Here's the new chapter! I know there are a whole bunch of rangers in here, so I'll try to keep it as least confusing as possible, focusing mainly on the rangers who are featured in the story, MMPR and a bit of the Dino Rangers, and the space rangers since this is kind of "their" area.
Trent put an arm around Kira, consoling her quietly. Kim looked at her in sadness and resumed her seat with Adam and Rocky.
"So, what do you think?"
"I think Andros is right," Rocky said. "We've got to find some way to contact Earth and get in touch with all the former rangers. If they want to help, they can. If not, we won't hold it against them."
"And we've got to find some way to protect our families, the people we love," added Adam. He looked off. "Like Amy..."
Kim looked down and rubbed Adam's back. "And Tommy..."
Adam stood up abruptly and looked at Kim, nodding. He headed for the medical room and stood in the doorway for a bit, watching Sky, Z, and Syd sitting next to Bridge, while Hayley was leaning over Zhane.
He cleared his throat as he entered. "Mind if I come in?"
Sky nodded. He waved his hand over. "So you're the famous Adam Park..."
"I don't know about famous, but...yes, I am Adam Park."
Sky smiled. "If anything, you're a very famous ranger. And I've heard a lot about you." He looked down at Bridge. "Mostly from him." Sky grinned and held out his hand to Adam, who shook it and took a seat next to Syd, looking down at Bridge.
"Hey stranger," Adam said, looking at Bridge. "How are you?"
Bridge tried to turn his head, but couldn't. Instead, he settled for staring at Adam through the corners of his eyes and he tried to say something, but Adam couldn't make out the words since Bridge could barely move his mouth.
"Don't talk, it's okay." Adam looked at Bridge and smiled. "You just work on getting better. We're gonna need a red ranger in the future protecting us against aliens." He looked at Syd and Z. "How are you two doing?"
"Aside from the whole world takeover thing," Z said, "I think I'm actually doing pretty well."
Syd rolled her eyes and nodded. "We're doing fine."
"I just want us all to be ready, you know."
"And we will," Sky said, determinedly. "And we will be there behind you, following every step of the way."
Adam looked up at him and smiled. He stood and gently clapped Bridge on the shoulder. "Get well, Bridge." He nodded to Sky as he walked out of the room, tapping Hayley on the way out.
As soon as Adam walked out into the main area, a bright light appeared and Apolaki materialized before them. "Rangers...it seems that she would like to have a chat with you."
"What?" Adam asked. Andros came into the room and stood next to him. "A chat?" He looked at Andros. "Crazy thing wants to have a chat with us."
"From what she said, a form of negotiations."
"Negotiations?" Andros eyes narrowed. "Something's up. It must be a trap. That's not like her."
"Where?" Adam asked.
"On Earth. A place called Angel Grove." With that, he disappeared as soon as he came.
"Angel Grove...that's where you guys are from, isn't it?" Lucas said, looking at Adam, who nodded.
"Angel Grove," Andros said, "the site of where the first Power Rangers on Earth were created." He looked at Adam. "A trap?"
"Maybe." Adam furrowed his brow and thought hard. "Only a few of us should go. Me, Andros." He looked around the room. "Rocky, TJ."
"Wait, what about us?" Kim demanded. "We want to go, too!"
Adam shook his head. "No Kim. I don't want you out there."
"It's not any different. If anything, it might be better."
Adam exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. "Fine," he said, sounding like he'd rather avoid an argument. "Me, Andros, Rocky, TJ, and Kim."
"Hey," Aisha and Trini said simultaneously.
Adam rolled his eyes and through up his arms. "Fine. The two of you as well." He looked around and glared at everyone else. "But that's it."
"No," Rocky said. "Aisha..."
"Rocky, I'm going!"
"We should probably take one of the Silver Guardians," Andros said quietly. He looked at Wes. "Wes. You're coming, also." Wes stood up and nodded. He looked at Lucas, who he was deep in conversation with and said a few words. Andros looked at Eric, who was still consoling Taylor. "Take care of it here, Eric." He nodded importantly. Andros looked at Conner and nodded as well.
The eight rangers stood next to each other and disappeared in a flash of light.
As soon as they disappeared, another flash of light appeared, one brighter than before. The rangers who were left shielded their eyes from the view and heard five people crash to the ground.
The five of them immediately stood up, helping each other up and silently took in their surroundings. Mayari materialized before them and looked at the other rangers. She nodded to them and disappeared.
"Dr. O?" Conner asked in amazement. He stepped forward to help his old science teacher to his feet. "Did you forget how to teleport?"
Tommy ignored the last remark and looked around. He nodded to Eric before asking Conner what was going on.
"I think we'd all like to know," Jason added. He was still shielding Amy, who was staring around with wide eyes.
"Kira? What happened?" Zack asked, seeing her arm. She took a deep breath and pursed her lips.
"Amazing," Billy said, looking around. "What is this place?"
"It's a safe haven," Hayley said, walking out of the medical room upon hearing the familiar voices. "The universe is under threat."
Tommy looked around. "And you guys are all here to fight it?" He saw heads nodding in every direction.
Jason scanned all of the faces. "Is Trini, Kim, Adam, Rocky, and Aisha here? I don't see them."
"Yes," Hayley nodded. "We have been here, more or less, for about thirty-six hours."
"You guys have been gone for thirty-six hours?" Billy asked, running up to Hayley and pulling her into a hug.
"More or less," Hayley repeated. "We've all come in at different times."
Tommy looked around. "I remember a lot of you..." He again nodded at Eric, who nodded back and was still holding Taylor who was still sobbing. Tommy's eyes rested on her for a bit, full of questions, but he didn't ask any of it as he continued to glance around the room. He gave a small smile to Ashley and Cassie, wondering where the other members of their team were. He nodded to Karone, who smiled in return, deep in conversation with Ashley and Cassie. He nodded to Lucas and Tori. His eyes rested on an unfamiliar face, whose eyes were staring back at him, like he was some sort of exhibit.
"I'm Mack Hartford," he offered, sticking out a hand. Tommy nodded and shook his hand. "I was the red-"
"-overdrive ranger," Tommy finished. "Adam told us about you."
"And you're Tommy Oliver." A new voice entered the conversation. "We learned about you." Tommy turned around and looked at who was speaking to him. "I'm Syd. I'm from the future." She looked at the others who appeared with him. "And you're Jason Scott, Zack Taylor, and Billy Cranston." She looked at Amy quickly and looked away, not recognizing her.
Tommy nodded. "Wait...who are you?"
"She is Sydney Drew. This is Elizabeth Delgado, and I am Sky Tate. We are members of SPD, a task force in the future," Sky said, following Syd out of the medical room, with Z right behind him.
"How's Bridge?" Kira asked, softly.
Sky nodded. "He's doing a lot better. Awake, even moving a bit. He's also trying to talk."
"When do you think he'll be up?" Z asked Hayley.
"I'm not sure," she answered. "He did get hurt pretty badly..."
"I think he's already asked for a large tower of buttery toast by his bed."
Hayley smiled.
"Who's Bridge?" Zack asked.
"He is the red SPD ranger from the future," Sky answered.
Jason looked at him and then at Zack. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but he's the one who helped out the overdrive rangers, right?"
Mack and Sky nodded.
"So, what's--" Tommy's eyes shot around the room. "Wait, where's Kim?"
Hayley looked around and shrugged.
"Her, Adam, Aisha, Rocky, Trini, TJ, Andros, and Wes went to Angel Grove," Kira said softly.
"For what?" Jason demanded.
Kira shrugged. "They called it 'negotiations.' "
"Negotiations? With the other side?"
"So, wait," Billy said. "Let's...let's all just take a moment here. And start at the beginning." He looked around and nobody said anything. He raised his eyebrows and looked around again. "Well?"
"Do you remember when Andros shattered Zordon's energy tube?" Ashley asked, sighing as she sat down. She leaned her head against the wall and exhaled. Jason, Tommy, Zack, and Billy nodded. Hayley led Amy to sit down on the couch. "Well, not all evil things died that day."
"Well yeah," Jason said, smartly. He motioned to Karone. "Didn't some turn good?"
"What's she saying," Karone interrupted, "is that not all of the evil things turned good or turned to dust that day. Some evil from that time survived."
"What? Like who?"
"Like Rita Repulsa's mother," Cassie said with finality.
"WHAT!?" Jason, Zack, Tommy, and Billy exclaimed.
"She survived, and to make a really long story short," Conner continued, "she's trying to take over the universe and destroy us in the process."
"Well, that's not any different." Jason actually looked relieved as he said these words to Tommy.
"Except that it is," Ashley replied, hysteria evident in her voice. "She knows who we are and she wants to make sure that we suffer the same losses that she has felt. More, actually."
"What do you mean?"
"When Andros shattered that tube, Rita, Zedd, Rito, and Vile turned good."
"And to her," Cassie continued, "that's as bad as them dying."
"So...how is she trying to get us? That's really not any different. We could take her."
Karone shook her head with tears in her eyes. "We've been fighting her for...what seems like forever..." Her voice started to break as tears ran down her face. "...she's...already killed the rest of my team..."
"...my parents..." added Ashley softly.
"My brother..." Cassie said, sitting down and putting her head between her hands. She sniffed loudly as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Carlos..." Kira added.
"And Alyssa," Taylor said for the first time.
Jason looked at Tommy and the two of them raised their eyebrows at each other. Nobody said anything for a long time.
The eight rangers stood in a line, shoulder to shoulder, at Angel Grove Park. They were unmorphed, Trini, Wes, Kim, Adam, Andros, TJ, Aisha, and Rocky. A figure surrounded by two aswangs, two tiyanaks, and two ekeks appeared. Adam felt Andros tense up next to him.
"What do you want, Baruk?" Andros asked, balling up his fists at his side. "He's the right-hand man," he whispered to the rangers on either side of him.
"How nice to see you, Rangers," a deep, throaty, and raspy voice said.
"I'm repeating myself only once: what do you want?"
"Calm down, red ranger." Baruk looked at each of them, one by one. "How glad I am to see you, Kimberly. Trini. Aisha. Adam. Rocky. This place is important to you, isn't it?" He laughed maniacally and threw up his arms. "I just wanted to show you the first site of the destruction of Earth." He laughed again. "But, of course, it's never a party without a few friends coming along! I'm sure you all agree." He snapped his fingers.
Immediately, people appeared in the arms of the aswangs, tiyanaks, and ekeks. All of them looked to be bound and gagged, some barely hanging on to life.
"I believe you recognize them, don't you, rangers?" He walked toward the furthest one and pulled her face up. "I believe she is actually one of your own." He grabbed her face and showed it to the rangers.
"Oh no..." Aisha said. "Tanya..."
Baruk laughed again. "Yes...you do remember her, right? Tanya Sloan...yellow ranger," he added, spit coming from his mouth. He stroked her face as she struggled to get out of his and the aswang's grasp. Her eyes had the look of extreme fear and they filled with tears as she recognized the other rangers. "Such a shame she will die."
He moved on to the next person. When Kim recognized him, she moaned in horror and looked at Trini quickly. Baruk pulled this face, gagged as well, and violently shoved it to face the rangers.
"Ernie..." Kim said. She made a move to run to him, but Adam pulled her arm back.
"Ah yes," Baruk said. "How touching. The man who practically raised the Power Rangers at his very own place of business. He will soon be disposed of as well."
He moved on to the next person. A thin man, with jet black hair struggled against his bonds. He looked at the rangers and appeared to be yelling something at them, despite his gag. "Do you remember this one? I do." Baruk wrapped his fingers around him and laughed again as the rangers recognized him. "On the day of the turning of my mistress's family, this is one of the humans who thought that he could fool us into thinking that he was a Power Ranger." Baruk looked into his eyes. "Did you think we were stupid!? Your friend cannot hide forever. We will find him and when we do, he dies and so do you."
"Oh no," Trini said softly, recognizing the person. "Skull..."
Baruk pulled up the face of the next person he held captive. "I believe she is one of yours also. Do you know her? I don't expect you to." He laughed again as he pulled up the face of the nearly unconscious girl, showing it to the rangers. "And you never will!" He threw her head back down.
"Who's that?" Andros asked, softly.
"That was Rose Ortiz," Adam whispered. "Pink overdrive ranger..."
"Why don't you just give them to us!" Kim yelled. "They're our friends! What have they done to you?"
Baruk looked at Kim angrily. "Give them to you? Pink ranger, I think you know better than that. The question should be why should I let them live?" He pulled out a knife and held it to Rose's neck. "This one looks half-dead anyway, so what's the difference?" he added, cruelly.
Adam put a hand on Kim's arm. He could feel her shaking next to him.
Baruk grinned an ugly smile. "That's what I thought." He walked to the next person and pulled her face up. "You remember her, also, don't you?" The person's blonde hair was matted against her head, covered in sweat and blood. She looked to be in pain from her gag and blood seemed to be running down the side of her face. "A pink ranger...she was on our side once..." Baruk gave an evil smile and showed her face to the rangers. "Katherine Hillard. It won't be trouble to turn her once again. And if not..." He grinned and looked at the rangers. "She will die."
Kim put a hand over her mouth.
Kat's eyes surveyed the rangers with tears. She tried to move her head, but couldn't.
"Do you remember this person?" Baruk asked, violently pulling up a heavier set woman. He showed her face to them and laughed when he heard a gasp. "I knew you would...nobody forgets their favorite teacher, do they?"
Trini shook her head. "Ms. Appleby...you don't deserve to be in the middle of this," she whispered.
"Just let them go!" Kim pleaded. She had tears in her eyes and prepared to move, but Adam put his arm around her shoulders. She glanced at him and he shook his head quickly.
"What do you want, Baruk?" Andros repeated, his voice sharp and deadly.
Baruk again laughed maniacally, making him look a bit crazy. His mouth was wide open and spit was drooling out of the side of his mouth. He gestured toward the six people. "I just wanted to show you all the people who you will kill. When we have assumed control of this planet and of the universe, I think you all would be very useful in aiding our final act. But...not to worry, rangers, as long as your irritating setback continues, your...friends," he spat out, "will stay alive. It is up to you."
With that, he disappeared with another flash of light, along with the aswangs, tiyanaks, ekeks, and the people they were keeping captive.
Andros exhaled slowly as he and the other rangers stared upon the place where they had just disappeared.
"So, how do we get them back?" Aisha said.
Andros shrugged. "As long as we've been fighting, this has never happened. I don't know what to think, what to expect. She's always worked in a sort of pattern, you guys know, most evil take-over types do. But I don't know what this is."
"How...how did she..Ashley's parents?" Adam asked. "Cassie's brother? Karone's team?"
Andros looked down. "Karone's team was taken down in battle. Mirinoi was one of the first planets to be overtaken."
"And Cassie's brother..." TJ continued, "he...we thought it was an accident. Wrong place, wrong time. But they were watching him and we were too late. He was visiting on KO-35, all of us were there, and he..." TJ looked at Andros, who shrugged again. "We were fighting on another planet. It was about a year ago."
"Ashley's parents were killed about five months ago. Here, in Angel Grove," Andros said. "We were too late, again. But I don't think that would've mattered. It just spared Ashley the...she didn't see it. None of us did. We just..."
"Saw what was left of them," TJ finished softly.
Everyone bowed their heads in respect.
"We've got to go," Adam said. "There's no telling if he'll actually keep them alive or kill them." He sighed.
"And he's targeting us," Trini said. "Just like you guys said. Ernie...Skull...I wonder where Bulk is."
"Hopefully, he's safe." Adam looked around. "We know two things. One, Angel Grove is one of their targets on Earth. And two, they've captured some people who have ties to us. Three former rangers, our old high school teacher, the owner of the place we used to hang out, and one of our former classmates."
"Let's go," Andros interrupted. "We need some place to think."
They nodded and disappeared in a flash of light.
Hayley jumped up from her seat next to Amy, handing her a tissue, and running into the medical room, when she heard an alarm sound. Sky, Z, and Syd looked up as did Ashley, Cassie, and Karone. Sky followed Hayley to the doorway and peeked in.
He saw her tending to Zhane's body, not knowing what she was doing. He looked at Bridge, whose eyes were open and staring up at the ceiling. He appeared to be speaking to himself, but Bridge knew he couldn't enunciate his words very well yet, having woken up a few short hours ago. He disappeared from the doorway and looked at Ashley, Cassie, and Karone with the gravest of faces. He gave them a slight nod and proceeded to his teammates. Ashley, Cassie, and Karone looked at each other and willed themselves to not cry.
Everybody was silent for a few minutes.
"So, when does the fun start?" Jason asked. "Cuz I'd like to show this...Rita's mother and all of her...monsters what the Power Rangers are really made of."
"We don't know," Conner answered. "We're on the defensive side of everything, not the offensive."
"We don't know where she'll strike next," Kira confirmed.
"So, who has actually gone out there and fought these...what do you call them? Aswangs and ekeks and tiya--whatever?"
Kira gestured around the room as she answered. "The space rangers and galaxy team. Me, Conner, Ethan, and Trent. Syd, Z, and Bridge. Lucas. Alyssa. And Trini, Aisha, Rocky...Adam...and Kim."
"And they're stronger than you've ever faced?" Tommy asked his former students, gazing upon them as he did when they were in high school.
The four of them nodded. Tommy looked at Kira's arm and winced as he sat down. "Any idea when Kim'll be back?" They shook their heads.
"We're powerless," Billy said suddenly. "Me, Jason, Zack, we're powerless."
"What about me?"
"You still harness the power of the Zeo crystal. Granted, you and I also have the power of the Ninjetti spirits, but..." he looked at Zack and Jason.
"We get Power Coins, Dr. O," Conner said, holding his up. "Just like your old one."
"Excuse me," Jason said, taking Conner's coin and examining it. "This one is just like my old one." He looked at Conner and deepened his voice a bit. "I was the first red ranger, after all."
Conner shrugged as he took it back. "I thought it was like Rocky's."
Jason looked like he was about to reply when he and the other rangers shielded their eyes from a bright light that appeared in the room. Trini, Wes, Kim, Adam, Andros, TJ, Aisha, and Rocky appeared before them and immediately turned within each other to speak.
"Well?" Eric Myers asked, standing up and looking at Wes. "What did they want?"
Tommy, Jason, Billy, and Zack turned their attention from Tommy's old students to the group of familiar faces that were standing in the middle of the room, all with serious looks on their faces. Everyone was silent and waiting. Andros and Adam exchanged glances.
"Well, we know where her first target will be on Earth," Adam said. "Angel Grove."
Tori and Kira sat off to the side while Conner, Trent, and Ethan stood speaking quietly amongst themselves. Kim, Trini, and Aisha sat down next to Ashley, not noticing the new faces of Tommy, Zack, Billy, and Jason. They didn't even see Amy sitting down on the couch, near them, who seemed to afraid to say anything. She kept looking around the room, waiting for someone to notice that there was a newcomer in the room, someone who was not a ranger, someone who didn't seem to fit into the room. She looked at Taylor and felt for her, she couldn't never imagine the death of a close friend, especially one in a war that they didn't seem to be optimistic about winning. But then, she thought, war's never about optimism. She also thought about how she could somehow ask that light thing to bring her back home because she didn't think that she could stomach the rest. Hayley had whispered to her about the attacks that happened to the two people she was taking care of in the medical room, Bridge and Zhane. And Amy could surmise from the rest of the conversation that the other rangers, Carlos and Alyssa, died a hero's death, but nonetheless a bloody one. She didn't even notice when the light flashed again and her boyfriend and her best friends appeared before her. She looked around again, seeing all of the unfamiliar faces. She couldn't understand how there were rangers there from the future. Where had they come from? How did they know about the current battle? And how did they become rangers?
"And she's captured six people who have ties to us," Adam continued.
Amy looked up, hearing the familiar face. She willed him to look at her, but he continued to look into the face of Eric.
"Rose Ortiz, the pink overdrive ranger."
Mack jumped up and looked angry. "What could she possibly want with Rose? I have to get her back." Adam nodded to Mack before continuing.
"Ms. Appleby, our old high school teacher." Adam gestured to him, Rocky, Kim, Trini, and Aisha.
At the familiar name, Jason opened his mouth to speak. "What could she possibly want with Appleby?"
Adam looked up in surprise and saw Jason, Tommy, Zack, and Billy. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Jason?" Trini asked before running to him and throwing her arms around him. Kim's eyes followed Trini's and met Tommy's. She smiled sheepishly before repeating Trini's act.
"What are you doing here?" she asked Tommy, still in his arms.
"What?" Jason answered Kim. "You guys couldn't do this without us, you know that right?" He pointed down the line. "Original red, original blue, original black, and--" He looked at Tommy up and down. "And the everlasting ranger."
Kim rolled her eyes and hugged Tommy again.
"Seriously though," Wes said. "What does she want with your old teacher?"
Adam shrugged.
"Ms. Appleby...she was our teacher in like...every single subject it seems. She was even our teacher back in elementary school," Kim answered.
"Well," Andros continued. "She also has Skull."
"Skull?" Tommy asked incredulously. "Where's Bulk?"
"We don't know," he answered. "Hopefully somewhere safe."
"And Ernie," Rocky said. "She's got Ernie."
"ERNIE?" Zack and Jason exclaimed.
Rocky nodded. "Ernie."
"And..." Adam continued, "Tanya and Kat."
Silence followed this pronouncement.
"Tanya and Kat? As in..."
Adam nodded. "Yellow and pink after Aisha and Kim. Yes, that's who I mean."
"They're still alive, though, right?"
Andros nodded this time. "At the moment, we can confirm that they are alive. But, how long they will be alive, we do not know."
"They looked so...I don't know...helpless," Kim said, tears forming in her eyes. "I just wanted to...help."
"I know," Tommy said, hugging her close. He looked over her head at Andros and Adam.
"Zhane's awake!" Hayley yelled, running out of the medical room. "He's conscious, but still very out of it. You guys can see him if you like." She nodded to Ashley, Cassie, and Karone. She looked at Andros and TJ in surprise, but nodded to them as well. "Feel free to see him."
"Oh, thank goodness," Ashley said, running into the medical room, followed closely by Cassie.
Andros exhaled and rubbed his face. He looked at Hayley. "Thank you." He followed the rest of his teammates to the medical room.
"How's Bridge doing?" Sky asked.
Hayley nodded. "Still the same. I think he's trying to practice speaking. But he's conscious. I don't expect either of them to be fully healed by now, but I'd like to believe they are making good progress."
Sky nodded and turned to Z and Syd. "We'll see him once the others have completed their visit."
"No, that's okay," Hayley said. "You guys can go in there. They'll be fine. An overflow of visitors is probably just what the doctor ordered."
Sky nodded and headed toward the medical room with Z and Syd.
Hayley glanced around the room and noticed Amy still sitting, by herself. She couldn't tell if she had even seen Adam, Aisha, Kim, or Trini or if they had seen her. It was almost like she didn't know where she was.
"Hey..." Hayley said softly, sitting down next to Amy. She put a hand on her knee. "You okay?"
Amy exhaled and looked at Hayley with the hint of a tear behind her eyes. She shook her head a bit. "I'm not sure. I thought I could take it...but...all of this...I don't know."
"It does take a bit getting used to. When Tommy first told me, it was pretty unbelievable."
Amy nodded slowly. "I just...I can't believe..."
Hayley nodded and gave her a small smile. "Have you talked to..." She cocked her head toward their group of friends standing in a circle off to the side.
Amy shook her head quickly. "I don't know..."
"Well, have you met everyone else?" Hayley gestured around the room.
"No...there was so much going on that I just didn't want to get in the middle of everything."
Hayley gave her another small smile. She put an arm around Amy and began to point people out to her. She told Amy about the Time Force rangers and how they came from the future to catch criminals in the present and Eric and Wes joined up with the future rangers. She told Amy about the space rangers and the galaxy rangers and explained who Rita was and why her mother was so angry at the rangers. She pointed out Tori and told her about the ninja school and how her team even helped out the Dino rangers.
"It's just...it's always been a story, you know?" Amy said when Hayley finished. "Even when you guys were the ones telling me after I found out. It's always just been a story. Some news bit that I'd see on TV. It always seemed so far away." She gestured around the room. "But now it's real." She looked at Hayley. "I've got to go back. This isn't my place. I don't know who I was kidding when I wanted to come along with Jason and the others. This...I don't belong here."
"Yes you do," Hayley protested. "You do belong here. You've become one of the group. I see you with Adam and Aisha and Kim and Trini, Rocky and Jason. You're one of them. Even though you may have never been a ranger or been involved with the rangers, you're still deeply a part of them. And you can't go back."
"Why not?" Amy asked defiantly.
"Because Earth is supposedly next on the list to get destroyed," she answered simply. "And nobody's gonna want you down there when it happens."
"But what about everybody else? My family, their family, all of the other people on Earth?"
Hayley grimaced. "That's who we're trying to save. Them and everyone else in the universe."
"I still can't believe that there are actually alien life forms."
"Well," Hayley said pointing. "Andros and Karone are actually from KO-35." She gestured toward the medical room. "And Zhane is too."
"What is KO-35?"
"It's a planet in outer space."
"Inhabited by humans?"
"No. They're more...I guess you would say advanced than humans. Andros and Karone are telekinetic and their technology is beyond anything we could ever come up with."
"Unbelievable."
Hayley nodded. "I guess you could say so. Come on, you've got nothing to be nervous about." She stood up and pulled Amy along with her. "Hey guys? I hope you didn't forget about this one." She cocked her head to Amy, standing next to her, as the rest of the group turned to look at Hayley.
"Amy?" Adam asked, stepping towards her. "What are you doing here?" He reached out and pulled her in for a hug.
She shrugged her shoulders as he put his arms around her. "I don't even know."
"Oh yeah, I forgot to say something earlier," Jason said, looking apologetic. "Sorry Amy."
She shook her head in response as Kim, Aisha, and Trini approached her to hug her as well.
"What are you doing here, girl?" Aisha asked.
Amy shrugged her shoulders again.
"She just wanted to come along for the fun," Jason said, interrupting the group girl hug. "It's boring back down there. Especially when you guys are having all the fun."
Kim rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You don't get it, do you, Jase?" She reached out her arms and pulled her sleeves up, showing an array of cuts and bruises. "It's not going to be easy. We've all gotten hurt, nobody has ever come out of a battle without some sort of scratch or bruise."
"Of course I know how it is, Kim," Jason replied angrily. "How wouldn't I know? We're all scared here, but we're together. We'll face her together. We'll defend the Earth together."
Kim sighed. She sat down on the couch next to Amy. Jason looked at her and took a seat across the room. He began to talk to Tommy, Adam, Rocky, and Billy quietly. Aisha, Trini, and Zack joined Kim, Amy, and Hayley on the couch.
"I'm scared," Kim whispered. "I'm scared of what's to come. Why can't he see that? She's nothing like we've ever faced before."
Aisha gave Kim a small smile and put her arm around Kim in a reassuring manner. "We're all scared here, Kim." She was about to say something more, but Mayari appeared before them again. Immediately, everyone stood up and the rangers all gathered in the main room
"Rangers..."
Her soft voice immediately calmed Kim down. She felt as if she were standing before Zordon again, waiting for everything to be made all right. Mayari looked at Jason, Tommy, Zack, and Billy.
Adam faced her at once. "Is she attacking?" He made the motion to morph as Andros and the other rangers ran out of the medical room.
"What's going on?" Andros asked.
"Not yet. But I do not wish to leave you unprepared."
She again held out her hands and looked at the new rangers around her.
Jason, taking the hint, stepped forward and claimed a red tyrannosaurus coin that he saw in her hands, almost identical to Rocky's. Zack pulled out a similar coin to Adam's, a black mastodon coin. Billy took a blue triceratops coin and Tommy reached for a white tiger coin that also included a green dragon, a white falcon, and a brachiosaurus.
"Wow," Zack breathed. He looked around the room and grinned. Jason nodded at him. Kim grinned and hugged Tommy.
Mayari looked up as if she heard something and looked back at the rangers. "I must go. I will be in touch, rangers." She disappeared in a flash of light.
"How's Zhane?" Aisha asked.
"He seems to be doing well," Andros answered. "He's awake, but he's not really moving or anything."
"He hasn't said anything yet," Cassie continued. "But he's awake."
"That's good," Rocky said. "And how's Bridge?"
"The same," Sky answered. "Just making sounds, no real words yet."
"Well, let's not force either of them to speak," Hayley said, walking back toward the medical room. "We don't want them to use up all of their energy. They need to rest."
Ashley, Cassie, Sky, Syd, and Z walked back into the medical room, following Hayley. Andros, TJ, Adam, Rocky, Wes, Eric, Jason, and Tommy walked out of the main room and gathered in a smaller room. They still had full view of the main room and saw as Kim, Amy, and Aisha sat back down on the couch. They were joined by Billy, Zack, and Lucas, while Trini saw the sorrow that Taylor was in and sat with her. Tori, Kira, Trent, Conner, and Ethan left the room for something to eat in the kitchen area. Mack took a seat on the couch and put his head between his hands.
"How are you?" Aisha asked Amy before pulling her in for a hug. "Sorry about..." She gestured around the room. "Everything."
Amy shook her head. "No...it's...it's okay, I think. Now that..."
"You've had a bit of time to soak it all in?" Zack said.
Amy nodded. "Yeah, it's still a bit overwhelming, though. If I thought you guys telling me that you were rangers was big, this is even bigger."
Kim nodded. "Especially with everything that's been going on."
"What has actually been going on?" Billy asked. "We were told some things, but I'm still a bit confused about others..."
Kim shrugged. "You guys know about Rita's mother and her whole taking over thing." She looked at Lucas before continuing. "I don't think there's anything more than that."
He nodded. "The future started having some serious things happen. We were getting readings that were off the charts. People were dying with no reason whatsoever. There was no evidence, but people were getting killed left and right. Sometimes they were just standing in front of us and they'd fall down, injured and hurt."
"How?" Zack asked. "That can't be possible. Since this is happening in our lifetime, how is it happening in yours?"
"She transcends over time and space," Lucas answered. "We felt her presence in our time. And there's no doubt that Bridge and the rest of SPD felt her presence in their time, also. She had her people travel to the future. The only way we could defeat her is to go to the root of the problem. When she first started taking over."
"So..." Amy started. "What happens in the future? I mean, with her and stuff?"
"I don't think it's something that we really could talk about," Billy said. "I've always heard about future repercussions, isn't that correct, Lucas?"
Lucas nodded in response. "Yup, that's right." He looked at Amy. "If you knew you had only one week to live, what would you do different? Would you call all of your old friends and spend some more time with them? Spend more time with your family? Do all the things that you've always wanted to do?"
"Of course," Aisha said.
Lucas nodded again. "So, once you get started on everything you've always wanted to do, doesn't it make things change? The choices that you make after you realize you're only going to be alive for a week changes the course that destiny has set for you. Your destiny has already been written. But once you decide to do something about it, you change it. You make your own destiny. And instead of waiting around in mine, I chose to protect the future."
Amy looked down as she thought about Lucas' words. She listened to Kim and the others continue to talk about everything and thought about everything that has been going on. She remembered Lucas' words about making your own destiny and decided that she would do the same. She knew that she wasn't supposed to be there with the Power Rangers. But she was there and knew that she could either turn away or help out. And she wanted to help out.
x
"Hey." Trini said, taking a seat "I don't think we've been properly introduced." She held out a hand. "I'm Trini Kwan."
Taylor smiled at her as she shook Trini's hand. "I know who you are. The first yellow ranger." Trini winced when she heard the pain in her voice. "I'm Taylor Earhardt."
Trini nodded. "I know who you are, too." She put her arm around Taylor. "How are you holding up?"
Taylor shrugged. "I come here and find that my best friend's dead. I have no idea how to feel right now."
"That's understandable. If something happened to one of my friends...I don't know how I would react. I think you're doing a very admirable job."
Taylor gave Trini a small smile. "Thank you. But I don't think I'm doing good. I wish...I wish I could've seen her one last time, you know? The last time we saw each other, it was about...I think a year and a half ago. I was on vacation from the Air Force and Alyssa invited me to watch a play that her kindergarten class put on." Taylor closed her eyes in memory. "It was the cutest thing. A play about the Power Rangers. Us. She told me that she would tell her class stories about when we were rangers. They loved it. And they loved her." She opened her eyes and looked at Trini with tears running down her face. "I just wish that I saw her one more time. That I told her that I loved her and that we should see each other more often. But I never got the chance." She looked down. "The last time I talked to her, it was sometime in December. Eric and I had just gotten engaged and she was the first person that I told. She was gonna be my maid of honor. She's my best friend and now she's not going to be there with me. The most important day of my life. My best friend's not gonna be there..."
Trini hugged Taylor. They sat there for a bit, not saying anything.
x
"Well...at least Dr. O's here now," Conner said, taking a bit out of an apple.
"Yeah," Ethan agreed. "But I'm nervous, though. It's hard not knowing the next time we'll be out there, fighting, you know? Especially since...Alyssa and Carlos..."
"It's like we've always put our lives on the line," Kira said. "But this time...we might actually lose them."
Tori winced. She gave a small smile as she exhaled. "You guys are making me scared. We've always felt like we could beat the bad guy."
Trent nodded. "We've never had anybody die among us, though. Dr. O told us about Kendrix, the first pink galaxy ranger before Karone, but..."
"It was just a story," Ethan continued. "But we knew what we were getting into."
x
"So what are we going to do?" Tommy said.
"We can't leave the people of Angel Grove helpless and defenseless," Jason said. "We've got to at least do something to help them out. Help them prepare for what's to come."
"Yeah," Rocky said. "Come up with some sort of plan to protect them. Evacuate them at least, or something."
"I like that idea, Rock," TJ said. "They should be evacuated. To Stone Canyon. They'll be safer there while Angel Grove is being attacked."
"So we should get down there and start evacuating people," Tommy said. He looked at Andros. "How do we get down there?"
"Wait," Adam interrupted. "Let's not rush into this."
"We don't know when she's going to attack, Adam!" Tommy exclaimed. "If she's as horrible as everyone is making her out to be, innocent people can't be put into the line of fire."
"I know." Adam thought for a bit before speaking again. "But what if it's a trap?" He looked at Andros. "You said that she knows us. She's going to be expecting us to protect Angel Grove, to do something. What if an evacuation is exactly what she's hoping for so that she can attack the people of Angel Grove then?"
"And Stone Canyon is the closest place," TJ said, defeatedly. "If it's a trap, she's got everyone from Stone Canyon and Angel Grove."
"So, we're back at square one," Eric said. He exhaled loudly.
"We've got to warn them, at least," Tommy said. "Nobody on Earth has any idea of an intergalactic war being fought." He looked at Jason. "We had no idea. An attack, especially since there aren't any active rangers in Angel Grove, is going to be completely out of the blue."
"So what do we do?" asked Jason.
"I don't know," Tommy answered. He sighed.
x
"Where are the Aquitian rangers?" Billy asked suddenly. "We're going to need all of the help we could get, we should call them."
Lucas and Kim looked at each other and winced. "Aquitar was overtaken," Kim answered, tearfully. "We don't know what happened to them."
"Captured or dead," Lucas continued.
"We can't just sit here," Amy said. "We've got to do something." She looked at Aisha and Kim on both sides of her. "You guys are the Power Rangers. You protect people. And right now, there are a whole bunch of people in-" she pointed at Kim. "Your own home town who have no idea what's going on. They don't know that some evil mother thing is going to attack them. You guys need to help them. That's what you do, right?"
"You're right," Kim said. "We've got to do something. Can't leave them down there with no warning."
At that moment, Tommy and the guys walked back into the main room. Kim stood up and called out his name as Tommy called hers. He waited for her to speak before saying anything.
"We've got to do something. Protect the people of Angel Grove. We can't just leave them with nobody."
Tommy nodded. "I agree. And the only way to keep them safe is to get them out."
"Where?" Zack asked. "Stone Canyon? That's the closest..."
"No," Adam said. "If it's a trick, that's the first place she's going to attack then."
"So," Jason said. "We'll go down there, morphed, and tell people to leave, hide, grab their families and go south towards L.A."
"You don't think she's going to try LA?" Kim said.
"Hopefully, later, if she does. But Adam's right, if she doesn't aim for Angel Grove, it'll be Stone Canyon."
"Reefside is closer than LA," Billy said. "They should go there."
Tommy shook his head. "She has six people who are close to us. There's no doubt in my mind that she'll go for the places that are most important to us. And Reefside's one of them."
"So LA, then."
"We don't need everybody to go to Angel Grove," Wes said. "You guys should go. You know that place better than any of us. We'll wait here."
Jason nodded. "Me, Tommy, Adam, Rocky, TJ, Kim, Trini, Zack, Billy, and Aisha."
Trini looked over when she heard her name. "What's going on?" she asked as she stood, pulling up Taylor with her.
"We're going to Angel Grove. Warn everybody to leave."
Trini nodded and looked at Taylor. She gave her a smile and a hug. "Are we leaving now?" she asked.
"The sooner we do, the further away they could get," Zack said.
"Be careful," Andros said. "We'll know if you guys are in trouble." He looked at Adam. "Remember, if it's too much..."
Adam nodded. In a flash of light, the ten rangers morphed.
Amy stood in front of them, eyes wide open with her jaw dropped. "Wow," she breathed.
Adam stepped forward and enveloped her in a hug. "I'm sorry..." he whispered. "You'll be safe here."
"I've never been hugged by a Power Ranger before," she whispered back.
He laughed a bit and looked at her. "They'll take care of you, here." He stood next to Kim and nodded at Amy as he and the other rangers disappeared in another flash of light.
The ten rangers landed in Angel Grove Park, around the area where they were previously, with Baruk and their friends that he captured.
"We'll go in pairs," Jason said, authoritatively. He looked around. "Zack, TJ, take the downtown area. Billy, Aisha, go to the Youth Center and the Surf Spot. Rocky, Trini, go down the westside to the residential areas. Adam, Kim, Angel Grove High." He looked at Tommy. "You and I will stay here." He looked at Adam. "How do we get in touch with each other?"
"Just think of who you want to talk to and speak. Our coins also have a bit of a fusion of Mayari, Apolaki, and Tala's powers."
"Okay. Be safe, everyone."
The ten rangers broke out in pairs and ran to the respective places where they were assigned. Before running out, Tommy looked at Jason and spoke.
"Did you really have to split up me and Kim like that?"
Jason raised his hands. "Hey, you could've said anything at any time. Besides, I split me and Trini and Rocky and Aisha up to. It'll help us concentrate more. And Kim's safe with Adam."
Tommy nodded before running after Jason. They reached an open field and saw a group of high school kids playing volleyball. He watched as the ball went dead as he and Jason ran up to the court.
"Whoa..." one of them said. "The Power Rangers..."
"You guys need to get home, get your families together and evacuate," Jason said. "We have evidence of an upcoming attack on Angel Grove."
The teenagers didn't move an inch. They still stood in awe of the red and white ranger.
"The red ranger was always my favorite," a blonde-haired girl said.
"Did you hear us?" Tommy said, exasperatedly. "There will be an attack on Angel Grove. You guys have got to go down towards LA."
"LA?" A dark-skinned boy scoffed. "That's way too far. If there's an attack on Angel Grove, which there hasn't been in years, I'm going to Stone Canyon. It's closer."
Tommy and Jason exhaled impatiently. "Look, I know you guys are probably too young to remember the Power Rangers and how it was in Angel Grove before," Jason said.
"Remember?" the blonde-haired girl said again. "I was a little kid when Angel Grove was still getting attacked by monsters. I remember. And I remember seeing those people morph in front of us. But you guys aren't wearing the same suits."
"No," A tall man approached them. He looked like he was in his twenties. "They're not the same."
"Mr. Kelman?" The dark-skinned boy said. "What are you doing here?"
"What?" the man said. "Just because I'm your teacher doesn't mean I can't go for a run in the park?"
"Fred?" Tommy said. "Fred Kelman. You've grown up."
Fred looked at Tommy in surprise. "You know my name."
"Of course. Can't forget the person who helped save the parents of Angel Grove."
"What?" the teenagers exclaimed.
"What's going on?" Fred asked.
"There's going to be an attack on Angel Grove," Jason said. "Everyone needs to evacuate to LA."
Fred nodded. He looked at his students. "Then let's go."
"Wait," the dark-skinned boy said. "You believe them? Two grown men running around in Power Ranger suits."
"You seemed to believe them when they first came up," the blonde-haired girl said. "That they were actual Power Rangers."
"Well, now I don't."
Tommy and Jason sighed. "Just get out of here," Tommy said. "For your own safety. Get your friends, your families and get out."
"If he says so," Fred said. "I'd believe him."
At that moment, the sound of thunder rumbled above them. In a swift moment, everyone looked up and saw something heading for the park.
"What is that?" the blonde-haired girl asked.
They continued to watch the sky and it looked like hundreds of overgrown birds were heading for them.
"Run. Now!" Tommy said.
"Let's go, kids," Fred said. He looked back at Tommy before leading the teenagers off. "You remind me of a guy that I always looked up to. Tommy Oliver." Fred nodded at the rangers before heading off. "If we're in trouble, I know you guys will be able to fix it."
Tommy and Jason looked at each other before looking up. "What are those things?" Tommy asked.
"I think it's those tiya-thingys that they were talking about. And the other flesh-eating stuff."
"We need to hurry and get these people out of here."
Jason and Tommy ran throughout the park and saw everyone scrambling.
"Calm down!" Jason yelled. "Get your families and head to Los Angeles!"
"You'll be safer there than in Stone Canyon!" Tommy yelled.
The two of them stopped dead in their tracks as they heard a terrifying scream. They both turned around and saw a tiyanak fly down and grab a young woman around her abdomen. It flew up, holding her, while the person was still screaming. The tiyanak took hold of the young woman's head and twisted it around. Jason looked down, hearing a crack, knowing that she was dead. He looked up and felt like he was going to throw up when he saw the tiyanak start to chew on her torso. Jason felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Tommy bent half-down.
"You okay, bro?"
"Yeah," Tommy answered.
"It is like Kim said, isn't it?"
"Let's just kick some butt like we did before."
They bumped fists and spread out, waiting for the next tiyanak to land.
Zack kicked down an office door and looked around at the cubicles that surrounded him. TJ jumped on the desk closest to him and proceeded to yell over the person whose desk he was standing on.
"Everybody, please listen up! There will be a monster attack on Angel Grove. Please hurry home and get your families and evacuate out of the city. Head toward Los Angeles instead of Stone Canyon."
"What?" An exasperated voice stuck his head out of an office. "What the hell are you doing, interrupting my office? Get out, we have work to do."
"No, sir," Zack said as TJ jumped down from the office. "There is an attack coming. We want you all to evacuate so that you and your families will all be safe."
"Power Rangers?" The office manager said. "They haven't been seen around Angel Grove for years. There hasn't been a monster attack for years." He looked around his office and saw everyone standing up at their desks. "Get back to work! Or I'm docking your pay!"
TJ grabbed the door before it was shut. "No, if you stay, you are only putting yourself and your staff in the line of fire. This building is over five stories up. Leave now and prepare yourselves. Evacuate and take care of yourself and your family."
"I think I'm leaving." A dark-skinned lady stood up. "It was only a matter of time before monsters attacked the city again. They always did when I was in high school and the Power Rangers always fought them and won."
"If you take one step out of that door, Angela, you're fired! We're on a strict deadline and we need to have every thing in on time."
"Then I guess I'm fired. I'm not waiting around for a monster to attack."
"Angela?" Zack turned and saw a familiar-looking face in front of him.
She nodded and looked at the black ranger.
"Just...take care. Be safe. Hurry."
She nodded again and headed out.
"If anybody wants to follow her, I strongly advise that you do," TJ said. "It's not smart to stay here."
A few other people stood up and followed the same path that Angela took and walked out. TJ looked at the office manager. "Leave. It's the only thing that can probably keep you safe."
He shook his head. "Excuse me, I have work to do."
At that moment, a loud screeching was heard. Immediately, everyone, including TJ and Zack ran to the windows and looked out.
"They found out," TJ said. "They knew that we were coming back." He looked back to the office. "It looks like the attack is here. Get out now, and save yourselves!" Nobody moved from their spots at the window. They all continued to look out the window.
A tiyanak flew by, holding a light-skinned body in its arms. The entire office groaned when blood spattered on the windows. Something flew into an open window. One of the employees ran to it and inspected it. She fell to her knees and threw up next to her. "A...it's a foot..." Blood pooled around the foot as the employees screamed and ran for the exit.
"What the hell?" The office manager walked out of his office and saw all of his employees running toward the only exit. "What the hell is going on? What is that noise?" He looked at the windows and saw TJ and Zack still standing there. "Look what you've done to my office. We've got deadlines!"
"Look!" TJ pointed to the foot, lying in a pool of blood. "It's real and it's here. Get out now and hide. Find your family if you can."
The office manager gave them an irritated look and walked toward the windows. He groaned at the blood and looked at the debris that also flew in with the foot. "This is going to take forever to clean." He dropped on of the windows and looked disgustedly at the rangers. "Why the hell did you put blood on my windows? All the more for your fun little game?"
"It's not a game, sir!" Zack yelled. He pointed to the foot. "This is somebody's foot. It is a person. Someone who was living life, someone who had friends, a family! We don't know what happened to that person, if he or she is dead or alive."
"You guys are crazy. Couldn't wait to live out your Power Rangers fantasy, could you? This game is going to far, boys. I'm calling the police."
As the office manager pulled out his cell phone, he stuck his head out the window, right in the line of a flying aswang, who promptly bit off his head. The office manager's body fell to the ground with a loud thud, cell phone still in his hand.
"Horrible," Zack said. He looked away from the body.
"Come on," TJ said. He looked at Zack, who was kneeling with his head between his hands. "You've got to help me. Even a jerk like him doesn't deserve to die." He took hold of the office manager's shoulders and lifted with no progress. "Come on, Zack. The bad thing is that you get used to it after a while."
"What...what..are we going to do with...with the body?" Zack stammered out, having difficulty speaking.
"He deserves some sort of burial. He needs to be at peace. Just help me bring him downstairs."
Zack looked out the window and saw numerous more tiyanaks and aswangs flying. "Shouldn't we be fighting them?"
TJ followed his gaze out the window. "They haven't landed yet. Right now, they're only trying to scare. When they get closer to the ground, that's when we fight."
"But they...he...him..."
"If they see something in front of them, they won't hesitate to kill and eat them. He stuck his head out the window."
Zack sighed and picked up the legs of the office manager while TJ grabbed the shoulders.
Billy and Aisha ran into the familiar surroundings of the Youth Center. They saw somebody standing behind the counter and were reminded of Ernie. Immediately, Billy and Aisha ran over to the counter and jumped up.
"Everyone, please listen up!" Billy yelled.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" The person behind the counter exclaimed. "Get off! People eat there!"
"There will be an attack on Angel Grove. You all have to leave. Evacuate to Los Angeles as quickly as possible. Find your parents, your friends, your brothers and sisters and evacuate. Leave as soon as you can! I repeat there will be an attack on Angel Grove!"
The groups of teenagers hanging around the exercise equipment, the floor mats, the balance beam, and the tables, stopped what they were doing and looked at the blue and yellow rangers standing before them. They all laughed at once.
"This is serious!" Aisha yelled. "You are all in danger! You must leave! Evacuate and find your families and your friends."
"Get down!" The person behind the counter yelled again. "You guys are acting crazy."
"Call the police, John!" One of the teenagers practicing martial arts yelled.
"I'm one step ahead of you, Todd," the person behind the counter said.
"John?" Aisha looked down at the person behind the counter. "John, where's Ernie? Last time I came here, he was here. Where is he?"
John looked at her in shock, with the phone held up to his ear. "Not that it's any of your business, but he decided to move to Terra Venture."
"Did you help him pack? Did you see him leave?"
"Again, not that it's any of your business, he left it in a note. I came in here to open and I found the note."
"Was it his handwriting?"
"Of course it was. I think I know my own boss's handwriting. He said he was leaving the place to me."
"Is that like him?"
"Well, no...but...I knew he always wanted to do this again. He loved it here. It was a little weird that he left."
"Because he didn't want to!" Aisha screamed. "He's been taken captive by the enemy. It was a fake."
"Why are you saying that?" John looked at Aisha, disgust and anger written in his face. "911's not working. What the hell is going on? It's busy. Why is 911 busy?" He looked up at the blue and yellow rangers. "I'm asking nicely. Please get down from my counter. That is where people eat."
Aisha and Billy looked at each other and sighed before jumping down.
"Should we run in or ring the doorbell?" Rocky asked Trini as they stood on the porch of someone's house.
Trini shrugged. "I think we should ring the doorbell." She stepped forward and rang the doorbell.
Rocky looked in the window. "Doesn't look like anyone's home."
"I just saw a door close," Trini said. "Should we ring again?"
"Maybe just one more time." Rocky pressed the doorbell. The two of them waited a couple of minutes, looking into the house. "This is really a type of emergency. We can't let them stay here if it's not safe."
"You're right."
Trini stood back as Rocky readied himself to kick open the door. They ran in and Trini headed to where she saw the door close. She yanked it open and didn't see anybody. Rocky followed her.
"Well, the tv's still on," Rocky said. "They can't have gone far."
"Weird," Trini said. "Almost like they were expecting something like this."
Rocky picked up a plate of food that was on the table.
"Rocky!" Trini exclaimed. "This is not the time!"
"It's still hot. So they're really close." Rocky took another step and circled behind the couch. Immediately he was dropped and landed on his back. Trini jumped and was in her ready stance.
"What are you guys doing in my house?" A dark-haired boy, no older than 16 stood above Rocky. He held his foot on Rocky's chest and looked at Trini. "What do you guys want?"
"Where are your parents?" Trini asked.
"Work," the teenager answered. "What do you want?"
"We want you and your parents and any other family that you have to evacuate Angel Grove."
"Why?"
"Because there will be an attack on Angel Grove."
The teenager looked as if he were contemplating what Trini was saying. He stood off of Rocky. Trini bent down to help him up.
"Why should I believe you? Because you're wearing Power Ranger suits?"
"There is an attack coming," Rocky said, rubbing his chest. "We just don't know when it will hit. And we want everyone to be prepared. You have got to evacuate and keep yourself and your family safe."
"If there is an attack, I could fight. I've been training in martial arts since I was three years old."
"No," Trini said. "It's too dangerous."
"I remember the Power Rangers," the teenager said. "My older brother used to play soccer. Something happened at one of his games and the Power Rangers showed up. They made me want to protect the people that I love." He looked at the yellow and red ranger. "You can't make me evacuate. I'll get my parents and I'll tell my brother and his family to leave, but I want to help."
"No," Trini repeated. "It's--"
"Wait," Rocky interrupted. He looked at Trini. "Why can't he help? We've been saying all along that we need more help. And he believes us and he wants to help."
"I do," the teenager said. "My parents remember the Power Rangers, too. My dad always talks about how they used to protect Angel Grove and not worry about themselves. They always put Angel Grove, first."
"I don't know..." She looked at the teenager again. "What's your name, anyway?"
"Michael."
"Well, Michael, I really do appreciate your wanting to help. But, really, it is too dangerous. We've already lost a number of our own fighters."
"Other Power Rangers?" Michael looked incredulous. "How? The Power Rangers can't die."
"We're human, too," Trini said. "And I'm sorry. You're only...how old?"
"I'm sixteen."
"Sixteen years old. It's much too dangerous for a sixteen-year-old. I'm sorry."
"Wait," Rocky said again. He pulled Trini off to the side. "He wants to help. Why can't he?"
"He's only sixteen!"
"We were only sixteen when we started."
"But it's more dangerous now. We're a lot older than we were and we feel more unprepared."
"He can at least help us evacuate the city. Then we'll make sure that he gets out with the rest of his family."
Trini exhaled as she thought about Rocky's words. "Fine. But once they start aiming for us...he has to leave. I don't want him to be in the line of fire. It's...I don't want to break his dream of the Power Rangers." She turned to Michael. "You can help us evacuate the city. Help us go to your neighbors here and get them out of the city."
"I could help you fight."
"No." This time Rocky spoke. "There are dangers out there that you have no idea about. I don't...and I know the other rangers would not want you to face them because it is just too dangerous."
Michael thought for a bit. "Fine. I'll help you evacuate the city. But if the city gets attacked before it's evacuated, you can't stop me from fighting."
Trini and Rocky looked at each other. "Fair enough," Rocky said. Trini looked like she was about to say something, but Rocky put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go."
"Good. You guys could tell me what's going on."
"All right." Rocky followed Michael out of the room.
Adam and Kim walked down the halls of Angel Grove High, looking in all of the classrooms as they passed by them. So far, they had been by eight classrooms and all of them had been empty.
"This is so weird, isn't it?" Kim said. "Being back here. I never thought I'd be back."
"Me too," Adam said. "Even weirder that nobody's around. You would think that it'd be a bit more crowded."
"Well, if they're following the same school schedule from when we were here, school would be out right now."
"Yeah, but what about the teachers? And the after-school activities? Even the detention kids." Adam stopped suddenly and grabbed Kim's arm. He lifted a finger to his mouth and took Kim's hand. They listened and heard voices coming towards them down the hall. Adam and Kim waited until the voices were loud enough and stepped out from where they were. Their old principal, Mr. Caplan and two teachers stood before them, surprised.
"Power Rangers?" Caplan looked at them with wide eyes. "The real Power Rangers have not been seen in Angel Grove for years."
"Yes," Adam said. "But a new evil has arisen and will be targeting Angel Grove as the next target. It is more dangerous than we have ever faced and we need you and the rest of the teachers and any other students who may still be here to evacuate the city as soon as possible. Go home and get your families together and get out of Angel Grove as soon as possible. Head towards Los Angeles because we think Stone Canyon may be a target as well."
Caplan furrowed his brow and looked at the person to his left. "And exactly why should I believe you? We've had numerous Power Ranger sightings and each of them produce a fake number of 'attacks'."
"This is real," Kim said. "You've got to believe us. You remember Rita Repulsa, don't you?"
"She was destroyed years ago."
"Yes, but her mother has vowed revenge on the Power Rangers. She has vowed revenge on Angel Grove. Please leave and save yourselves."
Caplan furrowed his brow again and looked at the black ranger. He seemed to think for a bit before he nodded to Adam and Kim. "Very well." He looked at the teacher to his right. "We must warn anyone who is still in the building."
She nodded. "I'll make an announcement over the PA system right now."
"Thank you."
"We'll head around the school and make sure everyone is out," Kim said. She and Adam continued down the hallway they came from.
Caplan nodded. "Thank you, Power Rangers."
Adam turned around and nodded to his former principal.
"I wonder how they're doing down there," Lucas said.
"They're fine, right?" Amy said. "I mean, if you guys haven't heard anything yet, that means they're fine?"
Nobody answered her question for they were all wondering the same thing. Amy turned and looked around the room. She walked over to Kira and sat down.
"They're fine, right?" Amy looked at Kira with pleading eyes.
Kira pursed her lips and took a long time to answer her question. "I don't know," she answered truthfully.
"But if they're in trouble, they would've came back by now, right? Or they would've called you guys for some help? They've been gone for a long time, now."
Kira shrugged.
Amy furrowed her brow and looked at Kira's arm. "How you feeling?" she asked, gesturing to her arm.
"Same."
"Amy?" Hayley asked, interrupting their conversation.
"Yes?" She turned around and saw Hayley sticking her head out of the medical room.
"You mind if you come and help me out for a bit?"
"No, of course not." Amy took another look at Kira and rubbed her shoulder and headed towards to the medical room. "What do you need, Hayles?"
Hayley gestured her over to Zhane, whose crowd has left the room for the kitchen. Amy looked down at Zhane. She knew that earlier he was awake, but now his eyes were closed. "Is he sleeping?"
Hayley gave a brief nod. "But something's wrong. I'm not sure if it's because he's from KO-35, but it seems like he has just stopped."
"What? His heart stopped? Doesn't that mean that..."
"No, it's almost like...he's frozen in place."
Amy grabbed his hand. "But he's warm."
"Yeah," Hayley said. "That's the part that I don't understand."
"They were not lying when they said these things were stronger than we've ever faced before!" Jason yelled as he and Tommy kicked at an aswang.
"Yeah!" Tommy said. "Look out!"
Jason ducked as Tommy jumped over him to kick an ekek.
"Thanks man!"
A bright light appeared before Andros and the other rangers. He immediately jumped up as well as the other rangers.
"Apolaki!" he exclaimed.
"They are attacking. You must be divided and head to Earth. She has chosen to destroy six points on Earth, starting with Angel Grove."
"Six?" Eric exclaimed. He looked at Wes. "I thought she was going to focus on Angel Grove."
"That is what she wanted you to think." Apolaki looked at Andros. "Angel Grove. Buenos Aires. Athens. Tokyo. South Africa. Auckland. You must go to Earth immediately. She has already begun her attack." A flash of light shone before them and he disappeared.
"Okay," Andros said, looking around. "Six points around the Earth." He looked toward the medical room. "Hayley!"
Hayley and Amy ran out of the medical room. "Yes?" Hayley said. "What's happened?"
"She's attacking Earth. Angel Grove. Buenos Aires. Athens. Tokyo. South Africa and Auckland."
Hayley thought for a bit. "North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand. It seems like she wants to destroy all of Earth at once."
Andros nodded. "Do you think we could call back Adam and the others?"
"If anything, I would think that they've already met them," Kira said. "That's probably why they haven't come back yet. Angel Grove is not a big city."
"Ten rangers in Angel Grove?" Wes said. "And five other places left unprotected."
"Me, Ashley, and Cassie will go to Auckland." He looked around at the other rangers. "Karone, take Tori and Mack to Buenos Aires. Wes, you, Eric, Lucas and Taylor head over to South Africa. Sky, Syd, and Z, you guys go to Tokyo. Conner and Ethan, go to Athens. Again, if anything happens, don't hesitate to call any one of us, including Adam, Tommy, or Jason."
"Hey, wait," Kira said, "What about us?" She gestured toward her and Trent.
Andros shook his head. "No. The two of you are hurt and I don't want you guys out there when you're not a hundred percent."
"We're fine," she protested.
"Your arm, Kira," Andros said gently. "Please stay here." He looked at Trent. "Both of you. Even though you're not complaining, Trent, I could see how much pain you're in through your eyes."
"But--"
The fifteen rangers stood next to each other and in a flash of light, morphed into their suits. Andros nodded at Kira and Trent before they all disappeared.
"Let's find the others," TJ said as he and Zack ran down the street. They were both still in their respective suits as they headed back toward the park.
"TJ..." A voice echoed around them.
"What?" Zack said, spooked. He looked around and saw people running in different directions.
"That was Andros," TJ said. "What is it?"
The two of them waited a couple of minutes and didn't hear a reply. "We should get back," TJ said. "And see what's going on."
"What about the others?"
"Hope that they're safe at the moment."
The two of them disappeared in a flash of light and landed in the main room, unmorphed. They saw Hayley, Amy, Kira, and Trent, still standing before them. They looked surprised at the new arrivals.
"What's going on?" TJ said. "I got a weird message from Andros. Not really a message, though. But I know something's up."
"She's attacking," Trent answered.
"We know. They started to fly in while we were evacuating a building in Angel Grove. Where are the others?"
"Gone," Kira said. "She started to attack in Athens, Tokyo, Auckland, South Africa, and Buenos Aires, also. And who knows where else."
"What?" Zack said. "We need to call the others and tell them to help."
"But Angel Grove is being attacked right now, too," TJ said.
"Well, if we could only get out there and help out," Kira said. "Then we'd be okay."
"No," TJ, Zack, and Hayley said at once.
TJ looked at Zack. "Should we go back to Angel Grove? Or should we help the others?"
"I'm not sure," Zack replied. "We have to do something."
"Well, there are eight other rangers in Angel Grove," Hayley said.
"Where's Andros and the others?" TJ asked.
"Auckland," Hayley answered. "Zack, you should go to Buenos Aires with Karone, Tori, and Mack."
TJ and Zack nodded and disappeared in a flash of light.
Rocky, Trini, and Michael were going up and down the neighborhood, pleading with people to leave. Most of them did not believe the rangers or Michael and slammed the door in their faces. A few of them believed the rangers and were following them up and down the neighborhood.
Trini looked at the crowd of people who amassed before her and Rocky. "Everyone! Please, gather the rest of your family and head down to Los Angeles! Don't worry about your belongings, just make sure you get out of here safe and with the rest of your families."
Immediately, people began to head towards their cars and began to drive down the road as Trini, Rocky, and Michael watched.
"Your turn, Michael," Trini said. "Find your parents and get out of here."
"What about everybody else?" Michael said. "I'll help you evacuate them."
"We should to the park," Rocky said.
"Yeah," Trini replied. "And find the others."
"The others?" Michael said with a hint of excitement in his voice. "The other rangers are here?"
Trini looked at him. "You should really go."
"Look," Rocky said, pointing up at the sky. A swarm of aswangs flew above them.
"Whoa," Michael said.
"They look like they're headed toward the park," Trini said.
"Let's go," Rocky said. He and Trini began to run.
"Wait! I'm coming too!" Michael yelled after Rocky and Trini.
"So, how do we get them to believe us?" Aisha said, speaking quietly to Billy as the two of them looked around the Youth Center.
"I'm not sure," Billy said. "It is difficult, although I think John back there is cracking his shell a bit."
Aisha looked at John and rolled her eyes underneath her helmet. "Fat chance."
They both looked at the doorway as they saw their former principal running in with a pink and black ranger.
"Caplan?" The two of them said in surprise.
"Students, please listen up!" he said. "I have been informed of an impending battle from evil forces that are trying to take over the universe."
Again, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at their principal and the two rangers standing on either side of him.
"Please evacuate Angel Grove immediately. Find your families and get out as soon as possible!"
"Hey guys, look!" John turned on the television and faced it around so that everyone could see. The teenagers in the place all ran over and gathered around the tv as Billy and Aisha slipped out to meet up with Kim and Adam.
"Guess you guys didn't have very much luck?" Kim asked.
Aisha gestured around. "They laughed and didn't believe us."
"I wonder what's going on," Adam said, trying to peek over the heads at the television set. He couldn't see and the four of them were shoved around by the hordes of teenagers running out of the Youth Center.
"What's happening?" Billy asked, looking around.
"Hey man," John said as he passed by. "Sorry for not believing you earlier." He barely finished his sentence before he followed the rest of the teenagers out of the building.
"What?" Kim said, turning around to look at the television set. Before she had a chance to make out what was going on, her and the three other rangers disappeared.
They landed with a hard thud, not expecting to teleport from the Youth Center so soon. Kim scrambled to get up and saw Kira, Trent, and Amy sitting on the couch.
"What is going on?" she asked.
Kira sighed and rolled her eyes as Adam, Billy, and Aisha stood up. Amy ran to Adam and gave him a hug. She shook her head before she answered. "She's attacking not only Angel Grove, but Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Auckland, Athens, and South Africa."
Aisha and Billy glanced at each other. "We've got to go and help."
"Who's left in Angel Grove?" Trent asked.
"As far as I know," Adam said, with his arms around Amy. "Jason, Tommy, Rocky, Trini, Zack, and TJ."
"No, Zack went to help them out in Buenos Aires and TJ's in Auckland."
Hayley walked out of the medical room and saw the rangers standing before her. Billy gave her a kiss and a hug upon seeing her. She smiled at Billy before talking. "You guys need to go and help the others."
"Where do we go?" Adam said.
"Now, Jason, Tommy, Trini, and Rocky are in Angel Grove, correct?" Kim nodded. "Kim, Adam, Aisha, you guys should go to Athens. Conner and Ethan are there. Billy, head on over to Tokyo. Sky, Syd, and Z are there."
The four rangers nodded, but stood for a bit. Amy and Adam were hugging each other and Billy and Hayley were talking quietly to each other. Aisha and Kim stood off to the side, talking to each other and Kira.
"We should hurry," Adam said, interrupting everyone's conversations.
Trini and Rocky ran into Angel Grove Park and saw Tommy and Jason fighting the aswangs. They looked like they were holding their own against the aswangs, ekeks, and tiyanaks. Trini looked up and knew that Tommy and Jason wouldn't be able to handle the rest of the aswangs, ekeks, and tiyanaks. She looked at Rocky who was right behind her.
"We've got to help them," she said determinedly.
"Me too!" Michael called from behind the two of them.
"Michael, go!" Trini called.
"Trini, just let him help us," Rocky said. He stopped running and grabbed Michael's arm. "But if you're not feeling up to it, leave at the first chance you can get."
"Okay," he said.
"Promise me that," Rocky demanded. "Me and the other Power Rangers. Promise us that you will leave if any of us go down or if you come close to getting hurt."
"Okay. I promise."
"All right." Rocky relented his grip on Michael. He followed Trini and ran towards the group of aswangs, tiyanaks, and ekeks. Michael followed him closely.
"Man, are we glad to see you guys!" Jason exclaimed as he saw Trini, Rocky, and another person approach. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Michael," Trini said. "Michael, the red and white ranger."
"Okay." Jason ducked as he kicked an aswang and pulled out his blaster. "So, what's he doing here?"
"I'm helping," Michael said, with an edge to his voice. "And you can't stop me."
Jason looked at him as he pushed an aswang away from the red ranger. "I wasn't going to try. And thanks, kid."
"No problem," Michael said, ducking to avoid an arm from an aswang.
"Watch out!" Zack yelled. He ran to one of the people who have not ran out of the city. "You've got to leave!"
The man said something to Zack in a language he didn't understand.
"I'm sorry, sir, I don't know what you're saying. But, you've got to go." Zack moved his arms to demonstrate his words. He tried to pick the man up, but couldn't. He turned around when he heard a scream. He saw Tori get thrown back by an aswang. "Tori!" Zack looked at the man before him and pulled him. "Leave! Get yourself out of here!" He gestured around again. He heard Tori scream again. "Go!" Zack grabbed him around his waist and pulled him up and pushed him into the direction of where the aswangs, tiyanaks, and ekeks seemed to least occupy. The man finally began to understand Zack and started to run in that direction.
"Tori!" Zack yelled as he ran to her. He knelt down behind Tori and felt for a pulse.
"Zack..." her voice came out weak. "I'm fine. Just help me up, please."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Her voice sounded a bit stronger. Zack put his hands underneath Tori's arms and lifted her up.
TJ ducked, avoiding an arm from an aswang. He ran and pulled out his astro blaster, killing the aswang with two swift shots. "Andros, watch out!" Andros turned and moved out of the way as TJ blasted the ekek threatening to attack Andros. He turned and blasted a few more that were attacking some people.
Cassie and Ashley teamed up against a few of the tiyanaks. They stood back to back, fighting the tiyanaks. Cassie ran to help a group of children run away. "Ashley, cover me!" She looked at the kids and spread her arms out. "Let's go, kids. Find your parents!" She led them further away from the fighting. Cassie turned around when she felt that the kids were safe and looked back at the rest of her team. She ran back to help them and stopped short when she saw an aswang drive its arm into the chest of a person that she didn't recognize.
"NO!!" She yelled, running towards the aswang. The aswang pulled out its arm and drove it again into the same person. It threw the body up and again drove its spike through the body as it fell back down. Cassie stopped again and saw the aswang lean over and take a bite from the body. "NOO!!" she yelled again.
TJ looked over and saw Cassie. He used his blaster to kill the aswang. Cassie ran to the body and threw the aswang's body off.
Billy pulled out his Power Lance and used it to free Syd from the bonds that a tiyanak held her in.
"Thanks!" she exclaimed as she picked up a rock. Her hand turned into the rock and she punched the tiyanak in the face. It squealed as it ran away, holding its face. Syd jumped and ran over to Z. The two of them used their blasters and killed a couple of tiyanaks. Z multiplied herself and they shot at a group of aswangs, killing them all.
They didn't notice another group of ekeks readying themselves to attack Syd and Z. Sky jumped in front of them and used his force field to protect him and his teammates. He broke it when he saw Billy run towards them and put it back up, protecting Billy as well. The four of them stood behind Sky as numerous hordes of ekeks, tiyanaks, and aswangs huddled around them.
And there's that chapter. Hope you guys liked it! I know it was a bit slow at the beginning, but let's just call that the 'calm before the storm'. Please let me know what you think!
