Searching For The Truth

by Inactive Writer-Not Using FFN

Kimberly 'Kara' Hart ends up mentoring a new team of rangers, while searching for her father and completing his unfinished research with Andrew Hartford. Part 4 of The Lost Child of Zordon Universe. DISCONTINUED

5. Revelations and New Additions

I wholeheartedly apologise for leaving you all hanging for a good few weeks. I can assure you all, I was working on the chapter, but my work is slow and I can be prone to moments of not being in a mood to write. I hope you enjoy Chapter Five! And I hope you like the surprise at the end of it. Apologies for the description-dialogue for going a little out of whack.

I hope you like a little of Spencer's backstory. I wanted to flesh him out a little more than in the TV show.

Note: I don't own the song The Reluctant Heroes - MPI.

Enjoy!

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"Lies don't end relationships, the truth does."

- Shannon L. Alder

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Chapter 4: Revelations and New Additions (The Yellow Corona Jewel)

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Three Weeks Later…

21:40…

Thursday…

28th June 2006…

Canon: Post-At All Costs

(Scene: Rooftop, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

I was on the roof of Andrew's mansion, under the starry night sky, clearing my mind by performing a kata Tommy taught me all the way back in our high school days. I do miss those days sometimes, while we were Power Rangers, under the constant threat of being attacked by Rita and Lord Zedd; we… somewhat managed to hold onto our innocence, even though it eventually faded as we grew older. I lost my innocence ever since that first battle I was involved in, opened my eyes that war is no glorious matter; it's only a matter of who lives and dies, suffers the consequences. Despite the fact those soldiers were my enemies, it's not only foot soldiers I killed, but others who reside from other alien planets. Like I told the Overdrive Rangers, there are some things I'm not proud of, to the point I told myself I will never touch the Power again. While the rangers go off on their missions, Andrew, Spencer and even Rhea, tell or attempt to convince me to reveal who I really am to the kids. They deserve a right to know that their mentor isn't from Earth, but a planet called Eltar and that my real name is Kara of Eltar. What else is the icing on the cake? Oh yes! I maybe the first Power Ranger, but the person who devised the whole thing is Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar; who's actually my biological father and ended Countdown To Destruction, and my mother is his wife: Aria of Phaedos. So in truth, my surname isn't Hart and Kevin Hart is not actually my dad!

Does my past really matter? Do they really need to know who I am? It's not like I have any intention to get close to them, I do; I want a mentor-student relationship like I had with the Dino Thunder Rangers. However, I don't want them sidetracked in trying to figure out who their mentor is. Rose is already asking questions; I… might have snapped at her on one or two occasions, Ronny is starting to stick her nose in places where it doesn't belong, Dax and Will are searching my name on the internet and Mack? Mack is questioning his dad and Spencer, but they're answering his questions in a roundabout way. Spencer has a rough idea of my background, but not the full story. If they found out the truth, would they trust me? Could they trust a solider? A Lieutenant, who is trying to keep Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in check? Ever since I admitted I do have PTSD to my friends, I ask myself if I can trust myself. I scare myself sometimes and it's ten times worse with a literal monster inside me. Firebird, a literal incarnation of destruction, according to Slavic Folklore; the Firebird is a Bringer of Blessing and a Harbinger of Doom. My alter ego is a Harbinger of Doom, Reefside was the first city to witness that, a quarter of the city; up in a sea of flames. I… I still feel guilty for that day, I killed innocent people; men, women and children. Firebird was in full control of my body, but to make me even more guilty, I could see everything she has done. I don't want Mack and them to experience that, I don't want the city of San Angeles to fall victim, just like Reefside.

There are days I hear her voice in my head, she maybe sealed away, but her ominous presence is there and I can feel it. She's my dark side, while Rhea is my good, as long as I'm not under a spell, brainwashed or Firebird herself has been freed; I don't have to fear becoming her. Much to Tommy's and Jason's relucantance, I managed to convince them to put in precautions if I ever go rogue again and I'm too far from saving. Would those kids be too scared to come near me? If they find out that I was turned evil by Dark Spectre's younger brother? I glanced over to the wall running along the roof, seeing Rhea perched on it, as she watched me perform my kata. Speaking of today's events, Andrew and I created another weapon that all the rangers can use: the Drill Blaster. Unfortunately, we might have created it with a little too much kick, to the point it will send you flying back after one blast and that's bad. To counter that issue, I designed the Defender Vest, to help absorb that recoil; that blaster would give a fifty calibre pistol a run for its money. Annoyingly, the vest needed its own power source to charge it up and that sort of pissed me off. With that, Andrew sent the kids to Briarwood, the home of the Mystic Force Rangers; to go to some record store. Seemingly the owner had an artefact, a dragon scale and not just any dragon scale, the scale belonged to Fireheart: the dragon owned by the rangers who resided in Rootcore. They succeeded anyways.

However, not every mission is plain sailing; as if any mission ever is, I'm thinking back to the mission to save my father, Edenoi, Mirinoi and others. I do speak from experience, while I have the same ranger experience as my husband does; he said I have the unique one, because I have off-world military experience on top of that. At the end of the war, the Council was going to promote me to the rank of Commander, just like my mom; but to their shock, I declined the offer to rise in the ranks. If I accepted, I would not be able to leave Eltar, my mom understood my choice; but I caused uproar amongst the Elders. I caused enough uproar, along with my cousin Aegis, in marrying Tommy and Cassie. The two of us sealing our love to two people from Earth, was giving a middle finger to Eltarian tradition. Eltar prided in keeping their race pure blooded, but Aegis and I broke that tradition; if we ever have kids, they'll be half human, half Eltarian. Actually, my father was in a similar position, my mother was from Phaedos, like my aunt and he had to fight for the right to marry her. So really, if Tommy and I have kids, they'll have a bit of Eltarian and Phaedosian blood; depends which of the genes decide to be most dominant. That was when Rhea spoke to me.

"You should tell them Kara." She cooed, "Don't hide the truth any longer.",

"My past is not a concern for this mission, Rhea.",

"It is a concern if the rangers are asking questions." Rhea warned, "It's the same with the Dino Rangers. How can they trust a mentor if you're keeping secrets from them?",

"It's to protect them." I muttered,

"Or you're protecting yourself from them." My Animal Spirit pondered, "Just stop it! Now! Don't put up the same shield you used on Tommy and Caesar. Secrets don't stay secret forever.",

"That's enough!" I growled, glaring at my Crane Spirit, my eyes flashing red. "You shall speak no more of this." Rhea just sighed and left me, leaving me alone on the rooftop. Is she right? Am I putting up that same shield? Why am I finding it so hard to trust? It is only a matter of time before the kids confront me directly and demand to know about my past. I guess I still find it a little hard to trust, Boreas' betrayal was a punch to my gut; I treated him like an uncle, he taught me sword fighting and how am I repaid? He tells The Alliance of the infiltration mission to rescue Zordon, forcing me to hold back Astronema's soldiers until I surrendered and that was when I went through those five? Six days of hell. I was interrogated, tortured, Darkonda tortured me for the fun of it. I was tortured for that long, because of mother's advisor. My back has so many scars, war scars. There is the one that still gives me phantom pain, my left shoulder was almost torn apart by the shrapnel belonging to the bomb; then I obviously have some smaller scars. My back can tell a war story of its own. Suddenly, I heard footsteps from behind. I turned to see Ronny poking her head up, smiling softly.

"Oh! Hey Dr. Hart." She greeted. I mentally sighed, even though I told the kids, I'm not one for formalities, they still address me formally. "You left pretty quickly after food." Ronny took her place beside me, as I looked out over the vast acres of land Hartford owns.

"I needed some air." I replied, "Helps after being inside, monitoring you guys all day." My statement caused Ronny to chuckle a little. "Well done in retrieving the dragon scale. You and the others can use the Drill Blaster without recoil.",

"It would've been easier, if I wasn't so competitive." Sighed Ronny,

"None of us are angry Ronny. You live for the competitive world, it was natural, you live life in the fast lane." I comforted, "But sometimes, you have to slow down. Life is not a competition, you need to enjoy it." I looked up at the night sky, seeing the stars shine brightly. "Life is short, we don't live forever.",

"My behaviour was unacceptable though. My competitive side almost put everyone in danger.",

"At least you learned that lesson now. It makes you a better person." I smiled at her, "Remember: no matter how much you grow up, you never stop growing.",

"You were obviously a mentor before, Yoda." I laughed at Ronny for her description, nice obvious Star Wars reference.

"Knowledge comes from experience. I was a… co-mentor two ranger teams before you guys. The Dino Thunder Rangers but, I was forced back into action." I explained to her. It's true, Aegis and I were forced back to action, we hoped for a quiet life in Reefside, especially after our involvement in the galaxy scale war. Aegis was stationed on Triforia with Prince Trey - the Gold Zeo Ranger. I deployed the Blue Senturion to Edenoi to aid Dex - a close friend of my father and Alpha. While fighting everywhere on the planets were hard, Eltar was hit the hardest. Eltar took a good while to recover, burying the fallen, arresting any surviving opposing forces, ensuring food and water supplies did not run out; on top of rebuilding infrastructure, along with aiding the wounded. When Master Vile, Rito and Scorpina were reverted to their human forms, we arrested them and Eltar has set a trial date for them.

"What do you mean 'forced'?" Asked Overdrive Yellow,

"I mean… I was hoping to have a quiet life there, but when you're a ranger, life is far from quiet." I chuckled, also to avoid the real reason.

"So, Dax told us you're an overqualified History Teacher." I groaned out loud, making Ronny laugh. "Seriously Hart! You went all Lara Croft to recover the crown and you tell us you're a… school teacher?",

"Shut up! Maybe I am a mix of Lara Croft and Indiana Jones." And we both laughed. I swear to God and the Power, these kids just love making fun of my position as a school teacher. Power Rangers, active and veteran, need to have a normal job; we're human after all. By the time this ends, I will be in for a hail of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft jokes, most of which by Zach AND Rocky, since they're both the jokesters of the team - the Generation One and Two Original Rangers. I will want to crawl under a rock when that time comes. I had a look at my watch, seeing it was getting late. Ronny and the other rangers need to get a good nights sleep, we still have work to do; we need to find other artefacts that will help us locate the Yellow Corona Jewel. "You better head to bed Ronny, we will all have a busy day to find the second jewel.",

"Alright. Don't be up too late yourself Dr. Hart. Goodnight." Ronny turned on her heels to leave the roof, only to stop at the door that led back down to the room. "Dr. Hart!" I turned to her. "One last thing. We may not say it, but I'm saying it on behalf of the team: you're an amazing mentor." She gave the finger gun to me, giving me a comforting smile and left me alone. I stared at the sky and began to think about Eltar, make a note to myself to contact my mother. She hasn't seen me since the Eltarian wedding ceremony, which was last year. My mom was generous enough to allow my friends to stay in our home, we had more than enough room, sure, Eltar has an inn; Aegis almost suggested using some of the empty room in the barracks, but nope. My mother insisted our friends stay with her, she did want to get know my friends, particularly Jason, since I constantly referred to him as a brother. The two of us had to explain that, along with why I called Trini a sister, she could already tell I had a bond with Rocky, Aisha and Adam, due to the fact she was in tune with the powers of the Ninjetti. Zach and Billy were with us too, the others of Zordon's Twelve respected the fact that… we wanted this meeting to Eltar to be close family only, which is from the Original to the Ninjetti. So, for the trip, it was Jason, Trini, Billy, Kat, Zach, Adam, Tommy, Rocky and Aisha. I almost forgot Cassie and Aegis. We promised pictures though.

They all got to meet some of my friends from the Eltarian Army, well… those that survived. Alura was so happy to see me again but… she began to flirt with Jason, well knowing Tommy is mine. Trini wasn't exactly impressed and I had to tell her all my male friends are taken, settled and married; though she was only teasing. They all still find it weird when I converse in a different language, thank god though, Alura knows English. Not all Eltarians can speak one of Earth's dominant languages. When we went to the barracks, the soldiers were happy to see me, locking me in tight brotherly hugs and patting my back, gently obviously; not wanting to agitate my scars. My torture and mistreatment by The Alliance did not go unheard of and they all admired my… steeliness and perseverance. By the end of the war, when I didn't stop, they all begged me to rest and they well knew it was breaking military protocol; I could see it though, they were just looking out for me. I was just being too stubborn. Oh my god, it was so funny when I brought them to the inn with the soldiers. Thankfully, Eltar did have normal water, so they all stuck to that, because they didn't know what other drinks Eltar offered. Much to their shock and surprise, they saw me ordering a 'strange liquid' that almost looked like mead or alcohol. Their faces when Alura told them it was an alcoholic drink, Jason and Tommy almost fainted. Zach, being the idiot he usually is, wanted to try, but I told him it wasn't a good idea since I don't know how alien alcohol reacts with normal human metabolism. Anyways, you have to learn how to fit in with soldiers, even though I was the most responsible drinker on Eltar. Of course, Alura decides to ruin my reputation amongst my friends when she dropped the story of how I started a brawl, which caused Aegis to go into a laughing fit. In my defence and… dignity, that brawl was not initiated by me, but forced. Aegis is just trying make my friends see that I can be bad, when I'm not under their supervision. Second, of course my mom caught wind and I was punished, being that she is Commander, a rank or two above me. The Eltarian who threw first punch and myself were punished appropriately, he was given kitchen duty for the week and me? I was stuck with weapons cleaning. OK, this was before Countdown and the fighting began to pick up at its peak… before I lost Bohan, so… this is what happened.

Night…

Year: Autumn, 1997…

Canon: Power Rangers Turbo

(Flashback/Scene: Inn, Eltar/Kimberly's POV)

I sat between my newfound friends: Alura and Bohan. Bohan is a sniper, whom I took under my wing to personally train in close quarter combat and Alura is a part of the rifle battalion. Alura is kind of like… a mixture of Trini, Aisha and there's a little bit Kat in her. They're two closest friends I made since I left Earth and of course, they are both well aware that I'm a wielder of the Great Power. Once Bohan became more confident in himself, I could see Jason in him; and it was bad enough my cousin Aegis is like him too. The thought of having two Eltarians that act like my brother Jason is now, a little frustrating. I don't even want to go there. Right now, I'm with my two friends and some of the soldiers from the barracks having a few drinks at the inn. I promised my mother faithfully that I would not come home drunk, I intended not to drink, but the lads encouraged me. So, I firmly told them only one drink and that I'm buying it myself, as I wouldn't trust them, even with my Power Coin; to let them get one for me. I told them, and meant it, I was having one drink and one drink only. Alura and Bohan call me sensible, the others think I'm a killjoy. I did warn them that if they keep up that behaviour, that as their Lieutenant, I will rain hell on them at drills tomorrow and that shut them all up. They know my drills can be torturous, even saying that my mom: Commander Aria isn't usually this hard. I pride myself with that image.

The thought of my friends made me drift back to them. I miss them all, they think I'm in France with my mom and stepfather. How hurt they will be when they find out the truth, I hurt Tommy in the most unforgivable manner. I might not be able to face him again, I burdened Kat with secrecy; I no doubt hurt all the Ninjetti. Caesar will not forgive me, let alone be within his gaze, Artemis, Loki, Kek and Daedalus will be greatly disappointed and hate me. Perhaps by the end of this, there might be no reason for me to return home if my old friends will be less than welcoming. Jason will be shocked and disappointed with my behaviour, Trini and Zach will no doubt be the same, that I treated Tommy like yesterday's trash. I much as I hate hiding behind a wall of secrets and lies, it's the only way to keep them all safe. I know my friends, if they found out, they will demand my father to teleport them to Eltar and will want to help. I can't, I could not bear thought of them putting their lives in danger over an upcoming war. They may not forgive me in the end, but I care for their lives and I would never forgive myself if anything happens to them; God forbid if they lose their lives. I… I don't want Tommy's life on my conscience, I would not able to bear such a burden. This is my fight and my fight alone. If I have to, I will silently cut my connection to the Ninjetti, hopefully they won't suspect a thing; wondering why they can't sense the Crane. I found myself drawn out of my thoughts when I see a hand wave in front of my face. I blink for a second, to see Alura looking at me with concern.

"Damn Kara! You were drifting away from us." She said to me, "Everything alright in that head of yours?",

"I'm fine Alura. Thanks for being concerned for my wellbeing." I smiled,

"Is this about your Earth friends?" Alura asked. I took a quick swig of my drink before answering her.

"They've been my friends since I was a kid. Now, I'm outright lying to them; they'll never forgive me." Next, I felt Bohan's hand on my shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"It'll be fine Lieutenant, they will understand. It was brave of you to come here during these harsh times." He paused to take his drink. "You put your life before theirs. You knew the risks of returning to your home.",

"Believe us Kara, this Tommy Oliver will forgive you. The Falcon and the Crane are meant to soar as one." Reassured Alura and making me laugh a small bit.

"What did I do to deserve you guys?" I finished my drink, considering should I get seconds. I told myself firmly that I was only having one, but… I guess another is not going to kill my liver. "Save my seat, I'm going to get another round." When I said that, Bohan asked me to get his drink too, as well as Alura. I asked the other soldiers, but they said that they're all good. That means it's the mead I last drank, Bohan wants Falcon Spirits and Alura wants a Bear Crusher. Geez, whoever the local brewery is here, I have a feeling he is getting these names from the Ninjetti. I have to admire Eltar's creativity. Leaving my seat, I headed for the counter, only to bump into another Eltarian. Quickly apologising, I looked up, to see this guy was flat out drunk; I could smell the drink off him, even Rhea wasn't impressed. Of course, I do know this guy, he's in the Air Force of the Eltarian Army. Great, this prick is the last thing I need to deal with.

"Kara!" He slurred, "What… brings you… here?",

"With friends." I answered simply and tried to move out of his way quickly, only for him to block my path.

"Now, what's the rush daughter of Zordon? That useless bastard in a tube." I glared at the soldier. Did he just insult my father!? "I'm… surprised his… wife still likes… him." He and his gang let out a cruel, heartless laugh. Then his buddy joined in.

"And then you," He pokes his finger hard into my shoulder, "Are suddenly leading us; an Eltarian blood, raised on shitty little planet Earth." The gang laughed again. I tried to restrain myself, I would have been raised on this planet if Eltar wasn't attacked long ago; then my mother and father would not have sent me to Earth for my protection. These guys don't know what I've been through! I decided to not let their words get to me and I attempted to pass, but I was stopped.

"Why are you running off Lieutenant? How about we," He looked down on me slyly, "Have some fun." Instantly clicking at what he's suggesting, I shook my head once more and tried to pass; only to have my arm caught and firmly. I glared at the soldier who caught me, it was the seriously drunk one, his buddies aren't so bad.

"You are to let me go." I gritted, "Right this instant!",

"Come on Lieutenant, let's… just relax and have a good time." Having enough, I twisted the soldier's arm, forcing him to let go of me and pushed him away. It was a defensive technique, not meant to hurt, just disarm or to force someone to lose their grip. The drunk soldier growled at me, not liking my retaliation and charged forward at me, I quickly side-stepped, tripping him to the floor. I was trying to keep my tactics non lethal as much as possible. I really can't afford to put some soldiers in the Healing Chamber over something as stupid as this. I noticed Bohan and Alura getting up, hearing the ruckus. Rhea yelled out to tell me another of the drunk guy's friends were charging me from behind. I felt the air change slightly, he's throwing a punch; which I managed to grab, clutching his shoulder and performed a judo flip that Tommy would be proud of. He landed hard on his back, grunting at the impact. Fuck! I just started by first brawl. Soon enough, it was chaos at the inn and the funniest part was Bohan and Alura, with the nicer soldiers I was talking to, were just laughing as I wrecked my attackers. Oh man! If mother hears about this, I'm so dead and might face serious punishment and maybe demotion.

(Flashback Ends)

Yeah, not my proudest moment in the army, although the male soldiers very much enjoyed the brawl; although I was banned from the inn for a month, so I either ate my mom's cooking or had whatever that was at dining hall in the barracks. To be fair, that asshole was a prick, he was mocking me, my family; he openly insulted me! While giving me some… suggestive indications. The soldiers I was hanging out with were clearly not impressed, the guy was completely out of it, utterly wasted. Of course, I pissed him off because I wouldn't give what he wanted, the punishment was worth it. Not to mention, he didn't realise that I was his Lieutenant! Once our punishments were lifted and training came around, I totally wrecked him and couldn't understand why. I was so glad that I was sober that night. My brothers and sisters told me I was right to fight back and they saw it was out of defence, the drunkard attacked first. Enough of that now, thinking about it now, it's a month after the anniversary of Countdown To Destruction. Usually, there's a ceremony for it, particularly in Angel Grove, neither myself or the team can bring ourselves to come to those ceremonies; instead, we travel out to the ruins of our Command Centre, just Zordon's Twelve. The teams after Zordon's sacrifice like to call us The Twelve Apostles, as a small little joke. The Twelve Apostles being myself, Jason, Trini, Billy, Zach, Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Kat, Tanya and Justin. We would camp there for three nights, paying our respects, thank my father for everything, for changing our lives; for helping me find out my true heritage.

Everyone knew Countdown was the hardest for me, since I was on the frontline fighting, defending my home. I saw a lot of shit, it was bad, it messed me up, but I buried it. I buried everything and that's how my PTSD came to be, all my friends know I'm infamous for burying my emotions, because I put others before myself. Dana says that it's not healthy for me and I have to open up to people. By the time the war ended, I lost so many, brothers and sisters I got close to; Bohan hitting me the hardest. However, in the eyes of the surviving soldiers and the people of Eltar, I was hailed as a hero, but in my eyes; I saw myself as a reluctant hero. All of us soldiers, were reluctant heroes. That is also the title of the song I wrote last year, I even sung it at the anniversary in the late Spring of two-thousand-and-five. The song conveyed the pain of the soldiers who lost their lives, the loss of lives I had to witness and I channelled that pain into the song. The best thing was: all my friends and Tommy got the message. Seeing my guitar at the side, I grabbed it on my way to the rooftop, I took it out of its case; checked if the chords are in tune. Once I was satisfied, I began to strum the opening tune, the sound of the chords filling the air and for some reason; the air grew slightly colder, but slowed too, feeling… sombre, as if it felt my pain of the past.

"Day by day

We have lost our edge

Don't you know?

Forgotten is the life we led

Now it seems

You don't care what the risk is

The peaceful times have made us blind

Can't look back

They will not come back

Can't be afraid

It's time after time

Once again

I'm hiding in my room

The peaceful times have made us blind

So you can't fly if you never try

You told me, oh, long ago

But you left the wall

Outside the gate

So more than ever, it's real

It was like a nightmare

And it's painful for me

Because nobody wants to die too fast

Remember the day of grief

Now it's strange for me

I could see your face

I could hear your voice

Remember the day we met

And it's painful for me

Because nobody wants to die too fast

Remember a day we dreamt

It's painful for me

I could see your face

I could hear your voice

Song for the reluctant heroes

Oh give me your strength

Our life is so short

Song for the reluctant heroes

I wanna be brave like you

From my heart

Song for the reluctant heroes

Oh give me your strength

Our life is so short

Song for the reluctant heroes

I wanna be brave like you

Can't look back

They will not come back

Can't be afraid

It's time after time

Once again

I'm hiding in my room

The peaceful times have made us blind

So you can't fly if you never try

You told me, oh, long ago

But you left the wall

Outside the gate

So more than ever, it's real

It was like a nightmare

And it's painful for me

Because nobody wants to die too fast

Remember the day of grief

Now it's strange for me

I could see your face

I could hear your voice

Remember the day we met

And it's painful for me

Because nobody wants to die too fast

Remember a day we dreamt

It's painful for me

I could see your face

I could hear your voice

It was like a nightmare

And it's painful for me

Because nobody wants to die too fast

Remember the day of grief

Now it's strange for me

I could see your face

I could hear your voice

Remember the day we met

And it's painful for me

Because nobody wants to die too fast

Remember a day we dreamt

And it's painful for me

I could see your face

I could hear your voice."

22:10…

(Scene: Ronny and Rose's Guest Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)

"Do you guys hear singing?" Will asked his new friends, making everyone snap their heads up. For some random reason, the boys all decided to bunk out in the girl's bedroom. All five of them grew into their roles as Power Rangers, the new protectors of Earth; while at the same time, seeking the jewels of the Corona Aurora. As the weeks went by, they warmed up to their mentor Dr. Kimberly Hart-Oliver, but they were all having one small, depending on the definition, problem with her. The chosen rangers knew she was hiding secrets of her own, and secrets she won't easily tell or reveal. How can they all trust their mentor, if she's not open with them? All they know is that she was the first Pink Ranger, Ronny revealed to them she was forced back into action during the service of the Dino Thunder Rangers, which was three years ago. She told them Dr. Hart was seeking a quiet life in Reefside. So, that obviously led to the thought that their mentor was running from something, but running from what? Then Dax answered William's question.

"You're going to have to tell us Will. You are the one with the Super Hearing." His statement made everyone chuckle a little, as Will playfully rolled his eyes.

"It's coming from the roof, it must have been Dr. Hart." He said, "I only just got the last couple of lines, something like: 'Remember a day we dreamt, and it's painful for me. I could see your face, I could hear your voice'." His words made everyone frown, trying to figure out the meaning behind the lines. Judging by the four lines, Dr. Hart must have witnessed something painful in her life and she must be running from that.

"Guys, do you think something horrible happened in our mentor's life?" Voiced Ronny,

"I tried asking my dad and Spencer." Said Mack, "But they were very evasive.",

"Dr. Hart was dodging certain questions and spinning her answers." Rose added, "She was getting crafty around me. When I asked another question, that seemed sensitive in her mind, I swear Dr. Hart was about to bite my head off. Actually, she did snap at me." Rose shivered when her mentor did belittle her, telling her not to uncover secrets, that would rather remain buried. On the other hand, Ronny had her mobile in hand, scrolling randomly through different news headlines, she kept going further and further down the years until she reached two-thousand-and-three and four. Two headlines that popped out to her were: 'Dino Rangers Have New Allies!' and 'Crimson Ninja Ranger Causes Massive Destruction!' Ronny leaned on her elbow, reading the article with interest. She has heard about the terrible attack on Reefside, it was pretty bad. She didn't think one lone ranger could cause so much damage and let alone, have that much power. One, single ranger set a quarter of Reefside on fire, property damage that racked up to the equivalent of what was done by Countdown To Destruction; and killed an uncertain number of innocent civilians, it's also been said that some of the lives of students attending Reefside High School have been lost. Many reports say those who have died may have been burnt alive, leaving behind nothing but ashes. It was near impossible to find the bodies. Will noticed Ronny was reading something and decided to ask.

"What are you reading Ron?" Ronny lifted her head upon hearing his question. Knowing her phone was too small, she asked Rose to take out her laptop. Without questioning, Rose handed her laptop to Ronny, threatening to break her, if she breaks the laptop; as she built it herself, so her Super Speed won't save her. Turning on the machine, Ronny opened up the two articles she was looking at on her phone and it turned to everyone. Rose didn't hear about the vicious attack on Reefside because she was in London at the time, studying Ancient History and Mythology in University of London for that year. She was buried deep end in studies and never bothered with the world news. It seemed like only Ronny and Mack were the only two aware. Looking at the first article, was a picture of who must be their mentor wearing pink, in her fighting stance next to another ranger dressed in black; with a red jewel or ruby on his chest. They didn't know who this ranger is, but that didn't matter.

"That's a cool suit!" Dax said, liking the simplicity of Dr. Hart's ranger suit; it was pink obviously, three white diamonds running across her chest and at her waist, holstered was a bright red sidearm. A blaster of sorts, similar to their Overdrive Defenders and judging by the shape of her helmet, it was based off a dinosaur and Rose identified it as a Pterodactyl. It's been said in that paper that the Original Pink Ranger hasn't been seen since early ninety-six and this Phantom Ranger, has not been sighted since ninety-eight, which was during the service of the Turbo Rangers.

"So… what has this got to do with the ranger there?" Rose asked, pointing to the slightly fuzzy image of the Crimson Ranger; wearing an intimidating chest armour, wielding a sword. The helmet looked like the helmet of the Pterodactyl, but it was sharper; something dangerous about it. Wherever the ranger came from, it did not arrive on friendly terms and was no ally to past ranger teams. "Firebird? That's what the reporters call the ranger?" If she was honest with herself, Rose thought the name of the ranger was fitting, thinking back to her lessons in Slavic Folklore, this ranger was no Bringer of Blessing, but a living incarnate of the Harbinger of Doom.

"Guys, do you think this ranger and Dr. Hart are the same people?" Mack questioned, which made everyone freeze. The thought that their mentor went through a lapse of being an evil ranger. Then… they began to ask themselves if their mentor is actually evil, working undercover or is independent and being a lot smarter than Moltor, Fluious and Miratrix? Having their own mentor as an enemy is the last thing they need and especially when, she's a former ranger. They'd be all screwed, seeing how easily she beat Will without using her powers. The Dino Thunder Rangers was her fourth year of service, so four years of ranger experience under her belt, will make her a very difficult and dangerous enemy.

"How could you think Dr. Hart is evil, Mack!?" Rose almost yelled, until Dax leaped over to cover her mouth, as footsteps walked passed their door; seeing a silhouette under the doorframe. The rangers held their breaths, until the footsteps belonging to Dr. Hart got further and further away. Dax removed his hand and they all sighed in relief.

"You are not wrong rangers. My champion was evil at different points in time." Said a voice, not belonging to any of them. They turned, beside Rose was a ghostly pink Crane and they all jumped, screaming their heads off at the sight. Rose unintentionally turned invisible, Dax leaped, whacking his head off the ceiling, Mack dented the wall, while Ronny super speeded her back into him and Will on the other hand, was going into a sensory overload; they thought that they have seen enough ghosts since the Sentinel Knight. Suddenly their door opened, seeing Dr. Hart, with Spencer and Andrew, they had worried looks in their faces, while surprised to see the boys in the girl's bedroom.

"What's going on?" She asked them all,

"Spider!" Dax exclaimed, before the others could up with an excuse. "Big, hairy spider!" Spencer walked off in an instant, Andrew paled and wished them good luck and Dr. Hart, she gave them all a sweet smile and left quickly. The three left them all to their imaginary arachnid intruder. It sort of gave them the thought: were Andrew, Dr. Hart and Spencer slightly arachnophobic? Once the trio were gone, the Crane Spirit reappeared, now that the five rangers have calmed down. They all stared at the spirit, unsure how to make of it; none of them ever witnessed such a thing before. To Rose, the existence of spirits, or those that take the form of animals defies all logic. Mack, being the leader, was the first to address the Crane Spirit.

"Who are you?",

"My name is Rhea. I am Kimberly's Crane Spirit." Rhea answered, using her champion's Earth name. The only reason she appeared before them was to explain a little bit of her master's history, but leaving out the information that she is born on a different planet. That part has to come from Kimberly herself. "If you noticed, on your first day of being rangers, when she called out to her powers; Kim was calling out to me. The power of the Ninjetti and the Animal Spirits are intertwined.",

"In other words… you are an… animal representation of Dr. Hart?" Questioned Ronny,

"I am indeed.",

"Well then, um… Rhea," The Crane Spirit turned to the Black Overdrive Ranger, "What has all that got to do with Dr. Hart and this," He showed Rhea the photo of the Crimson Ranger on Rose's laptop, "Ranger named Firebird?" The five rangers noticed Rhea tensed, looking at the photo; almost with fear and anxiety. That was an instant clue that the Crane Spirit had an encounter with this ranger.

"Heed my words, Firebird is someone you do not want to meet." Rhea answered in a low voice, "She is my champion's corrupted Thunderzord Spirit, infused with the Flame of Destruction that Maligore bestowed on her. Firebird is Kimberly's alter ego." The Crane Spirit knows the destruction that her champion's evil side has done, it didn't help when they were sent to a dystopian Earth where her mate and the other Ninjetti could not save her. It allowed Firebird to recover, gain command of the Eltarian Army and invaded Earth. It caused Kim to put in… counter measures if she was ever to go rogue, though the same measures can be used for Tommy too with his alter ego Dragon. However, unlike Kim and Firebird, there's an understanding or compromise between Tommy and Dragon. "Kimberly's alter ego is much more powerful and dangerous, tapping into powers and abilities, my champion didn't think she had.",

"Then… that was Dr. Hart, destroying Reefside in zero-four?" Dax said, almost nervously; not liking the idea their mentor could turn on them. Then, his mind drifted back to when he and his mentor were talking on the roof; after he mentioned Miratrix's name, Dr. Hart's eyes flashed red. Was that her Firebird side?

"Not exactly, the Crimson Powers belong to Firebird only and are part of the Flame of Destruction. Trust me Overdrive Rangers, you do not want to face Firebird. She is a greater enemy than who you are facing and will not hesitate to end your lives.",

"Alright, so we have a mentor who has a psychopathic alter ego, like some real life Jekyll and Hyde." Ronny confirmed, "She's also overpowered as fuck. Anything else Rhea?",

"Before Maligore, she was turned evil by Lord Zedd; however the two evils are completely different from each other." Rhea said to Ronny, "She has been through other hardships, but that is not my place to tell. All of you must ask Kimberly herself. I must go, before she suspects I am gone. Good luck rangers." And Rhea disappeared, leaving the rangers to ponder on the new information given to them. Only too late, they realised the Crane Spirit left more questions than answers. Questions like: who is Maligore? What is the Flame of Destruction? If Firebird is so dangerous, why wasn't she destroyed? What hardships has their mentor been through? On top of all that, the one broad question that sits on all their minds is: who is Dr. Hart?

Three Days Later…

Sunday…

15:45…

1st July 2006…

Canon: Both Sides Now

(Scene: Forest, Far Outside The City, San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)

Will stood beside Miratrix quietly, observing her. Dr. Hart and Andrew have sent him to go undercover, on the other side of the battlefield to recover the Hou-Ou, a statue of a Japanese bird representing a Pheonix. It is said, according to Dr. Hart, contains the next clue to locate the second Corona Jewel: the Toru Diamond. So, while he was undercover, Andrew diverted the other four rangers to Istanbul in Turkey; once known as Constantinopolis or Constantinople, named by Emperor Constantine. Long before the Romans, it belonged to the Greeks, who named the city Byzantium. Thanks to Andrew, which William found amusing, managed to stop Dr. Hart from going into one of lectures about the Ancient Greeks and Roman Empire. He was saved from one of those said lectures, Will thought Dr. Hart would be great lecturing in universities and colleges; why is she wasting her talents on high school students? On the other hand, he knows Miratrix is trying to figure out how to free her master: Kamdor, from the crystal that she wears on her neck.

So far, they only had one encounter with his friends, they think he betrayed them by selling ranger technology to the Black Market. Andrew tried to make him give up his tracker, but refused, so he and Dr. Hart ended up fighting; and he managed to beat her. Well, that's all lies, he had a quick training session with Dr. Hart and still can't get a tap on her, let alone just tip her with his finger. In other words, as of now, the other Overdrive Rangers think he's turned evil, he hates fighting his friends, but William can't afford to have his cover blown; you can only stay undercover for so long, before someone starts to get suspicious of you. Will turned to Miratrix, seeing her trying to open the statue, but to no avail and she growled in frustration.

"This is getting nowhere." She huffed, "It would have been easier if Dr. Hart had not slipped through my fingers." That was when Will perked his head up. Doctor Hart? Does she mean… his Dr. Hart's father? The same man who was ridiculed over his research into the crown and disappeared? He needs to see if he can learn more, Dr. Hart would be very interested to know about this information. He walks over to Miratrix, leaning against a tree.

"Who is this… Dr. Hart, you mentioned?" Miratrix stopped with what she was doing and looked at the Black Overdrive Ranger.

"Blasted historian. I was following him, before I went into hiding. He was on the right track when locating the crown." She grumbled. She underestimated that man, he maybe History smart, but when his life is in danger, he gets smarter. "I threatened the life of his pathetic wife and daughter and he still got away. Now, he's a ghost; most likely dead at this stage." Will tried to refrain his anger and blowing his cover. She's the reason his mentor's father is missing and she threatened to kill his family! That's low, even for villains. Will wonders how much his mentor really went through, she lost her father because of her and on top of being turned evil, with a psychotic alter ego. It wouldn't surprise him if Dr. Hart still feels guilty over the attack on Reefside. "Kevin Hart had research that would have been helpful.",

"Well, like you said: he's probably dead at this stage." The Black Ranger punched himself mentally, how sour those words felt coming out of his mouth.

"You're right. From what I have witnessed and the accounts from Moltor and Fluious, your mentor would be a fine substitute. We just have to figure out how to force her onto the battlefield." Miratrix pondered. Will's heart rate began to increase when she mentioned Dr. Hart, she's obviously implying capturing their mentor and that wouldn't be good. For now, she doesn't have any background on Dr. Hart, therefore, Miratrix does not know her past as a veteran ranger. "Even better, they said she's a ranger too." And he jinxed it. "Who would have thought your former friends have an experienced ranger to mentor you." Will was swearing to himself, now knowing Dr. Hart has a target painted on her back and that is bad. It appears their enemies are talking to each other, but they always go their own way since alliances are always shaky. Suddenly, the Hou-Oh statue began to glow, along with the crystal on her neck, making Will step back, he couldn't see anything due to the bright light; but he certainly heard something crack and it only meant one thing: Kamdor is free. He was a tall warrior, wearing blue armour from head to toe.

"At long last!" He growled triumphantly. Well… this is going to complicate things.

With Kimberly and Andrew…

17:35…

(Scene: Overdrive Base, Underground, Hartford's Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

Andrew and I watched as the Overdrive Rangers fought both Miratrix and a recently released Kamdor. Myself and Andrew told the Overdrive Rangers that Will never betrayed us, it was to get him behind enemy lines and it worked up to now. From the looks of it, Will and Kamdor sparked up a rivalry, so if we are to meet those two again, them two are going to clash, a lot. Miratrix on the other hand, was giving the other rangers a run for their money, despite the aid from their primary weapons; however, Will sent Rose a message in Morse, telling us Miratrix and Kamdor have the Hou-Oh. That's not the best of it, all the rangers are aware my father is missing, presumed dead, Will said in his message that Miratrix is responsible for my dad going missing and on the run. I still hold onto hope my dad is not dead. When I heard that, it took a lot of willpower to calm myself down, but now, I cannot. I have serious interrogation to do. I returned to the screen to see Mack, Ronny, Rose and Dax get thrown off their feet. I told myself I wasn't getting involved in the fight, but I have to, for now.

Stepping away from the screen, I was heading towards the lift; well, I'm not going into the lift, until Andrew turned and spoke out to me.

"Where are you going!?",

"To a fight." I simply said. I tapped my communicator, teleporting to the kids' location.

Moments Later…

(Scene: Battlefield, Far Outside The City, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

I materialised in front of the kids, just as Will was pushed back by Kamdor. The rangers were surprised by my sudden appearance and how I got here so quickly. Great, now I'll have to explain teleportation to them when we get back. Not turning to the kids, my attention was on the people responsible for my dad going missing; I am praying that he's not dead. He always said its hard to put down a Hart. I sensed my eyes were flashing and it was a warning to them. It Kamdor who spoke first.

"And who are you?",

"I think Miratrix could answer that for you." I replied coldly. I saw her smile.

"Kimberly Hart, you decide to grace us with your presence." I could hear the mocking tone in her voice.

"I've only come here for one thing, and one thing only. What did you do to my dad?" Miratrix and Kamdor stayed quiet, not answering at all. Looks like I'll have to force the truth out of them, I know Kamdor was still trapped in the crystal when Miratrix threatened my dad; but surely he has seen it all. My eyes began to flash even fiercer, as I said the morphing command: "It's Morphin' Time!" Bright pink light surrounded me, feeling my suit form around me and feeling the all too familiar of the power the Morphing Grid gave me. Once it died down, I stood between the rangers and our enemies, morphed in my suit. "You messed with and tore my family apart, you will suffer my wrath!" Without further words, both Miratrix and Kamdor charged at me. I unholstered my blaster, bringing it to blade mode, then summoned my short sword out of thin air and got into a dual sword stance. Kamdor swung his double-bladed lance at me, which I blocked and countered a strike from Miratrix. Turning back to Will's new rival, I gave him a hard, front kick into the stomach, knocking him down; leaving Miratrix herself standing. I didn't hold back at all, all my strikes were hard, fast and she struggled to counter and block them. I slashed my blade down on her, which she attempted to block, but it made her stagger; forcing her drop the weapon. Now that Miratrix is disarmed, I dismissed my Eltarian short sword, got in three quick strikes on my enemy. Miratrix tried to crawl away from me, but I slammed my foot on her back, causing her yell out in pain. Kamdor was quick to come to her aid, but I switched the blade back to blasted and fired three lasers at him. I turned my attention back to Miratrix, as she laid frozen on the ground in fear.

"Don't hurt me!" She whimpered, which was almost pitiful.

"I will do more than just hurt you, if you don't answer my one question." I snarled. Taking off my helmet, I threw it to the side and turned my opponent over, so she can see the anger on my face. I grabbed Miratrix by the neck, pulling her up and brought her close to me. My grip was firm, tight and she almost struggled to breathe. "Where is my father!?" Miratrix looked at me, right in the eye, as they flashed a threatening red.

"I- I do- don't- know." She choked. Her response made me angrier.

"YOU LIE!" I yelled, punching her in the stomach and tightened my grip even further. I glared down on her, maybe I should do the Overdrive Rangers a favour and end Miratrix's pathetic life. In my head, I felt Firebird stir and she was gleefully encouraging me to do it. "You're a waste of my time." My strength at this point passed human and into Eltarian enhanced strength. With Kamdor still weakened, my focus is on slowly, choking the life of this sad warrior from an unknown planet. Like anyone will miss her. I was completely blanked out, ignoring the screams from the rangers behind me, listening to Firebird telling me not to stop. With Miratrix gone, it's one less enemy to deal with. I watched as Miratrix struggled to breathe, unable to to get oxygen into her lungs until…

(No POV)

The rangers watched in awe as their mentor beat both Kamdor and Miratrix like they were nothing. What did they expect? Dr. Hart has four years of ranger experience and that is certainly showing through. She managed to knock down Kamdor, who was struggling to get up and focused on Miratrix. The five of them knew why, their mentor wants answers about her dad, why this warrior targeted him and if she is responsible for killing Dr. Kevin Hart, but if she isn't; she is the primary reason to why he left his family and went on the run, literally vanishing. Will was asking Mack if they should help Dr. Hart, but Mack just replied saying, their mentor doesn't look like she needs help. Anyways, it's not everyday their mentor just pops up out of the blue and helps them fight their battles. She always remained behind the battle, but Will did mention that Miratrix wanted to figure out a way to lure Dr. Hart out; now she got it, but regrets it.

The battle kept on going between Miratrix and Dr. Hart and the Pink Ranger was not letting up or holding back. She was being way more intense than when William sparred with her. At the level she is at right now, none of them would be able to keep up. Ronny was silently observing the battle, she noticed Dr. Hart's attacks were becoming more lethal and heavier. Each strike was meant to stagger and weaken, eventually the Original Pink Ranger disarmed Miratrix, leaving her defenceless. They didn't think much on the ferocity of their mentor, all she wanted to do was interrogate their opponent about Kevin Hart. Unfortunately, the situation changed very quickly, to the point it began to scare them. It looked like Dr. Hart was no longer interrogating Miratrix, but…

"Mack! We have to stop her!" Rose exclaimed, "I know she's our enemy, but we are not murderers!",

"You're right Rose." He replied, taking out his Overdrive Defender in blaster mode. He looked at the others, they nodded in approval, which basically told him to take the shot. Mack hated doing this, but there's one thing that Dr. Hart taught them, no matter who your enemy is, you fight with honour; you never strike an enemy down with hate. Their mentor is doing the opposite of her words. He gestured to Dax and Will to get ready to run and apprehend Dr. Hart. Underneath his helmet, he took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm sorry Dr. Hart." He muttered and fired a blast, right into his mentor's back. The laser caused the Pink Ranger to release Miratrix, dropping her, then Dax and Will sprinted, catching their mentor by both arms and pulled her away. This was while Kamdor limped to Miratrix and they both teleported from the battle, to lick their wounds. Meanwhile, Dax and Will were struggling to apprehend their mentor, who looked to be in a fit of blind rage or anger; because she didn't have her helmet, they all saw her eyes glow fiercely, like a demonic red. It actually scared them. Next, Dr. Hart managed to shake the Black and Blue Overdrive Rangers, throwing them towards Rose and Ronny.

Mack ran towards Dr. Hart to engage with her and maybe, by some miracle, calm the Historian down. Unsheathing his Drive Lance, both he and the Pink Ranger clashed, a rookie against an experienced veteran; who chooses to come and go in battle. Mack swung his lance at the ranger, she ducked underneath it, striking the blade of her sword into his abdomen. Mack gritted his teeth to stop himself from yelling out, it really hurt, but he couldn't let up now; he also has to try and avoid his mentor's alter ego taking over; unless Firebird is somehow influencing Dr. Hart. He recalls Rhea saying Firebird is a much worse enemy, compared to Moltor, Fluious, Kamdor and Miratrix combined. They're all doomed if Firebird comes out and who knows how much power she could have, if she gets her hands on the Corona Aurora.

"You made a mistake interfering boy." Dr. Hart growled, but there was something different about her voice. It was almost low, threatening, dangerous.

"That may be, but we don't kill Dr. Hart! Our purpose is to locate and gather the jewels! Protect the innocent!" He countered, "Have you already forgotten that?" Mack tried not cave at the look on Hart's face, the glowing red eyes weren't helping. He stared at stone cold, glaring red eyes, not soft and caring doe-brown. Mack prepared himself for another attack from his mentor, but instead, she somehow stopped herself; sheathing her weapon. Kimberly closed her eyes, calming her storm and with help from Rhea, pushed Firebird and her influence back into her mind and conscience. Kim opened her eyes once more, all the rangers saw they were no longer red, but returned to their normal colour. Dr. Hart powered down her suit, her helmet disappearing in pink light. It seemed like Mack managed to get through to Kimberly, as they all sighed in relief. For a second, they thought they were facing Dr. Hart's alter ego.

"I will let this slide." Kim said, "Though, get in my way again, you won't be facing me." With that, Dr. Hart tapped her watch and consumed herself in pink light, teleporting. Was her statement a threat or a warning? With one crisis averted, there is one problem; Kamdor and Miratrix have the Hou-Oh and most likely, the scroll that leads to the next clue of the Yellow Corona Jewel. Now, they have more serious problems: their own mentor and a fear of her going out of control. They ask themselves if they can trust their mentor at all.

19:25…

(Scene: Hartford's Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

Instead of going down to the Overdrive Base with Andrew and the kids, I teleported straight to my guest room instead. My door was shut, so I had my privacy, no doubt the kids won't go near me for a while, not after I lost control of myself. Firebird maybe sealed away, but she is definitely capable of influencing me and my actions, if the opportunity arises; she's like the Devil inside me and it scares me. I am scared of myself, I don't want to hurt people, it's not my nature; but if I'm pushed, I will snap. Firebird is a caged animal waiting to be released. I don't understand why Tommy and the others can't bring themselves to kill me if I go out of control, they focus too much in trying to bring me back; they won't go as far as putting me down, unless I'm completely gone. That trip to Firebird's alternate Earth was an eye opener, a lesson of what I could be. It shows how dangerous I am, how unhinged I could become. The kids saw it, I attacked them, Mack and I fought; even though he knew his chances of standing against me were slim. I could have killed him, ever since the war, it showed me that I am capable of taking a life; I sometimes see how much blood I have on my hands and I can never wash it off. They saw I showed no remorse in attempting to kill Miratrix, thinking about it now, that laser to my back sort agitated my scars. It's going to be itchy for a while. Though, I deserve it.

I decided to head to the bathroom to wash the dust and sweat off my face. It was sort of crazy of me to remove my helmet, but I wanted to show Miratrix that I'm not to be messed with. It wouldn't surprise me if she saw the monster inside me, that I'm capable of… immoral acts if push comes to shove. I am a ranger, but after what I have been through in the past, I am far from honourable. Many things I did may have dishonoured the ranger rules and… I guess I feel ashamed. The things I did, some of the acts of brutality I used in interrogation throughout the war, before and after my torture; it is why I never want to hold the Power again. I feel I am too dangerous to be carrying them, I almost considered in handing back the Ninjetti powers to my aunt or my mother. Reaching the bathroom, I locked the door behind me and turned on the tap. I splashed my face with the cool, cold water, then quickly turned it off and grabbed a towel. I patted my face dry with it and lifted my head towards the mirror. Then… instead of my own reflection, I see something else, I see Firebird; grinning at me with her cold, red eyes and then shifts to her ranger form. The intimidating crimson suit with the gold chest armour that looks like the Dragon Shield, the helmet that represents the Pterodactyl-Firebird. What I could have become. I had enough, got scared and snapped, instantly raising fist, yelling out and punched the mirror, breaking it. Glass fell everywhere, into the sink and the floor, my heart rate was soaring, my fist was still connected to the now broken mirror. I see a part of my reflection in the cracked mirror, on what's left of the glass, my reflection is normal again. I know who… what I am. I'm a monster waiting to be unleashed.

I removed my hand from the mirror, seeing bits of the glass stained with my blood, I stared at my knuckles, they're bloodied; definitely a few shards stuck in there. However, a few shards of glass has got nothing on shrapnel. All of a sudden, I heard the door being kicked open, Mack was first to run in, followed by Rose. The other rangers, Andrew and Spencer stood outside, why are they here with me? Are they not too scared to approach me? After I lashed at them?

"Come on Dr. Hart, let's get that hand of yours patched up." Said Mack, giving me a friendly smile. They're all acting as if what happened on the battlefield never occurred.

"Are you guys not afraid of me?" I asked them, "You should." That was when Rose put her hand on my shoulder.

"We might have been scared at the start, but now, we are not. We know you have issues, we do trust you, but you need to trust us." Next, my Animal Spirit Rhea appeared. Something tells me, she appeared before the rookies behind my back, she took some tips from Daedalus, I didn't think my Crane Spirit could be so sly. Of course, since the kids touched the Power, the Morphing Grid now permits them to see the Animal Spirits, along with the Dinozord and Thunder Spirits. That explains why they all screamed last week, they have never seen spirits, so that must have shocked them all.

"Rose is right Kimberly. Bring down your wall and let them in. You made a family with the Dino Thunder Rangers, do the same with the current rangers." Rhea advised, "Stop closing up on people, they all want to help you." I sighed out loud, taking Rhea's words to heart. With all the shit I went through, I find it hard to trust. When Tommy and the others attempted to get through to me, they constantly had to fight this mental wall I put up; and it's not easy to break down. I guess I keep doing it to protect myself, to stop others from seeing my pain and suffering. I silently the team down to the kitchen, as Andrew grabbed the First-aid Kit from the cupboard. I braced myself, expecting him to slam it, instead; thank god, he just closed it gently. That's good, last thing the kids need to witness is me having a panic attack. Spencer sat down in front of me, proceeding to clean my wound and wipe off the blood first, once that was done; he picked up the tweezers and began to gently, as he could, remove the glass shards embedded in my knuckles. I turned to Andrew.

"Sorry about the mirror. I'll replace it for you.",

"No need Kim. It's just a mirror." Shrugged Andrew,

"What made you hit the mirror?" Dax asked me, "Did you see something?" Don't close up on them, open up. Just tell them, maybe I should consider taking trips up and down to Mariner Bay for more therapy with Dana. Although, the kids will start asking why I am coming and going; I don't want them to know or ever know that I fought in Countdown back in ninety-nine. It's because of Countdown To Destruction and the events leading up to it, is the reason I'm so mentally fucked up. War leaves a mark on everyone, marks that are not just physical, but psychological too.

"I… I saw my alter ego." I muttered, but they heard.

"Firebird?" Ronny identified. Looks like Rhea gave them the run down on my evil side. I silently nodded. "Dr. Hart, are you… afraid of your darker half?" No point in beating around the bush or question dodging. If I'm not somewhat open with them, they'll find it hard to trust me as a mentor.

"She's the reason why Reefside was almost destroyed. It's my fault she got out, I wasn't strong enough. Firebird just overpowered me." My attention turned back to Spencer as he bandaged my hand. "After today, I actually thought I was going to seriously hurt you all. I wasn't really Firebird, but she was… influencing me. I let my anger get the better of me, it made me vulnerable to give into her temptations."

"We managed to stop you though." Will voiced,

"The five of you got lucky." I sighed, "If it comes to it, promise me: if I can't be brought back, you must kill me.",

"WHAT!?" They all screeched and started to bombard me with protests. Things like they can't bring themselves to kill one of their own, there has to be a way around it. Why am I not surprised? It's the exact same reaction I got from my friends. I don't want this world to end up the same way Firebird's Earth was, there's no way in Hell, will I let my home become a wasteland. I will not become some power-hungry dictator! Speaking of that, ever since that trip to Alternate Earth or Billy calls it Earth-X, because… perhaps it should be forgotten; I've been waking Tommy at all hours of the night because of nightmares. Nightmares not of the war, but what if the events that happened on Earth-X, occurred here. Those nightmares have lessened though after a couple of weeks.

"Look, it's a last resort if I cannot be saved. Sometimes I feel I'm a danger to this planet, I have a monster inside me that makes the Psycho Rangers look like rag dolls." The five rangers looked at me like I have two heads, I mentally sighed. They don't know about the ranger teams before them, except for the few members of Time and Wild Force, then mentions from me here and there. I did make small mentions of my team, but that was to Dax only, I spoke to William about Ninja Storm and they all know a little about Dino Thunder; as I frequently brought them up. Other than that, they really don't know details, so note to myself: call Tommy to send me a copy of the updated Power Rangers Legacy Video. I decided to steer the conversation away about myself and my alter ego issues, they don't need to hear anymore guilt from me. "So, what of the Hou-Oh? The scroll it carried?",

"Kamdor and Miratrix have it." Mack revealed. It's my fault, if I didn't lose control, the kids wouldn't have been so focused on me, trying to calm my anger; and stop Firebird from either influencing me or attempting take over of my mind and body. Once again, I wasn't strong enough against Firebird, I wish there was a way to… remove The Flame of Destruction from my body or purify my Thunderzord Spirit somehow. Aunt Dulcea, being the expert on Animal Spirits, she looked into it for me, but came up with nothing. No one has ever been able to remove or purge The Flame of Destruction from their bodies, their souls. Those victims either became corrupted by the Flame, gave into its power or they were able to prevent it from fully controlling them and live with it. Jason is lucky his alter ego is quiet, he doesn't have to worry about fighting with another half for control. How long can I go on before I mad? Then the Red Overdrive Ranger broke me out of my thoughts. "Don't worry about it Dr. Hart, we'll get it back." He gave me a reassuring smile and I just nodded. Andrew told the rangers to hit the hay and that I do the same, I need to rest. By then, Spencer had finished bandaging my injured hand. Hopefully, we will get the scroll back and hit the road again in recovering the Yellow Corona Jewel and the others: the Blue, Red and Pink jewel. We still have the Black Corona Jewel in our possession, at least that's safe.

Following the others, we retreated into our rooms. I didn't bother changing into my sleepwear, I was too exhausted, just collapsed on my bed and let sleep take over me.

Five Days Later…

8:10…

Friday…

6th July 2006…

Canon: Face to Face

Time: Unknown…

Year: Summer, 1998…

Canon: Power Rangers In Space

(Nightmare/Scene: Interrogation and Torture Room, The Dark Fortress, Unknown Location, Space/Kimberly's POV)

I found myself regaining consciousness again. My back was on fire, Ecliptor used the electric whip on me and set the voltage to the max. Rhea and I used the strength we had to silently cut the connection to the other Ninjetti, so they won't feel anything; if they find out where I am gone, there will be a stampede coming to Eltar. I was still chained to the wall, better me than my cousin Aegis or my uncle figure Boreas. It's been what? Seventy-two hours since my capture? Well, I really surrendered after I bought Aegis and Boreas enough time to escape; despite that, I still fought until I exhausted my energy. I was put into a cell for twenty-four hours, then moved to this room; the interrogation began yesterday. When I wouldn't answer their questions, the torture methods began. It started off with being beaten, when I didn't give in, the standard and electric whips were brought in. The Alliance realised I wouldn't break, so Astronema sent in Darkonda and he used various blades on me; he cut deep into my back, either quick slashes or slow, painful surgical precision infliction. Darkonda seems to get enjoyment out of my pain, hearing me yell out. Astronema does order my wounds to be cleaned, they don't want me to die too quickly, Dark Spectre thinks he hit a jackpot since I'm the Lieutenant of the Eltarian Army.

My father is held in another room and is practically begging The Alliance to not harm me any further, but it's going to be a matter of time before they do kill me. They perceive me as a threat, I have a bounty and a 'Kill On Sight' order on me; though I suspect Astronema has other plans. I overheard her saying she has a project that involves creating an evil team of Power a Rangers called the Psycho Rangers. She thinks if she can control me, I'll be granted one of the Psycho Powers and kill the Astro Rangers, then hunt down the previous teams. That's worrying, if Astronema succeeds in creating the Psychos, the Astro Rangers will be given a run for their money. Dark Spectre, on the other hand, wants to release Firebird; my alter ego, by familial terms, Dark Spectre is Firebird's uncle. After becoming Firebird for the first time, I was so scared, she tapped into powers I didn't think I had; but thanks to Tommy, he was able to seal her away in my mind, but there's always the risk of her being released again. Suddenly, I heard the door open with a familiar 'whoosh', I looked up to see a silhouette and it wasn't Ecliptor's; it was Darkonda. Fuck! I forget the two take turns. I listened to his footsteps, as they got closer and closer, then; I was forced to look at him. I gave Darkonda a deadly glare, my eyes flashing red, but all he did was laugh.

"Time to have some fun, Eltarian." He proceeded to his table, picking up a dagger, that he sharpened not too long ago. "Let's see how long you can go, before passing out; daughter of Zordon.",

"Not going to question me, Darkonda?" I growled at him. The room filled with his light chuckle.

"That is Ecliptor's job. I do it, because it is fun.",

"You're a fucking sick bastard!" I said to him, only to yell out as I felt my back being struck.

"I commend your bravery Kara. Stubbornness runs in your family, but I assure you, I will break you." Then, I felt the blade stick into my back, between my shoulder blades. Slowly, he dragged the blade down my back, as my screams were heard in the room; I could feel the blood flowing out my wound, he must have cut deep and he stopped at the small of my back. It allowed me to get my breath back. Time seemed to have slowed down, stopped or ceased to exist, as Darkonda continued to use various knives and blades on me; cutting into my back like it's a piece of canvas. It wasn't long before the blood loss took its toll on me and my world went black.

(Nightmare Ends/Scene: Kimberly's Guest Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)

The Overdrive Rangers gathered outside their mentor's room after they awoke to hearing the sounds of screaming. They were sure it seemed like she was having a nightmare and it was best to wake her up from it. Whatever Dr. Hart was dreaming about, it must be bad if it has her screaming and thrashing in the bed. The boys didn't want to be disrespectful, so either Rose or Ronny would have to go in. Rose volunteered and said she will call out, if back up was required, but Ronny insisted to go in with her just in case. The boys stood outside, while the two female rangers entered the room, turning on the light. It was pretty bad, they have never someone in a state like this, Rose knew she had to wake up Dr. Hart before she hurt herself in her nightmare state. Ronny kept her distance while Rose carefully approached her mentor, intending to touch her shoulder. Rose reached out and put her hand on Kim's shoulder, saying:

"Dr. Hart! Wake up! You're having…" Before she could finish her sentence, Dr. Hart sprang up without warning, knocking Rose to the ground. She felt a pair of hands wrap around her throat, attempting to choke her to death! Kimberly's eyes were open, but there was fear, anger; the way Kim looked at Rose was as if she was someone else, not Rose Ortiz. Rose was finding herself unable to breathe, struggling under Dr. Hart's iron grip, her legs kicking out helplessly. Ronny reacted in an instant to save her friend, yelling for the guys to rush in, which they did as the Yellow Ranger super speeded towards Dr. Hart; catching her off guard and threw her off Rose; allowing the Pink Ranger to get much needed air into her lungs. Despite it being a hard push, Kim quickly got up and slammed her shoulder in Ronny. Mack called out the Pink Ranger.

"Dr. Hart! Snap out of it! Please!",

"I'm not falling for that Darkonda!" She said. Everyone was completely confused, did their mentor just call Mack Darkonda? Who is Darkonda? Next, Rhea appeared before them all, using her abilities and created a shield or force field to trap her Champion. Rhea is no stranger to her Champion's nightmares and night terrors, but it's been a long time since she had one and this one is bad. Rhea flew towards the Pink Ninjetti, hovering in front of her, as she slammed her shoulder into the shield and punching it, trying to escape. The Crane Spirit focused on her connection, using it to find Kimberly.

"Kimberly! Listen to me! You are having a nightmare and hallucinating." She said, "You are not The Alliance's prisoner of war! They are not torturing you!" Behind her, the kids were listening to every word she was saying, unknowingly out loud. They looked at each other, hearing this revelation about their mentor. Every time they learn something new, more and more questions pop up in their heads. What is The Alliance? Why was Dr. Hart tortured? How did she end up a prisoner of war? What war did she fight in?

"But… but Darkonda…",

"Darkonda is no more Kara. There is no need to fear." Kara? The rangers thought their mentor's name is Kimberly Hart, married to a man whose surname is Oliver. Their minds are asking too many questions, now it's coming to the point that they're sick and tired of Kimberly's secrets. They now want to know who she really is, where she is from. Kim hid a lot of secrets since they began their service and now it's beyond a joke. Rose almost considered looking up the contact Kimberly is friendly with: Dr. William 'Billy' Cranston, if they're such good friends, Dr. Cranston would know a lot about Kim. They all now feel, the time for secrets is over, they want to know their mentor. "Wake up Kara!" Rhea said firmly and she dropped the shield. Dr. Hart collapsed to the floor, still conscious, but shaking the cobwebs from her mind. She looked up and saw the Overdrive Rangers staring at her. Then she said to herself:

"What have I done?" Before they could even get near Kim, she got up onto her feet and ran out the door, leaving them all baffled. They decided to follow their mentor, but Rhea appeared again and shook her head.

"I know you are worried for her, but do not attempt to approach her for a few hours." She said to them all. "I understand the five of you have questions regarding Kimberly's past, until she is ready to speak, do not broach the topics in her presence." With that, the Crane Spirit disappeared, leaving the Overdrive Rangers alone. After hearing such words, they opted to respect Dr. Hart's space and let her speak when she is ready, for now; their mentor-ranger relationship maybe on the rocks. Which it has been over the passing weeks. Not too long ago, they managed to recover the parchment from Kamdor and Miratrix, which they couldn't translate at all; the parchment was written in an alien language, hiding the clue of the Toru Diamond's location. Kimberly, at the moment is in no state to help with the translations, so the responsibility has fallen onto Rose and the progress is slow.

8:50…

(Scene: Gardens, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

I was sitting on the bench, in front of the large fountain that sat in the middle of Andrew's large garden. Everything seems to be going downhill after I tried to kill Miratrix. I haven't been snappy, maybe… only a little, but I was closing off from the kids. They're learning too much, too quickly and now, they all have nothing but questions about my past; when they should be focusing on the finding the Yellow Corona Jewel. I can't believe I attacked them, I was stuck in my nightmare state and tried to choke Rose to death. I called Mack Darkonda, one of my two torturers during my captivity. Rhea had to get through to me, but of course, she let her tongue slip, revealing a few more of my secrets, like my real name, that I was a prisoner of war; which led to the obvious fact that I was involved in a war.

Perhaps it was a mistake coming here, I shouldn't be their mentor, especially when I have so many problems. There is a high risk Firebird could fight me for control, I try to keep out of the fighting. I try my best not to touch any new powers, but the Ninjetti. Just like during my service with the Dino Thunder Rangers, I see myself as a danger to everyone around me. I still feel that I'm a bad luck charm. Maybe it is best that I leave, Andrew can fill in as a mentor, I can't afford the kids getting hurt because of me.

"The kids are worried about you." A voice said behind me. I turned to see Spencer, taking his seat beside me. "Andrew is too and so do I.",

"Two separate occasions Spencer, two attempts I almost hurt the kids.",

"I understand how you feel Mrs. Oliver. You have that look I have seen in some of comrades." I looked at Spencer, unsure of where he is getting at. "I have seen war and it is horrible, nothing victorious about it. When I turned eighteen, I enlisted in the US Army and fought in the Vietnam War. I was only twelve when it began, but I fought in nineteen-sixty-one.",

"The war didn't conclude till nineteen-seventh-five." I added, learning about it in high school and my university course. "But the US troops withdrew in seventy-three."

"I was there till the end of that withdraw and witnessed many horrors. You and I are not so different. The war you fought in still haunts you till this day." He replied. "Like you, I rose quickly in the ranks. By sixty-seven, I was promoted to rank of Commander. The two of us have experienced loss unlike any other.",

"Have you… felt you could have done more?" I asked him,

"Yes. The poor souls I wished to save, so they could go home; it's all they wanted, all they asked for, nothing more, nothing less." I heard Spencer's change in tone, it was sad and sombre. I feel that way when I talk about the war I was in. "I see their faces, the sounds of war never left me. PTSD soon caught up to me." Looks like Spencer and I have more in common than I actually thought. Who knew he fought in the Vietnam War, I'm actually speaking to a real war veteran! Spencer… even he lived with PTSD.

"How… how did you live with PTSD?" I questioned,

"I knew something was wrong with me. I spoke to my parents and got help." Spencer smiled softly. "Something tells me, you didn't speak out until it was too late. It is no wonder your memories still haunt you.",

"I thought I had control over my PTSD. After all the fighting, being the Lieutenant for an alien army, I assumed my friends wouldn't understand." I admitted to the veteran commander, "I just… pushed them away." Our conversation was interrupted when we heard the engines of the SHARC taking off. Looks like the kids are heading somewhere, to get help to translate the parchment they managed to recover. "I kept telling them I was fine.",

"The solider's response." Chuckled Spencer and lightly. "I heard it so many times, I know when fine is not fine. I do wish I could help them. Some refused, but couldn't take it and a few of my brothers committed suicide." I can relate to that too.

"I almost considered suicide, when my PTSD became too much to bear. All the guilt I burdened, I wanted to die. What stopped me, were my friends and especially, when they found a therapist for me.",

"Being a Power Ranger narrows your choices. I assume your therapist is a past ranger." Said Spencer and I nodded. "I'm glad though, suicide is never an answer to relieve pain, as it inflicts pain on others.",

"I do have a service dog. Rex helps me in a big way.",

"I can imagine. Nothing better than man's best friend. The war taught you some very harsh lessons.",

"I joined the Eltarian Army at sixteen. I was turning twenty when Countdown begun." I sighed. "It frustrates me so much when people call it an invasion, it wasn't! It was an intergalactic scale war. Earth wasn't the only god damned planet to be attacked!" I tightened my grip on the bench I sat on, both of us hearing the wood creak due to my strength. When I visit Angel Grove, with Tommy and my friends, I sometimes hear the odd few things from people about Countdown; they all say Earth was lucky to survive such an invasion. Then hearing aliens are hostile, they must be monsters, it annoyed me. Humans on Earth can be a little narrow minded, they don't realise that 'aliens' do walk among them; I mean, there's myself, Aegis, Zhane, Karone and Andros. Aunt Dulcea comes down to visit me, she's nearly finished teaching class for the end of the semester; the exams must have started at this stage. Andrew hopes to have this whole thing done before Christmas of this year, so I can return to normality; but should it go into early zero-seven, I'm still covered till I return to the school. Anyways, Dulcea actually enjoys teaching, she is also a teacher on Eltar. I hope Aegis is doing alright with Maths Class. I have been very busy, literally had no time to contact Tommy, also Jason and Trini. No doubt all three of them are going ballistic and tearing Reefside and Angel Grove apart. Note to myself: call them all. I brought my attention back to Spencer, as he was feeling a little uncomfortable with my prolonged silence. "Even though I was raised by humans, I see that they can be capable of evil, much like the enemies that every ranger team have faced. They are not so different.",

"At the same time, humans are capable of wonderful things. War has been among our history for centuries, there's nothing we can do about it; but only hope we don't repeat it.",

"I've always viewed history as a series of long lessons that we can learn from. It's like what Chuck Palahnuik said: 'We'll be remembered more for what we destroyed, than what we created'." It does seem true. Then Spencer chuckles and counteracts my quote.

"And Friedrich Nietzsche quoted: 'All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks, in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity'." Do I really want to have a debate with this man? All I did was sigh and shook my head, the old butler got me there. He won the battle of philosophy this time. All of a sudden, my stomach began to growl. "Come now, Mrs. Oliver, I'll fix you up some food and let's see what happens when two war veterans play a game of Chess; Lieutenant Kara of Eltar." His eyes had a playful twinkle in them. He sees I need a break from monitoring the rangers down in the Overdrive Base.

"Let's see can you match my skills as a tactician then, after food; veteran Commander Spencer." Standing up, Spencer and I returned to the mansion, so I could eat something and play a few rounds of Chess with the butler, also to learn more about each other.

Several Hours Later…

18:00…

(Scene: Overdrive Base, Underground, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

After having some food, playing several rounds of Chess with Spencer and having some heart-to-heart talk about our similarities, our experiences with war. It was quite… enlightening to talk to another veteran, no offence to Dana, even though she's an excellent therapist; I feel she does not understand me when I talk about the war, she is not really seeing it. Spencer relates to me, the wars we fought in maybe different, but what we went through is the same. I found it easy to open up to him, telling him about my time as a prisoner of war, being tortured; he was able to sympathise with me. It is hard to think that he is a war veteran, Spencer is just so kind, he would not hurt a fly; the same can be said for me though, me being a soldier is the last thing people would think of. They wouldn't see me as the type to pick up a gun. Looks can be deceiving though and you never judge a person, until they tell you their life story. Sometimes, I still see a bit of my father in Spencer, he's like my own mentor or advisor, as I mentor the kids. Suddenly, the bell in the elevator sounded and the doors opened. The kids returned after their excursion in London with Rose's university in an attempt to translate the parchment, everything else, I'm in the dark with all this, since Spencer was insistent on keeping me out of the Overdrive Base for the day, which Andrew was actually glad about. I guess I also scared him when I went a little nuts on Miratrix, then attacked his son and the other rangers. I don't blame him for being wary of me.

Spencer and I stepped out of the elevator to meet Andrew and the kids, but then my eyes laid on an unexpected guest: some humanoid, scaly alien or… monster. He must have worked with Moltor and defected. I still couldn't trust him or it and instantly went into my fighting stance, even preparing to morph; until Mack stepped in front of him defensively, his hands raised.

"Woah, woah, woah! Dr. Hart! Easy, it's alright. He's friendly!" He said in panicked voice. "His name is Tyzon, he's a Mercurian." My eyebrows furrowed. Mercurian? Is he from a planet I read about during my stay on Eltar? The name of his citizenship rings bells.

"You're from… Mercuria?" I asked him,

"How do you know, human?" Great, do I really have to go there? Then, Tyzon cocked his head to the side, noticing my necklace. "Hey, why are you wearing Aria's necklace?" I instantly went on the defence, my muscles stiffening, as everyone in the room had confused looks on their faces. "My parents were good friends with her and Zordon." Explained Tyzon and then, he put two and two together. "You're her daughter!? No wonder you looked like her. I was still a child when they visited, but the similarities are uncanny." Then Ronny interrupted us, because she was looking completely confused.

"What is going on!?" She turned to Tyzon, "Ty, why are you talking to Dr. Hart as if she isn't from Earth?",

"You never told them?" He asked. All eyes were on me, suddenly, I felt small. I was hoping to keep my past out of this, but with Tyzon spouting about my biological parents, I have no choice but to reveal my heritage. It is going to strain our friendship, but it's a risk I'll have to take. They will learn to trust me again, once they understand why I hid my true identity from them. Tyzon looked back at the other rangers. "You're standing before the daughter of Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar and Commander Aria of Phaedos; Kara of Eltar.",

"You're… not from Earth?" Dax stuttered, upon hearing this revelation.

"Tell us Hart!" Ronny demanded,

"Tyzon is right. I am from Eltar. The truth is: I was born on that planet, but it was attacked. My father sent me to Earth for my protection." Mack stepped back in disbelief, as did the others. They were finding it hard to cope with this.

"Why did you keep this from us!?" He yelled, "You're our mentor, I thought there was no secrets!",

"I didn't want my past to become wrapped up in this." I admitted, "I'm sorry.",

"Please… just… leave." He gritted through his teeth,

"Mack!" Andrew warned, but I stopped him.

"No! I'll leave. I step down from my position as mentor, Andrew will that role in my stead." I walked towards the elevator, to head up to my room and pack my belongings and return home. I pressed the elevator button, but put in one last word to them. "Pour lemonade onto the parchment. It is coated in a resin that will react to the citric acid and reveal the location of the Toru Diamond." The elevator then opened. "Goodbye, rangers." And I stepped in, then the doors closed behind me.

(Andrew's POV)

After the kids did what Kimberly told them to do, the citric acid removed the resin covering the parchment, revealing a set of numbers; they were co-ordinates, leading them to another volcano. Tyzon has agreed to come with them, they are already heading towards the second jewel's location. I'm a bit upset that Kim never really opened up with the kids, because of that, it shattered the trust they had. It was already on shaky grounds when they began asking questions, then Tyzon - the Mercurian really shoots the gun. Kimberly should have told them the truth, now she has stepped down from mentorship, passing that role onto me. Where is she going to go? Home to Reefside? I don't know if she can, Kim won't risk bringing some of our enemies' attention there, now that we have another bunch added to our list: the Fear Cats and they are dangerous; like their name suggests. She will… probably stay in a cheap hotel, just away from us. If I ask her to stay here, even just to help with the ranger technology and the maintenance of the Zords, she just feel like an outsider to us. The Overdrive Rangers are angry with her, as trust has to go both ways, it suddenly feels like a one-way road now.

I walked over to the screen, typing in a code, revealing a hidden safe in the wall, similar to the one upstairs. I placed my hand on the scanner and the safe opened. I pulled out two items: they were both Overdrive morphers. I had them built in secret, in case they were ever needed. Unlike the five current Overdrive Trackers which are handheld, these two morphers are worn on the left wrist. Tyzon would be more than capable of wielding the Overdrive Mercury Powers. The other morpher was really for backup, I almost considered in making it an emergency auxiliary morpher, intended for temporary use; however, something stopped me and I didn't. I made this morpher specifically for Kimberly, if she refused to hold the Red Overdrive Ranger powers, which she did. Spencer told me a part of her yearns to be on the battlefield, but she holds back, afraid that she will get someone hurt. The old butler even got Kim to open up, using his experience as a war veteran. She just clicked with him, even telling him without thinking, that she was from Eltar. If I show her this morpher when the time is right, maybe, just maybe, she will accept them. As the saying goes with each ranger who served: 'Once a ranger, always a ranger'.

The problem is the kids, it will take them a while to forgive her, for hiding so many secrets from them. Her revelation of being from a different planet blew the bomb and completely threw them all into disbelief. I wonder why Kim finds it so hard to trust? She has a shield up, it seems like Spencer is familiar with such mental shields and able to bypass it. He's no stranger to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder too, he sees the same symptoms in Kimberly. Unlike the former commander, he got help when something wasn't right, the Pink Ranger never reached out until she accepted the fact, she has PTSD. When she unintentionally attacked the kids in her nightmare state, no doubt she was dreaming about her time in the war, as if it is still fresh. Had she gotten help sooner, rather than later, her memories would not be so raw. The rangers now know their mentor is a war veteran, Spencer said she fought in Countdown To Destruction. Her home was attacked heavily and watched many of those she cared about die in front of her. Survivor's Guilt is a part of symptoms of PTSD, Kim wishes she could have done more. I placed the morphers back into the safe, closing it and placing the fake wall over it.

Suddenly, I was dragged out of my thoughts when I saw the kids and Tyzon appear from the elevator. It looks like they succeeded in retrieving the Toru Diamond. They all seem pretty pleased with themselves. Tyzon handed me the diamond, it feels like such a relief, now that we have two jewels in our possession; but… it's almost bittersweet, Kimberly isn't here to celebrate with us. Tyzon even told us, it looks like he is doomed to remain in his monstrous form for the rest of his life. However, the Sentinel Knight appeared before us, startling Tyzon. The other rangers weren't surprised this time round. Tyzon asked Sentinel Knight if he could reverse Moltor's curse on him, but he said he doesn't have the power to do so, but we do. Following his instruction, Mack took the Toru Diamond, which shrunk itself down and Blackbeard's Pearl. He raised them towards Tyzon and we watched as the two jewels glowed, shimmering some sort of light over him. Within a few seconds, the curse Moltor placed upon Tyzon was reversed, revealing a blonde-haired man in his early twenties, with mercury coloured eyes; being that he is from Mercuria.

He was so glad to be returned to normal, practically hugging everyone and thanking the Sentinel Knight. Before the spirit vanished, he left some parting words for the team.

"I understand the five of you feel betrayed by your own mentor." They got stiff upon his direct mention of Kimberly. "However, she has her reasons to keep her past hidden from you all. You must learn to forgive the young Eltarian, when the time comes, you will need her help; in your hour of need." In bright light, he vanished. Looks like the kids have a lot to ponder on. Then, it appears Mack wasn't done with surprises for Tyzon; he presented the Mercurian with his crystal, completely repaired. Tyzon looked relieved to see it fixed, as he placed it back into his bracelet. I attempted to convince him to join us, but he sadly declined and said he cannot help. All we could do was watch as he walked out, a potential ranger, gone. With Kimberly gone also, I feel this team is going to get weaker.

Ten Days Later…

12:20…

Monday…

16th July 2006…

Canon: Post-Man of Mercury

(Scene: Sitting Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)

Ten days have passed since Tyzon has joined the team as the new Mercury Overdrive Ranger. He literally saved them in the nick of time, from their new pair of enemies: The Fear Cats. Their victory has been sort of… melancholy because of Dr. Hart's departure from the mansion. Every time they stepped foot into the base, they expected to see her congratulate them on a job well done or if something went wrong; she always had advice on hand, experience to share to make them not just better rangers, but better people too. They begun to miss the time they celebrate each victory with pizza and Tyzon was asking what pizza is. His new friends promised, once they get Dr. Hart back or convince her to, they'll make sure he tastes his first pizza slice.

Tyzon felt he was the blame for their mentor's leave, because he revealed his parents knew her's, thus revealing her Eltarian heritage. Learning such secret did seriously shackle the bond they shared with their mentor, they could not understand why she never opened up. Did she fear that they would treat her differently? They haven't treated Tyzon like he was anymore or less human than them. As the days went by, slowly they thought about looking for Dr. Hart to apologise to her for their reaction.

It seems as if they all realised that their duty as the Power Rangers meant nothing without their mentor to guide them. Even though she only morphed on two separate occasions, Dr. Hart did help one way or another. They never blame her for almost going out of control and nearly killing Miratrix. When Tyzon heard that tale, he asked if he could piss Dr. Hart off and then 'sic' her; he's still learning human slang words, on the Fear Cats. Let them see what it is like to fear. He has heard that she is an amazing fighter too, Will told him that their mentor beat him regardless if he was morphed or not. It didn't really surprise Tyzon, the Eltarians are fine warriors, even he feels the Mercurian Army couldn't match to them. When he described the Eltarian Army to them, Rose called Eltar the 'alien version of Ancient Rome'. Eltar's army were the finest in the galaxy, but the planet is not the conquering type and aided many planets, far and wide in their time of need. Tyzon really wanted to learn more about Aria's daughter, she actually intrigued him.

Then, apart from Andrew walking around, the mansion was unusually quiet. They wondered where Spencer, the old butler vanished off to. So far, with each and every victory they achieved, their enemies gone into a state of quietness again; which they are glad about. It gave them a much needed reprieve. At the moment, Andrew is alone, seeking the next clue for the location of the Blue Corona Jewel and without Dr. Hart to give him an extra hand, it is becoming slow work. Mack blames himself too, he was the one to tell her to leave. He didn't actually mean it, but the Pink Ranger took it to heart and actually left. Throughout the ten days, the kids searched every part of the city for their mentor, calling every single hotel in the city to see if she stayed there. William even went far to hacking into different security mainframes to find her. They all miss Dr. Hart and they want her back, active ranger or not.

12:50…

(Scene: Hotel Indigo, Downtown, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

I sat in my hotel room, with a surprising visit from Spencer. I swear, that man has crazy tracking skills if he was able to find me with ease. Originally, I intended to find a cheap motel, instead, I ended up here; because I ran into the manager. He recognised me right off the bat and offered me an indefinite stay at a discount price; I knew it was a stunt to get more publicity for the hotel, but I couldn't be rude. Therefore, I accepted the offer. I was given a private suite, even though I said a standard one-bedroom was fine. The things people do when they run into a well known person, I didn't think my dissertation would put this much spotlight on me. I sort of know how Stephen Hawking feels now. Right now, Spencer and I were having another game of Chess, he managed to beat me on the last couple of rounds, but I was determined to win this game.

I examined the board, one of my Rooks were in a good position, can't be attacked; sitting comfortably in White Square A7, the other required two moves to checkmate the White King, it means though, diverting the Queen's attention to my last Bishop on Square C4. Thus, moving her from the place that Spencer could counterattack my second Rook, which is Black Square F6. Guess I don't have a choice and I pray Spencer does not see my plan. I reached out for my Black Bishop, moving it diagonally to Square D5, ending my turn. As I predicted, Spencer moved his Queen to attack, leaving his King completely vulnerable. With his turn over, I moved my Rook in an instant, placing it down on Square F8, smirking with pride at the elderly butler; who looked pretty astonished.

"Checkmate." I said, completely pinning his King down, unable to move anywhere or have his pieces counter mine. The Queen couldn't move since his own pieces blocked her movements. Finally! I actually beat Spencer at a game.

"Very well played Mrs. Oliver. I noticed you sacrificed your Bishop to get the win." He noted. I sat back into my seat, hearing the words Jason - my brother, said when I was having a rough time with PTSD.

"My brother said to me: 'Loss is a choice made for you. Sacrifice is a choice you make'. I chose to sacrifice my Bishop.",

"I would very much like to meet your brother. He seems to be quite a knowledgable man. Such words a soldier can relate to." Spencer said wishfully, "You and I have seen a lot of loss in our lives.",

"Some I wish, I could have prevented." I decided to divert the conversation, because I really want to know why he is really here and judging by the look on my face, Spencer knew. "Why are you actually here, Spencer?" The butler sat up straight and looked at me.

"I'm here, because the kids miss you. They want you back Mrs. Oliver, Mack and them have been tearing the city apart searching for you." He revealed, making me sigh.

"I can't Spencer, I betrayed their trust because I couldn't open up to them. Now, they want me back? It took them ten days to realise that?" Spencer heard the near sourness in my voice.

"Mrs. Oliver, they're still young, it takes time for them to learn from their mistakes. Don't be too harsh on their judgment." He reasoned,

"They made their decision too late." I said to him, dangerously soft. "Please, leave. Leave me alone." Respecting my word, Spencer got after tidying up his Chess board and headed for the door.

"If you change your mind, you know where we are." He smiled. Just as he reached for the door, it was suddenly blasted open, throwing the old man back onto the floor and surprising me.

"SPENCER!" I yelled. I looked up, two figures stepping out from the smoking door. It was Kamdor and Miratrix. Before I even had time to morph, Kamdor leaped and I was knocked out cold.

13:20…

(Scene: Outside Indigo Hotel, Downtown, San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)

The rangers all bolted out of the six-seater taxi, wearing their civilian clothes. They finally located their mentor after Will hacked into one last security frame and managed to get a ping. Dr. Hart was staying in the Indigo Hotel in Downtown San Angeles. Mack paid the taxi driver and told him to keep the change, which the driver was happy about. The kids bolted towards the entrance, only to see a crowd, news reporters, police and an ambulance. All the rangers had worried faces, attempting to push through the crowd to reach the front. With some effort, the six of them made it and out of the entrance, paramedics pulled out a gurney with someone lying on top of it and someone they knew well: it was Spencer and he's been wounded. The medical team loaded him onto the back of the ambulance, but Mack was quick to leave his friends' sides, though they didn't mind; Spencer is family to him. Mack revealed Spencer is the family butler of Hartford Mansion and asked to get on, the medics couldn't really argue. Shutting the doors, the ambulance drove off, sirens blaring off into the distance. Rose on the other hand, poked the guard in front of her and asked a question.

"Officer, what happened here?",

"Two people were attacked. One of the occupants was currently staying in this hotel." He said,

"Who was the occupant?" Questioned Tyzon,

"Manager said it was a Dr. Kimberly Hart-Oliver. We don't know the attackers or what their motives are, but we will find her." Returning to his duty, Rose turned back to the others, now worried. The five of them left the scene, looking for a quiet spot to contact Andrew. Rose pulled out her Overdrive Tracker and called Andrew. The archaeologist finally answered after a couple of seconds passed.

"What's wrong Rose?",

"Andrew, Dr. Hart has been taken. Do you think you can locate her?" She asked him,

"Two seconds now." Two seconds turned into a few minutes, they began to get fidgety, until Andrew's voice came through again. "Signal is faint, but she's located in an abandoned steel factory north of the hotel. Be careful rangers." Now knowing their mentor's location, they proceeded to the factory, following the co-ordinates Andrew sent them. The kids prayed their mentor is unhurt, because they don't know which of their enemies have her; it's either Moltor or Fluious, Kamdor and Miratrix or the Fear Cats. Whoever of the bunch has her, they will pay and it won't be pretty.

13:55…

(Scene: Abandoned Steel Factory, Industrial Estate, Downtown, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

I managed to regain consciousness after getting knocked out by Kamdor. Getting my sense together, I examined my surroundings, it appears to be a disused steel factory. Of all places to bring me and pretty cliché, it's not any worse than that illegal dumping site Trini and I closed down back in ninety-three. God, that seems long ago now. I knew I was shackled, so I attempted to loosen them first, using my Eltarian strength, but to no avail; no matter how hard I tried. It seems like the evil duo figured out my heritage, fuck! The metal that the shackles are made of can withstand the strength of Eltarians. Great, first time I encountered this type of metal was back on Earth-X. Rhea appeared beside me, so I told her to see if she can break the chains herself. Unfortunately, she wasn't in a better position either, I groaned out loud, leaning my head back.

"I hate my life." I said out loud,

"You're going to hate it even more, Eltarian." I looked to see Kamdor, beside him was Miratrix.

"You two ever considered dating? People will start asking questions." I snarked. They both approached me.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" Miratrix growled, "Now that we have you, I'm sure you can help us find the other jewels." I laughed at her.

"Sorry love, but after the shit you did, it's a fool's end.",

"Maybe not you, but your friend inside perhaps." I froze, instantly knowing who he meant. It made tense and struggle in my seat. No! He doesn't understand how dangerous my alter ego is! Firebird doesn't give two shits about anyone. God and the Power knows what she could do with the power of the Corona Aurora, it's practically asking for Armageddon.

"Kamdor! You can't! Firebird doesn't care about anyone but herself! By the time she's released, she'll just destroy you both." Kamdor raised his hand, attempting to enter my mind.

"It's a risk we'll take." Just as he was about to place his hand on my forehead, he was suddenly pushed away by a yellow streak. A yellow streak? It meant one thing. Behind Ronny, Rose, Will, Dax and Tyzon ran up beside her. They came to save to me? After everything that happened? Kamdor and Miratrix stood up, growling at the interference, only to get pushed down again when the roof collapsed on them. Who on Earth? The dust cleared, revealing Mack. They're all here! I couldn't help but smile at them. Way to make an entrance Red Ranger.

"You guys came for me?",

"We still want an explanation, but regardless, you are our mentor Dr. Hart." Mack said, "Now, let's get you out of those chains." Tyzon stepped in.

"Allow me, this metal was made resist Eltarian super strength." All of a sudden, Kamdor and Miratrix rose from the rubble, clearly pissed. You could see it on their faces and something tells me, it will take Tyzon a while to break the chains. "Um… buy me some time?" The kids got into their morphing stance, bringing out there Overdrive Trackers.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" In bright flashes of light the kids stood in there suits. As expected, Will went after Kamdor, aided by Mack, while the other three squared off with Miratrix. Eventually they got out enemies away from us. It allowed some sort of breather, as Tyzon worked on the chains. As he worked on them, I began some small talk.

"I noticed you look different, did the kids manage to reverse your monster form?",

"With the power of the two jewels, yes. They did." He replied, "My true intention was to actually find my fiancée's killers. The Fear Cats led me here, to Earth." I got the hint, Tyzon lost someone he cared about.

"I'm… I'm sorry about your fiancée. I understand how it feels to lose someone you love." I heard a chain drop, looks like he's making quick work of the metal. Last thing was the padlock that kept the chains around my wrists locked. I hope he knows how to pick locks. Then, we heard more voices, oh shit! Tyzon looked up, to see Moltor and his Lava Lizards.

"Well what do we have here? The traitor and the Eltarian. Two aliens from different planets, who would have thought." Moltor gave the signal to his foot soldiers to attack, but were blasted away. We all turned to see Andrew, Mack's father. What the hell is he doing here? Has this become a full scale rescue mission? I'm somewhat glad Tommy isn't aware of this, he'd be the last person they want to deal with. I saw Andrew was armed with a spare Overdrive Defender.

"Ty, help the others. I got this." Tyzon nodded, morphing into his suit. Mercury Ranger? It suits him well. Unsheathing his weapon that represented a metal detector, with a blade of the top of it, he charged, dealing with Moltor and his soldiers. Andrew turned his attention to me, picking up the lockpick he dropped and began to pick the padlock. After a few seconds, we both the distinct click, as the padlock opened, releasing me. I stood up, rubbing my wrists, thank god. However, it seems like Andrew wasn't finished with me. "Kim, the rangers need their mentor and they need you to help them." Fishing through his pocket, he pulled out a small silver box, handing it to me.

"What is it?",

"Open it." He said to me. I did, unlocking the clasps and I gasped in shock and surprise; inside was another morpher, an Overdrive Tracker, except, like Tyzon's, it is worn on the wrist. He made it for me, but can I go back on the battlefield? I vowed to never touch the Power again. I shook my head.

"Andrew, I can't. I vowed never again.",

"They need you Kimberly!" Andrew begged, "Not just in the base or to offer advice, but on the field too. They saw you fight, Spencer knows you want to be with them." What has that elderly butler been relaying to Andrew? I heard Rhea begging me to accept the morpher, she knows being inside the base, monitoring fights is not my place; being in the thick of the fight is. Although, what if my PTSD triggers? I'll be liability during the fights. My worries began to build, but Rhea told me I am stronger than I let myself believe. "Please Kim. Take it." I sighed, weighing my options. Am I really ready to become an active ranger again?

15:00…

(Scene: Outside Abandoned Steel Factory, Industrial Estate, Downtown, San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)

All six rangers were thrown back after a combined blast from Kamdor, Miratrix and the surprise appearance of Moltor. They can count their lucky stars that Fluious and the Fear Cats haven't entered the fray either. They all began to wish they had extra firepower or more help. Moltor laughed at the state they are in, as they kept their weapons raised in an effort to stay strong. Thinking it was the end of them, their three enemies fired one last energy blast at them, to finish the Overdrive Rangers. Closing their eyes, they expected the blast to hit them, but it never came which surprised them all. When the dust settled, the figure standing in front of them became clear, it was Dr. Hart, wielding an Overdrive Defender in blade mode. She held her place, keeping a protective body language. The kids were a little nervous of Dr. Hart being here, what if she went berserk? That's the last thing they need. Mack couldn't even see if her eyes were doing the scary light show thing. Rose on the other hand, noticed something on her left wrist: a morpher, like Tyzon's.

"Oh my god!" She muttered. They all watched as Kim pointed her finger at Moltor, Kamdor and Miratrix.

"You made a big mistake hurting my rangers." She growled, "Hurt them, you have to deal with their mentor." And she raised her left wrist, revealing her Overdrive Morpher. Moltor just laughed, unfazed by her threat.

"Aren't you getting a little old for this, Kimberly?",

"I maybe old, but I still got the moves." She smirked. Throwing her Overdrive Defender in the air; Kim activated her new Overdrive Morpher, following the same morphing sequence as Tyzon. "Overdrive Accelerate!" Kim's entire body lit up, none of them being sure what ranger colour she will be, but they all watched in awe. Once the light died down, Dr. Hart now stood in her new ranger suit and it certainly had some… interesting modifications. For one, unlike the six of them, Kimberly wore silver armour, protecting her chest and shoulders, like an Overdrive Shield. In the centre, was the Operation Overdrive symbol and wrapped around her arms, were arm bracers. Her helmet was like Tyzon's, with a single spike protruding from it. However, it's the colour that shocked them. Kim caught her Overdrive Defender and got in her ranger stance. "Overdrive Green Ranger!" This revelation, seeing the older ranger back in the spandex surprised them, almost thinking if they bit off more than they can chew. "Want to mess with me now?" She mockingly asked.

Moltor, not looking one bit intimidated, raised his sword and charged at the Green Ranger. Kim was being no overconfident slouch and did the same, their swords soon clashing with each other. It wasn't long for Kamdor and Miratrix to join the fight, Kimberly was keeping herself calm, making sure not lose control. She blocked and countered each of their attacks with dexterity, like she never stopped being a Power Ranger. Kim blocked an attack belonging to Miratrix, quickly kicked Moltor away and caught Kamdor's strike; using her strength, she threw the duo into the air, landing on top of Moltor. Feeling she had enough of them, the new Green Overdrive Ranger sheathed her Overdrive Defender and called forth the Drill Blaster, which surprised the rangers. They couldn't wield the blaster without the Defender Vest, does the Overdrive Shield act like the Defender Vest? Taking the weapon, Kim charged up the blaster and fired at the evil trio; sending them into the air and landed back to the ground, hard injured.

"Let this be a warning: hurt my rangers, I will hurt you." Taking her warning, the three of them teleported, to heal from their injuries received by the new Green Ranger. Banishing the Drill Blaster, the other six rangers ran up to their mentor, admiring her suit. Tyzon even joked why he didn't get armour like her. Still glad to have their mentor back, Mack called the SHARC to bring them all home.

17:00…

(Scene: Living Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

Everyone celebrated my return by ordering pizza, especially for Tyzon too, as he never experienced Earth food. By the time food came, he was surprised to see so much food, saying we'll never eat it all. His statement made us all laugh, as Will pointed to Ronny, describing as a human garbage disposal and she is proud of it. Spencer was discharged from hospital, he only has a few scrapes and bruises, but was told by the doctors to take it easy. However, we all know Spencer, he won't listen to the doctors, the old butler is too stubborn. Tyzon was going back for another slice of pizza that he is enjoying very much, saying humans have a good taste for food. Ronny was on her second large pepperoni pizza, I'm somewhat glad that Andrew pays, Tommy would be wondering where the money in my saving account is going. Oh my god! Speaking of Tommy, I'm wearing his first ranger colour! Should my friends hear about this, they'll never let it go! The jokes will be plenty. Zordon, please help me!

Mack and the others want to know my past, but they all agreed to save that for tomorrow, as I told them it's a long story, a very long story. For now, they are celebrating the fact they now have me as a new ranger. Spencer came in with glasses of lemonade and we each took one, Andrew and Spencer did too. Mack was first to propose a toast.

"Let's raise our glasses, as toast for the return of our mentor and our new Green Ranger." Tyzon didn't exactly understand what a toast meant, but followed through as we clinked our glasses together. Tyzon looked at Andrew. "We are now stronger than ever. Seven of us in total!"

"I'm still jealous that I didn't get cool armour like her." And we laughed as Andrew got a little flustered.

"I'm sorry Ty, I'll be sure to file a complaint to the Morphing Grid." Suddenly, a thought came to me and it caused me to groan.

"What's up Hart?" Said Dax,

"I just realised, going through what clothes I have; I need to go shopping tomorrow." As I face palmed out of embarrassment.

"Why's that?" Rose added,

"I have a serious lack of green." My statement caused everyone to laugh again, Ronny almost choked on her food, as well as Tyzon. They know I am, or at this stage, was the Pink Ranger; with a new colour, means a different colour co-ordination. You were right father, once a ranger, always a ranger. I can imagine he's looking down at me, very happy and proud.

---

Next Time…

"We're going to be on TV!?" Dax exclaimed excitingly…

"So, we need to find Mjolnir. How hard can that be?" Ronny said to the rangers,

"Myths coming to life," Kim groaned, "I'm getting a headache that will rival Rita's."…

"Bad luck." Mack huffed, "How bad can things get?"…

"YOU LET THEM STEAL THE JEWEL!?" Kim screamed at Will, her eyes flashing red. William actually flinched, as the others cringed at their mentor's and Green Ranger's temper. "WHAT POINT OF 'RETURN IMMEDIATELY', DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND!?"

---

So, that was another whopper and explains my long update gaps. Well, this is a different universe, so I decided to embrace that. I did say I was going to make Operation Overdrive off canon. I originally intended to make Kimberly Overdrive Mercury Ranger and push Tyzon to secondary character, but silver doesn't suit Kim. Which is why I have introduced my own original and make Kimberly Overdrive Green Ranger. Yeah… Tommy will want a few words with his wife.

Like what you're reading? Hit the Favourite, Follow to be notified fast and constructive criticism is nice to see sometimes.

Until next chapter!