Power Rangers Virtual Force Chapter 15: Closure, a power rangers fanfic

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them.

A/N: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers is and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD.

This is it, the final chapter. I hope all of you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

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Dr. Dana Mitchell glanced down at her clipboard intently, going over the readings from the tests she'd run… and they concerned her. In all her time as a doctor, in doing her test to heal people's wounds and contribute to the world, she'd never seen anything quite like it before. Jen and Patrick, the only two surviving Virtual rangers, were in front of her, each of them inside of long, slender tubes. The tubes themselves were filled with a clear, gelatinous type fluid; in each both of them seemed to be floating in. There were tubes and wires connected to them; including mouthpieces for them to breath normally and a smaller tube in their noses. The equipment gave off a faint humming sound, all the instruments beeping as they closely monitored the condition of the two surviving rangers.

In front of each of the tubes was a small screen. Dana walked over to the screen closest to Patrick's tube, comparing the readings on her clipboard to what the screen showed. She was, to say the very least, disheartened.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the doors to the medical lab slid open and Ethan walked in with a concerned look on his face. He immediately walked over to Dana, staring up at the two rangers.

"How are they doctor?" he asked calmly.

"There were only minor scrapes and bruises, they'll heal in a few days, but that isn't what concerns me. What has me worried is the levels of radiation they absorbed coming through that vortex while their ranger energy was at full output," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Let me show you something," she held the clipboard up so he could take a look at it. "This blue line represents the average human's life energy. Regardless to injury or age, this line remains constant. This red line represents ranger energy. You'll notice that it spikes from time to time, which is normal. Energy like that is in always in a state of flux, but that's to be expected when dealing with these type of power," she said.

"So what's the problem?"

"These are the ranger's energy readings right now," she said, motioning for him to look down at the screens in front of each tube.

Ethan paused, taking a moment to go over what he saw, then referred back to the clipboard. "I don't understand. On the paper there are two lines, but on the monitors there's only one long, purple line. Why is that?" he inquired.

"Their ranger energy has combined with their human lifeforce. This means that even without their morphers, they will be able to maintain their ranger powers. Jen will continue to control dark matter energy, and Patrick will still be able to control weather elements," she said.

"That's not a bad thing, they'll just have to learn to control their powers," he said calmly.

"I don't think you understand me. Ranger energy was never meant to combine with the human life force like this. The radiation coming from that energy is conflicting with their bodies. At this rate, the ranger energy will eventually overwhelm the life force, eliminating it," she said.

"You mean…"

"Yes, they're dying," Dana sighed.

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"So what will you do now?" Ms. Fairweather asked him.

Anthony took a moment to stare out the window of the Aqua Base. There was nothing but water as far as the eye could see, but there was still coming very calming about it. He leaned against the wall, folding his arms, letting out a sigh. "I-I don't know. I've spent so long trying to make sure the Dragon Dagger never fell into the wrong hands, trying to keep my family safe, but I don't know if there's a place for me in the world anymore. I've been so busy fighting demons that I've forgotten how to live," he said.

"I'm sure your wife misses you, and your daughter would love to have you in her life again," she said.

"Leaving them was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I hoped that by leaving, they would never be put in harms way, but my daughter still ended up as a ranger and my wife was possessed by demons. I failed them," he sighed.

"That's not true. You were instrumental in saving the world… the universe. I'd say you did well," she said. "I've been married for a long time now, and both my husband and I understand that there will always be things we need to do, but we'll always come back to each other," she paused. "I remember on our honeymoon he got called away on a mission. We didn't like it, but it was what he had to do. Even now he's sitting at home upset that I had to come back to the Base to help Ethan and the others, but he understood. Your wife will understand, and your daughter already does."

He sighed. "It's been over four months. Do you think they'd be willing to take me back so easily?"

"It won't be easy, and there will be things that all of you have to do to adjust, but you will adjust and you can be a family again," Ms. Fairweather told him.

Anthony walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you Angela, that's exactly what I needed to hear," he said.

"We have to do something for them Dana. We can't just let them die," Ethan sighed.

"There isn't anything I can do. The ranger energy will continue to bond with their life force, in essence joining with their DNA. It's so far gone now that I can't even separate the ranger from their life signs. Try to separate it would kill them instantly," she said.

"That can't be true. When I was a dino ranger, my dino gem combined with my DNA, but it was removed with no problems," he brought up.

"That was different. You summoned the power of the gem and expended it all. Your body no longer has power inside of it. In their case, they could have done the same, but doing through that vortex somehow warped the energy. Its all combined now, there is nothing to separate anymore," she said.

"There has to be something we can do," he complained.

"Actually, there is," a voice said.

The two of them turned around as the doors to the medical bay slid open and Dr. Kat Manx walked in. "In 2001 when SPD originally established a base of operations on Earth, we began experimenting with morpher technology. Some of our lead scientists were exposed to cellular enhancers for a prolonged period of time, and as result, the energy combined with their life-forces, much like what's happening now with your rangers," she told them.

"What did you do?"

"We gave each of them a neural temporal inhibitor. It's a chip embedded into the back of their necks to regulate the flow of ranger energy and prevent it from combining with their own life energy. In each case, they survived, but they're children suffered the side effects," she said.

"Side effects?"

She nodded. "Each child born exhibited special powers. One of them can replicate herself at will, another passes through solid objects, there's even one that can combine her DNA with any things she touches. None of them show any signs of trouble and will no doubt go on to lead normal, healthy lives, but their parents will have to keep the temporal inhibitor for the rest of their lives," Dr. Manx explained.

"Where do we get our hands on these inhibitors?" Ethan asked.

Dr. Manx reached in her lab pocket, pulling out two of them. "The technology may be a little beyond what you have currently, but it will work, and it will allow them to not only keep their ranger powers, but let them live normal lives if they choose to," she said.

Dana took one of the inhibitors, getting a good look at it. "This is nano technology. I've read about this, its more advanced that anything we've ever done here at Lightspeed, but if I know my nano-tech the way I think I do, it will work," she turned to one of the nurses. "Remove the rangers from their tubes and prep them for surgery ASAP. Also, get Hayley Stanton in here," she said.

"Right away ma'am," the nurse said, rushing away.

"I hope this works," Ethan sighed.

"What do you mean gone?" Carl snapped, kicking over equipment in one of the medical labs. "He can't be gone!"

"I'm sorry, but there wasn't anything we could do. Your brother made a choice, and knew what the consequences might be," Hayley explained.

"That's bull and you know it. He trusted you to find a way to save him, to bring him back. Now my brother is lost in some damn demon hell while the rest of the rangers are here living it up like heroes or something," he snapped.

"Only two of the rangers came back, and neither one of them are living it up. In fact, they're dying," she sighed.

Her statement was enough to make Carl pause. "Really?"

"Yes. If something is done for them soon, neither one of them will survive," she said.

"Good," he said in a devious tone.

"What?"

"You heard me. Good! What the hell makes them so special that they get to come back and my brother doesn't? Why aren't you people doing your best to go back for Jake and the others? You're all so concerned about the two who made it out, but what about the ones who didn't? Why aren't we all teary eyed about them?" he screamed.

"Going back to the demon dimension is out of the question at the moment. There are too many variables to consider. If we do it wrong, there's no telling who or what could come out of that vortex. Then, you also have to consider the possibility that all of them, including your brother, have been possessed by demons. If that is the case, there is nothing we can do for any of them," Hayley explained.

"So that's it, huh? Chalk'em up as a loss and be done with it? My brother risked his ass to save the world, and now you're going to write him off?" he yelled.

"We're all grateful for what your brother and the others did to save us, but putting the world at risk to go after them would only…" she was cut short.

"Would only what? Be fair? He got himself trapped there to save you, but now you won't put your own neck out there to help him? That's pathetic!" Carl snapped.

"I know how you feel, but…"

"No, you don't know how I feel. How could you? You didn't lose a brother, I did!"

She paused. "No, I didn't lose a brother. I lost a sister," she sighed.

Carl paused. "You what?"

"My sister, Jody Stanton, was one of the original rangers who went into the demon dimension to stop Demorielle and Thoron from ever being released. We kept it a secret from my father because we knew how'd he react, but I've been doing my best to find her ever since. That was almost five months ago, and every day I haven't given up searching for her. If there was a way to bring her back, I would. If I could go in there myself and save her, I would, but again, I have to consider the possibility that she's possessed by demons by now… or worse," Hayley sighed.

"I-I didn't know."

"No, you didn't. No one knows, except for Ms. Fairweather and Dr. Mitchell," she walked over to him. "Believe me when I tell you I will do my best to find your brother and my sister and bring them home, but be prepared for the worst. We may not ever see them again," she sighed.

"Do what you can," he paused. "I'm sorry about…"

"Don't worry about it, I understand," she told him.

Myriah sat in the mess hall in front of her food, but hadn't taken a bite at all. She instead stared out the window of the Aqua Base, contemplating her next move. There was no way to be sure how long ago she was possessed by demons, or how long ago her world had been destroyed, but she knew there was no going back. Everyone she loved was gone; everything they cherished in life had been destroyed. There was nothing left for her.

As an enchantress, she was meant to bring job into people's lives. She made people happy, so to put in a position to destroy those she intended to give pleasure bothered her to no end. She'd been violated by demons, made to perform unspeakable acts of violence and suffering, and now, she wasn't even sure if she deserved live.

"So much pain," she sighed inwardly.

Her thoughts were broken as someone walked over to her, sitting down across from her. "You're Myriah, right?" he asked.

She glanced up. "Yes."

"I'm Ryan Mitchell. My dad is the man in charge around here," he introduced.

"Nice to meet you," she sighed.

"I read the reports about you, I know what happened and what you did," he told her.

"Then you know I don't deserve to be here, to even live. I've caused too much pain, I've hurt too many people," she sighed.

"That's not true. You were possessed, it wasn't really you," he said.

"I was conscious of it all, aware of what I was doing. I couldn't stop it, but I had to witness it all," she told him.

"When I was a ranger, I turned on my friends. I attacked my friends and family, was tricked into working for the demons in the shadow world. I know what you're going through," he paused. "You don't have to blame yourself for what happened."

"Ryan, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you don't understand," she paused. "I didn't just turn on a friend, or betray my family; I am directly responsible for the destruction of my entire home world. Countless billions were killed by my hands, and those who weren't killed were so badly injured that they wouldn't have survived anyway. I am the last of my race because I killed them all Ryan," she said as a tear rolled down her face.

"Actually," he pulled a vanilla folder from under his jacket. "I had Ms. F do a little of research on your home world and I found something interesting," he said, sliding the folder to her.

Myriah glanced through the papers. "M-My world… wasn't destroyed?" she asked.

He shook his head. "There was a lot of damage and destruction, but the entire world was not destroyed," he said.

"How long ago was this?"

He paused. "It was a very long time ago Myriah. I'm afraid that anyone you may have known has already died of old age," he took a deep breath. "You were gone for over two hundred years," he told her.

"Oh my lord," she sighed.

"We've made arrangements for you to be taken back to your world. That is, if you want to go," he said.

"Go back?"

"I'm not saying it will be easy for you, but it is your world, and you can live out the rest of your life on your own planet," he said.

She stood up, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you Ryan!" she cried.

He opened his eyes slowly, only to find himself on an examining table of some kind. There was a huge light shining down on him, forcing his eyes to adjust to it. The examining table itself was cold and damp, and there were wires connected to his arm and chest.

"What the…" he tried to sit up, but there was a sharp pain in the back of his neck, forcing him to lay back down.

"Don't try to move, you need your rest," Dana told him.

"What happened?"

"Your ranger energy was… conflicting with your life energy. We had to implant a chip to prevent the ranger energy from overwhelming you and ultimately killing you," she told him.

"You mean I could have…" he paused. "Oh God, where is Jen?" he asked.

"She's fine, you're both fine. Right now, you just need to rest."

"What about the others? Were we able to…"

"No, there was nothing else we could do for them. I'm sorry," Dana said.

He sighed. "When can I get out of here?" he asked.

"Soon. Right now, just relax."

"It itches," Jen said as she reached back, scratching the spot where the chip had been implanted. "It feels like something crawling around in my neck."

"Actually, it is, in a way," Dr. Manx said. "The nano-probes will help to isolate your ranger energy from your life energy and separate them. You may feel an itching sensation for a few days, but it will pass," she said.

"So… I still have my ranger powers?"

"Yes, though I can separate them from your life energy, I can't remove them," she said.

Jen stuck out her hand, creating a sphere of dark energy. "Sweet," she said. "But wait, what about the others?"

"I am leaving the temporal enhancer here, and they're welcome to try to find a way back to the demon dimension, but even if they do, you can never go back yourself. Exposure to that kind of radiation again will short out will eventually kill you," she said.

"Rick and the others gave their lives to save us, the least we can do is…"

"What? Kill yourselves as a way of saying thanks? I'm sure Ethan and the others are working on a plan to find them and bring them home, but in the meantime, its time for you to go back to your normal life. You're a fourteen-year-old girl with your life ahead of you. Go live your life," she said.

"How can I live my life knowing it cost them theirs?"

"If the shoe were on the other foot, wouldn't you want them to?" Dr. Manx asked.

Jen sighed.

There were all types of debris scattered around the quarry, the aftermath of the battle that saved not only the world, but the known universe. There were shards of metal lying around; pieces of the zords that were damaged and beyond repair were left behind. The wind blew through the quarry, swirling dirt and dust through the air. When it finally settled down, and the clouds parted; and light shined down into the quarry.

A few of the rocks began to tremble, and eventually moved altogether and he sat up slowly, holding his head in pain. There was a throbbing pain in his head, and scars all over his body. He stood up slowly, glancing around the quarry, still confused as to what happened.

"W-Where am I?" he asked, wiping the dirt away from his eyes and mouth, trying to recall the events leading up to that moment.

But nothing…

Then, all of a sudden, a more pressing question came to mind as he stared off into the vast nothingness of the quarry. "Who am I?" he wondered.

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