Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to Disney/Haim Saban

"Shit!" Jay's eyes went wide. "He's still alive."

"Do it, Dayton," Eva breath. "Do it and end this."

Dayton looked up, looked at them. And nodded. He lifted his free hand, looking back down to focus on Pleance's face. Amber light began to fill this hand, swarming like fireflies, swirling and intersecting, until they formed the rough shape of a ball. As more light began to pour in, solidifying the ball, a strange song seemed to fill the air. It was keening, sad. Like an animal mourning.

The ball was complete and swirling. And the song got louder and louder, nearly becoming deafening. Dayton began to lower his hand, as if to press the ball into Pleance's chest. His free hand still clasped Pleance's chin, angling the white haired man's face towards him.

And Pleance's eyes opened.

Everything and everyone froze. The song broke off – as if the radio had been abruptly switched off. Dayton's and Pleance's eyes were fixed upon each other.

Suddenly, Dayton was on his feet and stumbling back, the ball extinguished with a simple curling of his fingers into a fist. Pleance rose to his feet, eyes trained on Dayton.

"Dayton, what're you doing?" Jeanie yelled belatedly.

She pounded against the walls of her floating prison, fear and anger twisting together until they formed a hot helpless pit in her belly.

Dayton continued backing away from Pleance. "You do not have to do this," he said. "You do not have to resurrect him. You have a choice. You always did." There was desperation in his voice, and a sorrow none of the rangers could fathom. "Return to our side. Live in peace once more."

Pleance's sneer said exactly what he thought of Dayton's words. Without warning, he thrust his hand out. Light crackled from it, moving in unerring accuracy towards Dayton. The ranger mentor hissed in a quick breath, brought his hands up to once more form his shield. But he was too late.

Purple lightning seemed to grab his body, send it arcing several feet into the air, eye level with the rangers. They watched in horrified agony as their mentor's body bowed back in a rigid curve of unspeakable pain. The light pulsed all around him, still leaping from Pleance's outstretched hand. Little pale violet bolts crackled over his body, raced through his hair and made his open eyes glow a strange unearthly colour. His arms were flung outwards, in a parody of a hug, his fingers stretched out. He jerked, once, twice, thrice.

"Stop it!" Ris screamed, tears pouring down her face, choking her voice. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it!"

Pleance's only response was to laugh, taking obvious delight in their pain.

"Damn you Pleance!" Jay yelled, letting anger take over because it was so much better, so much less painful than the pain that was trying to take over. "Damn you! We'll kill you! When this is done and over with, you die!"

Trev's eyes were closed and he was rocking slightly on his feet. Pleance laughed again. "You think you can move him using your power? So obviously untrained and unknowing. Move him and kill him then," he taunted as Trev's eyes flew open, wide and full of fear. "Move him."

"Shut up," Eva said through gritted teeth. Her fists slammed on the sides of her bubble prison, with enough force to make its walls shudder. "Shut up!"

David was silent, but there was something building in his hand, something reckless in his eyes. It was navy blue and crackled. David was going to try blast out of the bubble, using his Thunder Ninja power, and he didn't give a damn about the consequences. All that mattered was saving Dayton.

Jeanie's hands were pressed against the walls of her jail and she wasn't looking at Dayton but at her cousin. "Don't do it David," she murmured. "Don't do it."

Dayton bowed back, back arching in an impossible figure of pain, Pleance cackled, there was no other word for the evil delight sound that rolled from his lips, David prepared to unleash his thunder – and Jeanie fell through the walls of her bubble, landing on her hands and knees below it.

Pleance stared, eyes beginning to widen with rage. Her team mates, her friends, her family, screamed her name. And Jeanie released the power that had been building inside her ever since she'd woken up to find herself in that suspended prison. Crimson lightning raced through the air, slammed into Pleance with enough force to have him doing a face plant on the ground. And he lay still, as if unconscious.

Jeanie was up, scrambling for Dayton. She fell to her knees, cradled his head on her lap. "Dayton," she called, breathing sobbing with tears unshed. "Dayton, wake up."

But he was silent, dark lashes like soot against his tanned skin. His broad chest refused to take a breath and his mouth stayed stubbornly closed. Frustrated, she shook his limp head. "Dayton, damn you, wake up!"

There was still no answer. Desperation laced her voice now as she kept calling his name. It leaked to the other rangers, who stood silent in their jails, hands pressed to the clear surfaces, straining to get closer. "Dayton…"

The world came to life with the chirrup of distant birds and the sound of cars starting up. Voices and lights came from the neighbouring houses, its occupants blissfully unaware of the tragedy unfolding just feet from their comfort zones. Time, the rangers suddenly remembered with dawning horror, would move on only when Dayton wished it…or when he, too, moved on.

The dam broke and Jeanie bent double over their mentor's body, hot tears splashing his tunic as sobs wrenched from her heart rent the air.

"No!" The cry came from Eva, pounding at the bubble's walls, tears clogging her throat, making her eyes burn.

A little burble came from Ris as she slumped onto the curved floor, drew her knees up and began to rock. The boys could make no sound, could make no move. Then Pleance began to rise and the shock shattered.

"Jeanie!"

David's yell was a warning and Jeanie's head snapped up, eyes meeting Pleance's as he got to his feet. But she didn't move, hands tightening on Dayton's cheek. Grief had broken her heart and despair now froze her body. She couldn't move, couldn't react.

But her friends could and did with increasing volume.

"Jeanie!"

"Jeanie, move! He's going to kill you!"

"Move!"

Pleance held out a hand and a now achingly familiar purple green ball began to form. And still Jeanie didn't move.

"Jeanie what the hell's wrong with you?!"

"Move! Get your ass out of there!"

At Jay's thundering yell – full of fear and anger twining in a dangerous combination – Jeanie seemed to snap to reality. Though she still sobbed, she stood, began to tug at Dayton's body. And the ball in Pleance's hand grew bigger and bigger to match the sadistic smile on his face.

And something occurred to David. "Trev!" He whirled, looked at the dark haired Japanese descendant. "Trev, use your power. Relocate her! Relocate all of us!"

But the usually steadfast, confident green ranger shook his head. "No," he said, pale and scared and looking far younger than his seventeen years. "No, I can't. You heard Pleance. I'll kill us. I'll kill us."

"Jeanie!" The others were still screaming at the pink ranger, who was refusing to leave Dayton's body. "Jeanie! Move, damnit, move!"

She was moving, but inch by slow inch, so slow it hurt to watch.

"Forget it!" Eva said with sobs throbbing her voice. "Forget Dayton's body! Save yourself damnit!"

"Listen to her!" Ris screamed, tears making her cheeks shine. "Do it! Leave Day – the body! Move!"

"Forget the body!" Jay took up the cry as well. "Forget it!"

Jeanie shook her head, unable to speak through her crying but the meaning was obvious. She wouldn't leave Dayton's body.

The ball had gotten big enough for Pleance to be forced to hold it in both hands. His face was lit up – an evil demented version of a child burbling with joy. And the rangers knew there was little to no time.

"Do it Trev!" David screamed at his cousin. "Relocate! Do it! Now!"

"I can't!" Trev was crying, hot tears rolling down his cheeks in fear and anger. "Damnit! I can't! I'll kill us all!"

"We're dead either way!" David screamed.

"Jeanie, move your ass!" Jay screamed.

"Forget the body!" Eva screamed.

"Save yourself!" Ris screamed.

Trev closed his eyes, trying to find his power as the screams of despair, anger and fear swirled around him.

"Do it!"

"I can't!"

"Jeanie! Move Jeanie, move!"

"Relocate us!"

"I CAN'T!"

"DO IT! NOW!"

At David's scream of now, air began howling, whipping at Pleance's hair and clothes. He shielded his eyes, the pulsing ball dying away in the face of his sheer shock, as the air formed around Jeanie and Dayton and the other rangers, creating a near solid wall. The sky above them turned dark and thundering, lightening flashing in sharp sudden bursts. And Trev's head fell back, his mouth opening in a piercing scream of pain as green light burst from him, enveloping the other rangers and Dayton's body.

And the world around them went crazy.