Ethan could not process all of the events in the battle that had just happened; he hardly believed the battle was won – he kept expecting more of those drones on steroids to drop from an invisaportal at any time. At first Ethan didn't even know anything was wrong; he was so involved with fighting his drone that Cam's flight hardly registered. Once his drone was defeated, Ethan realized that things had changed drastically. He fought his way through the storm to Kira; he gathered her up and dragged her over to where Cam had sheltered Blake. Ethan wasn't clear on everything that had happened – he knew Blake was badly wounded, perhaps fatally, and Kira had apparently had a mental breakdown. Ethan wasn't sure on what was happening with Conner and Hunter, but from Cam's reaction it was definitely bad.

It was difficult for Ethan to keep himself in a position where he could be ready to defend Blake and Kira against an attack. The three of them were holed up inside the tiny coffee kiosk; the meager walls offering slight protection against the wind and no protection against the rain. Kira had wrapped herself around his chest and was holding him in a death grip. He'd never given the petite Yellow Ranger credit for her strength, but he'd never underestimate the power in his friend again. With Kira unwilling to let him go, Ethan was unable to maneuver himself into a position where he could see an incoming attack or prepare to defend against it. He had to satisfy himself with extending his senses and attempting to rely on his sense of hearing to alert him to any potential danger; though the sounds of the storm made the task nearly impossible.

It was frustrating not to know what was going on, and the longer Cam was away, the more concerned Ethan became. It became comforting for Ethan to soothe Kira; there wasn't a hell of a lot he could do in their situation, but helping Kira made him feel better. He kept attempting to contact Haley, but the interference from the storm was too great. Ethan hoped she'd been able to maintain at least a visual contact so she'd know what was going on and maybe send reinforcements or something. Ethan attempted to judge what was happening out of his line of sight by assessing the ferocity of the storm. He'd gathered that Hunter's emotional state was being played out in the storm, and the incessant lightning and unrelenting wind and rain did not bode well.

Suddenly the eye of the storm passed over them. Ethan glanced up. He raised his communicator to the level of his mouth, but the storm kicked in again before he had an opportunity to reach Haley. Ethan noticed the mood of the storm had changed – the lightning was far less frequent, though the wind and rain had not let up. Kira started to whimper moments before Cam arrived dragging Hunter behind him. Ethan's heart gave a lurch in his chest as he saw the expression on Hunter's face when he got his first look at Blake. Kira's distress increased dramatically.

"Get her out of here, Ethan." Cam ordered. "Get to Conner. See if you can contact Haley. We have work to do here."

Get to Conner. The order from Cam filled Ethan with relief and distress – relief that Conner was still out there to get to; distress about what he might find when he got there.

Instead of attempting to get Kira to walk, Ethan saved himself the trouble and simply picked her up. She transferred her grip from his waist to his shoulders and buried her face in his neck. Ethan was starting to get really worried. Kira had never struck him as the damsel in distress type- something had seriously sent her over the edge, and he had no idea what to do in order to get her back.

Ethan spared one final glance for the trio in the coffee kiosk. Cam was arranging Hunter and Blake, but Ethan was out of hearing range to quickly to hear what was being said. Turning his attention to his other teammate, Ethan scanned the courtyard for Conner. He was surprised to note that Conner wasn't alone. From this distance and through the rain, Ethan couldn't make out who it was. Well, whoever it is, he's got to be one of us…Cam wouldn't have left Conner with just anyone. But as Ethan approached, fighting the rain and staggering against the wind, he realized that he still didn't recognize the mysterious ally. Not Dr. O. or Adam…I don't anyone else was wearing black…

Ethan was quickly distracted from his attempt to identify the mysterious stranger as his concern for Conner grew. The Red Ranger was unmorphed and curled up on his left side. He wasn't bleeding or anything, but seemed to be in an extreme amount of pain. Conner's arms were drawn up in front of his face and wrapped around his head; Ethan didn't think he was trying to protect himself from the rain. As Ethan drew closer to Conner's position, Kira's whimpering increased in intensity and he was struck by a revelation. It wasn't just Blake and Hunter Kira was responding to - this whole time, it was Conner too. Ethan felt his throat tighten as he realized that the situation was far worse than he'd anticipated.

Analytically Ethan knew it didn't make sense to expect that they – meaning the Dino Rangers – would come away from the battle unscathed. But although they'd been banged up by Mesogog and his goons in past encounters, none of them had ever sustained any lasting or serious damage. Even seeing Blake bleeding profusely didn't bring it home for Ethan. It wasn't quite real. It wasn't his team. So in a way, it didn't count. But seeing Conner curled up on the pavement rocking and twitching in pain was a serious reality check, and Kira's distress only confirmed the gravity of the situation.

Ethan dropped to one knee close to Conner's head; he had to get close enough to talk to the stranger, but wanted to provide some distance for Kira. The man in the motorcycle jacket hovered above Conner attempting to provide some shelter from the rain. He also had a hand on Conner's chest. As he leaned forward to maintain contact with Conner as he moved around, Ethan could see a flash of red t-shirt beneath the black jacket. As soon as Ethan crouched down the man looked over toward him; at this close range Ethan recognized him instantly. Jason!

If the situation hadn't been so dire, Ethan's fanboy instincts would have kicked in big time; although Dr. O was touted in Ranger lore as "the best Ranger of all time" Ethan had a hard time equating the legend with a guy who gave him detention and graded his homework. In all of his internet and comic book research on the Rangers Ethan had definitely come up with a group of his own favorite Rangers and favorite teams, and Jason was at the top of his list.

"Ethan, right?" Jason had to talk loudly to make himself heard over the noise of the storm. It didn't occur to Ethan to be surprised or concerned that Jason knew who he was even though he was still morphed. He just nodded.

"Help is on the way." That was all Ethan needed to hear. It would occur to Ethan later that he should've stepped up, taken charge, made a plan. But at that moment, with his teammates disabled, Ethan felt very insecure and it was a relief to have a trusted adult start making decisions. And there was something about Jason that was so reassuring – the tone of his voice, the confidence he projected – that Ethan was happy to let him take over.

The wail of a siren caught Ethan's attention. His mind started racing trying to come up with explanations that would explain the damage that had been done to the fallen Rangers. Before he could think it through Jason shouted, "Can you contact anyone at your command center?"

I don't know if I'd call Dr. O's basement a command center…

"I'll try," Ethan yelled back, "but the storm's been causing a lot of interference." Ethan raised his communicator to face level once again. "Haley? Haley? Can you hear me?" Both Ethan and Jason strained to hear a response, but the only response was static.

The siren came increasingly closer. "You should unmorph." Jason suggested. "It'll make things easier when we get to the hospital." Ethan looked around, but the only visible people in the courtyard were the group he was in – anyone in the mall or office building wouldn't be able to make out who he was at this distance.

"Power down!" Ethan called out. He wobbled a little as the power left him and had to put a hand out to prevent himself toppling with Kira onto the pavement.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked. Ethan could see Jason looking him over as much as he could. He tried to nod as reassuringly as he could. "I'm fine. What happened to Conner?"

"I'm not sure…" Any further attempt at an explanation was cut off as an ambulance pulled in off of the street, up on the pavement, directly to the courtyard. Jason looked over in anticipation, but did not leave his position by Conner. Again, Ethan began running through scenarios in his head – any explanation that would allow him to stay with Conner and Kira in the ambulance, but still be plausible. But nothing he was coming up with made much sense. His anxiety started to mount as the EMTs exited the vehicle.

A man in a black and red jacket immediately ran over to Jason and Conner. He crouched down on the sidewalk and placed a hand on Conner's head. Jason immediately greeted the new arrival; with his free hand, he slapped the other man on the back.

"Carter! It's good to see you!"

"Wish the circumstances were better." Carter responded. With no more preamble he began to assess Conner's physical state with assistance from Jason and the other EMT who had run over from the truck.

Ethan sat back on his haunches as relief flooded him. Another Ranger! It's going to be okay. Conner's going to be okay. They'll take care of it.

Before the EMTs had finished their assessment of Conner, another ambulance pulled up onto the courtyard, and Ethan saw a group of medical personnel moving in the direction of the coffee kiosk where Cam and the Bradleys were situated. In a surprisingly short amount of time, Conner was strapped to a stretcher, though Carter and Jason had to work very hard to pull him out of the fetal position, and moved into the ambulance. Ethan, still carrying Kira, followed Jason and Carter back into the truck. Once inside it was much easier to talk.

Ethan and Kira were seated on a bench lining the wall across from the stretcher. Ethan didn't know what kind of medication Carter had injected Conner with, but as the Red Ranger became more relaxed, so did Kira. Jason was seated by Conner's side, occasionally moving to get out of Carter's way, but always maintaining some kind of contact with Conner. While Carter was busy with Conner, Ethan leaned over to talk urgently with Jason. "Those EMTs – the ones who went to help Cam and the others – what if, I mean…they're not Rangers now, but couldn't things get a little weird?" Ethan was frustrated because he didn't think he was making himself clear, but he felt that Jason would pick up on his meaning.

"It's okay, Ethan." Jason reassured him. "The Lightspeed Rescue Rangers are one of the few teams whose identities weren't a secret. So when the monster attacks started here in Reefside, the local government called the team in Mariner Bay." Jason chuckled at Ethan's offended expression. "Not for Ranger backup, but for training on how to deal with fallout from monster attacks. Carter and many members of the emergency response teams from Mariner Bay are here in Reefside to train police, fire and hospital staffs on how to deal with "unusual" emergency situations. Everyone has to work together to cut down on civilian casualties." Ethan blinked and sat back; it had honestly never occurred to him that anyone else beside the Ranger team would be involved in handling emergency situations.

Carter jumped in where Jason left off. "The guys I left back there in the courtyard understand the situation, Ethan. They worked with Rangers at Lightspeed Rescue, and they know to keep things discreet when they get back to the hospital."

"Okay." Suddenly Ethan felt totally drained and unable to think any more. Ensconced in the ambulance, surrounded by the reassuring presence of former Red Rangers, Ethan let his mind drift a little. He'd have to get back on the ball once they got to the hospital – contact Haley, contact parents – but for now, for a few precious minutes, he could let go of all of that and relax. As Ethan leaned his head back against the wall and let his eyes close, he missed the glance Jason and Carter shared over Conner's head. As for the former Red Rangers, they couldn't get to the hospital fast enough.

TBC

Just a quick chapter – I want to get everyone moving toward the hospital. Once they're all there…more drama will ensue!

CMR – I'm flattered that you find this story so addicting – I hope I can keep matching your expectations.

Hybyrd0 – more to come on everyone!

AngelMouse5 – Had you not read all the chapters before? Either way, I'm glad you're all caught up now. I have some good ideas for Restless Nights, but after such a long absence Crossing Paths is where I'm focused for now. (btw – loved your ending for Shattered Mind!)

the real vampire – Wow – three weeks to read the whole fic! Thanks for hanging in there! If someone had interrupted me when I was writing ch 41 I probably would've gone medieval on them – glad you're enjoying the story!

Funky in Fishnet – Thanks so much for all your positive feedback!

Manders – Adam's morph during the explosion did save his life, but it didn't save him completely. Burns are assessed by how much damage they do – 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree. A first degree burn is like a sunburn – just on the surface. 2nd degree burns blister and go below the surface layer of skin. 3rd degree burns are the worst – sometimes the skin looks charred, and there's a lot of damage below the surface, sometimes down to the bone. People with this type of burns are very prone to infection because they no longer have their skin to keep the germs out. So, while Adam is alive, he's in very bad shape - and as a firefighter, no one would realize the gravity of his situation more than Rocky.

MzDany – I really like writing Kanoi. He's got so much depth and there's so much to work with. Thanks as always for your fabulous support!

Stormchilde – no need for the airlifted badgers!

snapeyboy – welcome aboard! I hope you like the rest of the fic as much as you liked the prologue