her belly.

Immediately concerned, Dayton dropped to his knees. "What is the matter?"

"When those freaky orange things attacked us, one of them managed to scratch me," she said, then slapped his hands when he pushed at her top. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I may be able to heal you," he replied.

"Hold up," Trev snapped. "Who are you anyway?"

"Exactly." David added, focusing hot brown eyes on him. "Okay, we're supposed to be Power Rangers. I get that. I don't know why, but I do. But who are you?"

"I am Dayton. I was once a warrior, like you, when these so-called mythological creatures walked the earth. I was their friend and guardian. They protected the earth, and I them. At that time, the thing you called magic flowed everywhere. We called it diren and it was what the creatures controlled. What you now control."

"Wait. We can do magic?"

When Dayton nodded, Ris couldn't have looked more thrilled. "All right!"

"Uh Ris…" David grabbed her before she could start bouncing around the lot. "Focus." He turned his attention back to Dayton. "What happened to them? And you?"

"Pleance. And his master, Gregon."

"You're telling us this Pleance dude has a master?!" Eva gaped at him.

"Yes. And Gregon is far stronger that Pleance."

"Great." Eva crossed her arms over her chest. "Great."

"Got something to tell the class Eva?" Jay looked at her.

"Later." She sighed and shoved a hand through her hair, then waved it at Dayton. "Go on."

"Pleance wreaked havoc on the earth. He – upon his master's orders – created chaos where ever he could. And, because it was their duty, my charges went to stop him." He closed his eyes, as if he could see the memory. "The battle was…long. And difficult. In the end, Gregon was destroyed and Pleance imprisoned in another dimension. But my charges were hurt. I tried to heal them, but they died all the same. All but the Phoenix, who, with a power of resurrection, rose once more to tell me of prophecy. Pleance would rise again, and they would be needed. But to destroy him once and for all, they would need the help of four humans." He opened his eyes and his gaze burned into theirs. "I was charged with that task, and set to eternal sleep until they were needed. I was awakened when Pleance returned once more to this dimension."

"Okay. Hold up." Trev held up his hand as he tried to assimilate all the information. "So this Pleance dude killed these creatures; Minotaur, Centaur, Griffin, Dragon, Unicorn and Phoenix, but they managed to imprison him and destroy his master. And now he's back and he wants revenge."

"Yes, I think that is the crux of it."

"What happened to the Phoenix?"

Dayton looked aggrieved. "After it told me the prophecy, and charmed me to sleep, it was so weakened that it…passed away. And had no more power to once more resurrect itself."

"And now…we're them?"

"No." Dayton shook his head. "You can control their powers. Essentially, you are connected to their spirits."

"What I don't get is why this…Pleance, right? What I don't get is why he went after Ris," David said.

"Marissa is the Phoenix. From her birth, she has been connected to its spirit and, because she is, she has some of its power. This is the same for all of you. But, in Marissa, she has the power of resurrection. Without her Ranger powers, she cannot tap into it, but Pleance did not know that. He wished to take her so he could force her to bring his master to life."

"Oh man." All the blood drained out of Ris's face. "Oh man." She repeated.

Jay put his hand on her shoulder and Trev crouched down so he was at face level with her. "Hey," David murmured, stroking her hair. "Don't worry. There's no way we'll let him get you."

"No way," Jeanie echoed, and took her cousin's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"I wouldn't be so rash to make such promises."

At the sound of that voice, they all turned their heads to stare at the darkly handsome man. "Pleance." David snarled the word, sure without a doubt this was the man.

He smiled – no, it was more of a sneer, really. "Dayton has taught you well. Let us see if he's taught you to fight. Frissons!"

Again, out came the orange foot soldiers, but this time, they were lead by a creature that looked like a cross between an alligator and a bear. Ris was torn between decided when the long snout with its painfully sharp teeth, or the huge paws topped by glinting claws looked more dangerous. "How do you like my creation?" Pleance's sneer widened to reveal those fangs. "I call him Allitron."

They stood, ranging themselves so David was in the middle. "Nice name." Jay sneered. "Couldn't think of anything more original?"

"I don't need any more originality. His fighting will speak enough."

"We'll see about that," David muttered. "Ready?!"

"Ready!" They called back, arms bending across their chests, lights flashing as their morphers appeared.

"Dragon Rider, Ranger Form!"

"Griffin Rider, ranger Form!"

"Unicorn Rider, Ranger Form!"

"Phoenix Rider, Ranger Form!"

"Minotaur Rider, Ranger Form!"

"Centaur Rider, Ranger Form!"

Dazzling lights of various colors – red, blue, pink, yellow, green and black – hid the teens from sight for a moment. When they cleared, six rangers stood in their place, each with the head of their creature across their chest. "Hmmph. Attack," Pleance said it almost lazily, then stepped back to watch the action.