…but, it just might kill me this time! thought Adam as he called upon the power of Tommy's Black Dino gem.

As soon as he tried to morph, Adam could feel it wasn't working; at least, not in the way he expected it to. The power in the gem responded to his call, but obviously recognized that it wasn't Tommy who'd called on the power. The dino gem had bonded with Tommy's DNA and wasn't able to cause Adam to change into the Black Dino Ranger. But a morph was underway nonetheless.

Adam cried out in pain as the power coursed through his body, attempting to recognize familiar pathways, and when it found none, forcing new pathways of its own. The unrestrained power cascaded through Mesogog as well, until he was smart enough to drop the struggling Ranger. His curiosity got the better of him, and instead of taking advantage of Adam's incapacity, he simply stepped back and watched as the transformation attempted to take place.

Adam moaned and writhed in a ball on the floor, but he never released Tommy's morpher. He held it in a death grip in spite of the pain he was in. Internally Adam attempted to allow the power to flow through him unrestricted, but the pain it caused was too great and he involuntarily fought against it. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, Adam heard and recognized the Brachiosaurus spirit that gave the Black Dino gem its power trumpeting its distress. The Brachiosaurus had assessed that Adam was a worthy recipient of its power; under different circumstances, Adam could have been the holder of the gem's power. But because the dino energy was specifically bonded to Tommy, the Brachiosaurus could not allow Adam to draw on its strength. The unrestricted power flow, unable to end in a successful morph would be the death of him.

Adam realized all this in an instant, and his body relaxed just as his mind was about to let go. Then he heard another spirit's trumpet; it had a deeper, heavier voice than that of the Brachiosaurus. The familiar rumble overwhelmed Adam with a rush of reassurance. Mastodon! They seemed to come to some kind of agreement because suddenly the pain was gone and a true morph was underway.

The power lifted Adam from the floor, and suspended him above the ground. He was surrounded by a cloud of black and gold power. In a matter of moments a Ranger suit replaced his Ninjetti uniform. The helmet was reminiscent of his original helmet, displaying the Mastodon tusks on either side. The suit was basically black, patterned after the original Black Ranger costume, with a few new twists and changes. The original white diamond on the chest was now gold, as were the gloves, belt and boots; and, there was a small version of the dino footprint in black etched in the center of the belt buckle. In the center of the diamond on Adam's chest, the frog emblem was emblazoned and gleamed in muted gold.

As the transformation was complete, Adam heard an indignant ribbit-ribbit, as if his frog spirit wanted to make sure Adam knew he was not willing to be overlooked. As Adam landed back on his feet, he touched the frog emblem on his chest and sent a silent message of thanks to his Ninjetti spirit, who had never left him and he would never forget. At the same time there was an unmistakable feeling of support from Rocky; a mental connection on a level they hadn't shared consciously since their Ranger days. The knowledge that he wasn't alone in the fight gave Adam great confidence.

Adam knew Mesogog couldn't see his face through his helmet, but he gazed at him with steely determination anyway. "I'm here to stop your 'brave new world', Mesogog." He stated flatly.

Mesogog was dismissive. "One Ranger? Using borrowed power? How do you think you can stop me?"

"By returning the power you've stolen to the place it belongs!"

"I don't…think…so!" Mesogog hissed. He darted forward and the battle was begun in earnest.

As the situation unfolded in Tommy's lab, Kim looked on with mounting anxiety. It was clear that Haley and Billy were doing everything within their power to get Adam out of Mesogog's fortress, but each attempt ended in failure. They worked in tandem, fingers flying over the computer consoles and keyboards, calling out suggestions to one another as they tried over and over to bring Adam back. Most of what they said didn't make any sense to Kim, but it was clear to everyone that time was running out.

Rocky had stopped demanding to be returned to the fortress; he had stopped demanding for them to bring Adam back; Kim thought it was possible he had stopped breathing. He stood stoically behind Billy and Haley, watching every move they made with such intensity it was as if he thought if he wanted it bad enough, he could bring Adam back by sheer will alone. Aisha had initially moved to Rocky's side in an attempt to calm him, but Kim could feel that now, she was being calmed by him as well.

Movement from Tommy caught Kim's attention. She looked down at where he lay with his head in her lap. When his eyes opened and he recognized her, she thought her heart would burst with happiness; at least one thing had gone right today – Tommy and Dustin were home.

"Hey, Beautiful." rasped Tommy.

Kim's eyes involuntarily filled with tears. It had been so long since Tommy had called her that. "Hey." she whispered back. "Are you okay?"

Tommy's face filled with pain as he struggled to sit up. He ignored her question because she wouldn't like his answer and instead asked one of his own. "Dustin?"

Kim didn't even try to keep Tommy from getting up. Instead, she helped him sit up and remained close beside him to give him support. "Rocky got him. He's okay…I think."

"Where?"

Kim shifted slightly, pushing Tommy around so he could see the Wind Ninjas where they were laying together on the floor by Kanoi. Tommy took a deep breath and nodded, satisfied. He turned back to Kim, even though that slight movement caused him more pain. "What about the Dino Rangers?"

Kim's face clouded. She'd seen as much as Tommy in Mesogog's view screen. What she'd seen of the fight in Reefside wasn't good; what she'd felt was even worse. "I don't know."

"Haley!" Tommy called as he struggled to get to his feet.

Kim looked worriedly toward the computers. It hadn't occurred to her to ask about the Dino Rangers since they'd arrived at Tommy's lab. Too much other stuff was going on. A firm grip on Tommy's arm was all she needed to keep him seated. "Not now, Tommy. Haley's busy."

Tommy looked at Kim confused and angry. He responded urgently. "What? I have to find out about the Rangers, Kim. They might need me. They might need Haley."

"Adam needs her more."

Tommy stopped struggling against Kim's grasp. The feelings he'd had when he'd first awoken in Mesogog's lab assaulted him memory. Before his thinking had cleared and he realized it was Dustin in the energy chamber, Tommy had felt strongly that it was Adam who was in trouble. Those feelings came back ten times as strong now. "Tell me, Kim."

Kim glanced at the group by the computer. Then she looked back at Tommy. "Adam streaked into Mesogog's hidden lab. Haley wasn't able to transport him out with the rest of us. Now he's trapped. The energy Mesogog stole from Dustin and the intensity of the storm are interfering with the transporter. Billy and Haley are doing everything they can…"

"Something's wrong!" Haley's urgent statement got Tommy moving again. Kim decided not to fight him and helped him to his feet. Everyone gathered closer. Haley seemed oblivious to everyone except Billy. "Adam's energy signature is fluctuating wildly."

Even those who couldn't understand all the techno-babble Billy and Haley had been spouting at each other could see that the tiny speck that represented Adam on the schematic was flaring and pulsing with massive amounts of energy. "That doesn't make sense!" Billy said as he squinted trying to make sense of the readings on the screen.

"It looks like…." Haley began, "but that's not possible!"

"What?" Rocky insisted.

Billy answered instead. "He's trying to morph."

"He can't morph!" Aisha interjected, "None of us have our morphers. And if we did, it wouldn't work."

"Actually, Adam did morph once with his old morpher without his power coin. But knowing what we know now, he might have been successful because of his Frog spirit…" Billy stopped himself from following that train of thought and brought his focus back to the present. "It's taking too long…" Tommy, Kim and Aisha's eyes were glued to the activity on the large screen.

Rocky swore fervently in Spanish. Kim didn't think she'd ever seen him so angry. Rocky's reaction was not what she would have expected – he seemed more like the pacing and breaking things kind of guy. But as they watched the unexpected morph take place, Rocky drew his attention further and further into himself, until he was standing with his eyes closed with an intense look of concentration on his face. That's when Kim realized Rocky was probably much more aware of what was going on than the rest of them. Like Shane and Tori, Rocky and Adam were the body and mind of their triangle. Though they didn't ordinarily use mind speech, it was a latent ability for both of them. The events of the weekend had opened up new understanding of the connections all of them shared. Rocky was attempting to tap into that connection – in a best case scenario he could lend Adam his strength; worst case, he'd have an observer's view of what was really going down.

Aisha had realized about the same time as Kim what Rocky was attempting to do. Her own anger flared, not just because he was attempting to do something so rash and dangerous, but because he didn't include her. "Rocky!" she shook his arm hard as she called his name. Worriedly she turned her attention back to the large screen displaying Mesogog's lab to see if anything he was doing here was having any effect on what was happening there. "Rocky?" When she got no response, Aisha stepped closer to Rocky laying her forehead against his shoulder. He might not have asked for her support, but he was going to get it.

A moment later Rocky staggered back a step drawing in a deep gulp of air at the same time Billy shouted, "He did it!" The assembled others didn't know who to look at for more information.

Rocky's expression was jubilant. "He did it!" he repeated. "That lucky son-of-a-Shaolin! He really pulled it off." Rocky shook his head, as if to clear his thinking. Though he continued speaking, his expression was far away. "Mesogog's trying to take him down, but Adam won't let him keep the energy he stole from Dustin." Rocky twitched as if trying to avoid a blow. The flash of pain on his face seemed to indicate that Adam hadn't moved quickly enough.

Billy stepped over from where he'd been standing. The energy readings from Mesogog's hidden lab disturbed him greatly. He did not want to disrupt the connection that Rocky had made with Adam, but if the communication was two-way it was imperative that they use it. Billy glanced at Aisha first, unsure if Rocky would respond better to her or him. Deciding it probably wouldn't make a difference, Billy addressed Rocky. Reading out to touch him on the arm Billy asked softly, but with great urgency, "Rocky, can Adam hear you too?"

Billy winced when Rocky snapped back into his own awareness to look him in the face. He was afraid he had intruded too much and might have just caused Rocky to sever the one connection they had to Adam. Rocky's gaze then immediately returned to that far away look as he answered Billy. "Yeah, he can hear me, but he's a little busy right now…"

"Rocky, this is important. When Adam morphed the energy signature from the dino morpher caused the crystals housing Dustin's Earth energy to resonate. The cycles of resonation are getting stronger and increasing exponentially."

Rocky's brow creased with dismay as he tried to maintain contact with Adam while simultaneously trying to figure out what exactly was the message Billy was trying to convey. Aisha reached over and smacked Billy in the arm. She rolled her eyes quite expressively as she demanded, "English, Billy!"

"The crystals are going to explode. If he can get back into the main lab and away from the interference of the crystals, we may be able to transport him out in time." Billy stared into Rocky's face not sure if the message was getting through. "He has got to get out of there! The longer he stays in there in his morphed form, the sooner the crystals will detonate." Rocky nodded, but whether he was indicating Adam understood or he was passing the message along was hard to tell.

Things were happening quickly in Mesogog's hidden lab. Mesogog had attacked with an intensity and ferocity that was surprising to Adam. He'd been out of the Ranger game for quite a while, and even when he was a Ranger, it was rare to fight one on one with the man behind the monsters. Mesogog quickly demonstrated his agility, strength and intelligence in his attack, and Adam could understand why he was such a difficult opponent.

One advantage Adam possessed was that Mesogog was used to dealing with the Dino Rangers; he had no experience with any others, which was the whole reason Sensei Kanoi had called upon them in the first place. Like a smart coach who studies the moves of the other team, Mesogog had studied the Dino Rangers and could often anticipate their actions. But Adam was a Ninjetti, bolstered by the strength of the Frog as well as unconditional support from Rocky. A Dino Ranger/Ninjetti combination Ranger was nothing Mesogog had ever anticipated; he couldn't predict what Adam would do. Mesogog understood that time was also a factor – he could wait until Adam's borrowed morph gave out, but there was no predicting when that would happen. Mesogog couldn't afford to allow the clock to tick down while he waited for the end game. So he made the only decision at his disposal – all out, frontal assault, no holding back, winner take all.

The fight ranged all around the small, circular room. Neither Adam nor Mesogog had much room to maneuver, so when they connected both were taking and inflicting heavy damage. Mesogog had the advantage of size and power; his heavy, scaled skin also afforded him extra protection against Adam's blows. But Adam had Ninjetti speed and the ability to go vertical to stay out of Mesogog's reach. This tactic of avoiding Mesogog infuriated the mutated genius, and in his anger, he left himself open to attack.

There was very little time to plan; all Adam could do was act and react. It startled him to realize that not only was Rocky lending his strength to his fight, but he was trying to impart a message as well. Adam's distraction while attempting to decipher Rocky's message left him open to attack. Mesogog dealt him a crushing blow to his chest sending him sprawling into a wall of shelves. Mesogog closed in fast, but not before Adam noticed the crystals on the pedestal vibrating. It could have been that so much movement in the room caused the pedestal to vibrate, but Adam believed what Billy said, and it was clear that time was short.

Adam rolled to avoid the slash of Mesogog's claws, causing him to roar in frustration. Adam placed a hand on the pedestal to gain some leverage getting up, and he thought he could feel the crystals vibrating that much faster in proximity to his hand. That was the moment Adam knew that a decision needed to be made. Mesogog was rushing toward him on his right. If he made a break to the left, Adam could make it to the door and out into the main lab. Undoubtedly Mesogog would follow, but there was a good chance that Haley would be able to teleport him before anything else happened. What concerned Adam was this: if it was his morphed state that was exciting the crystals, if he left the room they might go back to their resting state. Then, Mesogog would still have all of Dustin's earth energy in his possession, and they would be no better off than they were when they started. There was no question in Adam's mind what he had to do – he would stay as long as possible to ensure that the crystals were going to explode, and deal with the consequences.

Diving and rolling toward Mesogog's attack, Adam joined the fight again.

"Adam! You stupid hijo de una perra!"

Rocky's exclamation was cut off as he reacted to an impact none of the rest of them could see. He had given up trying to split his attention, and had thrown himself totally into the fight with Adam. This left those gathered in the lab attempting to sort out what was happening based on what Rocky said and what the readout of the lab indicated. It was like trying to decipher a phone conversation when you can only hear the conversation on one end, and half of it was in Spanish. Aisha was the most closely tuned in, and could interpret her boyfriend's expletive Spanish idioms most accurately.

Aisha had maintained her position on Rocky's left side. She clung to his arm, and kept him steady when he wobbled from the impact of a hit on Adam. Tommy and Kim had gathered on Rocky's right side. Kim still kept a hand on Tommy, but in crisis mode, he seemed to need less support than he had before. Tommy unconsciously put a hand on Rocky's back; he didn't realize what he was doing, but Kim noticed. It was that red/body thing kicking in again. Billy drifted between Rocky and the computer console. He attempted to interpret the gibberish from Rocky and make sense of what it meant in terms of what Adam was doing in the lab.

Rocky suddenly stiffened. He called out more urgently, "No Adam! You can't!"

Billy shook his head as he watched the energy readings on the screen. "Adam has had at least two opportunities to get to the door. The crystals are vibrating much more strongly." He turned to look back toward the group, but his comments were directed at Rocky. "He has to get out!"

Though it was clear Rocky hadn't heard Billy, it was the same message he was attempting to impart to Adam. His voice was full of anger and frustration when he yelled, "Salga allí de usted de la rana estúpida¿Usted está intentando matarse?"

A look of horror dawned on Rocky's face as he caught a glimpse of what Adam was planning to do. "No!" he yelled again as he stepped forward, hands outstretched. "Get out!"

It was very distracting to have Rocky in his head as he was trying to fight; especially since he continually urged Adam to get out. Adam understood, he even agreed. But he had to make sure. He couldn't leave until he was sure the crystals would detonate. They could not be left in Mesogog's hands.

"There's no time left! There's no time left!" cried Billy. "He has to get out now!" He turned to Haley. "Begin transporter sequence."

She shook her head in the negative even as her fingers began to fly. It would never work.

It was going to work. Adam had stayed long enough in the room to make sure the crystals would detonate. They were vibrating so fast now that he could hear them humming.

Mesogog was between him and the door. He didn't have enough energy or power left for a frontal assault. He knew in his heart he wasn't going to make it out. He had done his duty as a Ranger, one last time. And, that was okay.

It wasn't okay. Rocky struggled against the hold Aisha and Tommy now had on him. They were not longer trying to keep him upright, they were trying to stop him from running headlong into the computer.

"Adam! ADAM!"

Rocky, cuidado de la toma de se, mi amigo. With all the force he could muster, Adam firmly pushed Rocky out of his mind and back into his own.

Rocky's consciousness crashed fully back into his own body at the moment everything on the screen exploded. "NO!" Rocky's hoarse scream was echoed by Aisha's. He twitched spasmodically crashing into Tommy, and then collapsed to the floor; Aisha and Tommy went down with him. Kim flung herself atop the group, weeping openly with Rocky and Aisha. Tommy stared in horror at the blank screen above the computer console as Billy hung his head between slumped shoulders. Haley stood quietly shaking her head as her fingers continued to move. What she was mumbling to herself, Tommy couldn't make out. After a moment he stopped trying and gave himself over to his heartache.

TBC

Translation of Rocky and Adam's Spanish utterances:

"Salga allí de usted de la rana estúpida. ¿Usted está intentando matarse?" Get out of there you stupid frog! Are you trying to kill yourself?

stupid hijo de una perra Son of a bitch

Rocky, cuidado de la toma de se, mi amigo Rocky, take care of yourself, my friend.

O

Okay, so I ended with another evil cliffhanger, but the update was much quicker, wasn't it?

Thanks so much to everyone who's hung in this long and still takes the time to read and review! Thanks to Jenna Summers and jedi4jesus19 for your reviews.

Tygerwind8 – thanks so much for all of your kind words and support. You're never a bother – I like to hear what you've got to say!

MzDany – Hope the turn of events with Adam doesn't send you over the edge! Thanks for your constant support and kindness.

Ja Rule – I hope that this chapter explains a little more about Adam's morph. The Dino Power is still Tommy's.

Pink-Green-White-4ever – Hey, welcome back! The Tommy/Kim talk is coming (eventually!) As for Rocky and Adam…

Hybyrd0 – I'm glad you're back on the internet – I hate when I can't get on for days! Thanks so much for your constant support!

Stormchilde – so the badgers were from you, huh? - Thank you so much for your encouragement – sometimes I feel like I'm not giving everyone their say, I'm glad to hear you think everyone's voice is being heard.

Titan of Saturn – I definitely dig the triangle aspect of the teams, it makes so much sense! (the idea of body/mind/heart was from Akume – I modified with the triangle aspect) – Yes, if you write a PR fic, you can certainly use the idea! I'd like to see how you apply it.

TurnCaryn – Back again, I see! You know I love the fireman carry!

Manders1953 – Welcome back to you too! Is this cliffhanger worse than the last one? (evil grin)