Rain assaulted the city voted, most likely to see a monster attack, and soon to be host to a brand new battle.
Much of Angel Grove was still undergoing major repairs from the latest catastrophe, and the air was thick with static over the empty lot where a building had been leveled by a Megazord battle.
A portal opened up; dropping a figure that fell into a puddle of mud, splashing it onto his clothes and across his bloody face.
But there was no time to care, he needed to run before they found him.
Kira couldn't help but smile as she left the Dojo, one of the few places that offered a hefty discount to all former Rangers. She'd just finished having a few drinks with Xander. While he had stayed to catch up with the DJ, apparently a close friend of his. Kira's bed beckoned to her from across the city so she couldn't afford to wait.
She spotted her Uber but before she could step inside she was confronted by something that felt akin to a slap to the face.
He came running, dirt and mud-caked his clothes. A large cut leaked blood down his face and his breath was raspy and shallow.
It was impossible, but it was him.
"Are you Kira Ford?" His words felt like a punch to the gut, like a red hot knife plunged into her stomach and twisted.
"I-uh," Images flashed, so vivid and strong they felt real. Like she was there again, staring at his dying face… "Trent?"
"They're after me," Trent breathed. "I need your help."
Alice Skullovich was one of her master's most highly trusted warriors. From a young age, she'd had her master's teachings engraved in her mind. She'd been raised to be a soldier.
So when she was notified about the call by the small monitor built into the wall of her room she didn't twice before answering.
"Yes, Ma'am?" Alice asked intuitively.
"I believe you'll have to put your quest for the Energems on hold."
Alice frowned, "Do you need me home?"
"No." The voice said simply. "A target of interest has managed to travel from our dimension. I need them eliminated."
Alice nodded, but she sensed that something was wrong. "Am I to inform Maria of this?"
"No. Under no circumstances is she to know. The target would be a… conflict of interest."
A thin smile formed on Alice's lips. "Don't tell me it's-"
"You know exactly who it is," she snapped. "I need him eliminated and his artifact extracted. Bring Scorpio but leave Maria out of it."
Alice nodded, a part of her felt guilty betraying her childhood mentor in such a way. But her master had good reason and this would only help Maria in the long run.
Kira brought Trent into her house and sat him down in her kitchen. He seemed to possess enhanced healing and his bleeding face had already stopped and was beginning to close.
She looked at him again and felt a cold electricity shoot through her stomach.
"So, who are you?" She asked the man.
"You already know," he said. "I'm Trent."
I'm Trent… she looked hard at the man before her. The face was perfect, only aged appropriately. His hair was cut short but it only seemed to enhance the more mature and angular structure of his face.
"Okay, okay," Kira said and steadied herself by the back of the other chair. Her legs felt like jello. "What happened to you?"
"I was being chased," he breathed. "They wanted this," he opened his hand and revealed a palm-sized gem. Most of the gem was clear but Kira could see four colors floating inside, red, blue, yellow, and black.
Somehow she didn't have to guess what she was looking at.
"It's like a… super dino gem," Kira observed. She could feel the power rolling steadily off of it, almost like a heat.
"I was told to find you," he said, "Because you could bring me to Tommy Oliver."
"Well they weren't wrong," Kira muttered.
"Why are you staring at me so hard?" Trent asked.
Kira sighed and grabbed her phone. "It's a long story." She then clicked on Dr.O's name in her contacts. But went straight to voicemail. "Damn him and his old man tendencies…"
"What do you mean?" Trent asked.
"I mean we might have to wait until morning to hear from him."
"We don't have until morning," Trent said with a paling face. "It's only a matter of time before they find me."
"Who finds you?" Kira asked him.
"The Witch or her goons," Trent breathed.
Kira nodded darkly, she might not know exactly what he was talking about but she'd been a Ranger long enough to get the gist.
"Alright," Kira said. "He only lives a few blocks away so we'll just have to wake him up."
Kira threw her jacket on, then looked at Trent. Still bloody and covered in dirt. "Go to the bathroom and get cleaned up a little. People might get concerned if they see you all bloody. Not much we can do about your clothes though."
Trent nodded and headed towards her bathroom. Once he was out of sight and the isolation settled over Kira she exhaled and she sat in the empty chair. Her head fell into her arms resting on the table and she began to sob.
Being a Ranger as long as she had should've prepared her for moments like this, but maybe nothing could.
After all, she'd spent almost two decades thinking she'd never see him again.
Sometimes at night, when the only thing that would put her to sleep was several pills she'd have dreams about him. About what he might look like, what he might have done with his life if it hadn't been torn away from him.
She never expected he'd be running towards her.
Of course, this wasn't him exactly, it was the version of him from that horrible world. The one where Dr.O was evil and the world was ruled by a monster…
But he still looked like Trent, sounded like Trent, and broke it her heart to see him.
He stepped out of the bathroom moments later. Without the grime covering his face he looked less like Trent and that was a relief to Kira.
But it stirred something else inside of her, something that had sat undisturbed since the Battle of Reefside.
"Let's go then," Kira said, shaking her head.
The two stepped out into the night, the cool air was sobering to Kira, and it helped clear her head of the lingering feelings.
The two walked down the relatively undamaged streets, the last battle had been brutal but her area had been spared mostly.
"It looks so peaceful," Trent marveled at the buildings and the street lights, all covered in a blanket of midnight calmness.
"Isn't your world too?" Kira asked, "We freed you from Lord Zedd and beat Drakkon."
"It was for a while," Trent said, "We even built New Angel Grove, but everything was thrown into chaos when the Witch arrived." For a moment he grew quiet then drew something from his side, a cracked and battle-worn Power Morpher. "Her army of monsters was relentless, it took everything we had. Several of our own Rangers fell in battle protecting the one place that stood as a testament to our strength. I was given this morpher the one that belonged to the original Red Ranger because we're running out of options. That's why we need the help of Tommy Oliver again."
"It seems that everybody does nowadays," Kira replied.
"Only because you're all too pathetic to handle things yourselves."
Kira struck a defensive stance as a pink-haired girl she'd never seen before appeared, accompanying her was a smug face she certainly recognized at this point.
"I should've figured you'd show up eventually," She said to Scorpio, son of Scorpina. "But I don't know your friend."
"Alice…" Trent breathed.
"That's right," The girl said with a smirk. "And it breaks my heart to say this. Trenty, but our Master wants you dead."
She drew a power morpher of her own and transformed into something that resembled the original Pink Ranger. Only her suit was white, with black diamonds along her legs, a tattered cape, and a shield that sent even more unpleasant memories through Kira's mind.
Kira raised her morpher and transformed into her armor right as the White Ranger raised her bladed bow and aimed through her crimson visor.
Trent raised his Power Morpher and morphed into the O.G Red Ranger, deflecting the yellow arrow that flew towards Kira with a burst of sparks and raw energy.
Scorpio sprang forward next, transforming into his monstrous scorpion form, but Kira managed to knock him back with her Ptera Grips.
"We don't have to keep fighting," Trent said, "If you just let me explain."
"Traitor's get no explanations," Alice replied, "Just shallow graves."
"Traitor?" Kira asked the Red Ranger.
"It's complicated," Trent replied, he turned to Kira to say more but his words were halted when Scorpio's stinger flew inches from him. Thankfully Trent ducked just in time for it to fly over his head.
Kira rushed to help him, but the moment she took her eyes off of Alice the White Ranger drew her bow and fired an arrow that splashed against Kira's side. Pain spread from the impact and she fell to the ground.
Kira could've sworn it took more than that to take her down.
"Kira!" Trent exclaimed. He swung his Power Sword into Scorpio and turned towards the fallen Ranger.
Alice was already priming another attack, this time aimed at Trent.
But as the arrow flew the Dino Gem in Trent's possession began to glow with light and raw energy. The arrow was instantly swallowed by the rush of energy that exploded from his body.
As the light subsided Kira realized his suit had transformed. His helmet had gained a gold engravement along the visor and golden shoulder guards. He swung the Power Sword towards Scorpio and a rush of red and gold energy struck his chest and threw his body backward. Alice moved in to flank him from the side with the blade section of her bow but Trent swung his sword into her chest with enough force to pour sparks and instantly demorph her.
The two villains regrouped and teleported away, while Trent fell to the ground and demorphed.
"Well that was unexpected," Kira muttered as she demorphed herself and rushed towards Trent.
"What was that?" He asked and looked down at his morpher in one hand and the Dino Gem in the other.
"I think you just bonded to the Dino Gem," Kira replied, "But no time to worry about that now. We should focus on getting to Dr.O first."
Fortunately, house wasn't that far from their current location. Unfortunately, when they approached the front door they were greeted by a teenage boy with a half-shaved head.
"Is that your boyfriend?" The boy asked.
Kira sighed, "Where's your dad?"
"Is this Ranger related," he asked, "Because… y' know…" he then raised his hand and tapped on a morpher of his wrist.
"Whatever… just lead the way, Jace."
The teen smiled to himself as he strolled over to Dr.O who had fallen asleep on his reclining chair.
"Pst…" Jace said go Dr.O. "Get up dad. Mom's casserole is done."
Dr.O's eyes slowly opened and for a brief moment between consciousness and unconsciousness he looked and Trent and Kira with a wide smile.
But then he blinked at Trent and that smile quickly turned into a frown.
"We'll get there," Kira said before Dr.O could leap at the man.
"Sorry," he said and shook his head. "Force of habit…"
Trent took a few careful steps away as Kira raised her hands. "It's a different Trent. He came for your help."
Dr.O rested his head on his right elbow and said. "Don't tell me it's what I think it is…"
"Can you guys stop with the codes?" Jace blurted.
"The world Drakkon came from," Trent breathed.
Kira watched the color drain from Jace's face. His eyes grew wide as he stared at Trent. He looked at the man from another world as if he were merely a phantasmic apparition.
"Hey Jace, I think you should head to bed. You have school tomorrow," Dr.O said in a stern voice.
"As a former teacher you should know that we don't have school on Saturdays," Jace sarcastically mumbled. "Besides I wouldn't leave that easy anyway."
Dr.O sighed. "I know… how about I wake up Hayley and we all meet in my office,"
"Sounds good," Kira said and the three of them headed towards the office while Dr.O went to the bedroom.
The rain had stopped and the clouds cleared, allowing the silver moon to peak out and bathe the city in silver light.
Once again electricity filled the air, so potent that anybody around could feel it settled on their shoulders like a heavy blanket.
A rip in spacetime allowed for the connection between the two dimensions. A complicated machine like a scalpel sliced through reality, leaving a tear that another figure jumped from.
Their boots hit the mud, sinking slightly as they steadied themself.
Before disappearing into the night.
A/N: So here we are folks. A year ago I finished the Battle of Reefside, and it's time for a Return ;)
Despite minor involvement from some Jurrasic Knight characters that story won't be required reading for this one. But you will obviously need to read the rest of my Personality Shift series.