Sarah was the last to arrive at the Ranger base. She wasn't used to seeing it the way it was. Since the Rangers were no longer needed, most of their technology had been moved out. No one was using the garage at the Romero house, so it was all being stored there. Soon, Mick would find a way to convert the base back into a paint room. Principal Hastings had really been on him this year about getting someone, anyone, in for the repairs.
Still, though it wasn't going to be a base for long, for now, it was still where the Rangers worked from. So, it was weird when Sarah walked in to see Gia and another woman waiting around inside.
"Everyone is here?" Gia asked, and the ninjas nodded their head. "Guys, this is Serena. Samurai white."
Serena gave the new Rangers a little smile and a wave. "We kicked ass in Panorama… what, five years ago now?"
"It's been a while," Gia nodded, then turned back to the current team. "She came to visit me out in the quarry. After a few premature victories, the city and I thought it was best to do a body count of all the known monsters that were threatening the city, just to be sure they were all dead."
"Drex is gone," Kelly said and smiled at her teammates, "That, I'm sure of."
"Everyone on the list Brody provided has been found," Gia said and showed Brody the list he had emailed her only a few days before. Having lived on Galvanax's ship for a decade, he knew better than anyone the names of the monsters to look for. "Except for one."
"One?" Hayley asked. "You mean one of them got away?"
"We can't be sure of that," Gia shrugged. "All we know for sure is that we didn't find her body."
"Her?" Calvin frowned. "Madam Oedius?"
Gia nodded her head sadly. "Look, a lot of the bodies we found were in pieces. Some burned almost beyond recognition. It's very possible Madam Oedius just… doesn't have a body to count."
"But it's also possible she somehow survived, right?"
"But she was right next to the ship when it blew up," Preston pointed out. "I mean, we all would have been dead if we stayed."
"Alien physiology is a lot different from humans," Serena pointed out. "For example, my team fought the Nighlok. They were poisoned by water and rejuvenated by the Sanzu River. It's the other way around for us. It's likely the explosion wasn't enough to kill her."
"But it killed everyone else?" Sarah asked.
"Everyone on the list," Gia promised. "I saw their bodies for myself. I counted twice. They're currently being removed and disposed of in a manner where they will never return."
"Except, maybe, Madam Oedius," Levi said and the Rangers all looked a little glum. Gia shrugged her shoulders.
"Look, guys, it's not the best news but if you've bested her once, you can do it again. You already know she might come up, just keep up with your training and you'll be ready when she strikes."
"There's just one problem with that," Calvin said and turned all his pockets inside out. "We have no Powers."
"What?" Gia frowned.
"Damn oceans," Serena muttered.
"Our Power Stars disappeared a couple of days after we killed Galvanax," Brody explained. "The Prism disappeared too."
"So… none of you have any powers?" Gia asked. "Not a one?"
"I do," Kelly held out her green Power Star, then turned to Sarah, "Sarah, you made this one, so it's not connected to the Prism. Any chance you can make another?"
"I… I modified that one," Sarah shrugged. "Madam Oedius found all the parts and gave it power. I… I wouldn't know where to start."
"Sarah, right?" Serena asked and looked to the pink Ranger.
"Yeah."
"Any chance you want to make Power Stars for high school credits?"
"What?" Sarah frowned. "I don't think Principal Hastings will approve…"
"She doesn't have to. From tomorrow forward, I'm your aid," Serena smiled. "Mrs. Smith, teaching Rangers and their children since… well, since Gia."
Serena chuckled as she turned to the silver Guardian. "You were my first Ranger student."
"Wait, you're Mrs. Smith?" Sarah asked. "And you're..."
"The white Samurai Ranger," Serena nodded. "Principal Hastings was good friends with Principal Chesterfield, so I came highly recommended, post mortem, of course. I needed a transfer and thought maybe Summer Cove would be a good place to consider. Honestly, I thought it'd take a little more digging to stumble upon the Rangers. Didn't think I'd be assigned pink."
"She was aiming for white," Gia chuckled.
"And I missed," Serena said, then looked to Sarah with a smile, "If you think you can create six new Power Stars, I'll get you the high school credits you need."
"So, instead of class…"
"Pick a class to skip, I'll get you the credit for it," Serena nodded. "Creating a Power Star is much more studying than…"
"English," Sarah shrugged, then looked to Kelly apologetically. "Sorry…"
"I can't complain," Kelly said. "You'll still help me in math and science, though, right?"
"Always."
"Good, so we're set!" Gia smiled and looked to Serena. "In case Madam Oedius does return, the Ninjas will be ready to fight and hopefully we'll have some Power Stars up and running by then."
"Sounds good," Serena said. "I can take it from here, Gia."
"Serena's the best," Gia promised the team as she started to leave. "A little… crazy at times but she knows what she's doing. Well, usually. And as always, call if you need anything."
When Gia was gone, Serena looked around at the Rangers, then ushered them outside, "Alright, you heard the news. Time for training. You may know the way of the Ninja, but have you ever trained like a Samurai before?"