Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. (And there's only Three More Days until the new season!)
A/N: A little background for Angel...and I'm probably going to be losing a few people over this chapter. All I can do is tell you is that if you will give me until the next chapter, it will be totally worth it.
Angel met the Warlord when she was a child. She didn't know her age, or her name, or much of anything. All she had known was that she was in the slave pens of Laycier, where the pleasure slaves were trained and she was a beautiful child. She also knew that she was a very special child, because all of the guards on the pens told her that. Angel learned in the first few days after she woke up there that beautiful children didn't always grow up in the pens of Laycier.
The Warlord had attacked moments before Angel learned the truth of what being special meant on Laycier, striding through the corridors of the pens with a large sword in one hand and flanked by two men in body armor. "This is her," one of them said.
The Warlord stared at her through his mask, and then nodded, "She comes on my ship. Do what you can for the others."
"Yes sir!" The two men declared as they saluted him.
Angel drew back as they strode into her pen and one of them snapped his fingers, "Let's go girl."
"Gentle, brother," the other said, he half knelt, "It's ok, we're here to rescue you. Come with us."
Angel tried to come towards them, but was afraid. Finally, the first one made an impatient noise and strode over and picked her up. "Let's go," he snapped at the other man.
Angel screamed in fear as the rough hands grabbed her and she struggled as she was carried out of her pen. There was a crackling snap, and Angel shrieked as the world turned upside down and twisted, "Give her here, Micah." Someone said, and Angel was handed over to someone else, "get back down there, then, boyos. I'll see to our Angel."
The crackling snap cut through Angel's near hysteria, but the not so gentle slap brought her out of it. Kneeling before her was a woman with blond curls, "It's ok," the woman said, "I'm sorry I hit you."
Angel sniffed and looked around, they were in a room with grey, metal walls, there was no furniture. She turned back to the woman as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. "Who?" She whispered.
"My name is Cateyla," the woman said. "My husband, the Warlord, rescued you. I would like to take you to put some warmer clothes on. I promise, no one here will hurt you."
xxXXxx
Angel jerked and opened her eyes. She was back in her mindscape prison, and frowned. She hadn't dreamed of her rescue in years. Shaking her head, she twisted slightly, and her imagined bed reformed itself into a chair, aimed at a large "screen" where she could see the world outside using her body's senses.
Raven was walking down a corridor of the ship, coming towards her were two young men in ninja gear. "Rangers," Raven said, stopping to eye them.
"Raven," the taller of the two replied. Angel studied him for a moment, from his blond hair to his sneer, he was attractive, knew it and liked to flaunt it.
"Word to the wise, Thunders," Raven said, "don't let Marah and Kapri see you unmorphed. You'd never get them to leave you alone."
"Should we have to worry about you to?" Blondie asked.
Raven snorted and stepped between and past the two, "In your dreams, Crimson." She turned to look at them, "I am the Warlord's daughter. I don't consort with minions." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and continued on her way.
A hand grabbed her arm, "We aren't minions," Blondie snarled.
"Take your hand off me," Raven said coldly. Blondie didn't move. "You will release me," Raven told him, "or you will be left wishing there was enough of you for Lothor to flog." The hand tightened. Raven lifted her hand, made a fist and released purple and black lightning at his hand. Blondie let go with a yelp, his partner, the Asian, came forward in a rush.
Raven raised her blaster, pointing it straight between his eyes, "I've been nice," she told Asian as he glared at her. "But if either of you ever lay a hand on me and I will castrate you before handing you over to my father." After a moment, Blondie and Asian backed up. Raven engaged the safety on the blaster and slid it into her holster as she spun.
"Lothor's looking for you," Blondie called after her. "He's in the war room."
Raven hissed as she turned around, "Of course," she said with a smile to both boys. She stalked past them and took a cross corridor to the war room. She noticed the boys following her and added, "I grew up on this ship, I'm not likely to get lost."
"Lothor wants to see us too," Asian said.
"Minions," Raven caroled at them.
"What does that make you?" Blondie asked.
"I am the Warlord's daughter," Raven replied, "it is only natural that I be obedient to my father."
Lothor was waiting for the three of them in the war room, his smile when he saw his daughter was soft, "Raven, you look more lovely every day."
"Thanks," Raven said and brushed her lips over his cheek, "What's going on?"
"I want you to spar with the Thunders here," Lothor said, "just to show them what you're capable of."
Raven grinned, "It would be my pleasure." Lothor backed out of the way, as Raven turned to the Thunders with a smirk. "Are you ready, boys?" She drawled, shifting into a guard stance.
"I'll show you minions," Asian snapped and attacked.
It was, Angel thought, a good showing. She leaned back in her chair and let the feedback from Raven's actions tell her about the fight, and the Thunders. The younger, the Asian, was the weaker of the two in some ways. He left himself open too often and not all of them were feints. Blondie, on the other hand, was older and clearly more in tune with his brother and the battle both. They did have a fascinating level of synchronization going on which Angel wished she could really observe.
Finally, Lothor released a noisemaker to catch their attention. "Hunter," He said as they looked at him, "what do you think?"
"I think she'd been a good choice," Blondie said, "bro?"
The Asian nodded as he braced his hands on his knees, "She can fight," he gasped.
"Of course I can," Raven said.
"The thing is," Hunter said, "Blake and I have been training together for years. Raven is good, but she's never channeled before. There's no telling how this will go. I'm willing to try though."
"Try what?" Raven asked.
Asian straightened up, "Hunter and I are going to offer you the deal of a life time."
"We," Hunter said, "that is, Blake and I want you to be a Thunder Ranger. The black Thunder Ranger to be precise."
Raven smiled and held out her hand, "Like I would ever just say no."
"Excellent," Lothor declared, "let's see you use it."
Hunter produced a small, intricately carved box, which, when opened, revealed a morpher.
Angel jerked to her feet with a muttered oath. "Don't these people know anything about morphers? You can't just hand them out, they have to belong to a person!"
Raven reached out, "Show me what to do," she said.
"You don't know if it's going to work," Angel shouted, then flopped back down in her chair. "Then again, if it doesn't, I'll have something amusing to watch."
Hunter had fastened the morpher on Angel's wrist, "The activation phrase is 'Thunder Storm, Ranger Form.'"
Raven smirked, "You first."
Hunter glanced at his brother and stepped back, "Thunder Storm," they said, "Ranger Form."
Raven nodded, "Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"