A/N: Chapter 14. A surprise visit from Trey and Ninjor, arguments and the start of some battle plans.

A/N 2: I own nothing. Power Rangers once belonged to Saban, then they went to Disney and belong to Saban again.

Chapter 14 – Remembering Your Identity

Thursday, July 1, 2004

Adrianna Repulsa's Throne Room

M-51 Galaxy

10 days after the restoration of the Falcon and Crane…and the entire Ninjetti, for that matter, Adrianna Repulsa was still exasperated and one could still see steam coming out of her ears.

She was going to get a vacation in a few days, and wow, did she ever need it. Had the attempts to stop the reunion of the Falcon and Crane really borne the most sour of fruits?

She had tried EVERYTHING to rip them apart and keep them there; the double letters had worked like a freaking charm.

Well, almost anyways.

As it turned out from what her magic records told her, that damn Oliver never really believed Kimberly broke up with him. She had to admit, through gritted teeth, he was one of the most resourceful warriors in the entire galaxy…amongst other things. Rita and Zedd…when they were in her and Vile's service, had always complained about Tommy's ability to get out of any situation.

Maybe, she pondered, she should have listened.

That was why, Adrianna thought, he had worked silently in the shadows for years, building up to that moment 10 Earth days ago. It was also why Adrianna had done all she could to stop him.

Come to think of it, that damned Ranger Oliver lived a charmed life. His quest had nearly come off the tracks close to 10 times in the last eight years. The rebirth of Maligore and the corruption of the Crane only to see Lerigot free Kimberly and the Rangers destroy Maligore; the failed invasion by Astronema and Zordon's sacrifice; the time where Tommy nearly got bit by a python at the ruins of the building Divatox had destroyed.

In all honesty, Adrianna thought as she reflected back on Murianthias, it had been a major part of her own plan was the corruption of the Crane; Maligore had just beat her to it. The rifts in the team then were clear for all to see and Divatox, as dumb as she could be, had attacked the team at precisely the right time.

Adrianna's plan all along was not only to separate the team, which had worked, but to create some rifts and to use those to perhaps corrupt one of Tommy or Kimberly somewhere down the line. Both were extremely powerful, she knew, and one or even both in her service would have given her and Vile an enormous edge.

Then there were the recent years which stung her all the more; the failed Serpentera experiment; that idea was stopped by the damn Reds, including Dr. Oliver, before it ever got started. There was the island thing; that one probably hurt her the most. It hurt double because not only did Oliver escape with his life and his dream, but two of her former soldiers had been the ones to resuscitate his dream.

Not even a damn coma, and him fighting three of his own self, and not even the destruction of his lab had mattered. The Ninjetti were whole again, and to make matters worse there were four new little Ranger rats running around Earth and they now had Oliver and that Crane of his to help them mature.

Not even the threats by that human known as Kimberly's mother had mattered…

Suddenly, a light came on. Maybe Adrianna…hadn't played all her cards.

If Tommy and Kim were there, the smile that creased Adrianna's face would have sent shivers down both their spines.

Maybe, just maybe, she had an idea to get rid of the Rangers once and for all…

Saturday, July 31

2:30 p.m.

Dr. Oliver's Lair

Reefside, CA

Almost as soon as the Rangers entered the Lair from the forest entrance, they stopped in shock; all Rangers in particular stood in complete surprise at what they saw.

There were three arrivals; the first one Trent recognized immediately. The torture this man had suffered was almost too much for Trent to bear; scorch marks, bruises and sheared skin was everywhere. It looked like he would be out of it for quite a while.

The Rangers in the next moment turned their attention to two figures who appeared to be bickering heatedly. Zordon and Hayley were standing off to the side, just watching it happen.

One of the men arguing was a man clad in gold who looked like he was in his 20s, but in reality was thousands of years old. The six Zeo Rangers recognized him immediately.

The other involved in the argument was a blue clad figure with an "N" insignia on his chest; those who had gone to Phaedos and then the Temple of Power afterwards recognized him as well.

"Do you know what those Rangers have been through the last eight years?" the blue clad figure snapped. "My Falcon nearly lost his life a good six times in the last 10 years trying to get his Crane back so you have no right to call that man a coward!"

"Excuse me?" the gold clad figure spat back. "These are supposed to be the mighty Ninjetti of the Great Power and they aren't going to save their friends? I fought with some of them and while I admired their accolades then, they piss me off now. If you want to believe I am calling Dr. Oliver a coward, then so be it!"

"Then what do you call going to destroy Serpentera, surviving a blown-up island and nearly getting eaten by a shark, fighting a guy uglier than Rita and Zedd in their evil forms combined and almost LOSING HIS LIFE by fighting his own three forms?" Ninjor roared loud enough that everyone could hear what he said. "And they got along fine before you came into the picture, Prince Trey."

"Hey, I'm part of the reason they survived the Machine Empire, you understand that?" the gold figure snapped back. "They'd be DEAD right now if it wasn't for me so watch your mouth, Ninjor!"

By this point, Kimberly had heard enough and her anger was simmering as well; the other Rangers started to stop her from stepping forward but Tommy held them back. More than anyone else, where Kimberly was concerned he knew it was best to just let her vent if she needed to.

Unable to hide her anger any longer, Kimberly walked up to the figure clad in gold and slapped him hard across the face. The others, in particular the former Zeo Rangers watched in shock as they saw Trey of Triforia crash to the floor. Very seldom in all the years they'd known the Crane had they seen her this pissed.

"How DARE you call Tommy a coward!" Kimberly growled as she glowered down at Trey. "Just who do the hell you think you are little man?"

Trey glared back at her as he picked himself up and opened his mouth to say something…until he saw angry power radiating from Kimberly in waves; the power she now exhibited was unbelievable and it stunned him visibly.

Trey looked around for any sort of support and found he wasn't getting any; as a matter of fact, Ninjor looked back at him with a shrug, and if Ninjor had been able to take his mask off, you would have seen what amounted to a prideful smirk, as if to say, 'That's my crane; that's the old crane that I once knew.'

But being the prince that he was, he wasn't going to let it go easily. He was still mad and still intent on giving the Rangers a piece of his mind.

"That's right, Dr. Oliver is what I would now consider a coward, and if you side with him, then you're a coward too," Trey said. Tommy was listening and had a look that could kill but decided to let his girlfriend do his talking. "The old Rangers I know wouldn't sit back and do nothing when one of their own was in trouble. Those Rangers that I once knew had the guts and intestinal fortitude to put their lives on the line for those they loved."

"And as far as who I am, I'm Prince Trey of Triforia, little girl, and I'm a member of the Council of Light. Ninjor is also on said Council, as well as others that you know. And some of those members are not happy with some of your decisions as of late," Trey responded. "I also have the power to blast you through the walls of this building, you understand me?"

"Like to see you try; I've heard about you, and you're powerful, but I can see the fear behind your bravado. I intimidate the hell out of you, and you know it. You know not the true power that Tommy and I possess; the last time you were here Tommy was a shell of his former self," Kimberly snapped. "And if this is about us not going up and attacking Adrianna for taking our friends, a lot has changed since we were teenagers. I lost my Falcon and just got him back, and we're still trying to put the pieces back together; all of us are. We're in no shape to go up there and take her on."

"And another thing, we might have shown intestinal fortitude, but we actually had a plan when we needed to rescue someone. We've never faced this opponent before, unlike Rita and Zedd. As much as I love them both now, they were easy to figure out back then," Kimberly said. "Adrianna or whatever her name is, is a complete wild card. We've never faced her and have no idea of her true power. We're a lot smarter and a lot more mature than we were 10 years ago, Trey."

"Besides, we know the risks when we go out and fight; people die in battle, Trey. I'm not a coward and she's not a coward either; she looked death in the face 10 years ago and survived. I looked death in the face five months ago and survived," Tommy said as he finally spoke up, recalling the time where Kimberly almost lost her life thanks to the power coin ordeal, and the time when he was in a coma less than six months ago..

"It hasn't happened to any one of us, but it damn sure could happen. We'd remind you of the time you lost a loved one in a battle but that would be hitting below the belt," Tommy added.

"The other thing is, we're a lot more mature than we were 10 years ago," Kimberly said. "I would still do anything and everything to save any of us…and them. But when you grow up 10 years, you see a lot more and you learn a lot more."

"I had to learn that too, Trey," Tommy said. "After Murianthias, I had to let Kim go for the time being; I didn't let go of the dream, but I stopped being obsessed about her every single day. I was able to get on with my life. Kim is a big girl and I think it's more likely she'll kick your butt unless you get that burr out of it."

Trey had to admit that he had no comeback for the last two things Tommy had said; Tommy had been right that Trey had lost a loved one, many thousands of years ago. It was one of the many battle stories Trey had related to him and the rest of the Zeo Rangers during the Machine Empire's attempts to take over Earth.

He also had to admit that the senior Rangers were showing a lot more maturity as the years had gone by; they were now adults instead of the upbeat teenagers that had saved the world 10 years ago. They would still do anything and everything to save the planet, but they also knew the risks and that sooner or later, someone was going to die thanks to aliens' attempts to take over Earth.

Most of all, he could finally see face to face, with his own eyes, the power that Tommy and Kimberly possessed. It had been urban legend throughout the galaxy that the Morphin team was near unstoppable before Kimberly had her power coin taken, thanks in part to what Tommy and Kimberly shared.

And it was widely known that there were parallel universes, albeit a scant few, in which Kimberly had never left the team. In those universes, the Orb of Doom never happened, and Tommy and Kimberly singlehandedly had destroyed Master Vile, shocking that universe and all surrounding universes.

It was at that point that Trey lost it and cried uncontrollably, the utter embarrassment for his little stunt filling him like a river.

"I…I'm sorry guys," he croaked out between tears. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're…you're all right and I was completely out of line. That said, the Council…the Council…"

Trey was having trouble finding words to express what he wanted to say next.

"The Council is pissed that you're not taking action against Adrianna," Trey said through more choked tears. "Some have advocated that all of you lose the protection of your powers."

"WHAT?" every Ranger in the room shouted, and a loud, collective gasp was heard around the room.

"They know damn well they can't do that. Dulcea and Ninjor gave us the Ninjetti powers and they are the guardians of these powers," Tommy said, his voice deadly. "And even if they did, the Ninjetti power is ours. Besides, one of the three rules is never escalate a battle unless forced. Adrianna may have some of our friends, but she hasn't really upped the ante any."

"That may be a rule Zordon goes by, but it's not necessarily a rule some of the Council goes by," Trey said, his tears finally subsiding. "Some think that when given the opportunity, that you should kick a door down and destroy an opponent, especially given what you two have been through. Fueling their argument is that the spy keeping your friends from being in even worse shape is a Ranger as well."

"On that part, he is correct, Power Rangers. Trey was definitely out of line with his outburst but he is correct that one of your own is up there," Ninjor said. "In fact, the Ranger that is watching your friends is from another time period. I suggest you not go around Wes once he finds out who is up there…and he will."

At that clue from Ninjor, Tommy's face lost all color; it couldn't possibly be who Ninjor was talking about, could it?

"A few weeks before the restoration of Tommy and Kimberly's relationship, I picked up a wormhole in the space-time continuum," Ninjor said. "As it turns out from my magic records, Jennifer Scotts, the Pink Time Force Ranger who came back in time and served with Wes just couldn't make it work without him a thousand years into the future."

"So, Alex and the rest of the Time Force Rangers from the future decided to let her go back in time, but there's a special stipulation involved; to earn a permanent life in this time period, she must complete one mission. When she came to this time period, that is the mission she chose," Ninjor said. "To watch over your friends, until the time is right when she and all of you can get them out of there. She wants the life that she believes she and Wes deserve."

"Tommy, why do you look so pale? This can't be that big, is it?" Aisha said. "Surely Jen can take care of herself, she's a female and a very tough Pink from what I know about her."

"That's not the point, Sha," Tommy said, slumping back on his chair in disbelief; the joy of the earlier parts of the day suddenly leaving him. "The point is, Jen is up there where she could get killed. If she gets killed up there, it affects the flow of time as we know it. And Ninjor is right; when Wes finds out about this, he will freak and he will do something rash to go try and save her. This isn't good at all."

"I've got an idea," Hayley said; she had been watching the whole thing with Zordon but hadn't said a word until now. "Maybe we can't go up there in full rescue mode, but what if we go scare them?"

"What do you mean?" Ninjor said, looking at Hayley curiously. "And who are you?"

"How rude of me not to introduce myself," Hayley said. "I'm Hayley Ziktor, head of the Falcon's Dino Thunder operations. I've been standing back there with Zordon, watching this whole thing."

"What I mean by that is surely Adrianna has certain parts of her dominions that she considers sacred, no?" Hayley said. "We can find them and destroy them or threaten to destroy them. It's a way to let Adrianna know that maybe we can't fully storm her castle yet, but that we will not let her taking our friends go unpunished."

"Hayley, that's BRILLIANT!" Tommy said as his eyes lit up. "We can't destroy her, but we can scare her. We'd need to do some research though on what she considers sacred."

Suddenly, a silver and white light appeared in the middle of the room and the image of a beautiful woman in a silver and white outfit appeared suddenly in the lab. The eyes of six of the Rangers in the room lit up, knowing exactly who it was.

"Rangers, it is wonderful to see all of you again," the woman said. "It is particularly wonderful to see my Falcon and my Crane once again together as one. Together I know you will lead your team to victory in the coming battles."

"Dulcea, aren't you supposed to be on your plateau?" Kimberly said.

"In previous circumstances that would be the case, my Crane, but Zordon's previous sacrifice lifted the barrier that bound me to this planet. I have simply chosen to remain here and guard the Great Power; however, I can project myself as if I were there before all of you," Dulcea said.

"And Falcon, as far as what Adrianna Repulsa considers sacred, I know everything about her; she is my archrival," Dulcea said. "If you will come to Phaedos and bring Jason, Katherine, Zackary, Tanya, Justin, Trini, Zedd, Rita and Selena I can infuse, or re-infuse them with the Great Power and I will give you instructions on what Adrianna considers sacred."

"And Trey," Dulcea added, the tone of her voice rising just a notch to where Trey could clearly see she was upset with him, "your behavior was completely uncalled for, as is some of the Council's behavior. I suggest you apologize to every Ranger in that room and be wary, lest I decide to strip you of your privileges and the protection of your own Power."

"Yes ma'am," Trey gulped, knowing the seniority Dulcea had on the Council of Light. She wasn't at all the meetings but had significant say in the doings of the Council.

"May the Power protect you, Rangers, and I hope to see some of you soon," Dulcea said. With that, she disappeared.

When the room died down, there was a noticeable hush in the room till everyone looked over at Conner, who had his mouth agape as if he couldn't believe what he just saw.

"I think for once in his life Conner McKnight is speechless," Rocky quipped. "He probably considers Dulcea a hot babe or something now."

"Don't make me bring up the Pachinko machine again," Conner warned, which caused everyone a laugh which broke up the tension.

"Guys, I really am sorry," Trey said, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "I just…don't know what to say. The sad part is, I know my actions were uncalled for even when I was yelling at Ninjor and yet, I couldn't contain my anger that people are in trouble and the Rangers are just sitting and watching."

"It's just…a new experience for me because when people are in trouble, the Rangers always help and it doesn't help matters when some of the Council members suggest you lose your powers," Trey said.

On that part everyone in the room had to admit Trey was correct; at every turn, the Rangers had existed to serve the public. They weren't out for the glory, or for the fame and it didn't pay a single cent towards college or anything else; they did it because it was the right thing to do.

"On behalf of our entire team, I accept the apology," Kimberly said. "The thing is, people grow up and it's a lot different when you hear about Ranger events than when you're actually in them."

"My view changed a lot after the Murianthias episode, especially seeing Rocky replaced," Kimberly said looking at Justin. "Knowing that Rocky hurt his back and that he possibly could have been killed had he gone on that mission is too much for me to handle."

"That having been said," Tommy took over for her, "Trey is correct that we exist to serve the people; that is our identity and we can't simply sit back and let things like this happen to Anton. He could have been killed up there and worse yet Jennifer Scotts is up there now."

"That's right, our identity is protect and serve," Aisha said. "No matter that he blew up, I'm glad Trey came here to remind us of that, and that we need to do something."

"That said, Trey, the Council has no right to take away our Powers and even if they did, the Ninjetti powers belong to us," Billy said. "You had better inform the rest of the council that if they try that, there will be hell to pay."

"Yes, sir," Trey said.

"In the meantime, I suggest we go home and get some rest," Tommy said. "It's been a hectic Day 40 since we got back together."

"Guys, we may have another problem that I just thought of," Jason said. "They have Shawna, Ms. Appleby, Ernie and Lt. Stone right?"

"Yeah and what's your point?" Tommy said.

"My point is, rainbow Ranger, if Adrianna has those four, then who's to say she can't come after our friends or more important, our parents?" Jason said.

With that, Kimberly's mouth flew open. She very well knew what would happen if Caroline found out her daughter was in the spandex; all hell would break loose.

"Like I've said before, I will handle all matters that pertain to your identities, Jason," Zordon said, sensing Kimberly's anxiety. "Tommy's adopted parents Melissa and Josh also know, is that not true, Falcon?"

"They do, and informed me of that shortly after I got the White Ranger powers, but they told me they understood why it had to be kept a secret and still do," Tommy said.

"Excellent, they will be most helpful in informing them of the latest threat," Zordon said. "Go home, my Rangers and get some rest. May the Power protect you."

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